Bad Robot/Jonathan Nolan Bringing "Westworld" to HBO

[Sawyer]

I was actually thinking they get new lead actors in that event, like True Detective and Fargo, but that's a possibility too.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Wouldn't it make more sense to have the same robot models in different worlds?

 

[elgaz]

- That one article explained that the bullets that the hosts use are like really weak BBs and can't hurt the humans. Okay, but does that then mean that the hosts themselves are really brittle? Perhaps they're programmed to "die" whenever they are hit by a bullet (any bullet) but we see that one bandit's head explode when Thandie Newton's character shoots him, so the host bullets can clearly do damage. Unless she was actually using real bullets in that scene?

I don't think the hosts are brittle or else they wouldn't stand up to much in the way of physicality - horse-riding and so on. IMO they're using 'smart bullets' (something the military is actually researching at the moment) possibly meshed with some form of nano-tech which allows them to react in millionths of a second. We know the show is set in the future, we know humans have conquered sickness - I think nano-tech has to be a factor here given that it is the one thing which can repair cells on a molecular level, and which could plausibly be used to conquer injury and disease. In fact, the 3D viewer which the controllers use to monitor WestWorld seems to be formed from nano-tech given how it reshapes itself.

Smart bullets are essentially coded to allow them to instantaneously reconfigure their structure upon contact with a certain kind of material. They can either be solid and explosive as per a normal bullet, or rendered inert and crushable - probably even less damaging than being hit by a pellet from a paint gun. The robots, as realistic as they are, are still synthetic and I'm guessing that the white material they're composed from is quite different from our own flesh when you delve deep into its molecular structure. They don't age for starters.

The real world application of smart bullets down the line is that the armed forces can greatly reduce instances of injury/death from friendly fire, which happens quite often. Troops on your own side would have some form of smart clothing or electronic frequency operating within the close proximity of their person which would render any bullet inert upon impact.

- I'm curious why the Man in Black is apparently able to roam free and do whatever he pleases without any interruption. That one guy in the control center is apparently obsessed with keeping the narrative, so it makes you wonder why no one seems to be paying any attention at all to this one guest who seems to be trying to throw Westworld into chaos. Maybe the Man in Black has some way of cloaking himself to the controllers?

Possibly, it will be interesting to find out. There's a few feasible explanations:

- Cloaked somehow, like you suggest.
- He is working with someone amongst the controllers who is sabotaging the system to keep him hidden
- If he's a robot, he's somehow gone rogue and managed to remove himself from the control of the system. Think Neo's rebirth in the Matrix.
- If he's a human, perhaps he's hacked their system somehow

I like the idea of him being a robot gone rogue like the original, and he considers himself sentient and alive but with no moral compass at all. I also like the idea that he's a human - maybe involved in some form of corporate espionage, hence why he calls it all a big game.

 

[elgaz]

Wouldn't it make more sense to have the same robot models in different worlds?

Logistically and financially yes. But if you were a paying customer to Westworld and then went to one of the other worlds (MedievalWorld for example), paying the same huge amount again (think Nolan said he pegged it at around $40,000?) ........... would you want to see the same faces in different clothes? It would reduce the realism and emphasise that it's all essentially one big theatre.

 

[Teelie]

I don't think the hosts are brittle or else they wouldn't stand up to much in the way of physicality - horse-riding and so on. IMO they're using 'smart bullets' (something the military is actually researching at the moment) possibly meshed with some form of nano-tech which allows them to react in millionths of a second. We know the show is set in the future, we know humans have conquered sickness - I think nano-tech has to be a factor here given that it is the one thing which can repair cells on a molecular level, and which could plausibly be used to conquer injury and disease. In fact, the 3D viewer which the controllers use to monitor WestWorld seems to be formed from nano-tech given how it reshapes itself.

Smart bullets are essentially coded to allow them to instantaneously reconfigure their structure upon contact with a certain kind of material. They can either be solid and explosive as per a normal bullet, or rendered inert and crushable - probably even less damaging than being hit by a pellet from a paint gun. The robots, as realistic as they are, are still synthetic and I'm guessing that the white material they're composed from is quite different from our own flesh when you delve deep into its molecular structure. They don't age for starters.

The real world application of smart bullets down the line is that the armed forces can greatly reduce instances of injury/death from friendly fire, which happens quite often. Troops on your own side would have some form of smart clothing or electronic frequency operating within the close proximity of their person which would render any bullet inert upon impact.



Possibly, it will be interesting to find out. There's a few feasible explanations:

- Cloaked somehow, like you suggest.
- He is working with someone amongst the controllers who is sabotaging the system to keep him hidden
- If he's a robot, he's somehow gone rogue and managed to remove himself from the control of the system. Think Neo's rebirth in the Matrix.
- If he's a human, perhaps he's hacked their system somehow

I like the idea of him being a robot gone rogue like the original, and he considers himself sentient and alive but with no moral compass at all. I also like the idea that he's a human - maybe involved in some form of corporate espionage, hence why he calls it all a big game.

MIB is human. They have reiterated that enough times that changing it would be a problem if they tried to twist him into just another android, no matter how advanced he appears.

However, we don't know if he is fully human (or how fully human anyone is) if they can 3D print robots like this and have "cured disease" they can probably augment and alter humans into something akin to cyborgs but even more indistinguishable than a regular human with robotic parts.

I don't think they are going in that direction with him but he is definitely not just a rogue android. If he were enhanced in some way it would make sense for him to be a corporate spy or equivalent.

The going theory of him being out to discover this secret level and spending 30 years visiting the place to solve it makes him if nothing else, obsessed to the point he will do anything possible to access it.

The game masters (I haven't heard an official title) likely know what he is up to but as they pointed out, the guests are allowed to do anything short of killing another guest. The poor guy who scripted up a new monologue for the villian is just going to have to wait until the next reset to hear it said.

 

[DigificWriter]

Spoiler

We're going to learn the MiB's name and find out what he does when he's not visiting WestWorld.

We're also going to find out more about the world of the series at large, including when it's set in terms of a broader chronological context and where exactly the WestWorld park itself is located.

 

[Pickleweasel]

They just made episode 2 available yall

 

[harlequinade]

They just made episode 2 available yall

Why the hell does it always happen when I'm at work

 

[Man in the Suit]

Watched episode 2 on demand. Another great episode!

 

[chamber-music]

When the machines go homicidal rogue I'm expecting Luke Hemsworth to have a 'clever girl' moment

 

[dark_b]

fantastic 2. episode. i am so happy with the story. i hope other fans will focus on the story and not on the maze hunt which is only a VIP story the Man in Black payed because he got bored.

Nolan is doing some amazing writting here. Thandie Newton acting was amazing. i am waiting for the episode where she says ''you think i am scared of death? i have done it a million times. i am great at it. how many times have you died?''

 

[David H.]

Spoiler

So Hopkins made a younger version of himself…

And given all the god talk…

 

[Sithborg]

Good episode. Great for getting into a bit more of the guest's experiences.

Spoiler

I really do want Teddy to get killed every episode. Have their own Kenny. I just found it humorous that he died again.

While I missed the focus on Dolores, they did a great job on building up Maeve. The way the tinkered around with her, and then her dreaming, was just great. And I love the potential of the new glitch.

I did find the fact that the head programmer was having secret talks to Dolores interesting. The roll out of a new storyline was funny. Kind of on the nose with the two guests having a white and black hat.

 

[harlequinade]

Spoiler

this episode really made me feel bad for the hosts, between the stabbing in the hand and Teddy/Kenny dying again. It's so disturbing that people would consider this 'vacation'. It's only a simulation, technically, because in their minds these are robots/toys but it's still messed up to repeatedly shoot one

That entire scene with Maeve transitioning from her memories to waking up and witnessing all that horror was amazing as was Ed Harris taking down all these hosts and already knowing where they would be

 

[Neno_Kos]

damn Talulah Riley is hot as hell.

 

[Kaleb]

I just love the train theme

[YT]rf2zVRKD80Q[/YT]

 

[Thundercrack85]

I do have one issue with this show so far. Wouldn't the gunfights be really boring if the hosts' bullets do nothing? I mean, obviously they can't kill people, or mortally would them, but shouldn't they have some effect? Otherwise it just makes the whole thing rather dull target practice.

 

[LoganGambit87]

I do have one issue with this show so far. Wouldn't the gunfights be really boring if the hosts' bullets do nothing? I mean, obviously they can't kill people, or mortally would them, but shouldn't they have some effect? Otherwise it just makes the whole thing rather dull target practice.

well whats the point of going to a place where you can get hurt lol

wont make them want to come back

episode 2 was fantastic

 

[Marvolo]

I do have one issue with this show so far. Wouldn't the gunfights be really boring if the hosts' bullets do nothing? I mean, obviously they can't kill people, or mortally would them, but shouldn't they have some effect? Otherwise it just makes the whole thing rather dull target practice.

It's basically god mode in a video game, and god mode is boring as ****. They should at least feel pain or get the hell knocked out of them by the bullet or "die" and wake up outside of the park and have to start over. Otherwise what's the point in even engaging in a gun fight? Glorified target practice? Where's the risk, motivation to fight, sense of danger etc?

 

[Pickleweasel]

I mean this is kind of like an amusement park, I don't want to go to an amusement park and get hurt

 

[dark_b]

i liked this.
"No orientation, no guidebook—figuring out how it works is half the fun,"
''Are you real?'' ''If you can't tell, does it matter?''

 

[Dr Lee]

This show gets better and better.... and further adds to the looooooong list of questions.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I mean this is kind of like an amusement park, I don't want to go to an amusement park and get hurt

Paintball? I mean, what's the fun of a gunfight if it's just you walking around shooting stuff if no one is shooting back.

Though that's the only gripe I have with this show, so I can live with it.

 

[Lord]

The bullets could potentialy hurt a person though. They were shown breaking glasses like a normal bullet would, that itself could be dangerous for some of the guests.

 

[Thundercrack85]

The bullets could potentialy hurt a person though. They were shown breaking glasses like a normal bullet would, that itself could be dangerous for some of the guests.

True, but them doing nothing seems like it would make the whole thing kind of boring. This just seems like a problem if you're trying to make an engaging simulation.