10 Best Movie Robots
8. Ash - Alien
The Alien franchise has had a few different Android characters in its time, but none more interesting than Ash.
He begins the movie as one of the crew, albeit a little distant from the rest of them, and to an extent he fades into the background.
As often happens with ensemble crew stories, some of them get less screen time and less involvement in the narrative, seemingly only there as part of the wider world building; Ash seems like one such character.
Of course, once it’s revealed he’s an android, programmed to betray the crew and return the alien life form at all costs, things start to really get interesting. The fact we were completely unaware that Ash was a robot up until this point is precisely what makes him such a brilliant robot.
It taps into an Invasion Of The Body Snatchers type fear, where we’re never sure exactly who is human and who isn’t. Indeed, the movie references this directly, with Ash’s high pitched recalibration noise is extremely similar to the noise the Body Snatchers make.
His distance from the crew and subtle admiration for the alien life form solidify his position as an outsider, and make him a fascinating character.