The Recreated Human

Mark Semke
Midterm Film 301

In both the film Star Wars and the film Robocop, there are various forms of humans and non humans present throughout. And both films have various scenarios presented that question the status of the humans and human reproduction. If such technology represented in the films ever became a reality, there is a distinct possibility that the current thinking and status regarding human reproduction will inevitably have to be explored and questioned.
In the film Star Wars (Directed by George Lucas, et al, 1977-2005, USA), humans are living in a universe in which interaction with robots, androids, and cyborgs are commonplace. This is a normal way of life in the universe. The film has these human “challengers” everywhere. You have two of the main characters of the film, C-3PO and R2D2. These “droids” are not human per se, but do possess very human qualities and what seems like actual human feelings and emotions. In the later prequels, there is a hybrid being named General Grievous that was once an organic alien being that was severely damaged in battle and was subsequently “repaired” with heavy armor and circuitry to become a functioning being once again. George Lucas has stated that Grievous was created for the prequel trilogy to kind of act as a precursor to the situation and circumstances that would befall the main hero/villain of the series, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.

When Anakin falls victim to Emperor Palpatine’s seductions, he gives in and joins the dark side of the force, effectively becoming the #2 biggest tyrant and villain in the Star Wars Universe. But before he can really get a chance to embark on this journey, he encounters an obstacle in the form of his former master and teacher, Obi Wan Kenobi, who is sent to destroy Anakin before he can do any more damage to the already wounded society. Long story short, Obi Wan Kenobi defeats Anakin in a grueling lightsaber battle, and Anakin is severely wounded left for dead. Only at the last minute he is rescued by Palpatine and whisked away to a medical facility to undergo a transformation of epic proportions. With the help of (ironically) various medical droids and technology, Anakin is “recreated” and given new life through the addition of new prosthetic limbs, breathing technology, and life support systems in the form of a huge, menacing black suit.

He is now what sci fi aficionados would call a “cyborg”, a cybernetic organism, and is officially completely transformed into Darth Vader. As described by Kenobi in another chapter of the film series, he is “more machine now than man, twisted and evil.”

There is a similar scenario put forth in another film of the sci fi genre under the title of Robocop (Directed by Paul Verhoeven, 1987, USA). In this particular film, the character Alex J. Murphy is a Detroit police officer who is severely wounded in the line of duty and is subsequently “recreated” in the form of a superhuman cybernetic organism, with immense strength, accelerated thought processes, and a program in place to serve and protect the public and the common good.

Now the analysis that I present here is that such technology is readily available in its infancy stages here in the real world. There are already prosthetic limbs that people have been creating that are very technologically advanced. The scenario here is that if you would lose a limb in some kind of accident or to disease or whatnot, you can already have a pretty efficient “replacement” with the help of modern technology. Life support systems such as iron lungs are already available. And I am sure that these technologies are advancing to stages that are going to eventually blow our minds. Not to mention the notion that we will someday be able to “plug in” to a computer system and become “one” with it, so to speak.
The anxieties I believe that both of these films bring to the table are that if such advanced technologies were to become available and humans can be “recreated”, how does that affect the state of human reproduction? The questions that arise from this are numerous and baffling. If one were to become sick and/or wounded beyond the conventional means of modern medicine, could we just be whisked away to some lab and have machines turn us into a machine ourselves, effectively giving us the opportunity to live forever (given maintenance costs)? And if so, and all humans took advantage of these opportunities, would we not eventually all become cyborgs, incapable of actual natural human reproduction? How does a cyborg reproduce, if at all? I think that if that would happen the loss of our humanity would be a profound and tragic consequence. Both Star Wars and Robocop’s “recreated” humans initially function well and serve their respective purposes. Darth Vader goes on to become the sideman to the most powerful figure in the galaxy. But when Palpatine sends him on a mission to turn his son, Luke, over to the dark side or kill him, his human side of emotional conflict comes to the forefront. He is conflicted as to whether he should serve his purpose and master, or save his son and, unbeknownst to him, himself. Robocop, or Murphy, is conflicted with the memories of his wife and child, and the corrupt and devious Detroit police force and the OCP Corporation that controls it, and has to fight his pre-programmed “directives” to combat and eventually overcome these oppressors. “The trouble begins when Robocop’s “inner humanity” begins to surface.” (1)

If their respective cyborg states are in constant conflict, I think this is another anxiety represented in the film in regards to human reproduction. If we all eventually become cyborgs, would this not present a problem? If our underlying and dormant human emotions come to the forefront, the battle of human vs the recreated human would have to be waged. Could we return to our normal human states and eventually reproduce again? Future generations would probably have to face the questions of being able to become cyborgs to live forever, and decide to give up their humanity for everlasting “life.” “We require regeneration, not rebirth, and the possibilities for our reconstruction include the utopian dream of the hope of a monstrous world without gender.” (2)
I think that both films put forth interesting scenarios and scenes that make us question our humanity and the ability to reproduce. If the technologies represented ever became a reality, the human condition and instinct to reproduce would be effectively eliminated, creating a race of cybernetic organisms destined to serve their primary purposes and be in constant conflict with their repressed human emotions. Perhaps these scenarios make us think of the consequences of technology getting out of control, and these films also make us comprehend the dire outcomes that such situations would bring to light.


(1) Cornea, Christine. Science Fiction Cinema New Brunswick, New Jersey, 2007 p. 127
(2) Haraway, Donna A Cyborg Manifesto, Course Reader p. 195