So I've been thinking the past few days about Androids in Sci-Fi, Specifically I've been thinking about the different types of Androids seen in Star Trek, and even more specifically in TOS (The Original Series) Captains Kirk time!
I remember three different types of Androids from TOS - Memory Alpha Wiki says there were 4 different types. Maybe the most memorable would be Ruk in "What little girls are made of", Ruk was the last of that type of Android, and was finally destroyed, But "The Old Ones" machines still worked, and able to still create Androids - Since a human used the machine, the "blank" androids had a more human appearance, and Dr. Roger Korby figured out how to imprint his brain pattern on to the blanks - Ruk of course was an alien (Android), did "The Old Ones" look like him? Did they also imprint their brain patterns into the Androids? Ruk,with a little help from Captain Kirk, remembered what had long been forgotten, Ruk seemed to have a high emotional response. This episode is probably the one episode that most people thinking about when you say Android and TOS. But too me probably not the best example of Androids in TOS.
The 2nd Android that I remember from TOS would be the Norman type Androids, ("I, Mudd") also were created by aliens, There creators were from the Andromeda Galaxy, they must have been a humanoid race, I say this because all of the Androids were in a humanoid form. Unlike Ruk however they relied on a higher mind - The Norman Android was in control, and directed what the others should do. Of course after Kirk realized this he was able to exploit it, and in the end was able to out think the machines. Honestly this type of "hive-mind" reminds more of the Borg, and not really of a free thinking type Android. As such, Norman may have been the only true Android, and the other machines was more robotic in nature with limited AI. When problems raised the others always asked for Norman. And based on the number there was only one Norman. This episode however is a very memorable and favorite episode - I think more for Henry Mudd then for the Androids.
And too me still not the best example of an Android in TOS.
SO the 3rd Android that I remember from TOS would be the "Flint" type Android. Flint was a human, and was near immortal, He was able to create several models of Rayna - There were a total of I believe 17, the 1st 16 were not entirely successful. Rayna 17 was made to be his perfect mate, someone who would live a lifetime with him. And being a near immortal that could be a very long time. Flint was born around 3834BC and had seen friends & family grown old and die, while he continued on. The Android he created reminds me a lot of the Soong type Androids from TNG. And although Rayna 17 did ultimately fail, she achieved what Soong's Android Data was attempting to achieve his whole life, and only Lai (Data's Daughter) was able to achieve on her own. Rayna 17 found her humanity - but failed because she wasn't aware that she was an Android. I find the Flint type Android and Flint himself to be very similar to Soong and Soong Type Androids. Flint was told by Dr. McCoy that because he left Earth, he also lost what ever it was that was making him immortal. My first thought was could McCoy have been wrong, and is Flint also Dr Soong? Of course if that were true you'd probably need to ignore the episodes of Enterprise (personally, I choice to ignore most of those episodes anyways, because personally I don't think they fit into the prime timeline anyways) Then again, Flint was very long lived, he could have been Arik Soong, not a whole lot is known about him. But logically it would make more since that Noonian Soong found and read papers that Flint wrote, as well as the early work done by Arik Soong in the field of artificial life. At any point, Flint was the first human to build a working Android that was not "clunky, or artificial"
Memory Alpha Wiki also lists, the Sargon-type androids, which I can honestly say I know which episode they are talking about, but I can't remember any Androids. But again, Sargon would have been from an alien race, I think I will have to re-watch - "Return to Tomorrow".
