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Screenshot (3)

S-A-I-N-T Prototype Number 2 Armed

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S-A-I-N-T Robot line formation

In the sci-fi comedy film Short Circuit, the Nova Robotics Corporation built five military-spec robots known as S.A.I.N.T.'s (Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport) to showcase to the United States Department of Defense. With the exception of Number 4, Number 5 and the non-operated Number 6, three are the main antagonists/villains in the middle of the film.

During a demonstration, the S.A.I.N.T's obedience and intelligence were tested (except the sixth prototype being found on display in the Nova Laboratories Visitors Center on a 360-degree rotating pedestal) when one of them made a cocktail for Nova's director, Dr. Howard Marner. Their combat abilities were also put to the test when they were placed into a mock battle with several military vehicles, obliterating them with their laser weapons.

Inside Nova Robotics, a non-operated S.A.I.N.T. Number Six has its operational status and whereabouts is unknown, but during a discussion between Dr. Howard Marner, Washington State Senator Mills and Major General Washburne while waiting for Dr. Newton Crosby to show up from his lab for a meet-and-greet, Number 6 can be found on display in the Nova Laboratories Visitors Center on a 360-degree rotating pedestal.

During this awkward conversation, Major General Washburne points to Number 6, explaining to Senator Mills that the S-A-I-N-T unit can be parachuted behind enemy lines and hideout until after a nuclear first strike fallout blows over, when it would be possible for the unit to carry a 25 MT nuclear bomb up "main street Moscow", similar to the practice of the mailman delivering bad news, all under the codename "Operation Gotcha Last."

One of the robots - Number Five (whose new name is Johnny Five in the end of the film) - was struck by lightning while being recharged during a sudden storm that cut the demonstration short, causing it to go haywire and run away from the labs. Later in the film, as Number Five has developed its own sense of self, Nova - believing that Five is potentially dangerous - deploys three remaining S.A.I.N.T. robots to capture it. Number Five manages to evade its brothers and disables them, turning Numbers One, Two and Three into the Three Stooges by re-programming them using recorded TV footage. Where Number Four was during the chase is unknown, but at the end of the film, Nova believes they have destroyed Number Five (actually a copy that Five made from spare parts), costing them millions of dollars in hardware. It is mentioned in Short Circuit 2 that this fiasco resulted in the shutdown of Nova Robotics and the disassembly of the S.A.I.N.T. units.

Design[]

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S-A-I-N-T Prototype Number 1 Armed

Screenshot (4)

S-A-I-N-T Prototype Number 2

The S.A.I.N.T. robots have a rather alien appearance to them, with a multi-jointed body structure, rectangular head and three-fingered hands. They move on tank-like bases, rolling on two caterpillar treads and a small, spherical wheel behind them to steer the unit. When they speak, lights appear on their vocalizers which contract and retract depending on their tone and the extent of their words. When in offensive mode, their optic lenses glow red and the metal 'eyelids' adjust to make the robots appear to be frowning angrily. A rectangular casing on the robot's back houses its laser, which raises to the left shoulder when ready to fire.

Notes[]

  • Although described as a "Nuclear Transport", the S.A.I.N.T.'s are apparently not powered by nuclear fuel. Number Five has shown that he is powered by a standard battery system. The Nuclear Transport part of the S.A.I.N.T.'s name is due to the robots being proposed as kamikaze attackers, following the first attack by aircraft, a S.A.I.N.T. would be deployed carrying a nuclear weapon to a target and detonating it in close proximity.

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