People that kill computers that kill people...
Talking a computer into killing itself or at least backing down and playing nice is not a new trope.
Someone here has already mentioned Matthew Broderick (David) demonstrating the non-zero sum game theory (tic-tac-toe & Mutually Assured Self Destruction MAD)) to the W.O.P.R in War Games.
But the granddaddy of all the 'hey, computer, just come down from that ledge' has to be Captain Kirk:
- The new M-5 multitronic computer system run the Enterprise in a series of test exercises.
M-5 takes complete control, kills and wont shut down.
Unable to stop the rogue computer any other way Kirk decides on cybernetic therapy and guides M-5 into understanding that it has committed the Sin of murder.
M-5 commits suicide by shutting down.
Now that's great one stop therapy.
- 'Landru,' has run a planet (Beta III) for centuries without having to reboot.
Enter Kirk with couch.
Landru is helped to realize that instead of nurturing civilization it has harmed and stifled it.
Landru self destructs.
- The Enterprise bumps into 'Nomad' (self contained spaceship/computer) Kirk identifies himself BUT Nomad confuses him for "The Kirk" (Nomads creator).
Damaged in space it had combined with a damaged alien probe in an attempt at mutual survival, Nomad's distorted reason d'etre became to seek out imperfect life and destroy it.
Enter Kirk with his couch.
'Hey, I'm not the 'Kirk', I'm a totally different guy! You made a big mistake. What do you do with mistakes?'
Nomad self destructs.
- This list does not include all the super computers that they shot, blew up, starved of power, etc., etc.
More examples welcome!
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If you have never seen this ploy before this is a glitzy if dumb ride that will be reasonably fun if you park your brain at the door.
But, if you have ever seen a movie, tv show, short story or commercial that has the main character 'talk' the computer out of the game: Skip Echelon Conspiracy - the computer is supposed to get the blue screen of death in the end, not you.
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