«r0botic»

Elijah and Daneel this and Elijah and Daneel that, but can we talk about Daneel and Giskard? The amount of attention these two get is so little it makes me want to pull my hair out, they are best friends! Everyone look at them! I genuinely think the robots' bond was way stronger and more genuine than what Elijah and Daneel had. (Btw this is fully about The robot series only)

‼️(I *DON'T * ship neither Gis x Dan or Eli x Dan, saying this just in case.)‼️

Let's not forget they are robots, their relationship can be compared to something we humans have, but the comparision will never be fully accurate, as they are machines and lack emotions. That's also one of the reasons why their relationship is so fascinating to me.

It makes me smile how they always tried their best to keep the other safe, ESPECIALLY in The robots and empire.

The part where they held hands is so important. We know that Daneel is a humanoid robot, he thinks like a human at times, Giskard said it himself. So the fact it was Daneel offering the handshake and Giskard accepting it is just so adorable, considering the meaning behind it. Daneel was with Elijah often and if it wasn't programmed into him since the very start, he for sure had many opportunities to see how humans show affection and gratitude. So just imagine two robots trying to show their trust and loyalty to one another without knowing how to actually do it, so they imitate humans.

Giskard's preference to save Daneel over listening to Vasilia's orders and then explaining why he did it is probably my favourite scene in the whole series, he mentioned this "personal need" that helped him use the Zeroth law in practice, and Daneel saying he would do the same for him if the roles were switched? Sobbinggg

And don't even get me started on how they basically complete each other, they always come together, they can't be separated, it's Daneel and Giskard always and forever. Giskard is the one who gets the ideas and Daneel is the one who turns them into reality. They both needed each other, Giskard could alter emotions, had experience and a very specific way of thinking, Daneel understood human thinking and his mind was more flexible, which allowed him to think about things that Giskard wanted to think about but couldn't due to his restricted mind. If you connect these two you get an insanely strong duo, which is (SPOILER) in my opinion one of the reasons why Asimov decided to kill off Giskard. Imagine how crazy they could go with it if they both continued living after the last book.

Let's not forget about that one robot shooter attempt, Daneel immediately jumped on Giskard and knocked him down in order to save him from being shot. He didn't know that the aggressor was a robot, so he had to decide between saving Gladia and saving Giskard, accepting the risk of the other dying, and as it was mentioned in the book, he immediately went for Giskard. He had to break the first law and accept the risk of Gladia dying, because Giskard and what they yet had to achieve is something he (QUOTING (at least from the Czech translation)) "doesn't think he could survive losing".

The Zeroth law was the work of the both of them and I'm dying on this hill, they invented it together, they both put in the effort and made it work, together.

(SPOILER) And Giskard's death? Daneel's reaction absolutely destroyed me. He took his hand again, for the first time he offered Giskard his hand as a thank you gesture for saving his life and to prove him his complete loyalty, and for the second and also the last time he took his hand as he tried to save his life aswell, he tried his best to assure him that he did the right thing and doesn't deserve to suffer, but it didn't work. He had to watch his last friend die and then let his hand go, accepting the fact that his only help he had left is gone and now he's completely alone for absolutely everything. Good lord who's cutting the onions, i'm not okay.

Now, why do I think Daneel's bond with Giskard is stronger than what he had with Elijah?

This is going to be a very simple answer from me. Daneel would always serve Elijah, simply because he's a human. Daneel would always help him, listen to his orders and protect him, no matter if he personally liked him or not. There would always be this forced urge to do what he says, because he was programmed to. I'm sorry, I just can't help myself but see some fakeness behind this, it would never be fully genuine. Obviously I don't doubt Elijah and Daneel's friendship, I loved them and no one is ever going to insult them on my watch, but a human and a robot relationship will never be as free and genuine as a robot and a robot relationship, because in their case there's nothing that is forcing one to listen to the other.

And when there was a law that was basically forcing them to be split apart, they found a way how to walk around it and save their robotic best friend. This is just so impressive, imagine you are a robot whose mind is built on three (and somewhat four) laws and you find a way how to avoid acting upon the strongest two of them, just to save a robot who you aren't supposed to care about AT ALL. Imagine the pressure they were under and the risk they had to take. If this isn't the strongest act of loyalty, I have no idea what is.

Also, the difference in their brains, Elijah is a human and has a human brain, Daneel is a humanoid robot who thinks like a human at times, but he is still a robot with a positronic brain, and guess who else is also a robot with a positronic brain. I really liked how Asimov made Giskard and Daneel talk to each other when they were alone, they were simply using some key words and they understood each other perfectly. My point is, their brains can basically somewhat connect since they are both robots, even if one of them is an older model, therefore that automatically makes them be closer to each other.

I *DO* love Elijah and Daneel's bond, I've loved them since the very start and I was rooting for their friendship. I jumped very high in the air at the end of The caves of steel, the way Elijah's view on Daneel changed made me smile so much. You could see the improvement at the start of every book, the way he greeted him was always more enthusiastic than the book before and that was absolutely adorable, because it meant he's finally growing to him. They had so many funny moments together i think about to this day.

But the way Daneel is so damn tied to Elijah by the Laws of robotics and Elijah reminding him of it every time he felt like Daneel is taking over smells just so iffy to me, and I can't do anything about it. Don't forget how the robots always reacted when someone thanked them for a rescue, especially Giskard, he said it very well at the end of The robots of dawn, he simply did what he was programmed to do, there was no will behind it, he just did it because he had to, no need to thank him, and that's exactly what i'm talking about.

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I could talk about Dan and Gis' relationship for hours and hours and never get tired, their bond was so well written. I wish people paid more attention to these two, it's so sad, I need people to talk about them more! They avoided laws to protect each other and held hands like the bffs they are! What more could you possibly want!

- now me just rambling..

I think this should be enough to close the case with "they had the closest bond possible and deserved a break to just sit down together and relax for a bit", because they never got it and it makes me furious.

So you are telling me they realized they are something humans call friends, and then just had to work their asses off til one of them literally fkn died? Are you serious rn? They couldn't even talk about it more or anything. I get it, they had that one absolutely immaculate 10/10 moment where they held hands and i'm sure that by that gesture they told each other everything that needed to be told, BUT I AM NOT SATISFIED. I DIDNT GET TO SEE THEM HAPPY TOGETHER AND SAY "we did it", I DIDNT GET TO SEE THEM CHANGE THE "friend Daneel/Giskard" TITLE TO "best friend Daneel/Giskard" SO IM MAD!!! AUGHH!!!! IT SHOULD'VE BEEN THERE!!! ASIMOV COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!!!

“I know that. And yet—and yet, if it were to happen again, I believe the same anomalous change would take place again.”

Daneel said, “It is strange, but hearing you put it so, I find myself feeling you did the proper thing. If the situation were reversed, I almost think that I, too, would—would do the same—that I would think of you as a—a human being.”