In Asimov's stories, even zeroth law robots did not offer the violence towards humans that we see in the film. There is an inconsistency with the nature of robot conciousness here. Asimovian robots were always concious, even when deactivated (albeit at a low level). they would have been aware of three law violations in their behaviour, however dimly, while under NIKI's control and this would cause major damage to the positronic brain. In Asmov's universe even thinking about the zeroth law caused major stress and even fatal damage to many robots. The "discoverer" of the zeroth law, R. Giskard, "died" as a result of implementing it.<br /><br />The big problem in the film is the interpretation of the zeroth law. As envisaged by Asimov, this was basically Mill's "greatest good of the greatest number". However the film took the interpretation of "the ends justifies the means". OK, for a simplistic action flick, but it misses the more subtle approach of Mill (which is still morally dangerous, as pointed out in Le'Guin's chilling tale "Those who walk away from Osmelas"). The producers/directors showed they could deal with the subtle questions of emergent conciousness, it is a pity they could not do the same here.<br /><br />One can find was to justify it in the film, but in the end if you are going to use ideas from someone else in your universe you need to handle them consistently. The problem with LOTR again. If producers/directors want to tell there own story, unconstrained by the imagination of others, they should do so. But if you overtly and specifically base your imagined world someone elses's ideas, there is a degree to which you must be found by them, not matter how you extrapolate.<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />Jon <br />edited for spelling <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em> Arthur Clarke</p> </div>