History Main / Expositron9000

* Hex, the ''[[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic literal]]'' MagicalComputer from the Literature/{{Discworld}} books, occasionally serves this role in both the "completely accurate" and "insufficient data" forms so the Unseen University faculty don't have to do too much actual thinking. In the latter case, this is usually amid messages along the lines of "++DIVIDE BY CUCUMBER ERROR. PLEASE REINSTALL UNIVERSE AND REBOOT++."

* Done often on ''TimeTrax'' with Lambert asking SELMA, his credit-card-sized computer programmed with all knowledge of the 20th century, to extrapolate from known data into unknown territory. She is always reluctant to do this and gives percentages of how right she might be.

* In episode 43 of ''TaiyouSentaiSunVulcan'', the villains create and hand out devices that can answer any question, with the hope of making local kids rely on them for all their knowledge and become too stupid to resist them as a result. They end up being HoistByTheirOwnPetard as Vul Eagle manages to get one of the devices and uses it to find where the villains are hiding. (However, when he tries it again later, it doesn't work because the villains have put up a shield around their van.)

* ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' did this on a regular basis.
** Due to its longer run, ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' did this even more.

* Hex, the ''[[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic literal]]'' MagicalComputer from the {{Discworld}} books, occasionally serves this role in both the "completely accurate" and "insufficient data" forms so the Unseen University faculty don't have to do too much actual thinking. In the latter case, this is usually amid messages along the lines of "++DIVIDE BY CUCUMBER ERROR. PLEASE REINSTALL UNIVERSE AND REBOOT++."

* In ''Film/TheThing1982'', Blair asks the base computer what The Thing would do if it escapes out of the arctic, and it projects total global infection around two years.

[[AC:Literature]]
* IsaacAsimov's short story "The Last Question" is about humans building increasingly advanced computers and asking them whether the heat death of the universe can be reversed. The computers always say "There is insufficient data for a meaningful answer." After the universe has ended, when the only thing left existing is the single cosmic-scale computer with its circuitry in hyperspace, it discovers [[spoiler:how to become God and create the next universe.]]

* In ''Film/TheThing1982'', Blair asks the base computer what The Thing would do if it escapes out of the arctic, and it projects total global infection in a matter of weeks.

[[AC: AnimeAndManga]]
* In episode 43 of ''TaiyouSentaiSunVulcan'', the villains create and hand out devices that can answer any question, with the hope of making local kids rely on them for all their knowledge and become too stupid to resist them as a result. They end up being HoistByTheirOwnPetard as Vul Eagle manages to get one of the devices and uses it to find where the villains are hiding. (However, when he tries it again later, it doesn't work because the villains have put up a shield around their van.)

* ''Series/{{Babylon 5}}'': Commander Sinclair did this once in an early episode. He started with a straightforward keyword search. The computer gives him some useful data. Eventually he accidently asks a rhetorical question to which the computer gives the standard "Unknown" response.

* In ''Film/TheThing'', Blair asks the base computer what The Thing would do if it escapes out of the arctic, and it projects total global infection in a matter of weeks.

* In ''TheFly'' (1986 with JeffGoldblum), once Dr. Brundle realizes he's not really 100% human any more he asks the computer what's going on, and it exposits that he's fused with fly DNA and will eventually mutate into a hideous creature.

* ''Series/{{Babylon5}}'': Commander Sinclair did this once in an early episode. He started with a straightforward keyword search. The computer gives him some useful data. Eventually he accidently asks a rhetorical question to which the computer gives the standard "Unknown" response.
* ''StarTrek'' did this on a regular basis.
** Due to its longer run, ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' did this even more.
* ''StarTrekVoyager'': This was practically Captain Janeway's CatchPhrase.

* In ''WebOriginal/HomestarRunner'', Strong Bad's computers have a tendency for this.
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* In ''Film/TheThing'', [=MacReady=] asks the base computer what The Thing would do if it escapes out of the arctic, and it projects total global infection in a matter of weeks.

* ''CourageTheCowardlyDog'' did this a lot, though Courage would type in the questons, despite the fact that he would regularly speak to the audience.

->'''[[{{Alien}} Zim:]]''' Computer, give me all the information on the Eff Bee Eye!

--> -- ''InvaderZim'', "FBI Warning Of Doom"

These days it's commonplace to go straight to Google when you have a question, and this was true in fiction even before there ''was'' a Google. Or an [[TheInternet Internet]], for that matter. When in need of plot critical {{Exposition}} characters will frequently find a computer and use it to fill the role of MrExposition. They may type their questions and read answers on a screen, but typically it's a [[ComputerVoice computer with a voice]] ([[CreepyMonotone monotone]] or not) and an ability to answer freeform questions in plain spoken English. Because of these traits the computer will frequently at least be a MagicalComputer and possibly even a true ArtificialIntelligence.

* ''{{Alien}}''.

* ''{{Babylon5}}'': Commander Sinclair did this once in an early episode. He started with a straightforward keyword search. The computer gives him some useful data. Eventually he accidently asks a rhetorical question to which the computer gives the standard "Unknown" response.

* In ''{{Paranoia}}'', a character with the Data Analysis skill can ask Friend Computer to analyze the situation. He probably doesn't have a high enough clearance to be told the answer, but he can still ''ask''.

* ''MassEffect2:'' In addition to being a [[DoAnythingRobot Do Anything AI]], EDI is this. Whenever anyone wants plot-relevant information, they just need to ask.

* [[HomestarRunner Strong Bad's]] computers.

The [[NameTron Expositron]] [[{{Trope 2000}} 9000]] will give one of three answers to whatever question it's given: an accurate answer based on available data and number crunching, a BatDeduction that is unerringly accurate despite lack of data, an {{Infodump}} of encyclopedic fullness ... or admitting that it lacks the info needed to answer the question. That said, it may still make amazingly accurate predictions based on what limited data it ''does'' have. However it's often the case that the computer's sensors have already recorded all the relevant information needed or it already had files on the topic. This is done to avoid boring the audience and dragging the plot, though the character asking the computer may bring data they've recorded themselves to show some effort. Because of this accuracy, a computer giving a flat out wrong answer would be a subversion.

* In ''{{Sunshine}}'' the cast asked the computer, Icarus, whether their plan to dump a dark matter bomb into the sun to reignite it would work. Which it said would be impossible to compute as the variables increase too quickly the closer the simulation got to the sun. Because of this uncertainty they decide to make a detour and get the bomb from the GhostShip Icarus 1 and double their chances.

* In ''TheThing'', [=MacReady=] asks the base computer what The Thing would do if it escapes out of the arctic, and it projects total global infection in a matter of weeks.

These days it's commonplace to go straight to Google when you have a question, and this was true in fiction even before there ''was'' a Google. Or an [[TheInternet Internet]], for that matter. When in need of plot critical exposition characters will frequently find a computer and use it to fill the role of MrExposition. They may type their questions and read answers on a screen, but typically it's a [[ComputerVoice computer with a voice]] ([[CreepyMonotone monotone]] or not) and an ability to answer freeform questions in plain spoken English. Because of these traits the computer will frequently at least border being a MagicalComputer and possibly even be a true ArtificialIntelligence.

The [[NameTron Expositron]] [[{{Trope 2000}} 9000]] will give one of three answers to whatever question it's given: an accurate answer based on available data and number crunching, a BatDeduction that is unerringly accurate despite lack of data... or admitting that it lacks the info needed to answer the question. That said, it may still make amazingly accurate predictions based on what limited data it ''does'' have. However it's often the case that the computer's sensors have already recorded all the relevant information needed or it already had files on the topic. This is done to avoid boring the audience and dragging the plot, though the character asking the computer may bring data they've recorded themselves to show some effort. Because of this accuracy, a computer giving a flat out wrong answer would be a subversion.

The computer will give one of three answers to whatever question it's given: an accurate answer based on available data and number crunching, a BatDeduction that is unerringly accurate despite lack of data... or admitting that it lacks the info needed to answer the question. That said, it may still make amazingly accurate predictions based on what limited data it ''does'' have. However it's often the case that the computer's sensors have already recorded all the relevant information needed or it already had files on the topic. This is done to avoid boring the audience and dragging the plot, though the character asking the computer may bring data they've recorded themselves to show some effort. Because of this accuracy, a computer giving a flat out wrong answer would be a subversion.