History Fridge / RoboCop1987

* The main page points out how idiotic it was to bring a fully loaded ED-209 to a demonstration for the board of directors. But knowing how buggy the software is, it's possible that, if it's guns aren't loaded, ED would just stand there repeating, "This unit is not ready for service. Please load ammunition. This unit is not ready for service. Please load ammunition. This unit..." So, in order to have any demonstration at all, they found they had to arm the thing.

* When Murphy first enters his new precinct, he's given a standard issue bulletproof vest that all other cops wear. In the shootout at the Boddicker gang's headquarters, the gang's bullets tear into the vest, blowing it (and Murphy) to bits. All the cops in Detroit are wearing bulletproof vests that clearly don't work - ensuring that if any of them go up against Boddicker or his cronies, they're dead on arrival.
** There's another layer of fridge horror to this. If all the officers' bulletproof vests are ineffectual, it's likely a result of the corporation who bought the police cutting corners to save money. If just Murphy's was, it's more than likely that it was given to him on purpose, thus setting him up to fail.
** Except the vest worked just fine, even saving Murphy's life in spite of being hit at close range by shotguns ''46 times'', when ''one'' blast had just been enough to tear his unprotected arm off almost at the shoulder. And that actually ties into the Robocop program: Murphy was assigned to that precinct because he was a candidate for being turned into a cyborg, but to do so they needed him to get to the hospital ''alive''... Thus they gave him a vest that would insure just that.

* For all its sci-fi trappings, ''Robocop'' is essentially a ''Western''. An honest law officer is betrayed and left for dead by bandits, only to return under another name and a new identity. A corrupt tycoon conspires with the bandit leader to foment terror and enrich himself, dominating the town without regard for law or justice. The common people suffer under the bandit's campaign of violence, designed to force them off their land so the tycoon can exploit it. The returned lawman foil their schemes, takes down the bandits, and brings the mastermind behind them to justice.

* The Old Man acts as if he has nothing to fear when Jones tries to take him hostage. And indeed, he doesn't have anything to fear: when Robocop enters the room it's quite clear that he's fully under control and he states he cannot act against an OCP officer, and Jones tries to take him hostage with the gun kept in that room, that the Old Man, not being stupid, would keep empty. The only moment he shows any fear is when Robocop shows the recording of Jones' confession, because that, as previously stated by Jones himself, is admissible evidence and thus could damage the company, especially with what he could say at his trial... But the moment Jones takes him hostage the Old Man calms down because he now has a scapegoat and the idiot just gave Robocop reason to gun him down, as the cop can't afford to assume the gun is empty. All he has to do is to allow Robocop to do his job... And he does just that by publicily firing Jones and giving Robocop a clear shot.

* At the cocaine factory, Robocop first walks in noting where everyone is and then demands the criminals' surrender, and doesn't start shooting back until they've hit him multiple times. That's exactly what he was ''supposed'' to do: as he scanned the area he took notice of exactly what weapons Boddicker and his men have and that they couldn't hurt him, so, as a cop, it was his duty to try and have them surrender, even taking a few shots to show how futile it was. It's only when it's clear they won't stand down that he actually opens fire.
** Not to mention that we see Robocop lock on to less people than there actually are in the room; he's still locking onto them when they start firing.

* When Boddicker stabs Murphy in the final encounter, Murphy lets out a pained scream. Considering that he's all machine from the neck down, you'd initially wonder why. Simple - he did it to lure Boddicker closer so he could gloat in Murphy's face, thus allowing for him to give Boddicker the fatal stab to the neck. His expression also instantly changes, showing he was faking it
** Or alternatively, as he's become more human, he's remembering things like feeling pain. Even if he doesn't feel it anymore, he can still remember how it might feel to have a pipe shoved into his chest, and the scream would just be an involuntary reaction to it.
** Actually, it becomes fridge horror when you realize the amount of what was left of Murphy after his death. And seeing that his organic parts would require food to be maintained, that suggests that under the shell there's more human organs. It's not just his face, but clearly his throat, his lungs and possibly his heart and some of his digestive system to process the "baby food." And seeing that lungs need to be in a negative pressure environment to properly work, that means that his chest must still be in place under that shell. That means that Boddicker actually stabbed into Murphy and Murphy actually felt pain.

* Why is his name Robocop if he's technically a cyborg? Because OCP rewired his mind to make him as robotic as possible, the name is just another way of distancing the character of Robocop from his former human life. If he was 'Cyborg Cop', he might wonder who he used to be. If he's 'Robot Cop', he's just a machine, and never needs to think about it.
** There is a simpler reason: Robocop is a ''product'', named by a corporation's sales department. OCP is well aware of the inaccuracy (as shown in the Jones and Boddicker encounter), but Robocop sounds and sells better than 'Cyborgcop'. Same reason Film/JurassicPark was named that despite its most iconic critters being from the Cretaceous.

* Regarding ED-209's significant flaws, it would actually not be nearly as problematic a design if deployed in certain situations which could either be more tightly controlled (acting as a sentry in a fenced-off area such as the storage yard in ''Robocop 3'') or where the use of force is much more encouraged (military operations, especially if they can utilize some sort of Identification Friend or Foe system to avoid friendly fire. Dick Jones even says he's looking to deploy it militarily, and [[Film/RoboCop2014 the 2014 movie]] even shows ED-209s being used in this capacity). Police work itself is very distinct and specialized apart from military and security operations, even if there is some overlap. Even the problem with being unable to get up if it falls over just means OCP has the opportunity to sell the military recovery vehicles to get ED-209s back on their feet, similarly to how the military has specialized vehicles for recovering damaged or immobilized armored vehicles.

* Public servants are forbidden to strike. However, the police are a subsidiary of OCP, a private company, and overseen by the villain who has [[BadBoss no regard for them]]. The strike is in fact useful to both parties as Jones doesn't need to worry about any police [[TheCavalry coming to Murphy's rescue]] and interfering with Boddicker's deeds. Robocop himself does not have to worry about innocent cops [[UnwantedAssistance getting in his way]] or being stopped from doing his duty by the police retrieving him and [[NiceJobBreakingItHero shutting him down]].
** RealityIsUnrealistic: Police strikes have occurred before despite this, though they are somewhat rare. A notable example would be the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_police_strike Baltimore police strike]] in 1974. The main difference there was it was following a larger municipal strike by other city departments, the entire department didn't walk out, and the obvious issue of the police derpartment in the movie being privately owned. Still, realistically you would expect some form of government response, even if it only amounted to condemning the strike and requesting outside help from other police departments.
** This is even somewhat hinted at in the movie, with Dick Jones stating that the strike "could really work for [OCP]." By the sequel, the executives at OCP are even prolonging the strike by cutting pensions, hoping that the actual Detroit Police Department will eventually become defunct in order for them to replace it with Robocop units.

* From a corporate stand-point, Dick Jones' "guaranteed military sales, 25 years of spare parts, renovation programs" plan for the ED-209 turns out to be much more solid than Bob Morton's: Robocop is ''not'' cost effective, he's irreplaceable, and needs millions of dollars of maintenance every year. Meanwhile ED-209, while not very good at police duty, is a capable (and easily manufactured) sentry bot and widely employed as security/military drones. Even its toys are very popular and sought-after in the real world!
** Then again, the hunk-o-junk can't even climb a flight of stairs. Urban pacification is one thing, actually busting crime with it would be impossible with such a limitation. "Who cares if it works", indeed.
** Also, it's only in the second film that Robocop is shown to be irreplaceable; from what the first film shows us, there's nothing stopping them from just reviving other dead cops the same way as Murphy.
** Maybe his operating costs are so high because all the massive property damage he does is included in the figure. They probably didn't intend to need to repair him as often as they do, either, and the holding-cell setup doesn't look like it would cost that much to operate once the initial equipment is there. They probably originally estimated him costing them far less, just a few technicians' salaries plus occasional parts. Robo's also great for their public image because his humanoid appearance makes him much more marketable, and you can let him play with the kids without worrying about him shooting them into a bloody pulp.

* The reason why ED-209 shot Kinney even after he put the gun down: the robot says "''put'' down your weapon," and Kinney ''throws'' it away. ED-209's sensors did not register Kinney's motion as setting the gun down as instructed, so, to ED-209, Kinney hadn't complied and still had the gun. This is why Robo operates better; his human brain can make these distinctions without deliberate programing.
** A less obvious one, when Robo determines that ''yes, taking the CEO hostage is a valid immediate termination offence'' and thereby rescinds Directive Four as it relates to Dick Jones. ED-209 would not have the wherewithal to process that kind of information and determination (which is easy enough for a human, but as yet still difficult for a computer to figure out.)
** Judging from the dialogue after ED is shut down, it was evidently supposed to ''hear'' the specific sound of the gun being put down, and didn't register the gun being thrown away as such. Another fine example of the shortcomings of its programming.

* Public servants are forbidden to strike. However, the police are a subsidiary of a private company and overseen by the villain who has [[BadBoss no regard for them]]. The strike is in fact useful to both parties as Jones doesn't need to worry about any police [[TheCavalry coming to Murphy's rescue]] and interfering with Boddicker. Robocop himself does not have to worry about innocent cops [[UnwantedAssistance getting in his way]] or being stopped from doing his duty by the police retrieving him and [[NiceJobBreakingItHero shutting him down]].

** This is even somewhat hinted at in the movie, with Dick Jones stating that the strike "could really work for [OCP]." By the sequel, the executives at OCP are even prolonging the strike by cutting pensions, hoping that the actual Detroit police department will eventually be all but defunct in order for them to replace it with Robocop units.

* The Old Man acts as if he has nothing to fear when Jones tries to take him hostage. And indeed, he doesn't have anything to fear: when Robocop enters the room it's quite clear that he's fully under control and he states he cannot act against an OCP officer, and Jones tries to take him hostage with the gun kept in that room, that the Old Man, not being stupid, would keep empty. The only moment he shows any fear is when Robocop shows the recording of Jones' confession, because that, as previously stated by Jones himself, is admissible evidence and thus could damage the company, especially with what he could say at his trial... But the moment Jones takes him hostage the Old Man calms down because he now has a scapegoat and the idiot just gave Robocop reason to gun him down, as the cop can't afford to assume the gun is empty. All he has to do is to allow Robocop to do his job... And he does just that by publicily firing Jones and giving Robocop a clear shoot.
* For all its scifi trappings, ''Robocop'' is essentially a ''Western''. An honest law officer is betrayed and left for dead by bandits, only to return under another name and a new identity. A corrupt tycoon conspires with the bandit leader to foment terror and enrich himself, dominating the town without regard for law or justice. The common people suffer under the bandit's campaign of violence, designed to force them off their land so the tycoon can exploit it. The returned lawman foil their schemes, takes down the bandits, and brings the mastermind behind them to justice.

** Also, it's only in the second film that Robocop is shown to be irreplacable; from what the first film shows us, there's nothing stopping them from just reviving other dead cops the same way as Murphy.

* For all its scifi trappings, ''Robocop'' is essentially a ''Western''. An honest law officer is betrayed and left for dead by bandits, only to return and bring them down. A corrupt tycoon conspires with the bandit leader to foment terror and enrich himself, dominating the town without regard for law or justice. The common people suffer under the bandit's campaign of violence, designed to force them off their land so the tycoon can exploit it.

** Except the vest worked just fine, even saving Murphy's life in spite of being hit at close range by shotguns ''46 times'', when ''one'' blast had just been enough to tear his unprotected arm off almost at the shoulder. And that actually ties into the Robocop program: Murphy was assigned to that precint because he was a candidate for being turned into a cyborg, but to do so they needed him to get to the hospital ''alive''... Thus they gave him a vest that would insure just that.

** There's another layer of fridge horror to this. If all the officers' bulletproof vests are ineffectual, it's likely a result of the corpporation who bought the police cutting corners to save money. If just Murphy's was, it's more than likely that it was given to him on purpose, thus setting him up to fail.

** Or alternatively, as he's become more human, he's remembering things like feeling pain. Even if he doesn't feel it anymore, he can still remember how it might feel to have a pipe shoved into his chest, and the scream would just be an involuntary reaction to it