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** Most significantly to the story, [[spoiler: not only is Stephen Byerley revealed to be a secret robot, but he was the malfunctioning LNE "Lenny" robot that Susan Calvin "adopted".]]
* DrivingQuestion: Are human beings basically good? [[spoiler: Susan Calvin didn't think so, which is why she thought our future was better left in the hands of a robot. On the other hand, her actions throughout the story prove that she was both more emotional and more caring about other people than she let on. Bratenahl's KirkSummationSpeech near the end describes Byerley as the embodiment of her hopes and ideals for humanity, who won a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind with the Machines to set the on a path to watch over humanity. In the end, humanity is left in an AmbiguousSituation after both Byerley and Calvin pass away.]]
* DrivingQuestion: Are human beings basically good? [[spoiler: Susan Calvin didn't think so, which is why she thought our future was better left in the hands of a robot. On the other hand, her actions throughout the story prove that she was both more emotional and more caring about other people than she let on. Bratenahl's KirkSummationSpeech near the end describes Byerley as the embodiment of her hopes and ideals for humanity, who won a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind with the Machines to set the on a path to watch over humanity. In the end, humanity is left in an AmbiguousSituation after both Byerley and Calvin pass away.]]
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** Most significantly to the story, [[spoiler: not only is Stephen Byerley [[RoboticReveal revealed to be a secret robot, robot]], but he was the malfunctioning LNE "Lenny" robot that Susan Calvin "adopted".]]
* DrivingQuestion: Are human beings basically good? [[spoiler: Susan Calvin didn't think so, which is why she thought our future was better left in the hands of a robot. On the other hand, her actions throughout the story prove that she was both more emotional and more caring about other people than she let on. Bratenahl's KirkSummationSpeech near the end describes Byerley as the embodiment of her hopes and ideals for humanity, who won a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind with the Machines to setthe them on a path to watch over humanity.humanity in a more compassionate way. In the end, humanity is left in an AmbiguousSituation after both Byerley and Calvin pass away.]]
* DrivingQuestion: Are human beings basically good? [[spoiler: Susan Calvin didn't think so, which is why she thought our future was better left in the hands of a robot. On the other hand, her actions throughout the story prove that she was both more emotional and more caring about other people than she let on. Bratenahl's KirkSummationSpeech near the end describes Byerley as the embodiment of her hopes and ideals for humanity, who won a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind with the Machines to set
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* DrivingQuestion: Are human beings basically good? [[spoiler: Susan Calvin didn't think so, which is why she thought our future was better left in the hands of a robot.]]
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* DrivingQuestion: Are human beings basically good? [[spoiler: Susan Calvin didn't think so, which is why she thought our future was better left in the hands of a robot. On the other hand, her actions throughout the story prove that she was both more emotional and more caring about other people than she let on. Bratenahl's KirkSummationSpeech near the end describes Byerley as the embodiment of her hopes and ideals for humanity, who won a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind with the Machines to set the on a path to watch over humanity. In the end, humanity is left in an AmbiguousSituation after both Byerley and Calvin pass away.]]
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* {{Homage}}: The plot & it's structure are modeled after Film/CitizenKane.
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* {{Homage}}: The plot & it's its structure are modeled after Film/CitizenKane.
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* {{Homage}}: The plot & it's structure are modeled after Film/CitizenKane.
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Irvin Kershner, the director of Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack, came fairly close to directing the film, but unfortunately this didn't happen because of studio conflicts.
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Irvin Kershner, the director of Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack, came fairly close to directing the film, but unfortunately this didn't happen because of studio conflicts.
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* DrivingQuestion: Are human beings basically good? [[spoiler: Susan Calvin didn't think so, which is why she thought our future was better left in the hands of a robot.]]
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->'''Susan Calvin:''' Are people basically good?
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-->-- '''Susan Calvin'''
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/i_robot_the_illustrated_screenplay_irbtis1995.jpg]]
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->'''Susan Calvin:''' Are people basically good?
Ever since Creator/IsaacAsimov wrote the anthology ''Literature/IRobot'' in 1950 by using the FramingDevice of an interview with the robopsychologist Susan Calvin to weld several of his previous robot stories together, there were many attempts to adapt it as a film. In 2004, [[Film/IRobot the film starring]] Creator/WillSmith was finally released... and although it turned out to be better and smarter than many feared, it was much more of a by the numbers Hollywood action film than the original stories.
However, ten years before then, Asimov and Creator/HarlanEllison agreed to publish the screenplay from an earlier attempt that Ellison had written in the late 1970s. Like the others, this attempt fell through because of ExecutiveMeddling. However, as an attempt to raise interest, the screenplay was published in 1994 by a Warner Books imprint with several illustrations by artist Mark Zug.
Like the original anthology novel, this screenplay tells the story of Susan Calvin, as discovered by an IntrepidReporter trying to interview her after a chance encounter during the funeral of the great statesman Stephen Byerley, "first President of [[TheFederation the Galactic Federation]]".
The original stories included in this adaptation include:
[[index]]
* "{{Literature/Robbie}}"
* "{{Literature/Runaround}}"
* "{{Literature/Escape}}" (Mentioned as a NoodleIncident.)
* "Literature/{{Liar|1941}}!"
* "{{Literature/Lenny}}"
* "{{Literature/Evidence}}"
* "Literature/TheEvitableConflict"
[[/index]]
----
!!''I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay'' provides examples of:
* AbsentAliens: Averted; Earth has made contact with multiple alien races by the time of the framing story, and humanity is a leader in TheFederation thanks to the efforts of Stephen Byerley.
* ArcWelding: Ellison goes above and beyond Asimov's efforts in the original novel to weld the source material into both a coherent story and a character arc for Susan Calvin.
* CompositeCharacter: There are several characters in this screenplay assuming the roles of other characters from one or more of the original stories.
** A young Susan Calvin takes the role of the child Gloria in "{{Literature/Robbie}}", instead of her cameo in later versions of the short story.
** During the "Runaround" flashback, Susan Calvin was accompanying Donovan and Powell -- spaceship pilots and odd-jobs men instead of robopsychologists -- to take care of the robot Speedy. [[spoiler: She's the one to endanger herself to break Speedy out of the LogicBomb loop he was trapped in.]]
** Most significantly to the story, [[spoiler: not only is Stephen Byerley revealed to be a secret robot, but he was the malfunctioning LNE "Lenny" robot that Susan Calvin "adopted".]]
* TheLastDJ: The IntrepidReporter Bratenahl tracks down Donovan and Powell to learn about their experience working with Calvin. He also learns that the former starship captains are literally the last of their kind with a ubitiquous [[TeleportersAndTransporters teleporter network]] -- and that only because they're being used to expand the network.
----
Ever since Creator/IsaacAsimov wrote the anthology ''Literature/IRobot'' in 1950 by using the FramingDevice of an interview with the robopsychologist Susan Calvin to weld several of his previous robot stories together, there were many attempts to adapt it as a film. In 2004, [[Film/IRobot the film starring]] Creator/WillSmith was finally released... and although it turned out to be better and smarter than many feared, it was much more of a by the numbers Hollywood action film than the original stories.
However, ten years before then, Asimov and Creator/HarlanEllison agreed to publish the screenplay from an earlier attempt that Ellison had written in the late 1970s. Like the others, this attempt fell through because of ExecutiveMeddling. However, as an attempt to raise interest, the screenplay was published in 1994 by a Warner Books imprint with several illustrations by artist Mark Zug.
Like the original anthology novel, this screenplay tells the story of Susan Calvin, as discovered by an IntrepidReporter trying to interview her after a chance encounter during the funeral of the great statesman Stephen Byerley, "first President of [[TheFederation the Galactic Federation]]".
The original stories included in this adaptation include:
[[index]]
* "{{Literature/Robbie}}"
* "{{Literature/Runaround}}"
* "{{Literature/Escape}}" (Mentioned as a NoodleIncident.)
* "Literature/{{Liar|1941}}!"
* "{{Literature/Lenny}}"
* "{{Literature/Evidence}}"
* "Literature/TheEvitableConflict"
[[/index]]
----
!!''I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay'' provides examples of:
* AbsentAliens: Averted; Earth has made contact with multiple alien races by the time of the framing story, and humanity is a leader in TheFederation thanks to the efforts of Stephen Byerley.
* ArcWelding: Ellison goes above and beyond Asimov's efforts in the original novel to weld the source material into both a coherent story and a character arc for Susan Calvin.
* CompositeCharacter: There are several characters in this screenplay assuming the roles of other characters from one or more of the original stories.
** A young Susan Calvin takes the role of the child Gloria in "{{Literature/Robbie}}", instead of her cameo in later versions of the short story.
** During the "Runaround" flashback, Susan Calvin was accompanying Donovan and Powell -- spaceship pilots and odd-jobs men instead of robopsychologists -- to take care of the robot Speedy. [[spoiler: She's the one to endanger herself to break Speedy out of the LogicBomb loop he was trapped in.]]
** Most significantly to the story, [[spoiler: not only is Stephen Byerley revealed to be a secret robot, but he was the malfunctioning LNE "Lenny" robot that Susan Calvin "adopted".]]
* TheLastDJ: The IntrepidReporter Bratenahl tracks down Donovan and Powell to learn about their experience working with Calvin. He also learns that the former starship captains are literally the last of their kind with a ubitiquous [[TeleportersAndTransporters teleporter network]] -- and that only because they're being used to expand the network.
----
