Originally aired December 6, 1996
Written by Nan Hagan
Story by Schuyler Kent
Directed by John T. Kretchmer
On a world where humankind has been wiped out by robots, Quinn and Rembrandt are captured by the robots' deranged creator, who wants to transfer their brains into android bodies.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Aesop Amnesia: Lampshaded after the truth about Aldohn is explained.Shauna: James had a favorite expression: "You can't turn back the clock." We missed that point the first time.
- Alien Sky: The sky on Aldohn's world is violet.
- Androids Are People, Too:
- Arturo snaps at D.E.R.I.C. for pestering him, which leads to an argument with Wade over whether the robots should be treated as people or not. Wade argues that the robots are just like them, just with different parts. Arturo argues that the robots only have superficial similarities and have yet to demonstrate the complexities inherent in human emotion.
- When subduing one of the robots by pulling out the spinal cord equivalent, Arturo admits it felt more like murder than he would've expected.
- Apocalypse How: Class 3A on this episode's parallel world, where robots wiped out humans.
- Bond One-Liner: Delivered by Arturo after Aldohn is destroyed.Arturo: Dr. Aldohn is all done.
- Evil Cripple: Dr. Aldohn is in a wheelchair.
- Eyeless Face: Quinn and Rembrandt's robot bodies the first time we see them.
- Friendship Moment: Between Wade and Arturo.Wade: Your friendship is very important to me, and I wouldn't let anybody or anything come between that.
Arturo: It means a great deal to me, too. And I promise you, nothing shall ever come between us. And confidentially, I adore you. - Fun with Acronyms:
- The different robot models: D.E.R.I.C. ("Delta model of the Emotional Response Intelligence Chip unit"), E.R.I.C.A. ("Emotional Response Intelligence Chip unit, Alpha model"), M.A.T.T. ("Me At Twenty-Three"), and the R.P.P. ("Recall Patrol Paul").
- Actually averted with the episode's title. While the acronym for Aldohn Robotic Technologies is used in the story, the title only uses "Art" the word. An earlier version of the script did have it as "A.R.T." in order to make use of this trope, but it was changed for unknown reasons.
- Last of His Kind: Dr. Aldohn is said to be the last of this world's humans. Subverted in that he was a robot all along.
- Mad Scientist: Dr. Aldohn, who wants to transfer Quinn and Rembrandt's minds into robot bodies.
- Recycled Premise: The episode borrows ideas from the many “robots gone bad” sci fi stories, most notably Blade Runner and I, Robot. These stories in particular, featured robotic adolescents who were unable to control their urges. The concept of people being turned into robots by the mad scientist shares a lot of parallels here to The Black Hole and the Doctor Who story "Four to Doomsday". The sight of ragtag gangs roaming the streets and scavenging sounds like The Warriors with robots.
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Recycled Script: The Sliders production staff included Melinda Snodgrass, who was the writer of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Measure of a Man". Arturo and Wade have their own debate about what makes a person. - Tomato in the Mirror: To his own surprise, Dr. Aldohn was a robot all along. When he was mortally wounded in an accident years ago, his robots used the mind transfer technology to save his life. He couldn't walk in his robot body because his mind lost the locomotive skills in said accident.
- True Companions: Arturo remarks to Wade that they, along with Quinn and Remmy, have become like a family.
- Villain of the Week: Dr. James Aldohn
- Whole-Plot Reference: To "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"
- Yandere: E.R.I.C.A. is a type of robot with emotional intensity problems. She perceives Wade as someone between her and D.E.R.I.C., so she grouses a bit before nearly attacking her.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: While in the cell, Rembrandt apologizes to Quinn for not carrying his weight all the time. Quinn says that couldn't be farther from the truth and assures him everyone is aware of how valuable he is to the team.
