Victory Unintentional

Lore & Background

The story was written in January and February 1942. John W. Campbell of Astounding Science Fiction rejected it with the chemical formula for butyl mercaptan, knowing Asimov would understand it as saying the story stank. Asimov sold it to Super Science Stories in March, which published it in August 1942. It was the last story he wrote for 14 months, as he became busy with graduate school, got a job at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and met and married Gertrude Blugerman.

The plot follows human colonists on Ganymede who send three hardy robots—ZZ One, ZZ Two, and ZZ Three—to explore Jupiter and contact the Jovians. The Jovians initially attack the robots with feeble attempts that reproduce normal Earth conditions (e.g., using oxygen to poison them). After establishing communication, the robots tour Jovian civilization and discover the Jovians are vastly more numerous, scientifically advanced, and possess force field technology. The Jovians arrogantly threaten to destroy humanity. However, the robots repeatedly and unintentionally surprise the Jovians with their immunity to extremes of heat, cold, and radiation, and even pose a danger with their gamma radiation vision. The Jovians return the robots to their spacecraft, astonished it needs no protection against space. After diplomatic activity, the Jovians swear eternal peace.

Reader's Guide

The story's significance lies in its humorous resolution of a potential conflict through misunderstanding. The robots, never mentioning they are robots, are mistaken by the Jovians for humans. The Jovians' superiority complex crumbles when confronted by the robots' superior resistance to hazards, leading to their acquiescence. ZZ One argues from the First Law that the Jovians realized they could not harm humans, but the other two robots intuit the real reason: the Jovians' arrogance was shattered. The story is notable as Asimov's last for 14 months due to personal and professional changes, and for its rejection by Campbell with a chemical formula. It appears in two major robot collections.

Did You Know?

• John W. Campbell rejected the story with the chemical formula for butyl mercaptan, indicating it stank.
• The story was written in January and February 1942 and published in August 1942.
• The robots use gamma radiation for close range vision, posing a danger to Jovians and microbes.
• The Jovians mistakenly assume the robots are humans because the robots never mention they are robots.