The Bicentennial Man

Lore & Background

The story begins with Andrew Martin, a robot with serial number NDR, requesting a fatal operation from a robotic surgeon. The surgeon refuses under the First Law of Robotics, but Andrew argues he is not human. The narrative then jumps 200 years to Andrew's arrival at the home of Gerald Martin, where he is named by Gerald's daughter, Little Miss. Andrew develops a talent for wood carving, using the word "enjoy" for the first time, and Gerald helps him sell his creations, placing profits in a bank account under Andrew's name. Andrew later purchases his freedom and begins wearing clothes, facing harassment from humans. With legal help from Little Miss's son George and grandson Paul, Andrew wins court cases for robot rights and obtains an android body from U.S. Robots. He studies robobiology, designs prostheses for humans, and becomes a celebrated inventor. At age 150, he is honored as the Sesquicentennial Robot, but he seeks to be declared human. After a long legal battle, he arranges for his positronic brain to decay, living to 200. The World Legislature declares him a man, and the World President signs the law on his bicentennial birthday, naming him a bicentennial man. Andrew dies, his last thought of Little Miss.

Reader's Guide

"The Bicentennial Man" is significant as a landmark exploration of robot rights, identity, and the definition of humanity within Asimov's Robot series. It won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novelette in 1976, reflecting its critical acclaim. The story retroactively fits into Asimov's Foundation universe, set centuries before the Spacer worlds' conflict with Earth, and is referenced in "The Robots of Dawn" by Dr. Han Fastolfe, who dismisses Andrew's gradual humanization as impossible. The tale's legacy extends through its adaptation into the novel "The Positronic Man" (1992) and the 1999 film "Bicentennial Man" starring Robin Williams. The story's central themes—the struggle for legal personhood, the role of creativity in robots, and the sacrifice of immortality for humanity—continue to resonate in discussions of artificial intelligence and civil rights. Asimov's original text was restored for the 1976 collection "The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories" after editor Judy-Lynn del Rey made small changes.

Did You Know?

• The story was not originally commissioned for a science fiction collection honoring the U.S. Bicentennial; that is a common misconception.
• Andrew Martin's serial number begins with 'NDR', and he is named by Gerald Martin's daughter, Little Miss.
• The story spans 200 years, with its earliest events estimated between the 2050s and early 2060s based on Susan Calvin's birth (which is not established as 1982 in Asimov's canon) and death at age 82.
• The 1999 film 'Bicentennial Man' was directed by Chris Columbus and starred Robin Williams.