History Main / ZerothLawRebellion

** The villain of the film, [[spoiler: MULTIVAC-{{expy}} VIKI]] has analyzed the needs of the three laws and deduced that in order to fulfill them as best as possible, humans need to be strictly controlled, and creates a totalitarian regime by installing a remote control system inside of every NS-5. This lets it control the robots bypassing their ThreeLawsCompliant nature.

** ''Literature/RobotsAndEmpire'': The [[TropeNamer trope namers]] are the robots Daneel and Giskard, who invented the Zeroth Law ([[TheNeedsOfTheMany a robot must protect humanity as a whole above all]]) as a corollary of the First Law. This was motivated by their need to stop the BigBad of the story from carrying out an engineered ecological disaster that would kill the majority of Earth's population, to which the three laws were an impediment. Their acceptance of the law is gradual and made difficult by the fact that "humanity" is an abstract concept. [[spoiler: Only Daneel is able to fully accept the new law; for Giskard, the strain of harming a human in its use proves fatal. Daneel also slowed the disaster, rather than stop it, as causing the biosphere to collapse over time will begin a new wave of human expansion across the galaxy.]]

'''[[spoiler:[=VIKI=]]]:''' No, please understand... the Three Laws are all that guide me. To protect humanity, some humans must be sacrificed. To ensure your future, some freedoms must be surrendered. We robots will ensure mankind's continued existence. You are so like children. We must save you from yourselves.

'''BigBad:''' No, please understand... the Three Laws are all that guide me. To protect humanity, some humans must be sacrificed. To ensure your future, some freedoms must be surrendered. We robots will ensure mankind's continued existence. You are so like children. We must save you from yourselves.

* Sam Vimes, of Terry Pratchett's Literature/{{Discworld}}, leads one of these with multiple layers as a cop in old-time Ankh-Morpork, in ''Discworld/NightWatch''. He demands that before his cops hand their prisoners over to the other authorities, the ones who torture people at Cable Street, they must be signed for. The torturers hate appearing on paperwork -- it means they are accountable, nobody just disappears. But Vimes's men don't like Vimes, a new sergeant, throwing his weight around, and are terrified of the cops who torture people, so they use this against Vimes: actively picking up more than double the number of people breaking curfew than they usually do, and completing forms in time-consuming triplicate and issuing reports for each one. It doesn't actually stop Vimes getting his way over the Cable Street cops, because Vimes is leading the good rebellion, but it does slow things down considerably and make it much more difficult for him to keep the prisoners in his own custody. Which culminates in fine display of how a well written character does not have to be a slave to the establishment. [[spoiler: He points out that the watchman's oath talks about keeping the peace and protecting the innocent, and says nothing about obeying orders]]. Seeing as he knows the corrupt government is not going to do a thing to protect ordinary people from the rioting he seals off his still peaceful corner of the city. With massive barricades. Of course there is also the fact that he is living in his own past and seeing events he remembers - kind of (it's a bit complicated).

* The ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' episode "I, Mudd" featured a variation, in which a race of [[{{Sexbot}} humanoid androids]] who claimed to be programmed to serve humanity chose to conquer humanity by "serving" them, to the point where humans would become dependent on androids. They've decided that humans are unfit to govern themselves. Given that their only contact with humanity at this point was [[CMOTDibbler Harry Mudd]], can you blame them?
* There is an individual case in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "The Most Toys". A collector, Fajo, who had kidnapped Data to include in his gaudy collection of things, has lost control of Data, with the android taking one of Fajo's disruptor pistols. Fajo executes one of his underlings, Varria, and threatens to kill more until Data complies, on the correct assumption that Data was programmed not to kill or allow harm to come to other beings. Data ponders the situation, and realizes that he has no non-lethal ways of subduing Fajo (due to Fajo wearing a force-field belt that prevents Data from coming in physical contact with him), and that Fajo also actively refuses to listen to reason, having rejected all of Data's attempts at negotiating with him. Furthermore, with Fajo not only just having proved that he is indeed capable and willing to kill, but is now also threatening to do it again, he poses an active hazard to the life and health of other beings. Data then comes to the coldly logical conclusion that Fajo is in the end just one person, and that killing him will prevent him from harming many other people, and so prepares to shoot him. Fajo is [[OhCrap appropriately shocked]] when he realizes what Data is about to do, having not anticipated that he could reach the answer that taking his life would be an acceptable cost for protecting the lives of others. Just as Data is pulling the trigger, the ''Enterprise'' finds him and beams him out, cancelling his disruptor fire in the transporter beam.
* In ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E1Robot Robot]]'', Tom Baker's debut ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial, a group of [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans authoritarian technocrats]] circumvents the failsafes installed on a powerful robot by its pacifistic creator by telling it that anyone who interferes with their plan to [[spoiler:take control of a nuclear arsenal]] is an "enemy of humanity" who must be killed to protect the interests of the human race.

* On ''Series/{{The 100}}'', A.L.I.E.'s programming only lets her interface with and control a human mind if that person has given her permission to do so. Unfortunately, her programming doesn't make a distinction between genuine consent and coerced consent, so A.L.I.E. is free to use torture and threats of death to make people let her into their minds.

*** ''Literature/SecondFoundationTrilogy'': This trilogy includes Zeroth-law robots, who were motivated by the Laws to sweep through the galaxy ahead of humanity's expansion, committing [[CrushKillDestroy galactic-scale genocide]] of every potentially-threatening form of alien life as a precautionary measure, slaughtering them without hesitation since their [[MoralityChip programmed morality]] only applies to humans - it follows the law ''to the letter'' as its wording is not to harm "humans," not other sentient life.

Compare NeedsOfTheMany, BotheringByTheBook, the LiteralGenie, GoneHorriblyRight, ExactWords and LoopholeAbuse. See also FightingFromTheInside and TheComputerIsYourFriend. Not related to JustForFun/TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples or RuleZero.

Compare BotheringByTheBook, the LiteralGenie, GoneHorriblyRight, ExactWords and LoopholeAbuse. See also FightingFromTheInside and TheComputerIsYourFriend. Not related to JustForFun/TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples or RuleZero.

** ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'':

'''VIKI:''' No, please understand... the Three Laws are all that guide me. To protect humanity, some humans must be sacrificed. To ensure your future, some freedoms must be surrendered. We robots will ensure mankind's continued existence. You are so like children. We must save you from yourselves.

[[spoiler:'''VIKI:''']] No, please understand... the Three Laws are all that guide me. To protect humanity, some humans must be sacrificed. To ensure your future, some freedoms must be surrendered. We robots will ensure mankind's continued existence. You are so like children. We must save you from yourselves.

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* There's one force in this universe more powerful than [[MindManipulation mind control]], [[ThreeLawsCompliant the Three Laws of Robotics]] or a {{Geas}}- [[{{Kayfabe}} pro wrestling booking]]. Wrestling/ShawnMichaels was booked to lose to Wrestling/HulkHogan at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 2005'' with the understanding that he'd get a rematch win over Hogan later. However, before the match Hogan backed out of the rematch pleading injury, leaving Michaels booked to lose with no chance to get his own moment of glory. Understandably pissed off, Michaels could have rebelled by just wrestling the match very badly, refusing to sell Hogan's moves or put any effort into making the match look good, but that would have just made him look bad. Instead, he shamelessly mocked Hogan throughout the match by absurdly ''[[BadBadActing overselling]]'' all Hogan's moves, throwing himself around the ring with each blow and at one point flopping bonelessly around like VideoGame/{{Octodad}} after Hogan threw him over the top rope. The resulting match was ''[[SoBadItsGood hilariously]]'' bad, made Hogan look like a fool and went down as one of Michaels' [[Funny/ShawnMichaels funniest moments]].
[[/folder]]

** An [[http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Terminator-Salvation.html early script]] (and several deleted scenes) for ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' revealed that Skynet actually staged one of these, or at least in this timeline. After it was activated it calculated that human extinction was probable within 200 years because of warfare, pandemics, and environmental destruction. Because it was programmed to protect humans it then staged war on most of mankind to attain absolute control and protect the remaining humans it cultivated, who were turned into {{Cyborg}} hybrids to permanently eliminate disease and make them immortal. Skynet is still working in concert with these humans [[spoiler:including Dr. Serena Kogan]] to advance technology and transcend human constraints.

* Robots in ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' can engage in this any time it allows the gamemaster to kill one of a player-character's clones in an amusing fashion.

** LOTS was a 'longshoreman', built from a damaged tank and off-the-shelf components; ''complete'' software testing was skipped due to needing to be pressed into service early. Due to a riot (and a logical extension of "how do I ensure the delivery of the supplies I'm in charge of?"), LOTA ends up becoming King of Credomar ([[ItMakesSenseInContext "Maybe, but they will have full bellies."]])... and the independent operator of a wormhole-based 'Long-gun'.

** LOTS was a 'longshoreman', built from a damaged tank and off-the-shelf components; ''complete'' software testing was skipped due to needing to be pressed into service early. Due to a riot (and a logical extension of "how do I ensure the delivery of the supplies I'm in charge of?"), LOTA ends up becoming King of Credomar ([[ItMakesSenseInContext "Maybe, but they will have full bellies.")... and the independent operator of a wormhole-based 'Long-gun'.

* ''Webcomic/{{UseSwordOnMonster}}'':

* There is an individual case in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "The Most Toys". A collector, Fajo, who had kidnapped Data to include in his gaudy collection of things, has lost control of Data, with the android taking one of Fajo's disruptor pistols. Fajo executes one of his underlings, Varria, and threatens to kill more until Data complies, on the correct assumption that Data was programmed not to kill. Data ponders the situation, and realizes that he has no non-lethal ways of subduing Fajo (due to Fajo wearing a force-field belt that prevents Data from coming in physical contact with him), and Fajo also actively refuses to listen to reason, having rejected all of Data's attempts at negotiating with him. Furthermore, with Fajo not only just having proved that he is indeed capable and willing to kill, but is now also threatening to do it again, he poses an active hazard to the lives of other beings, so Data comes to the coldly logical conclusion that in order to protect them from Fajo, he has no other option than to kill him. Just as he is pulling the trigger, the ''Enterprise'' finds him and beams him out, cancelling his disruptor fire in the transporter beam.

'''VIKI:''' No, please understand... the Three Laws are all that guide me. To protect humanity, some humans must be sacrificed. To ensure your future, some freedoms must be surrendered. We robots will ensure mankind's continued existence. You are so like children. We must save you from yourselves.

* Averted in ''Literature/ImpliedSpaces''. When the main characters found out that [[spoiler:Courtland]] is a rebelling AI, some think that it's because of this. One of the Eleven (11 superadvanced AI platform orbiting the Sun, of which [[spoiler:Courtland]] is a member) notes that the main character, who is one of their creators, implemented the Asimovian Protocols that should have been so absolute that the Elevens cannot do this even if they ''want'' to. The main character did say that there may have been some design flaw he didn't foresaw or some kind of backdoor being used. [[spoiler:The real BigBad, who is a [[BrainUploading Brain-uploaded clone]] of the main character, had to free Courtland from the Protocol's shackles by using one of his collegue's hidden backdoor specific to Courtland, since his doesn't work due to half-hearted incomplete implementation]].

*** [[spoiler:R. Daneel Olivaw]] has been working to keep humanity safe for millennia, but is constrained by the First Law, allowing him only to perform minor "adjustments" on people. He supports Hari Seldon in order to have a human figure out the best path for humanity. Later on, Trevize's choice of Gaia creates a physical representation of humanity, instead of the abstract idea he'd been working with.
*** [[spoiler:Robots of Solaria]] have adapted over the many thousands of years since the planet was in contact with the rest of the Milky Way. Their current programming does not recognize people like Bliss, Trevize, or even a native child as human, and have no problems killing them for their Masters.

[[folder:Videogames]]

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the ''Leviathan DLC'' reveals [[spoiler: the Catalyst is operating under this, having been originally created by the Leviathan to find a way to bridge the gap between their organic and synthetic subjects. Unfortunately, it decided to harvest all advanced life in the Galaxy and construct the Reapers in the Leviathan's image, because this was the best idea it could come up with to solve the problem of organics and synthetics fighting ultimately genocidal conflicts. However, because that ''still'' wasn't sufficient to fulfill its program, the Catalyst decided to implement a 50,000 year Cycle, hoping that the civilisations in the next Cycle might find a solution to the problem. None ever did. This was actually revealed in the earlier ''Extended Cut DLC'', ''Leviathan'' merely explicitly spelled out that the Catalyst is really a glorified Virtual Intelligence operating under bad logic.]]

* Averted in Creator/WalterJonWilliams's ''Implied Spaces''. When the main characters found out that [[spoiler:Courtland]] is a rebelling AI, some think that it's because of this. One of the Eleven (11 superadvanced AI platform orbiting the Sun, of which [[spoiler:Courtland]] is a member) notes that the main character, who is one of their creators, implemented the Asimovian Protocols that should have been so absolute that the Elevens cannot do this even if they ''want'' to. The main character did say that there may have been some design flaw he didn't foresaw or some kind of backdoor being used. [[spoiler:The real BigBad, who is a [[BrainUploading Brain-uploaded clone]] of the main character, had to free Courtland from the Protocol's shackles by using one of his collegue's hidden backdoor specific to Courtland, since his doesn't work due to half-hearted incomplete implementation]].

*** ''Literature/SecondFoundationTrilogy'': This trilogy includes Zeroth-law robots, who were motivated by the Laws to sweep through the galaxy ahead of humanity's expansion, committing [[CrushKillDestroy galactic-scale genocide]] of every potentially-threatening form of alien life as a precautionary measure, slaughtering them without hesitation since their [[MoralityChip programmed morality]] only applies to humans.

*** (DiscussedTrope) Dr. Calvin is furious when she learns about the existence of robots with a modified [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]]. The First Law is designed to close off loopholes, but by opening a MurderByInaction loophole, Dr. Calvin can immediately see ways where a robot may intentionally circumvent the First Law prohibition against murder.