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R. Dorothy Wayneright is the android assistant of Roger Smith in "The Big O".

Biography[]

Introduced in Roger the Negotiator as Dorothy Soldano, daughter of rich scientist Miguel Soldano, she is later revealed to be an android constructed by him. Her actual "father" is Timothy Wayneright, the man who commissioned her construction and biological father of the deceased human Dorothy Wayneright. To show her gratitude, and as a form of payment for Roger's help, she chose to occupy the mansion to assist with domestic work. However, as time passed, her responsibilities expanded to include aiding Norman Burg with maintenance on Big O and often accompanying Roger on negotiations and other assignments.

Dorothy stands just under 5 feet (60 inch, 150 cm) tall, has red hair and an alabaster skin tone. Despite being quite petite, she is extremely heavy; enough so that a grown man revealed to have difficulty so much as budging her. Her forehead houses an illuminated disc drive, which is tray loaded made to resemble a hair band. While capable of normal human facial expressions, in film noir tradition she typically maintains a pouty contour and a mildly sarcastic personality. She was at one point described by Angel as being "perpetually foul-tempered". She possessed a dry and exceptionally sharp wit, often calling Roger a louse and on more than one occasion openly deriding other personality traits of his, such as his sense of fashion. With regard to Roger, she demonstrated throughout the series that she enjoys getting under his skin in annoying ways, such as loudly playing Roger's piano to rouse him when he sleeps in. Offsetting her straightforward attitude is her general likability; she gets along rather well with virtually everyone, even those towards whom she harbors suspicion. From her conversation and behavior, it is evident that Dorothy has the capacity for human emotions. She has shown genuine fear on a number of occasions, and at one point revealed jealousy toward Angel's relationship with Roger and satisfaction from its failure to become romantic.

Dorothy is quite durable and much stronger than any human, able to punch down a brick wall with one blow or leap several dozen feet into the air. She has amazing balance, as seen during her moments of contemplation while standing precariously on the edge of Roger's rooftop balcony. She can run or bicycle at superhuman speed and does not require oxygen to operate. She possesses superhuman coordination, performing effortless gymnastic feats; at one point she even demonstrated the ability to steer a car with her foot while riding on its hood. She takes regular meals with Roger indicates she can consume food and beverages, although she revealed in "Daemonseed" that she does not possess a sense of taste. Dorothy also seems to have an unexplained connection to Big O itself. In Stripes and The Third Big, when Dorothy is nearly destroyed by Alan Gabriel, Big O apparently sensed her plight and shut itself down in order to facilitate her rescue by Roger. In The Show Must Go On, she activated Big O's Final Stage weapon by plugging herself directly into the Megadeus. She shows self-awareness and capacity for learning. Throughout the series she exhibits talents at performance singing and virtuoso piano. It's suggested that the show's closing song is, in fact, R. Dorothy performing with a male vocalist.

Personality[]

Being of a mechanical nature, Dorothy comes off mildly sardonic and cold. She is described as being poorly tempered and at times can be extremely sarcastic, despite her insistence that she was programmed without the ability to feel emotions. However, she is not totally lacking in emotions. While she tends to speak in monotone, there are times in which she has become visibly angry. Dorothy is also insecure about her robotic nature: for instance, she refuses to board an elevator with a strict weight capacity due to the fact that it reminds her that she is merely a "copy" of the original Dorothy Wayneright. Roger attempted to console her by having her board anyway; it caused the weight alarm to go off and make Dorothy leave.

Despite her stoic personality, R. Dorothy possesses the ability to experience a variety of emotion, even love. Throughout the series she grows closer to Roger and Norman and genuinely appreciates their company and companionship. Her and Norman seem to have an almost familal bond. In A Legacy of Amadeus, she forms an attachment with R. Instro over intimate piano lessons and pleads for Roger to rescue him from Gieseng. In Missing Cat she encounters a stray cat named Pero and grows very close to it as a human would with a beloved pet. When a couple appears to reclaim Pero, Dorothy refuses to release the cat and claims the couple abandoned it and have no right to it. Dorothy expresses strong feelings towards the cat, showing remorse and sadness when Pero dies. Throughout the end the series the show strongly hints at Dorothy having romantic feelings towards Roger. This is most evident in "Daemonseed" when Dorothy asks Roger if he will buy a present for someone he loves. When talking to Laura later on, Dorothy asks her why she loves Oliver. Dorothy also remains silent when people assume her and Roger are a couple, only for Roger interject and deny any mutual feelings.

Ironically, while she can pass as human under cursory inspection, Dorothy is the least "human" of any android seen throughout the series. Other androids are shown to be capable of expressing more genuine emotion. With the revelation that R. Dorothy possesses the human Dorothy Wayneright's mind, it's also implied that R. Dorothy's reticent behavior comes from the shock of her father's death, a common human reaction to have.

Dorothy complies with some of Isaac Asimov's Three Laws Of Robotics, but not all. For example, she is incapable of knowingly and willingly harming a human target, though if she is tricked into thinking that they are not human (whether by themselves or another), then she is capable of inflicting harm upon said target. Dorothy, while "obedient", also has a penchant for passive aggressiveness and deliberately acts inhuman to get a rise out of her master, whom she often refers to as a nuisance with her catchphrase, "You're a louse, Roger Smith".

External Links[]

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