566 – Colossus: The Forbin Project

Movie Synopsis Somewhere in a mountain in Colorado, Dr. Charles Forbin flips the switch and activates the United States’ most secret and ambition project ever: Colossus – a huge impenetrable supercomputer That takes over the US missile arsenal. The goal of the project, to create an infallible, emotionless defensive system that will make sure human error doesn’t lead to nuclear war.  The United States president announces Colossus to the world.  Soon, Colossus, monitoring all the communications and intelligence data of the world reveals that the Soviet Union also has comparable computer, named Guardian, that has just come online.  The two computers want to talk. Unsettling though this is, the communication link is established and the two machines establishing a link, and develop their own language.  When the US and the USSR decide to sever the link, Colossus and Guardian launch nuclear missiles to emphasize their demands. The governments capitulate, but not before a target in Siberia is destroyed. Colossus and Guardian demand access to the US/USSR hotline, the only untapped communication available to the two governments. Forbin and Kuprin, the developer of Guardian, arrange an in-person meeting in Rome, free of surveillance, to discuss their options.  Colossus discovers Forbin’s absence and demands his immediate return of Washington D.C. will be nuked.  Kuprin is not so lucky.  Guardian demands that he be executed immediately or Moscow will be nuked. Forbin is placed under 24-hour video and audio surveillance, and directed to work on behalf of the computers, developing new capabilities for them.  Forbin is able to bluff the computer into allowing his “mistress” periodic booty call visits that are not surveilled.  His mistress is Dr. Cleo Markham, one of the other team members.  She acts as a Forbin’s only means of passing information and ideas back and forth. A plan is hatched to replace all the nuclear triggers with identical but non-functional ones, rendering the nuclear arsenal useless.  Meanwhile the Colossus development team prepare to attempt to overload Colossus. When that fails, Colossus has them executed immediately. Colossus addresses the world.  Colossus and Guardian are now in control of the world.  Humans will have peace.  Either the peace of plenty and content, or the peace of unburied death.  Colossus also uses this moment to demonstrate that they knew about the missile sabotage, and they nuke the bases that are currently being worked on. Colossus orders an new facility to be built, one of his own design, on the Isle of Crete, and he makes it clear, in no uncertain terms, that Forbin will not only help him, but soon he will do so willing and even with love for Colossus. Forbin vows, “never.”