Rogue Protocol

How does Murderbot’s emotional reactions to Miki reveal how it feels about its own treatment at the hands of humans rather than about Miki’s treatment?

Analyze one of the mentions that Murderbot makes about life outside the Corporation Rim, whether this information comes from knowledge of fictional shows or from others it knows from these locations. Does the novel uphold Murderbot’s suspicion of life in non-GrayCris controlled spaces? What details from the text lead you to this assessment?

How does the novel characterize AI constructs’ capacity for free will? In your analysis, look at Murderbot’s views on hacking its own programming, Miki’s understanding of itself, and Murderbot’s understanding of Miki.

Murderbot’s ability to look at different “streams” of information at once allows Wells to play with point of view—while most of the novel is from Murderbot’s point of view, some scenes take place through Murderbot’s interpretation of someone else’s point of view. Are there any shifts in tone or certainty that indicate how objective or subjective the novel treats Murderbot’s perspective?

Murderbot loves to watch soap operas, which it uses as source material for understanding humans. Does the novel treat this as a good method for understanding those unlike oneself or a poor one? How does this stance affect how the novel invites readers to experience the text itself?

Compare and contrast Murderbot with other robot characters you have encountered in other sci-fi texts. How do Murderbot’s differences contribute to the novel’s world-building by helping understand the society that created SecUnits and Murderbot itself?

Does the novel suggest that GI is more trustworthy than GrayCris? Why or why not? Use your answer to articulate an overall theory about how the novel views corporations.

What constitutes a person in the novel? What does the text present as the value of this personhood?