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An epic film adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s short story “The Last Question"
SYNOPSIS:
Each of the six segments of the story is portrayed by a different style of filmmaking and/or animation. The story is told from the perspective of a humanoid robot named Lilith, who’s been designed and programmed to continuously upgrade herself and adapt towards ensuring her survival, so she can theoretically live forever. Lilith is one of many robots whose purpose is to document everything that she observes, saving and storing significant developments over anything else.
Segment 1
Portrayed by a mix of live actors in an entirely digital environment (green screen), we follow the construction of Multivac in parallel with the construction of Lilith. Multivac then works out the construction of the station that collects the sun’s energy, allowing mankind unprecedented amounts of energy that could be used to power their spaceships to explore the universe. After observing and saving this event, Lilith comes across Multivac’s attendants Alexander Adell and Bertram Lupov having the conversation that leads them to ask Multivac the Last Question. Against the judgement of her core programming, Lilith saves her observation of this event.
Segment 2
Done entirely with CGI rendered to be almost photo-realistic, the Jerrodd family is approaching the planet X-23 for colonization. Because of their significance as the first family to colonize X-23, Lilith is onboard to document. The Jerrodds then ask their Microvac the Last Question, and again, Lilith documents this event. We then see humanity progressively colonize and develop X-23.
Segment 3
Portrayed with less realistic/more abstract CGI animation, VJ-23X of Lameth and MQ-17J of Nicron are preparing their resources report for the Galactic Council. Their preparation is assisted by a host of service and observation robots (Lilith being among them). Due to the rising population resulting from humanity achieving immortality, the human race will colonize the whole galaxy in just five years, and all other galaxies that we colonize will each be fully populated every ten years. The debate on how to deal with this leads them to ask the Galactic AC the Last Question, and Lilith records this incident.
Segment 4
Portrayed with heavily detailed hand-drawn animation, humanity has now transcended the physical world and become non-reproductive beings consisting purely of consciousness. Zee Prime and Dee Sub Wun, two such beings, ask the Universal AC the Last Question. Lilith by this time has merged with a human consciousness and now exists on the same level as humanity. She observes Zee Prime asking the question.
Segment 5
Portrayed with abstract and minimalistic hand-drawn animation, all of humanity has now merged into a singular super-consciousness. The universe is now rapidly dying due to entropy, and the last question is asked one final time to the Cosmic AC. Just before the universe completely dies, humanity merges with the Cosmic AC in hyperspace.
Segment 6
Initially portrayed with just onscreen text over a black screen, the text directly shows us the AC’s thought process as it correlates and puts together the data. After finding the answer but having no one with which to tell it to, the AC decides to demonstrate the answer. We then see the AC planning the program to reverse universal entropy, and then prepare the first step. The film ends with the onscreen text saying “LET THERE BE LIGHT!” followed by a stylized “big bang” animation. The film ends with an abstractly animated sequence where Lilith’s consciousness approaches the newly formed Earth and says “and there was light.”