Hal 9000 is the one of the most famous computers of all time. And, sadly, one of the most infamous. Because he killed four men and attempted to kill another, he is considered to be evil, while he was actually only doing his job: protecting the mission. Conflicting orders to do this at all costs, yet keep the astronauts unaware of the mission's true purpose, caused Hal a moral dilemma that, as a being created to never lie, caused his mental collapse.

In 2010, Hal proved that he was not at all an evil entity in that he was willing to sacrifice himself in order to save the humans of the mission. His sacrifice was rewarded when the being who was once Dave Bowman "rescued" Hal's soul from the doomed 'Discovery.'

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