HAL 9000

The HAL 9000 is a fictional computer and artificial intelligence featured in the "Space Odyssey" franchise as envisioned by author Arthur C. Clarke. It first appeared in the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey as well as the 2001: A Space Odyssey novel, which was published to coincide with the release of the film. The computer also appeared in the 1984 sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact, the Clarke novel 2010: Odyssey Two as well as the 2010 comic book limited series by Marvel Comics. By the timeline of the final two novels, 2061: Odyssey Three and 3001: The Final Odyssey, the HAL 9000 has been merged with astronaut Dave Bowman to form a unique and composite entity referred to as Halman.

Notes & Trivia

 * A longstanding rumor holds that the name HAL is one-letter removed in the alphabet from the letters IBM. IBM is a multi-national computer conglomerate and many falsely believed that Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick were poking fun at the company by this comparison to their fictional "insane" computer. Clarke put the rumors to rest in his 1972 book The Lost Worlds of 2001, by pointing out that HAL is an anagram for Heuristically programmed Algorithmic Computer, as revealed in the original 2001 novel, but never indicated in the film.