what is the meaning of the term klaatu barada nikto?”
The phrase “Klaatu barada nikto” is from the science fiction film “The Day the Earth Stood Still” released in 1951. Klaatu, the humanoid alien in the film, told Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) that she had to say the phrase to the robot Gort in the event that anything happened to Klaatu. In response, Gort would not destroy the Earth and would resurrect Klaatu. In 2006, Gort was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame for receiving one of the most famous commands in science fiction–Gort, Klaatu barada nikto–a command that stops his mission of destruction. Although no exact translation was given in the film, it appears that the phrase operates as a fail-safe feature to be used during diplomatic missions. Since 1951, the phrase has been used repeatedly in fiction and popular culture.
“Klaatu barada nikto” is a phrase originating from the science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). “Klaatu” is the name of the humanoid alien protagonist in the film. Klaatu (Michael Rennie) commanded Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) that, were anything to happen to him, she must utter the phrase to the robot Gort. In response, Gort desisted from destroying the Earth and resurrected Klaatu from death. No translation of the phrase was stated in the film. Philosophy professor Aeon J. Skoble speculates the famous phrase is a “safe-word” that is part of a fail-safe feature used during the diplomatic missions such as the one Klaatu and Gort make to Earth. With the use of the safe-word, Gort’s deadly force can be deactivated in the event the robot is mistakenly triggered into a defensive posture. Skoble observes that the theme has evolved into a “staple of science fiction that the machines charged with protecting us from ourselves will misuse or abuse their power”. In this interpr
