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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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This comic is talking about the robotic science platform {{w|Opportunity (rover)|''Opportunity''}}. On January 25, 2004, two rovers, named {{w|Spirit (rover)|''Spirit''}} and ''Opportunity'' were landed on the surface of {{w|Mars}} for the purpose of gathering data about the surface of Mars. The original plan called for these rovers to function and collect data for 90 days on the surface.
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{{incomplete|Needs citations.}}
  
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Both rovers proved to be remarkably robust, with ''Spirit'' functioning for 6 years, 24 times longer than the original mission plan, before it became stuck in a sandstorm, which covered its solar panels. This was covered in [[695: Spirit]], in which the Spirit rover is also portrayed with an anthropomorphic personality.
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This comic is talking about the robotic science platform {{w|Opportunity (rover)|''Opportunity''}}. On January 25, 2004, the ''Opportunity'' rover landed on the surface of {{w|Mars}} for the purpose of gathering data about the surface of Mars.
  
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Even after ''Spirit'' ceased to function, ''Opportunity'' continued to operate. As of the publication of this strip, it had been operating for over 11 years. This comic extrapolates the rover's resilience to absurdity for comedic effect, implying that the rover begins to operate independently, even with its original power sources disconnected, and presumably developing some form of general intelligence. It then takes a darker turn, implying that ''Opportunity'' attacks both later rovers and even human astronauts that later land on Mars. The final panel suggests that humans eventually manage to terraform Mars, but that ''Opportunity'' grows so powerful that humanity cedes half the planet to it.  
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Also sent to Mars on the same date was another Martian rover, {{w|Spirit (rover)|''Spirit''}}. Unfortunately, this became stuck and a sand storm covered its solar panels. On March 22, it is thought that ''Spirit'''s batteries finally ran out, marking the end of its mission. This was memorably covered in [[695: Spirit]], in which the ''Spirit'' rover is portrayed as sentient.
  
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In real life, as of Feb 12th, 2019, the Opportunity rover has finally been {{w|Opportunity mission timeline|declared dead}} after 5352 Sols (Mars Days) or 5500 Earth days on Mars. On Feb 13th, 2019, [[Randall]] eulogies the Opportunity Rover in [[2111: Opportunity Rover]].
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In 2015, the Opportunity rover is still alive and moving, amazing the scientists at ground control.
  
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In 2023, the comic's timeline version of Opportunity is said to be still moving despite having supposedly no power source. It also started to show aggression in the span of 8 years and deactivated the {{w|Mars 2020|Perseverance rover}}, as sent in 2020. [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] can't explain how it moves, but investigating is now too dangerous. This evolution is similar to the stories of {{w|HAL 9000}} (from {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|''2001: A Space Odyssey''}}) and {{w|List of Star Trek characters (T–Z)#V'Ger|V'Ger}} (from ''{{w|Star Trek: The Motion Picture}}''), both of which became dangerous to human beings. This, however, never ended up happening, as Opportunity "officially" stopped working on June 10, 2018.
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However, in 2023, Opportunity has apparently become so powerful that it has become dangerous, destroying the {{w|Mars 2020|rover sent in 2020}}. To try and stop it, Cueball and Megan disconnected the battery but to no avail. This is similar to the stories of {{w|HAL 9000}} (from {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|''2001: A Space Odyssey''}}) and {{w|List of Star Trek characters (T–Z)#V'Ger|V'Ger}} (from ''{{w|Star Trek: The Motion Picture}}''), both of which became sentient and dangerously unstable.
  
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"Everything the light touches" is a reference to a line by {{w|List of The Lion King characters#Mufasa|Mufasa}} in ''{{w|The Lion King}}''. Mufasa's son {{w|List of The Lion King characters#Simba|Simba}} then asks "What about that shadowy place?" and Mufasa tells him "That is beyond our borders. You must never go there". This was used again in [[1608: Hoverboard]], where [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a0/1608_0986x1076y_Our_kingdom_from_a_cliff.png Cueball tells the same line] to Ponytail in the left part of the world. In the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article ''[https://what-if.xkcd.com/48 Sunset on the British Empire]'', concerning the end of the sun shining on the British Empire, Cueball tells a child that everything the light touches is their kingdom, and the child asks (in the title text) "What about that shadowy place over there?" to which Cueball replies (also in the title text), "That's France. We'll get it one of these days."
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By 2450, humans have colonised and terraformed Mars. “Everything the light touches” is a reference to what {{w|List of The Lion King characters#Mufasa|Mufasa}} says in ''{{w|The Lion King}}''. (Mufasa's son Simba then asks "What about that shadowy place?" and Mufasa tells him “That is beyond our boarders. You must never go there”.) What this all implies is the ''Opportunity'' has dominated half of the planet.
  
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The title text forecasts the first words of the first astronauts on the surface of Mars. At first, the astronaut copies the first words of {{w|Neil Armstrong}} on the Moon ("That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind") but it is interrupted by the ''Opportunity'' rover. Opportunity has a drill to collect Martian rock samples, but here it is heavily suggested that the drill is being used as a weapon against the astronaut.
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The title text refers to the first words of the first astronauts on the surface of Mars. At first, the astronaut copies the first words of Neil Armstrong on the Moon ("That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind") but it is interrupted by the ''Opportunity'' rover. Onboard the rover uses a drill for sampling rocks, but here it uses it to murder the astronaut.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
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:[The year (or year and first sentence) for each panel is written in a small frame at the top of each panel. It breaks the top frame of the panels.]
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{{incomplete transcript}}
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2010:
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Ponytail (at a computer): After six years, Spirit is down, but Opportunity is still going strong.
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Hair Bun: Tough little rover!
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2015:
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Opportunity:
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Eleven years, wow!
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Wasn't the original mission 90 days?
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This is starting to get weird.
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2023:
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Cueball: The battery is totally disconnected! How can it still be moving?
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Megan: Given what it did to the Mars 2020 rover, we may never know.
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2450, Tereaformed Mars, Mars Imperial Capital:
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Cueball and Megan are standing on a Martian cliff near a sci-fi city.
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Cueball: Everything the light touches is our kingdom.  
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Megan (pointing to some distant mountains): What's that dark area?
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Cueball: That is Opportunity's half of the planet. We must never go there.  
  
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:[Ponytail is sitting at a computer, facing left. Hairbun stands behind her.]
 
 
:2010:
 
:2010:
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:Ponytail: After six years, ''Spirit'' is down, but ''Opportunity'' is still going strong.
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:[Ponytail and Hair Bun sitting at a Computer.]
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:Hairbun: Tough little rover!
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:Ponytail: After six years, Spirit is down, but ''Opportunity'' is still going strong.
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:Hair Bun: Tough little rover!
  
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:[Opportunity traveling on Mars. Text is written in frames with zigzag lines]
 
 
:2015:
 
:2015:
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:Off-screen: Eleven years, wow.
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:[Opportunity driving on the Mars.]
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:Off-screen 2: Wasn't the original mission 90 days?
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:Offscreen: Eleven years, wow.
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:Off-screen: This is starting to get weird.
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:Offscreen 2: Wasn't the original mission 90 days?
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:Offscreen: This is starting to get weird.
  
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:[Cueball and Megan sitting at a computer, facing right.]
 
 
:2023:
 
:2023:
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:Cueball: The battery is totally disconnected. How can it still be moving??
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:[Cueball and Megan sitting at a computer.]
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:Cueball: The battery is totally disconnected. How can it still be moving?
 
:Megan: Given what it did to the Mars 2020 rover, we may never know.
 
:Megan: Given what it did to the Mars 2020 rover, we may never know.
  
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:[Two Martian inhabitants looking like Cueball and Megan stands on a cliff edge pointing towards a dark, mountainous region. Behind them are a tower and a hover car]
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:2450, terraformed Mars, martian imperial capital:
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:2450, terraformed Mars, Martian imperial capital:
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:[Some martian inhabits looking like Cueball and Megan pointing in the dark.]
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:Martian Cueball: Everything the light touches is our kingdom.
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:Cueball-Martian: Everything the light touches is our kingdom.
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:Martian Megan: What's that dark area?
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:Megan-Martian: What's that dark area?
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:Martian Cueball: That is ''Opportunity's'' half of the planet. We must never go there.
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:Cueball-Martian: That is ''Opportunity's'' half of the planet. We must never go there
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{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
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<!-- Include any categories below this line. -->
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[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
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[[Category:Robots]]
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
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[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
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[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
 
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[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
 
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[[Category:Mars rovers]]
 
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[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
 
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[[Category:The Lion King]]
 

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