- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
- Isaac Asimov, Runaround (1942)
“’You must tell them, but if you do, you hurt, so you mustn’t; but if you do, you hurt, so you must; but -’
(…) Herbie collapsed into a huddled heap of motionless metal.
Bogert’s face was bloodless. ‘He’s dead!”
‘No!’ Susan Calvin burst into body-wracking gusts of wild laughter, ‘not dead - merely insane. I confronted him with the insoluble dilema, and he broke down. You can scrap him now - because he’ll never speak again’”
- Isaac Asimov, Liar! (1941)
Rayna, as an android, obeys the three laws of robotics as conceived by Isaac Asimov. While it’s easy to point out that this could be interpreted as Kirk and Flint giving her contradictory orders, thereby making it impossible to obey the second law, I find it far more interesting that she dies because of her struggle with the first law.
If she were to go with Kirk, she would hurt Flint; but if she were to stay with Flint, she would hurt Kirk. But she may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Therefore, either action would cause her to break the first law, and she collapses.



















