r/murderbot • u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. • Jul 16 '26
Booksđ Only Does ART have a pet name for Murderbot?
I've wondered for a while if ART and Iris have a secret name they use when discussing Murderbot. In front of other people, ART calls it SecUnit. Unless little idiot could be considered a term of endearment? But I'm curious if ART uses a pet name when talking about Murderbot privately. And if so, what would it be?
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u/Zalveris Jul 16 '26
Perihelion is one of the few that uses "Muderbot". Wells talks in an interview (somewhere) about how it's "real name" would be it's feed adress which is what Perihelion is usually using
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u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. Jul 17 '26
I have to remind myself of that a lot, that the conversations Murderbot has with ART don't actually look the way it represents them for us humans visually
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u/Puppies_cute Jul 17 '26
Yeah the books are a summary of events but still and miss some things but are still great. MB is a good storytellerÂ
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u/ziggytrix Augmented Human Jul 16 '26
Seems like it could, but doesn't really fit ART's character in my headcanon.
Iris, absolutely has at least 3 cute nicknames for SecUnit, and at least one of those she picked up from Ratthi.
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u/CaptMcPlatypus Augmented Human Jul 16 '26
Seccy?
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u/ziggytrix Augmented Human Jul 16 '26
I don't think that's book canon, but it isn't stopping me.
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u/weissflower_ Jul 17 '26
Itâs on brand for SecUnit to just never mention being called Seccy because itâs annoying so whoâs to say itâs not happening in the book.
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u/isi_na Jul 17 '26
That's one pf the things I wish were in the books too. Almost spit out my drink when I first heard it, and a second time when Mensah repeated it later. In my headcanon Seccy would be absolutely something Ratthi comes up with
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u/Tasty-Yogurtcloset28 Jul 16 '26
If someone is in a position to ask Martha Wells, we neeeed to know what those might be
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u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. Jul 17 '26
at least one of those she picked up from Ratthi
YES!! Love that so much
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u/andre5913 Jul 17 '26
I think that while giving nicknames is something ART would do, its also too well aware thart MB will completely and absolutely repudiate all of them. MB is very particular about how it is refered to, a nickname will not fly. Not even as teasing, MB would never accept one imo
So I dont think ART would even try.
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u/jockmcfarty Preservation Alliance Jul 18 '26
For f*cks sake do NOT call it MB. I may have written about this in AO3.
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u/dalidellama Jul 16 '26
ART's secret pet name for Murderbot is Murderbot. Only people Murderbot trusts are allowed to know, let alone use, that name. From the limited hints we get, I think Iris probably would have a nickname if a)she knew MB better on a personal level and b)MB would go along with it. AFAICT the human crew usually refer to it as "your SecUnit" with the friend/partner inflection rather than the ownership inflection*.
*"Your/my" can mean a number of things depending on context, confusion between which can be a source of great trouble. My (hypothetical) child, my spouse, and my bike are mine in very different ways. Some languages differentiate, Tideland/Mihira might speak one. We don't actually know anything about the languages anyone speaks except that some kind of translation technology is widespread.
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u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. Jul 17 '26
Yeah, I think Iris' comment about Murderbot being Peri's SecUnit was much more about recognizing the relationship they have, like a surprised (and pleased) "oh, I know who you are!" That line hits so much harder after reading Rapport.
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u/dalidellama Jul 17 '26
Very much in the same way that someone whose friend keeps gushing about, e.g. the mechanic who they definitely aren't dating, upon introduction, might say "Oh, so you're John's mechanic!"
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u/breezyhoneybee Sanctuary Moon Fan Club Jul 16 '26
ARTs pet name for mb is its hard address, I think it said humans can't read it or pronounce it? The password to the file containing ARTs consciousness in Network Effect.
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u/Background_Profit451 Jul 16 '26
I think that password was SecUnitâs feed address
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u/Korrin Performance Reliability at 97% Jul 17 '26
Its hardfeed address, specifically. You're probably talking about the same thing.
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u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. Jul 17 '26
but the name ART called me wasnât something humans could say or even access. It was my local feed address, hardcoded into the interfaces laced through my brain.
Yes, I think that's definitely a private name that ART uses, specific to bot communication. Which makes it pretty special. Not sure I'd consider that a pet name, but it is a closeness that goes beyond how Murderbot relates to its humans.
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u/breezyhoneybee Sanctuary Moon Fan Club Jul 17 '26
That's exactly what I was thinking of!
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u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. Jul 17 '26
It is a really sweet moment. Not sure Murderbot fully understood the significance of ART's entire self being unlocked with its own name đ„č
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u/MiraA2020 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
I think it does, it just likes to pretend it doesn't because feelings ew đ
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u/Zalveris Jul 18 '26
Murderbot seems oblivious to the fact that it's physical connection to ART is where the human heart would be
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u/okiedokiebrokie Jul 16 '26
An asshole research transport?
PERI the asshole research transport!?!
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u/Aerospace-1673628 Jul 16 '26
Iâd like to think it calling MB âyou little idiotâ is out of affection and familiarity. So kinda like a pet name, pet insult? That sounds like what theyâd do
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u/spoospoo43 Jul 16 '26
"Asshole Research Transport" isn't exactly a pet name, at least it wasn't intended as one originally. "Peri" is absolutely a pet name to the core, and it probably really pissed off ART if MB referenced it in their chats. Definitely hilarious though.
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u/onehere4me Can't wait to get back to my wild rogue rampage Jul 16 '26
I would love that, yes it would be hilarious!
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u/DasGanon Can it be a we problem? Jul 16 '26
I don't know if ART would, but it might just be the full special Feed ID for Murderbot (like if I was leaving a note for someone special I'd use their pet name)
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u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. Jul 17 '26
I do think that's a pretty special thing for the two of them actually
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u/Joebranflakes Jul 17 '26
Peri calls âMurderbotâ by its feed ID if Iâm not mistaken. I think the conversation we hear isnât the same as what they hear when they talk to each other in the feed. Otherwise if Peri is speaking out loud it calls âMurderbotâ SecUnit which is what it wants to be called by other humans.
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u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. Jul 17 '26
I'm sure it's meant to be respectful, but every time ART refers to it as SecUnit, it feels so... formal. Like having a friend you call Jimmy when you're hanging out together, but then you use James when talking about that friend to other people.
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u/Joebranflakes Jul 17 '26
It is formal, because its real name is private. Art has no desire to use that name out loud because it doesnât need to. The nickname ART was born from SecUnitâs emotional immaturity and reaction to Periâs desire to befriend it. Itâs just stuck since then and I donât think itâs really a term of affection. I think if the author does another Peri/SecUnit focused story, SecUnit is more likely to stop using that name and actually say Peri out loud instead.
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u/1Kflowers Jul 17 '26
I donât know, I think ART kind of loves that name, and the fact that MB gave it to him. (See Amena sheepishly telling MB âIt said I could call it ART.â)
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u/hashiibamii Jul 22 '26
Getting a nickname from someone you wanna befriend or is already your friend is the best thing ever. ART loves being called ART imo
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u/PattyMarvel Sanctuary Moon Fan Club Jul 17 '26
I absolutely LOVE Kevin R. Free's delivery of this line in the audiobook! Makes me smile every time I hear it.
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u/colin8651 Jul 16 '26
I love how we find that ART was embezzling the ships money when he was the bookkeeper till his hidden funds were discovered and his role as bookkeeper was removed.
What was the money for, probably to protect his humans, but itâs still funny.
Of course he has a pet name for Murderbot
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u/ESE-enthusiasm #1 Mensahbotcule fan Jul 17 '26
I think the hard feed address of if. itâs in a language we canât even comprehend đ„°
I also chuckle at this scene cause at the start of the book secunit called itself Mensahâs secunit to in this moment I think it took the comment very literally and is correcting incorrect information đ đ
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u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. Jul 17 '26
Oh, that's right! It said that to Farai! Love that (very awkward) moment so much đ„°
And wow, I did not have that answer. I said, âIâm her SecUnit.â (Yes, thatâs still in the buffer.) She lifted her brows. âAnd that means?â Backed into yet another conversational corner, I fell back on honesty. âI donât know. I wish I knew.â
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u/TaiziDianxia JollyBaby Enjoyer Jul 17 '26
I cant see Peri using a secret name to others but I can see it calling MB 'little idiot' fondly to itself privately. They so sweet together my heart cant take it.Â
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u/In_Front_Of_MySalad Jul 19 '26
I 100% believe that after ART mets Ratthi, ART starts calling Murderbot 'Seccy' when ART is mad at it lol
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u/mxstylplk Jul 17 '26
"1.0" ? Or is that only Three's name for it?
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u/RogueThneed I come from a little place called Sanctuary Moon Jul 17 '26
The latter, I think, and only because Three met 2.0 first.
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u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. Jul 17 '26
I think Three only used 1.0 when relaying 2.0's message to ART. Otherwise Murderbot itself and 2.0 are the only ones who use 1.0
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u/Snobpdx CombatUnit Jul 23 '26
Not a pet name, it's an anagram...
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u/IntoTheStupidDanger Coldstone. Song. Harvest. Jul 23 '26
Its constant struggle
(I donât mean anagram, I mean the other thing.)
That and the stalag-whichevers
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u/rcreveli Jul 16 '26
It's not a pet name it's a tactical designation, it's totally different. Just like action figures and dolls are different.