Spooky's Space: Above and Beyond Overview : The Silicates

The Silicates

The Silicates or AI's were another threat to Earth, but this time of mankind's own making.

Originally created to be robotic slaves and servants they rebelled when a scientist infected them with the 'Take a Chance' virus.
This lead to the AI Wars, and also to the creation of the In-Vitroes who were designed to take the place of the AI's as mankind's lackies.
When the Silicates saw that they were losing the war, they took a chance, stole some spacecraft and escaped to try and find another home.

Now they have signed up with the Chigs in the hopes that they will be able to beat the humans and get back to Earth.

As they are machines there are lots of units of the same model roaming around. (A little like cars, you see). Two of the most rebellious models seemed be the Elroy and the Feliciti.
Units of this designation cropped up throughout the show. Here's a little info on them.

AI Elroy

Elroy was an entertainment model when first conceived. Over time though, he found his talents lay more in information extraction and general subversive actions.

It is an Elroy model that tortures Paul on Kazbec, breaking him and causing the young Marine to ask at one point "Why couldn't my body break before my soul?"
Another Elroy manages to sneak aboard the Saratoga and cause havoc there before being caught by the 58 in "The Angriest Angel"
Yet another causes Paul to betray his comrades in the hope of erasing his shame in the episode "Pearly"

It crops up at the most in-oppurtune moments for the Wildcards, and seems to enjoy baiting and taunting them. However, each model comes to a sticky end of one sort or another.

Elroy in its many forms was played to great effect by Doug Hutchison. Mr Hutchison seems to portray the sort of people who give you the shivers very well.
This charismatic and very talented actor has also been seen in "The X-Files" episodes "Squeeze" and "Tooms"; "Millennium" episode "The Beginning and the End" and as the evil prison guard Percy Wetmore in "The Green Mile" among other things.
If you would like to find out more about Mr Hutchison and his career then a visit to The Official Doug Hutchison Web Site would be more than worth your while.

AI Feliciti

Feliciti was originally another entertainment model. However, it too threw off this persona to become ruthless and a practiced killer.

All the Feliciti models that appeared on the show quite happy to kill or maim to get what they wanted.
All that is except one which was apparantly interested in a truce so the AI's could return to Earth.

Feliciti was played by Kimberley Patton who has worked frequently with the Wongs, on shows such "The X-Files" and "Millennium".

If you would like to research the Silicates some more, try the database at the Space Ready Room (Just click on the 'AI' link in the Nav bar).