Orbot


 * This article is about Dr. Eggman's assistant in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. You might be looking for Orbinaut.

"Ergo, another repercussion of your hasty actions."

- Orbot, Sonic Unleashed

Orbot (オーボット) is a fictional character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is a robot built by Dr. Eggman to wait on him hand and foot and serves as one of his assistants.

Orbot's main jobs are assisting Dr. Eggman in his schemes for world domination and making sure the processes of his plans are carried out correctly. He is paired up with his counterpart Cubot in his service of Eggman. While Orbot obeys Eggman faithfully, he does not like him very much. He is sassy and insensitive with an eye for efficiency, inadvertently pointing out Eggman's mistakes, much to his creator's dismay.

Appearance
Orbot is a very small robot in comparison of Dr. Eggman's other creations and has a very simple design. He has a very round head with glowing eyes and mouth, his torso is compromised of a ball joint with thin metal bars and his end is the half of a sphere.

In Sonic Unleashed, Orbot is shown with red-painted hands, a white head top with pink eyes and a black-painted end, however, as of Sonic Colors, Orbot displayed a new color scheme, now with his head painted red and light blue eyes.

Sonic Unleashed
In Sonic Unleashed, Orbot assisted Eggman in his plan to use the power of Dark Gaia, which scattered around the world when Eggman awoke it, to construct Eggmanland by overseeing the process, doing the mechanical processes involved and relaying information to Eggman that he needed regarding how his plan was carried out. When Eggman deployed his Egg Cauldron to take of Sonic in the Tornado-1, Orbot warned Eggman to handle it gently. Despite his warnings, the Egg Cauldron was pushed too far and Eggman had to retreat upon Orbot's suggestion.

Later on, Orbot accompanied Eggman to Mazuri to secure the local Gaia Temple by threating the villagers. There, Orbot laughed at Eggman when he was pegged in the face by a rock from Kwod before he was shut up by the doctor. When Sonic then came to the villagers rescue, Orbot came with Eggman as he escaped.

Back at Eggman's base, Orbot presented Eggman with his dinner before revealing that Eggman's project was significantly behind schedule due to Dark Gaia's dispersion, which Orbot noted was because of Eggman's hasty actions. As Eggman then complained about the Earth now coming back together after it was shattered, Orbot remarked that this was also Eggman's fault since he discarded the Chaos Emeralds from the Chaos Energy Cannon, which Sonic used to heal the planet, promoting Eggman to make flustered defences which Orbot hardly believed. As Eggman then contemplated about how to gather Dark Gaia's pieces, Orbot suggested that he collected them slowly, but was brushed aside as Eggman had the idea of attracting them with an energy pulse. As Eggman's plan proved to be successful, Orbot praised Eggman's self-aggrandizement, only to be slapped for it, but quickly commenced Project Dark Gaia upon Eggman's clearance.

Later on, Orbot was in Eggman's Egg Mobile with Eggman as the doctor was defeated by Sonic in the Egg Dragoon and then knocked into the horizon by Dark Gaia when it revealed itself, reassembled. Landing in a rocky region as Sonic and Chip defeated Dark Gaia and thwarted Eggman's plans, Orbot suggested to Eggman that he could begin anew as he listed all the ways the doctor's plans had failed miserably once more, making Eggman snap and try to kick him. Orbot, however, dodged the kick and laughed at Eggman before running off with the doctor chasing after him in fury.

Sonic Colors
In Sonic Colors, Orbot, along with Cubot, assisted Dr. Eggman in his scheme to control the world by capturing the alien Wisps from their planets in Dr. Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park so their innate Hyper-go-on could be harvested to power Eggman's Mind Control Ray. The day before the amusement opened, Orbot was out trying to capture Yacker and a Cyan Wisp with Cubot, though he paid little interest, until Sonic saved the Wisps.

Later on, Orbot and Cubot presented the Wisps they had managed to capture to Eggman, only to be send out to capture more Wisps. No sooner, Orbot noted to Eggman that Sonic had arrived. As he tried to explain one of Sonic's remarks to Cubot, Orbot was left to deal with Sonic by Eggman as the Rotatatron was unleashed, but Orbot tried to follow the doctor. After Sonic destroyed the Rotatatron, Orbot and Cubot were send to clean up the robot's remains. Though they were unable to find Rotatatron's arm, Orbot was not concerned, not aware it had been jammed into Eggman's mind control cannon.

Back at Eggman's headquarters, Orbot was ordered to give Cubot a new voice chip to get rid of his cowboy-accent. While Orbot successfully installed Cubot's voice chip, he realized it was the wrong one when Cubot showed a pirate-accent. While Orbot found Cubot's new voice more exotic, he quickly hurried out on Eggman's orders to fix it.

When the mind control cannon was filled with enough Hyper-go-on to enslave the Earth, Orbot was with Eggman and Cubot as the doctor activated the Mind Control Ray, only to see it explode due to the Rotatatron's arm being stuck in it. As Orbot then slapped Cubot's back in appreciation for being more "attentive" when Cubot remarked how Sonic always stopped Eggman, he gave Cubot his old voice back, much to his own joy. Orbot then saw Eggman take off to salvage his victory by killing Sonic, much to his own dismay. After Eggman and his Nega-Wisp Armor was destroyed by Sonic, Orbot was pulled with Eggman and Cubot into a black hole created by the mind control cannon, which was soon after quelled by the Wisp race.

With Eggman's plan foiled and them stranded in outer space, Orbot and Cubot began helping Eggman get back to civilization by pushing him in his trashed Egg Mobile through space. While Eggman was sour about his defeat, Orbot noted on the bright side that Cubot had gotten his normal voice back.

Sonic Generations
Some time before the events of Sonic Generations, a short while after the destruction of Dr. Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, Orbot was still pushing Eggman in his damaged Egg Mobile through outer space alongside Cubot when they encountered the primordial form of the Time Eater. After examining the Time Eater, Eggman discovered the creation's unique ability to erase time and space, and decided to exploit it to erase his past defeats at the hands of Sonic. Orbot and Cubot then pushed Eggman in his Egg Mobile into the Time Eater, disappearing with it to prepare it for his plans. It is unknown what happened to Orbot afterward.

Sonic Lost World
In Sonic Lost World, Orbot and Cubot were working for Dr. Eggman in his newest scheme to conquer the world with the help of the Deadly Six, whom Eggman had forced into serving him with the Cacophonic Conch. After kidnapping a capsule full of animals for Badniks, Orbot was flying through the sky with Eggman and Cubot in the Egg Mobile where they were pursued by Sonic and Tails in the Tornado, until Eggman shot the Tornado down with a laser gun.

Making it back to Eggman's factory on the Lost Hex, Orbot worked with Cubot on making Badniks. Later on, when Eggman tested his Extractor, Orbot operated the controls on the device. When the Extractor proved to be unstable, however, Orbot was ordered to shut the device down before it could destroy the Earth.

Later in Desert Ruins, Orbot and Cubot were with Eggman as he punished the Deadly Six with the Cacophonic Conch when Sonic arrived and knocked the conch away. The Deadly Six then rebelled against Eggman by taking control of Eggman's Badniks and attacking everyone present. During the assault, Orbot caught Cubot's detached, albeit still functional, head, before escaping with Sonic, Tails and Eggman.

Escaping to Tropical Coast, Orbot followed Eggman while carrying Cubot's head as the doctor departed from Sonic and Tails. When they learned that the Deadly Six had gotten hold of the Extractor and were using it to destroy the Earth, however, Orbot, Eggman and Cubot came back and teamed up with Sonic and Tails to stop the Deadly Six before they could destroy the world.

During the alliance, as the group traveled across the Lost Hex, Orbot served as the carrier for Cubot's head. When Tails later got captured by the Deadly Six, Orbot asked Sonic if he could become his sidekick, finding him a better alternative than Eggman. Later, Orbot was forced to have Cubot's head attached to his body by Eggman, much to his dismay.

When they arrived at Lava Mountain, the group was attacked by Zazz and Zomom, who destroyed the bridge they stood on and causing Orbot and Cubot to fall into a lava pit. However, they were saved by Eggman, who faked his death in front of Sonic by falling into the same lava pit and then flying to safety with a jetpack, with Orbot and Cubot hitching a ride on him. After Eggman then shut down the Extractor and charged his mech, Orbot and Cubot appeared alongside Eggman in his mech before Sonic and Tails following the defeat of the Deadly Six, with Eggman then engaging Sonic in battle, but was defeated.

After that, Orbot and Cubot saw Eggman fall down from the Lost Hex due to Sonic sabotaging his jetpack before heading down there to find him. They eventually found Eggman in a hole that Orbot dug him out off, but he kept Cubot from telling Eggman that half of his mustache was gone. As Orbot managed to convince Cubot to wait telling Eggman about his mustache until he separated them, Eggman overheard them, making Orbot and Cubot flee.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
In Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Orbot make several appearances in the game's different events, along with Cubot. In London Party mode, Orbot is one of the helping characters, where sometimes, when placing a sticker on a question mark spot, both Orbot and Cubot will appear and copy an existing sticker on that page, placing it in a random spot that is not a question mark. Additionally, Orbot and Cubot have their own bonus game, "Orbot And Cubot Tag", where they will try to trap the players in metal cages.

Additionally, when speaking to Metal Sonic in London, Orbot and Cubot will appear above his head and talk to the player instead.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Orbot appear alongside Cubot as one of the hosts for the Action and Answer Tour.

Personality
Orbot is sassy, straightforward and insensitive. Originally, he was logical and mechanical in behavior and speech, but over time, his personality became more refined and life-like, showing a wider spectrum of emotions and more independence.

Orbot has an eye for efficiency, taking close notice of any flaws and unfitting statements and will criticize others when he sees fit, though he does not mean to insult others, but just to give constructive criticism. Regardless, he still occasionally likes to insult Eggman by making sarcastic remarks towards him. Over time, he has become less sarcastic and more formal in his approaches.

When apporoaching others with his opinions, Orbot can be rather tactless, such as criticizing Eggman outright and as a matter-of-factly and asking Sonic if he could become his sidekick despite Sonic being depressed over the loss of Tails. He is also somewhat lazy, showing limited interest in his assignments and often slacking off on the job.

While Orbot obeys Dr. Eggman faithfully, he really does not like the doctor very much, as he is bothered by Eggman's attitude and agrees with both Sonic and Tails that he is a "total bonehead". He will also openly laugh at Eggman's misfortune. Additionally, when Tails was kidnapped by the Deadly Six, Orbot asked Sonic if he could become his sidekick, as he found Sonic a better alternative than working for Eggman. Regardless of his dislike of Eggman and criticism of him, Orbot is very much afraid of his wrath and will try to not overstep his boundaries.

Powers and Abilities
Orbot has the ability to retract his body into a travel-sized sphere. While in this state, he is fully capable of movements.

Orbot is able to levitate himself and can move freely through mid-air. However, he is not able to levitate any higher than a few meters off ground and requires a solid surface below him to levitate, meaning he cannot fly across large spaces and will fall down if the footing below him is removed.

Archie Comics
Orbot appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series and its spin-offs. In this media, Orbot is one of Dr. Eggman's emergency lackeys and personal attendants, along with Cubot. When Snively betrayed Eggman and tried to seize control of the Eggman Empire, Orbot and Cubot were activated to help Eggman capture Snively. After the mission was completed, Orbot and Cubot were permanently instated as Eggman's foremost assistants.

Sonic Boom
In a behind-the-scenes video released on 25 February 2014, it is revealed that Orbot will be a part of the upcoming TV series, Sonic Boom and the video game of the same name.

Trivia

 * Orbot was not given an official name until Sonic Colors, as he was not addressed by name in Sonic Unleashed. He was given the name "Ergo" by fans on account of his propensity to use the word frequently while dissecting Eggman's plans. However, in the script for Sonic Unleashed, he was named SA-55, which was revealed by Archie Comics writer Ian Flynn on the BumbleKing forums.
 * Orbot's script name in Sonic Unleashed, SA-55, is leet speak for "sass", which refers to his overall sassy behavior.
 * In Sonic Unleashed, according to an interview with Mike Pollock, he is voiced by Chris Collet who also voices some humans in the cutscenes and also acted as voice director for the game.
 * Orbot's name is a portmanteau of the words "orb" and "robot".
 * It is also an anagram for "robot".
 * In Vectorman, a Sega Genesis/Mega Drive game included in Sonic Gems Collection, the titular protagonist was a type of robot also referred to as an Orbot.
 * Cubot and Orbot share a similar role to that of several Sonic-related television shows, where Eggman has two rather incompetent henchmen in their own right (such as Scratch and Grounder in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sleet and Dingo in Sonic Underground and Decoe and Bocoe in Sonic X).
 * Orbot is usually doing his "trademark pose" by lying down with his hand on his head.
 * In one cutscene of Sonic Lost World, Orbot is seen holding Cubot's head and saying "Alas, poor Cubot, I knew him well.", a clear reference to the famous "Alas, poor Yorick" speech from William Shakespeare's Hamlet.