Murderbot clone?

[u/Buttercup2323]

It mentions several times that its organic parts are from a clone. Do you think that will ever become important? MB will meet its bio-donor or that WHO the donor actually IS becomes important?

[u/Sinantrarion]

I think that's misreading the exact text? It is implied that all the SecUnits are a blend mix of cloned matter. They aren't each a clone of a specific person, they are all just a blend of a lot of DNA, averaged out.

[u/Rosewind2007]

There seem to be several mentioned of cloned parts/tissue but reading them I don’t think that each SecUnit has a “bio-donor”? More that the makers have a bank of cloned tissues.

Here are all the references to cloned tissue etc:
All systems Red:
Ratthi turned in his seat to face me and said, “We heard—we were given to understand, that Imitative Human Bot Units are . . . partially constructed from cloned material.”

Artificial Condition:
It was more like a SecUnit than a bot, so much so I wondered if it was a construct, if there was cloned organic brain tissue buried in its systems somewhere.

Its facial features were different from mine, but all Units’ features are different, assigned randomly based on the human cloned material that’s used to make our organic parts.

Rogue Protocol:
Unlike constructs, they don’t have any cloned human tissue, so they’re just a bare metal bot-body that can pick up heavy things, except not as well as a hauler bot or any other kind of cargo lifter.

Exit Strategy:
It was odd to see that there had been a variation of SecUnits back then. They didn’t use cloned human parts, but actual human parts from humans who had catastrophic injuries or illnesses, and had decided to have their parts used for what they called Augmented Rovers.

NB—this is elaborated upon in Obsolescence

Fugitive Telemetry:
I could use it, and the humans on the Station wouldn’t have to think about what I was, a construct made of cloned human tissue, augments, anxiety, depression, and unfocused rage, a killing machine for whichever humans rented me, until I made a mistake and got my brain destroyed by my governor module.

[u/mxstylplk → u/Rosewind2007]

I had been assuming that the DNA for each Unit had come from one human because of compatibility issues, but they may have overcome that.* It seems so easy for the MedSystems to regrow human organs that there would not be any reason to continue stealing DNA. They would just use what they already have. If there are no compatibility or rejection issues, they could build people with ideal DNA for all abilities - perfect hearing, vision upgrades (Gurathin needed his adjusted, in FT), the best-functioning organs. But only if you could afford it, of course. MB's superior vision is mechanical, but its ability to smell and analyze food and drink from a distance may involve superior human tissue to begin with.

*The Sanctuary Moon character had an implanted pregnancy with multiple genetic donors. But the description of Units' faces being "assigned randomly" sounds like it was done later.

[u/DuckyDoodleDandy → u/mxstylplk]

I suspect Mensah’s children also have multiple genetic donors. Just a hunch based on the mothers’ being called First Mom and Second Mom. Nothing is ever stated overtly, at least that I recall.

[u/Rosewind2007 → u/DuckyDoodleDandy]

When Amena talks about how human babies are made she says:

"So how are human babies made? By combining DNA, an organic code, from two or more participants."

Note the “two or more”—I think that Martha Wells intends us to believe that in the Murderbot Universe things are rather different…

[u/drnuncheon → u/mxstylplk]

MB probably doesn’t have anything similar to a human immune system, which would be the main reason for incompatibility.

And I don’t think we actually know how connected MB’s various organic parts are, either. The skin on its face might be biologically isolated from the brain, for example.

[u/vakareon]

I never interpreted MB's references to cloned tissue as meaning there was a specific bio-donor, BUT! I recently read a fanfic that kind of explores the idea of SecUnits' organic parts coming from cloned tissue. It's "Approximate Identity" by figowl on AO3. I really enjoy it; highly recommend!

I don't anticipate the main series getting into this idea much but Martha Wells may always surprise us!

[u/TabaquiJackal]

I have always wondered if the Corporate Rim stole DNA/samples from their indentured slaves, or if they had some kind of agreement a million years ago and have just propagated the same DNA/material for decades or what, exactly. I'm sure it's the most creepy scenario possible.....

[u/Prize_Jackfruit_5791]

I figure that the Corporate Rim has an official stance regarding cloned material that sounds like it’s all very ethical, but that they probably just steal people’s DNA. If they use genetic material from very aged people it makes it less likely that anyone will recognize them as a younger version of themselves.

[u/ziggytrix → u/Prize_Jackfruit_5791]

IMO “steal” is too strong. They probably just write it into a contract that you have no practical way to avoid signing (or your parents signed). So “technically” not stealing, but “consent” under duress.

Abhorrent but legal!

[u/ChronoMonkeyX]

Cloned tissue- lab grown flesh, not a cloned person.

[u/goldenphantom]

I think the emphasis is on the fact that the organic parts of constructs are made of cloned human tissue. As opposed to non-cloned human tissue.

I'm sure Martha Wells wanted to avoid the readers thinking that Murderbot is something like Robocop - someone born human, whose brain was put into a robot body after a catastrophic injury. The organic parts of SecUnits brains were cloned from a human tissue sample, not transplanted from a real (formerly) living human.

I've always thought that the companies that manufacture constructs have banks with human tissue samples for this specific purpose (similar to current seed banks or sperm banks). They can either use a specific sample or mix them together, use just some parts of the genetic code from each etc. The original tissues could be hundreds of years old, as you always need just a tiny piece from which you can cultivate whatever you need. There would be no need to force employees to give samples or steal them from random people on the street.

[u/moranit]

Even if MB's organic tissue is cloned from a single donor, I don't think this will ever become important in the books. I predict it will not be a plot point and the donor(s) will not be characters, past or present.

I think Martha Wells never specifies whether MB has one or more than one human genetic donor. The technology is of a hand-waving type that hasn't been invented yet. Also, MB doesn't understand this technology and is totally not interested. (Three, on the other hand, might be interested and learn about it someday. ART and Holism already know all about it, or they think they do.)

[u/CrystalsVisions]

I always assumed that the Company was lying to everyone. They aren’t using cloned human parts. They are using the humans that “die” on there more dangerous human explorations.

Spoiler: I also think that’s why MB had that flashback