Still Not Quite Human

Dr. Jonas Carson Alan Thicke attends a robotics convention with his son Chip Jay Underwood and an early-model android to test whether the world is ready for living with androids. When the demonstration falters, Carson endures public ridicule and nearly compromises Chip’s secret to save face, but he chooses to protect the trust he’s built with his creation, accepting personal embarrassment rather than risk a breach of faith.

That decision sets off a darker turn: Carson is abducted by the hired goons of Dr. Frederick Berrigon Christopher Neame, and an exact look-alike android is substituted for him. Chip quickly notices the swap and, through ingenuity, reprograms the impostor, turning him into an unexpected ally. The newly minted doppelgänger is christened Bonus Alan Thicke, effectively rendering Chip’s vision of a companion-son double—an additional Jonas—into reality.

Chip then enlists Kyle Adam Philipson, a small-time pickpocket he has befriended, to aid in the perilous rescue. Bonus leads the unlikely trio to the impenetrable mansion where Dr. Carson is kept, but the estate’s security proves formidable, blocking a clean entry. Undeterred, Chip forges ahead with a plan that hinges on deception and teamwork.

Chip crosses paths with Kate Morgan Rosa Nevin, a steadfast policewoman who has been pursuing Kyle for theft and illicit watch sales. Recognizing a chance to do good, she agrees to help if she can secure Jonas’s safe return. To sharpen their odds, Kate turns to her wealthy Aunt Mildred Betsy Palmer, who agrees to assist by providing an aura of legitimacy through invented investor personas designed to gain access to Dr. Berrigon’s inner circle.

Inside the estate, their disguise gets them through initial doors, but trouble erupts when they’re discovered snooping. Kate, Kyle, and Bonus keep the guards occupied while Chip pushes forward to reach his father. A critical revelation follows: Berrigon intends to leverage Dr. Carson’s knowledge to assemble a war machine android, a chilling plan that spurs Chip into a desperate bid for retrieval and defense.

A confrontation erupts as Chip faces a functioning prototype, dodging laser fire and relying on quick reflexes and wit. He uses a projectile to smash the weapon’s laser and, with a clever gambit, sets a hydrogen canister on a cart and fans the blast toward the pursuing android. The resulting explosion crates chaos that helps Chip close the distance and overwhelm the target.

Berrigon watches the clash and realizes Chip is the genuine android—Dr. Carson’s creation inhumanly alive and capable. In a final act of defiance, Chip hurls the desperate scientist into a mud pond, turning the scales in favor of the rescuers. When the police arrive, Berrigon shouts that Chip is an android and must be arrested; the officers, however, are unconvinced and haul the scientist away, ending that threat for the moment.

Back outside, Aunt Mildred’s curiosity blossoms into a tentative romance with Bonus, adding a curious human side to the android’s story. Kate’s day-to-day concerns are reframed as she earns a promotion to petty theft—a humorous nod to the case’s odd moral bends—while she vows to steer Kyle toward a more honest path. With Jonas reunited with Chip and the two contemplating why Chip was created in the first place, they decide to return home, leaving behind a world they now believe is ready, at least in part, to live alongside androids.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:00