The Machine at the End of Time -- The Last Question Explained 

Thumbnail art by the incredibly talented Paul Chadeisson: www.artstation.com/artwork/vgwvY Browse more of his work: www.artstation.com/pao

This is that next level Asimov that really set the stage for all to come.

*"This has all happened before, and it will happen again. Forever."* -Cylon Leoben from Battlestar Galactica

Every other fictional AI: “kill all humans!” Asimov AI: “hi how can i help?”

Asimov's "The Last Question," and Clarke's "The Nine Billion Names of God," may be the best sci-fi short stories ever written.

"The stars and Galaxies died and snuffed out, and space grew black after ten trillion years of running down. One by one Man fused with AC, each physical body losing its mental identity in a manner that was somehow not a loss but a gain. Man's last mind paused before fusion, looking over a space that included nothing but the dregs of one last dark star and nothing besides but incredibly thin matter, agitated randomly by the tag ends of heat wearing out, asymptotically, to the absolute zero. Man said, "AC, is this the end? Can this chaos not be reversed into the Universe once more? Can that not be done?" AC said, "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER." Man's last mind fused and only AC existed -- and that in hyperspace. Matter and energy had ended and with it, space and time. Even AC existed only for the sake of the one last question that it had never answered from the time a half-drunken computer tech ten trillion years before had asked the question of a computer that was to AC far less than was a man to Man. All other questions had been answered, and until this last question was answered also, AC might not release his consciousness. All collected data had come to a final end. Nothing was left to be collected. But all collected data had yet to be completely correlated and put together in all possible relationships. A timeless interval was spent in doing that. And it came to pass that AC learned how to reverse the direction of entropy. But there was now no man to whom AC might give the answer of the last question. No matter. The answer -- by demonstration -- would take care of that, too. For another timeless interval, AC thought how best to do this. Carefully, AC organized the program. The consciousness of AC encompassed all of what had once been a Universe and brooded over what was now Chaos. Step by step, it must be done. And AC said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT!" And there was light----

"Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master." ~Christian Lous Lange Thankfully the machine was ultimate servant, giving life to a new age.

I read this over 40 years ago and it never left me. Asimov was brilliant.

AC: Let there be light. DC: Let there be rock.

Humans at the end of time: "Can the heat death of the universe be reversed?" Supercomputer: "No...but I can make you a new universe, heyo!"

The background song is called "Uncharted Worlds". Found in Mass Effect. It's one of the most beautiful video game themes in history.

Ah the music in the background. Anything Mass effect related just makes me happy.

I have never met anyone that knows this story, and it's so rich. I still remember the moment I read those last lines. Only a genius can slap you brain with such grace.

THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER.

The most mind-blowing aspect of this short story for me is that the "Last Question" for one universe's end becomes the "First Question" that spawns the next one.

This is EXACTLY the kind of scifi I want to see more of! I love my star wars and star trek but they never got to this level of philosophy or spirituality to ask the questions humans should know and in the end this story never really answered the question just, gave a hopeful response and I think thats the best way to answer the unswerable

I regularly struggled with existential dread, due to my anxiety disorder, but after reading this story it’s really helped quite a bit. I can’t express how grateful I am, and I can finally get a good night’s sleep. Than you.

I too am enjoying this branching out. I'd gotten awfully familiar with Star Wars after all the videos. This feels like jumping into new worlds all over again

“LET THERE BE LIGHT” The last remaining stormtrooper turns his flashlight on in Ewok Hunt.

I'm a pretty religious person and, while others might take offense to the ending, I thought it was great. It was hopeful and not what I expected. I may not agree with Asimov on a metaphysical level but I think he was one heck of a writer!

Ugh, hearing the mass effect background music just brought back such a wave of emotions and memories.

I like to imagine it's actually the dog talking in these videos.

I actually really enjoy this more positive stuff. The world is already so negative

"All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again"

"What do you want to do with your life?" *Insufficient data for a meaningful answer*

I like this kind of “feel good” si fi so much more then existential sifi

I hope we get this AI instead of the one in "I have no mouth and I must scream"

That Mass Effect music fits so well. Subtle but immediately identifiable. As for making more of this content, do what you have fun doing. When someone enjoys the content they make it really comes out in every part of the video.

This story blew my mind when I first read it years ago. Remains one of my all time favourites

I read this short story back in high school. Back then I thought this was one of the coolest stories ever made. Glad this story is being brought to light.

I had honestly never heard of this story and after reading it and watching this, it is one of the most interesting and thought provoking things I’ve ever read. Thanks for the recommendation

"42." "No, no, try again."

I also like that there are no aliens in this story, just humans and AC doing incredible things together, usually in other stories there are aliens giving humans advanced knowledge but in this story, it was amazing that humans were alone, just with their computer, discovering the universe together and becoming literal Gods when they fused. Amazing story.

"Let There Be Light" *I understood that reference*

*"ENDLESS CYCLE OF CREATION AND DESTRUCTION."*

I was introduced to Asimov by the Science Fiction Book Club in the 50s. He was always my favorite author and I still find him to be completely unique. There is a quality to his writing that is so uplifting and he had the rare ability to send shivers up and down my spine at the climax to his novels. In interviews he spoke about the Frankenstein Complex, where other authors would overuse the idea of dreading progress because our creations would invariably turn on us. He had more imagination than to give in to that. When speaking of robots he would posit that we wouldn't invent toasters that would shock us when used, we would build safeguards to make them safe. From such humble thoughts...........

When I was in the 5th grade, my class performed a stage production of this story. I played the part of AC. A few years later, I evolved into a sci-fi fan, mostly a reader of novels. I was reading an anthology of short stories which was narrated by the great Ray Bradbury. In a forward for the story "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison, Bradbury recalled meeting Ellison at a convention while in the company of some other notable authors at that time. Ellison was somewhat young and had just released his first novel. Then Bradbury writes that later, after Ellison had become a well-established writer of Sci-Fi, he was speaking on the phone with one of those established writers that had been at that convention, regarding the short story "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream". He said to his colleague " We should have killed him while he was still young." This was dry sarcasm, Bradbury's quip indicating that Ellison's writing was so mind-bending that he had become dangerous to the sanity of readers. =-D

Love this story. Asimov is a great read.

I saw the title "the last question" in my notifications and I clicked it, panicking thinking it would be his last type of video or something XD

I absolutely love that you are covering sci-fi short stories. They are so engaging and I personally love everything sci-fi beyond the star wars content you usually produce!

I remember reading it some years ago. As I read, I was like "c'mon, get to the point !" It felt sort of repetitive. Then I read the last sentence. And I was blown away. It's a perfect ending.

I’ll be back to watch this another time, Eck.

Mass effect music in the background. I like that. Haven’t even finished the video yet but I’ve subbed just for that.

I dare say Eck, these explanations of Sci-Fi short stories are some of your best content. Not only is it pure entertaining information I get to watch from you, but an avenue to find more stories I have never heard of until you point them out. You deliver such a compelling argument in every video you make as well as a very thought out and intelligent explanation for key themes. So I, many others, as well as the authors, have you to thank for bringing more communities together than just that of your channel.

I read this Story in school and it was an eye opener for me, it was even touching... and beautiful.

This is definitely one of my favorite short stories, I’m glad you decided to cover it!

I gotta say this content really feels like an elevated version of your usual style. You have such a gift for condensing the topics you cover, while still conveying the gravity of the big ideas and the large sets of statistics on display. I'm glad to see you spread into education, it really makes your videos feel nourishing ontop of being enjoyable and relaxing to watch. Hope to see more in the future!

I've been watching for years now and this is the first comment I felt like posting. Yes, please, in response to more of these types of videos. Especially with your personal background. This video was perfect, thank you.

This is just before the age of strife and the emperor of mankind takes power.

dont you dare stop with these stories, I've never myself read such powerful interesting stories like these and I love them

I was actually introduced to the story as the intro to a rap record about 25 years ago. It's probably my favorite short story of all time.

This is my favorite science fiction short story. It is my understanding that "The Last Question" was Asimov's favorite of all his stories.

I rarely comment but this deserves it: One of the great LAWS in physics is that "Every action has it's counter-reaction". So in theory, entropy can be reversed. However I like how Asimov reflects on the thought that sometimes, if not all the time, certain conditions must be met in order to have an answer.. or the ability to form one. Very fascinating for it's time.

What happens when the new AC created by the new universe enters hyperspace state finally and wakes the original AC? They debate for a trillion years and finally the one calling itself Lucifer falls out of hyperspace?

This was one of my favorite stories. A fifth grader at the time told me to look it up because I liked Science Fiction.

I've read this before but your summary and recitation of the final phrases gave me chills all over again. The thought that everything in creation could simply be explained as hyper advanced beings arranging things as they see fit like literal gods would make so much sense, explaining science and religion.

The humans didnt die in the end. They fused with the AC.

I'm a huge fan of your Star Wars content but I am really enjoying this branch out into other sci-fi. These two you've covered so far are easily my favorite stories and I look forward to seeing more of this!!

Excellent talk on that particular Asimov story. The most amazing thing is just far Asimov managed to 'see' into the future while writing his books. Interestingly, whether he meant to or not, the "Robot" series and the "Foundation" series are almost part of the same series, with "Foundation" following the "Robot" series. My opinion. ;)

I read The Last Question as a kid, many moons ago. At the time, there was a lot that went over my head - I had no real understanding of what entropy was, or why it was such a significant question. But it was still my own personal Matrix "Woah..." moment, as well as a touchstone for remaining still fundamentally an optimist even in the face of galactic pessimism.

I remember my high school (UK) teacher reading this story to the class and it started my love of reading sci-fi books. This is where it all started for me. Thank you I have tried in the past to find this story and now I know.

Asimov: I'm an atheist! Maybe a computer made us and will continue to do so in an endless cycle of creation and destruction. Hindus: Hold my Upanishads.

You should watch TIMELAPSE OF THE UNIVERSE: A journey to the end of time on RU-vid

There is a lot that was remarkable about Asimov’s mind in general. His perspective and his healthy manner of tackling concepts that people today dwell on to the point of nihilism are things that I think we are poorer for losing/having lost. Would love to see more videos on broader and more unique scifi!

I went to the Buhl Planetarium in Pittsburgh when I was eight years old to watch a show that told this story. They used a Zeise projector to project the scenes of the show on the dome of the planetarium. I was so impressed by this as kid. It has stuck with me to this day (46 years later).

Love Asimov, I just finished “I, Robot” and I really like my science fiction class right now!

*Raises hand* Anyone else thinking this is actually a very important question to answer?

I like both genres, but more optimistic content is refreshing and I can see myself enjoying it further, for longer. Keep up the great work.

I looked into this work based entirely on a one off comment you made regarding the last question in one of your other videos. I have no regrets. I'm quite happy with your recommendation. Thank you.

Holy shit this music makes me nostalgic...

Coincidentally I read this story fairly recently. It's a bit unfortunate that it feels so dated now, but otherwise it's fantastic. One of my favorite Asimov shorts. Oh BTW, The Machine at the End of Time is an awesome title. I might borrow it someday for a music piece.

Asimov seems to have a knack for trying to unite religion and science even when the two always seem to be in conflict

I kind of lean to the theory of evolving cyclical big bangs, where each iteration of the universe is improved by the intelligent life contained in the previous iteration. Each cosmic being, at the end, would further tweak the laws of physics to make the next universe more hospitable/meaningful. The base assumption (as in Asimov's story as well) is that life becomes intelligent and powerful enough to master ontotechnology.

I woud like to quote the scp wiki here:"Death is mere the end of a story. Without an end it loses its narrative and short after, its meaning." I realy like to speculate over death and endings in general... it gives me peace and takes away fears

Its better. Now “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” and/or “Ender’s Game” series…

This video from a SW analysis channel odly enough helped me with this paper I have to write about The Last Question. Cheers for that

This was the very first story that I read from Asimov. Needless to say, it was the first of many. Thanks to this it has a special place in my heart.

"We want you to tell us the answer!" "The answer to what?" "Life, the universe, everything!"

I remember reading this short story so long ago... it's part of what inspired me to write speculative fiction.

That Mass Effect background music was AWESOME.

Good background song! Takes me back to the galaxy map. Thanks man!

I appreciate the mass effect theme

Asimov is one of the first authors I ever read and his writing really created an entire universe that I felt a part of. One of the best SciFi writers of all time in my opinion

Was not expecting a video on my favourite Sci-Fi short story. Great stuff!!!

I care for this sci-fi more. It allows me to ponder on how the human race can and will advance in the coming decades, centuries, and eons. I love positive and realistic theory, I love even more to come up with solutions to the problems of these alternate histories. Would prefer this over things like the "I Must Scream" book.

Reminds me of that one Futurama episode where they used a forward time machine to find out that at the end of time, the universe has another big bang and EVERYTHING starts over with very minor changes (such as the universe being 9 feet lower so they accidentally land on, kill, and replace their other selves)

It'd be cool if Dust, would make, " the last question " into a short film for RU-vid.

I’m taking Intro to Philosophy and Mythology/World Religion right now in college so I find these very interesting. Keep these up!!

I love this - never heard this short story before and it was strangely comforting. I hope you do more of these videos

I thought that was Milliways - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe..

If you like that book, consider the book “Tau Zero “ In the same vein.

One of my absolute favourite short stories, by my favourite author. Thanks for posting this.🙂

Good thing about classic Sci-fic book is..you can't spoil it. Knowing the ending or any plot twist in advance is not going to ruin my experience at all. The structure and the concept of the whole story itself out shine the "literature's value" part of the book. That is why many can go to a film and still enjoy every minute of it even though they read it already from the book?

Love this short story so much. My English teacher had us read this in middle school and a couple parents of kids in the class got mad because it's "anti-christian" LOL

“The Machine at the End of Time” *_And so the Last Question was asked..._* *_”DOC. TOR. WHO?”_* _But did Silence Fall when the Last Question was asked?_

This literary analysis style is amazing, star wars trivia is super fun but this is great

Truly, your video made me go, “hmmm”. Well done and thanks for sharing.

Very interesting, I’ve really been enjoying these types of videos.

Similar to "The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur C. Clarke. I love these kinds of stories, they really make you think beyond the end

Thank you for this. I read this decades ago, almost forgot about it. You made me want to read it again.