Robotic Adoption

We see a few cases of robotic adoption in the BLoSC universe, which goes both ways in organics adopting robots (of which we have only technical cases, i.e. Nebula and the X brothers) and robots adopting organics.

In "NOS-4-A2", AP-99 does not find it unusual that XR claims Nebula is his father, thus implying that some organics are known to adopt robots as children. After all, organics create robots and therefore know how to care for robots. Not to mention, I'd imagine that more sentimental types would view robots they created or had created as their own, thus adopting them as children, this leading to the unfazed reaction of AP-99. Of course, in this example, it's more that XR and XL adopted Nebula as their father than Nebula adopting the two as sons, though there are hints that Nebula does care for them, even if it's not quite at a parent-child relationship yet.

The concept of robots adopting organics as children appears to be less common. As we see in "The Slayer", XR and Buzz assume that Savy is an android rather than adopted when she reveals that her parents are robots, and this adoption is implied to be an unusual case. Two reasons for this could be that 1) it's more uncommon due to robots being a minority and/or 2) robots might not be as good of caretakers for children for various possible reasons.

The following are said possible reasons to consider:

1) Whether or not a robot is property or if they own themselves

2) Whether a robot has a paying job that could support themselves as well as whatever children they might be caring for

3) Whether or not a robot can be programmed or otherwise learn how to care for an organic child appropriately

Which brings me to this idea: perhaps some robots are programmed to be caretakers for children, perhaps to lessen the amount of children ending up in orphanages. It's a question then who pays for the robotic parent(s), be it the government, the orphanages themselves, or perhaps inheritance for children orphaned by their parents' deaths, etc.

Many people in the BLoSC universe appear to treat robots as people when it's convenient... like Nebula before he grudgingly accepted his 'sons' as his. Apparently it's perfectly alright for organics to shut down a robot in their care, but at the same time they're presumed to have the moral agency to stand trial and be imprisoned (NOS-4-A2 and some others).

Maybe the rules are different per region, or based on what the robot in question does? From what little we've seen of Tradeworld, they treat sentient robots better than other places. The vending machine bot in The Slayer was taken away in an ambulance, and he was married and had an insurance policy. Savvy SL-2's parents legally adopted her. Compare the vendor's situation to Flint's (basically a slave), or even XL and XR, who both faced being shut down if Nebula didn't like what they were doing. XR himself frequently worries that his team doesn't consider him an equal.

I'd say, and this is something I've been thinking about for a while, that robots are at this point a race of their own. As it is shown that they have legal rights, can have paying jobs, etc. They are treated differently in different regions. This is just a bit of a continuation of what has already been said-

I assume that in most places they are seen as less worthy of human rights, since they aren't human, the way some aliens see humans as less worthy (the Tangeans imperticular). The way Nebula acts towards XR in Nos-4-a2, as AP-99 notices, is basically blatant racism.

On Trade World they are probably treated better because they contribute so much to society and are often the least corrupt due to their programming.

And in the case of Flint, the quadrant he came from likely had no laws protecting bots. It was, since many people seemed confused by his story, probably outside of the galactic alliance.