| Klaatu barada nikto | |
|---|---|
 Script page of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) showing the phrase | |
| Character | Klaatu (first) Helen Benson (second) |
| Actor | Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal |
| First used in | The Day the Earth Stood Still |
"Klaatu barada nikto" is a phrase that originated in the 1951 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. The humanoid alien protagonist of the film, Klaatu (Michael Rennie), instructs Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) that if any harm befalls him, she must say the phrase to the robot Gort (Lockard Martin).
The Robot Hall of Fame describes the phrase as "one of the most famous commands in science fiction"[1] and Frederick S. Clarke of Cinefantastique called it "the most famous phrase ever spoken by an extraterrestrial."[2]
- ^ "The Robot Hall of Fame: Gort". 2006 Inductees: Gort. Carnegie Mellon University. 2006. Archived from the original on April 12, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
- ^ Clarke, Frederick S. (1979). "Fantasy Films". Cinefantastique. 8 (2–4): 2. Retrieved July 11, 2018.