790 (robot)

790 is a robotic character on the science fiction series "Lexx".

790 is simply a head with three screens, two displaying eyes, the last displaying a mouth. His original semi-organic body was devoured by a Cluster Lizard, during Zev's love slave transformation. He received the brainwashing part of this transformation, and as a result fell in love with Zev - the first person he saw when it was complete.

790's lack of a body is a constant source of frustration for him, and he generally gets around on the Lexx on a little motorized cart. In the episode 791, 790 briefly gains a body: a 791 model robot able to retain a form of consciousness, even to the point of subverting any head attached to it (in the case of 790, making him a homicidal maniac). In a later episode, 790 is surgically attached to one of the Lexx's moth breeders and becomes 769 but eventually loses his body again.

In the first and second seasons, 790 is faithfully devoted to Zev/Xev and will do anything she asks him to. He composes poetry in her honor, and pines for her endlessly, something she seems amused by. "You may be just a head," she tells him once, "but you're the best head I ever had."

790 has a strong and unwavering hatred for Stanley Tweedle, and the two have constant, childish arguments. It is clear that 790 would gladly kill Stanley, and he comes close on several occasions. 790 is generally sarcastic and unhelpful to anybody except the person he is in love with, and as the series goes on he becomes increasingly erratic and cruel. Despite being just a head and therefore very vulnerable, 790 can be quite aggressive, growling like a dog when challenged. But 790 is also something of a coward, and will emit high-pitched shrieks when frightened. Basically, "everything" good about 790's personality is expended upon the one he loves, and there's nothing left for anybody else in the universe. But 790 does have his uses, including impressive computational abilities and absolute fearlessness when it comes to protecting the one he loves.

In the first episode of the 3rd season, 790 is dropped by Prince, the ruler of Fire, and breaks. His mind is reset when Kai repairs him, and he falls in love with Kai, the first person he sees. After this change, 790 is much less helpful to the crew of The Lexx and because of his jealousy towards anyone who is near Kai, becomes homicidal and develops a hatred of Xev and Stanley Tweedle.

In a serialized story contained in the North American Lexx DVDs and composed mostly of previously used footage with new narration, it is revealed that 790's brain was originally that of a woman; a waitress who worked on the Cluster. 790's voice is male, and during his time lusting after Xev he professed to be all man, but after he fell in love with Kai he declared himself a female.