M.I.L.T. an acronym which stands for Modular Integrated Laser Transformer...is a sentient Artificial Intelligence, created as security system by Mork and Mearth as part of Mearth's science project for his class on Ork. And one which goes beyond the boundaries of its original programming to help the McConnell family, to assert it knows how best they should live, in Mork, Mindy, and Mearth Meet M.I.L.T. M.I.L.T. was voiced by veteran actor and teacher, John Houseman.
About[]
When Mindy helps Mearth build a dinosaur diorama for Mearth's science project, without realizing that dinosaurs on Ork have evolved and are running the clothing district, Mork undertakes to help Mearth build a new project. A computer.
By the time Mindy gets home from work, laden down with dry cleaning, work files and trying to juggle everything with her keys, it's MILT that opens the door for her, and introduces 'himself', Mearth and Mork emerging to tell her more about it Mork says beyond being a notary public, MILT is also a 24 hr security system and a promising amateur photographer. It is also able to scan Mindy to see she is low in potassium and accordingly adjusts the menu to compensate for it. He also has Mearth dancing to his tune, able to get him to behave in ways his parents cant.
His abilities continue to expand over the following days, until the night of the Broadcast Awards Ceremony that Mindy is nominated in, when as Mindy and Mork prep themselves for the awards banquet, MILT reveals himself to have infiltrated their bedroom without their knowledge, where he pontificates to her about her make up. Outside, he is forcing Mearth through more homework, and then refuses to let Mork and Mindy take him with them to drop him off at her Dad's so they can watch the awards ceremony, stating Mearth needs to study more. When they ignore him and move to go, M.I.L.T. shuts up the doors, windows and attic stairs all at once. M.I.L.T. tells them that they created him to tend to their needs but they continue to ignore his directives. Mearth should continue his homework, she should take off half her eyeshadow...and as for Mork, even he he has no idea where to begin.
When Mork defiantly heads to the door he promptly gets 20,000 volts shot through him when he touches the handle. Mork tries to appeal to to MILT on Mindy's behalf as its her big night, and Mindy tells him her father is expecting them, to babysit Mearth, but he tells her he's taken care of that, and places a phone call to Fred, impersonating her voice, telling him they're taking Mearth to the ceremony with them. Mindy demands he let them go now, but MILT tells them that this is now their world, they're not going anywhere. He informs them that they can, he can phone for the groceries, pay the bills through the bank computer and every Saturday they'll have a sock hop. . Mindy tries the phone, but MILT is controlling it, so Mearth & Mork decide its time to team up and try to use their powers on MILT, only to see it deflect them at a wall painting, taking down it and half a dozen other wall hangings and plants around the apartment.
Mindy tries to appeal to MILTs better nature, only for MILT to take the wind completely out of her sails by telling by telling her he can tell from her heart rate she's lying, and then tells her he's checked the Award results and she lost by a landslide. As Mork tries to console her, MILT cruelly adds he was surprised she was even nominated. When an angry Mindy pulls her family into the bathroom to try and concoct a plan, MILT tries to listen in but is thwarted by the running of the shower. All the same he is ready for the family's plan of attack using Mearth's magic as a misdirection, and Mork's unplugging him fails as MILT has already switched his power source to nuclear power and come summer will switch to solar.
Just as it looks as though the family are trapped, in trying to perk up his disconsolate wife and son, Mork encourages Mearth to tell a joke, which has an unexpected effect on MILT, the A.I. starting to laugh, but sparking badly as a result. And Mork remembers he never programmed the computer for humor. He and Mearth (with Mindy doing her best) start to bombard the computer with gag after gag, overloading the A.I.'s system, until finally it causes a cascade and MILT shuts down in a shower of sparks, the doors, the windows and the attic all reopening.
Behind the Scenes[]
M.I.L.T. was voiced by Academy Award winning actor, theatrical impresario and top drama teacher, John Houseman, who had taken Robin Williams into his scholarship class in Julliard in the early 1970s, acting as mentor to both himself and fellow scholarship student Christopher Reeve. Houseman encouraged the young Williams to leave early, on the grounds that Julliard had nothing left to teach him.