In addition to the now-famous voice command, "Klaatu barada nikto," which stops the robot Gort from destroying Earth, the futuristic space ship in The Day the Earth Stood Still does not require physical touch to operate. Although the outcome of these commands is less than spectacular (lights turn on and off; a circular projector is activated), the idea of controlling machines without touching them must have seemed like a clear signifier of ultra-advanced technology and intelligence in the early 1950s.