In The Day the Earth Stood Still, the giant robot accompanying Klaatu is named Gort.
Gort is the powerful robot who arrives in Washington, D.C., with the extraterrestrial visitor Klaatu in the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still. He acts as Klaatu’s guard and can use a destructive energy beam emitted from his visor. The robot’s restraint is as important as his power: he is programmed to respond to threats while Klaatu attempts to warn humanity about the dangers of nuclear conflict.
Gort is controlled through the phrase “Klaatu barada nikto,” which Helen Benson uses to stop him after Klaatu is shot. The phrase became one of science fiction’s best-known quotations, although the film does not provide a detailed literal translation.
Gort is often confused with Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet because both are iconic 1950s screen robots. Gort is tall, armored, and largely silent, while Robby is a speaking mechanical servant. Michael Rennie played Klaatu, and Lock Martin portrayed Gort inside the robot suit.