He's the main character in the sequel though. So while he was Steve Guttenberg's comic sidekick in the first movie, I don't think we can deduce that the filmmakers thought Fisher Stevens's character was "crap".
We're just going to have to accept that we were a bit tone-deaf back then. No one blinked twice at Fisher Stevens dipped in bronzer and doing his best Ghandi impression.
The sad thing is that I do like both movies. I was at the right age for that whole quirky robot comes alive schtick to really hit. I try to rationalize it by saying that Ben isn't really a negative portrayal. The dude is smart, witty, kind, and all around a good dude.
We're just going to have to accept that we were a bit tone-deaf back then. No one blinked twice at Fisher Stevens dipped in bronzer and doing his best Ghandi impression.
Not as bad as Soul Man however.