My theory on why Present Androids > Future Androids...

[Low Tone G]

I think the answer is more simple than it seems to be. I can take Imperfect Cell's words to find an explanation... He said something like that Andrtoids are built using the information collected by the spy-bee(fly or whatever bug) robot not only taking Cell from fighters. So if Goku and the others had trained way harder before the appearance of the Androids than they did in the future timeline, then the spy-robot could collect more information of their skills, so Dr. Gero automatically made the present androids more stronger than his future self made those future androids. Not mention that Cell knew about Trunks coming to the main timeline, and said that the spy-robot could have taken his cells too beside Goku's, Vegeta's, Piccolo's, King Cold's and Frieza's.

[Hitiro]

I think the answer is more simple than it seems to be. I can take Imperfect Cell's words to find an explanation... He said something like that Andrtoids are built using the information collected by the spy-bee(fly or whatever bug) robot not only taking Cell from fighters. So if Goku and the others had trained way harder before the appearance of the Androids than they did in the future timeline, then the spy-robot could collect more information of their skills, so Dr. Gero automatically made the present androids more stronger than his future self made those future androids. Not mention that Cell knew about Trunks coming to the main timeline, and said that the spy-robot could have taken his cells too beside Goku's, Vegeta's, Piccolo's, King Cold's and Freeza's.

Problem with this theory is that the bot collecting the Cells from the fighters and the Bot that spied on them were two different bots. Gero states that by the time Goku had left for Namek he had all the data he needed to build the Androids. It was evident from their surprise at Goku transforming into a SSJ that they had stopped too. If they had continued then they would have information on Goku's transformation when he showed it to Trunks 3 years earlier. The only spy-robot that continued to follow them around was the one collecting Cells to create Cell.

[Doctor.]

I just assumed Gero had more time to work on 17 and 18 since he made 19.

[Low Tone G]

I think the answer is more simple than it seems to be. I can take Imperfect Cell's words to find an explanation... He said something like that Andrtoids are built using the information collected by the spy-bee(fly or whatever bug) robot not only taking Cell from fighters. So if Goku and the others had trained way harder before the appearance of the Androids than they did in the future timeline, then the spy-robot could collect more information of their skills, so Dr. Gero automatically made the present androids more stronger than his future self made those future androids. Not mention that Cell knew about Trunks coming to the main timeline, and said that the spy-robot could have taken his cells too beside Goku's, Vegeta's, Piccolo's, King Cold's and Freeza's.

Problem with this theory is that the bot collecting the Cells from the fighters and the Bot that spied on them were two different bots. Gero states that by the time Goku had left for Namek he had all the data he needed to build the Androids. It was evident from their surprise at Goku transforming into a SSJ that they had stopped too. If they had continued then they would have information on Goku's transformation when he showed it to Trunks 3 years earlier. The only spy-robot that continued to follow them around was the one collecting Cells to create Cell.

You raised a good point, but who said that the robots did not watch Goku and the others in that 3 years time skip when they trained to face the androids. Goku has mostly trained his base form to have Piccolo and Gohan as decent sparring partners. So even they were not aware of Goku (and Vegeta's) SSJ abilities, they could had had their base strengths as an information to make the androids even stronger to avoid any suprises from the Z-fighters.

[rereboy]

You raised a good point, but who said that the robots did not watch Goku and the others in that 3 years time skip when they trained to face the androids. Goku has mostly trained his base form to have Piccolo and Gohan as decent sparring partners. So even they were not aware of Goku (and Vegeta's) SSJ abilities, they could had had their base strengths as an information to make the androids even stronger to avoid any suprises from the Z-fighters.

Gero was the one who build and tweaked #17 and #18 up until the end, unlike Cell which he left exclusively to his computer to work on. Therefore, the work on the androids wasn't influenced by Goku and the others training harder because Gero had stopped following their progress ever since the Saiyan arc, unlike the computer which continued to follow them.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

My theory is, Dr. Gero changed his plans when Goku died, and instead on focusing on #19 & himself (#20), he focused more on #17 & #18, suppressed their powers even more in hopes to control them, changed their personalities to make them evil, and eventually unleashed them on the island. They killed him, and destroyed the laboratory, along with the inactive #16.

[Hitiro]

You raised a good point, but who said that the robots did not watch Goku and the others in that 3 years time skip when they trained to face the androids. Goku has mostly trained his base form to have Piccolo and Gohan as decent sparring partners. So even they were not aware of Goku (and Vegeta's) SSJ abilities, they could had had their base strengths as an information to make the androids even stronger to avoid any suprises from the Z-fighters.

Would that not make for a huge inconsistency? Why did the robots just stop observing them before the fight between Freeza and Trunks and then just start to follow them again when they were training to defeat the androids? That really makes no sense. Especially as we know there was at least one robot at the battle between Trunks and Freeza because their cells and King Cold's cells were collected. Cell stated as much.

My theory is, Dr. Gero changed his plans when Goku died, and instead on focusing on #19 & himself (#20), he focused more on #17 & #18, suppressed their powers even more in hopes to control them, changed their personalities to make them evil, and eventually unleashed them on the island. They killed him, and destroyed the laboratory, along with the inactive #16.

But then you have to question how Gero came about this info. I suppose the robots could have informed him but I don't know if the robots have the intelligence to just inform him that they think Goku is dying. But you never know, lol.

[EXBadguy]

You raised a good point, but who said that the robots did not watch Goku and the others in that 3 years time skip when they trained to face the androids. Goku has mostly trained his base form to have Piccolo and Gohan as decent sparring partners. So even they were not aware of Goku (and Vegeta's) SSJ abilities, they could had had their base strengths as an information to make the androids even stronger to avoid any suprises from the Z-fighters.

Would that not make for a huge inconsistency? Why did the robots just stop observing them before the fight between Freeza and Trunks and then just start to follow them again when they were training to defeat the androids? That really makes no sense. Especially as we know there was at least one robot at the battle between Trunks and Freeza because their cells and King Cold's cells were collected.

Probably because Gero didn't know what Super Saiyans were until Goku showed him. After all, Goku is his main enemy, not Trunks.

[Low Tone G]

You raised a good point, but who said that the robots did not watch Goku and the others in that 3 years time skip when they trained to face the androids. Goku has mostly trained his base form to have Piccolo and Gohan as decent sparring partners. So even they were not aware of Goku (and Vegeta's) SSJ abilities, they could had had their base strengths as an information to make the androids even stronger to avoid any suprises from the Z-fighters.

Would that not make for a huge inconsistency? Why did the robots just stop observing them before the fight between Freeza and Trunks and then just start to follow them again when they were training to defeat the androids? That really makes no sense. Especially as we know there was at least one robot at the battle between Trunks and Freeza because their cells and King Cold's cells were collected.

Probably because Gero didn't know about Super Saiyans until Goku showed him.

Dr. Gero should know that if his spy robot watched that battle of Trunks against Frieza and King Cold.

[EXBadguy]

Dr. Gero should know that if his spy robot watched that battle of Trunks against Freeza and King Cold.

But like I said, Goku's his main enemy, not Trunks. If Trunks was his main enemy and found out if he's a saiyan and all Saiyans transform, he would've put more time. Besides, I don't think the spy robots have hearing, so there's a possibility that Gero didn't know that Goku can transform.

[rereboy]

Dr. Gero should know that if his spy robot watched that battle of Trunks against Freeza and King Cold.

Its explicitly shown that he didn't since he wasn't at all aware of the SSJ transformation. The battle with Freeza was something that he was completely unaware, his computer picked up on it but he left his computer working completely by itself.

[EXBadguy]

Since some people mention Cell getting DNA from Frieza and Cold, I'd like to add that the Cell that caused havoc in the main timeline came from an alternate timeline. Yall know in the present timeline, the present Cell was destroyed by Trunks and Krillin in Gero's lab, so there may be a possibility that the present Cell might be a bit weaker than the "other two" Cells because since I think Gero didn't really know what Super Saiyans were, and not knowing much about Frieza and Cold's abilities. Chances are that in the "other" timeline, Trunks didn't transform at all against Frieza and Cold, had a good fight, and then boom, Gero in the "other" timeline learned more about Frieza and Cold's abilities.

Shoot, this is one of the reasons I think the Cell saga's the best saga of Z, cuz of complex theories like this.

[rereboy]

Since some people mention Cell getting DNA from Freeza and Cold, I'd like to add that the Cell that caused havoc in the main timeline came from an alternate timeline. Yall know in the present timeline, the present Cell was destroyed by Trunks and Krillin in Gero's lab, so there may be a possibility that the present Cell might be a bit weaker than the "other two" Cells because since I think Gero didn't really know what Super Saiyans were, and not knowing much about Freeza and Cold's abilities. Chances are that in the "other" timeline, Trunks didn't transform at all against Freeza and Cold, had a good fight, and then boom, Gero in the "other" timeline learned more about Freeza and Cold's abilities.

Shoot, this is one of the reasons I think the Cell saga's the best saga of Z, cuz of complex theories like this.

Gero had nothing to do with Cell's development. Cell had Freeza's cells because the Gero's computer detected the battle and dispatched a tiny robot to check it out, and that collected Freeza's cells. But Gero had left his computer entirely on his own. He wasn't aware of what kind of developments the computer had reached because we know that he hadn't seen Trunks before and we know thar he wasn't aware of the SSJ transformation.

If he was aware of exactly what the computer was doing, he would have noticed that the computer had detected the fight and he would check out what the robot had seen and collected and he would be aware of Trunks and of SSJs.

[Hitiro]

Probably because Gero didn't know what Super Saiyans were until Goku showed him. After all, Goku is his main enemy, not Trunks.

I'm not sure the point you are trying to make here. Dr. Gero didn't know about Super Saiyan's because he stopped gathering information after the battle in the Saiyan saga. I'm aware Trunks is not the main enemy here. But it doesn't make sense that this Trunks vs Freeza battle was omitted because Goku wasn't there and then the robots continued to observe Goku during his 3 years of training. The robots collected information on everyone of Goku's friends. Goku turned SSJ for Trunks and as we know there was a robot there to gather cells. So why would the other robots ignore being at this location if not for Dr. Gero just stopping his research because he had estimated how strong Goku would get?

[DBZGTKOSDH]

But then you have to question how Gero came about this info. I suppose the robots could have informed him but I don't know if the robots have the intelligence to just inform him that they think Goku is dying. But you never know, lol.

I imagine he would still keep an eye on him. I wouldn't spy him 24/7, but I imagine that he would hear the news during a 3-year period.

[EXBadguy]

Probably because Gero didn't know what Super Saiyans were until Goku showed him. After all, Goku is his main enemy, not Trunks.

I'm not sure the point you are trying to make here. Dr. Gero didn't know about Super Saiyan's because he stopped gathering information after the battle in the Saiyan saga. I'm aware Trunks is not the main enemy here. But it doesn't make sense that this Trunks vs Freeza battle was omitted because Goku wasn't there and then the robots continued to observe Goku during his 3 years of training. The robots collected information on everyone of Goku's friends. Goku turned SSJ for Trunks and as we know there was a robot there to gather cells. So why would the other robots ignore being at this location if not for Dr. Gero just stopping his research because he had estimated how strong Goku would get?

But the problem is that Trunks wasn't one of Goku's friends during the Saiyan saga. And as for the reason why Gero stopped researching is...well he's a scientist. Just like real scientists, once they found a solution, whether if it's real or what they assume, they stop and move on to other experiments. I know this is fiction, but I think that's where Toriyama was going with that. Sometimes real scientists have their limits.

And...to each of its own regarding Gero not being interested in Trunks. And you forgotten the fact that Goku went to Namek and there was nobody else to spy on.

[Hitiro]

But the problem is that Trunks wasn't one of Goku's friends during the Saiyan saga. And as for the reason why Gero stopped researching is...well he's a scientist. Just like real scientists, once they found a solution, whether if it's real or what they assume, they stop and move on to other experiments. I know this is fiction, but I think that's where Toriyama was going with that. Sometimes real scientists have their limits.

And...to each of its own regarding Gero not being interested in Trunks. And you forgotten the fact that Goku went to Namek and there was nobody else to spy on.

Well, it isn't about Trunks being one of Goku's friends at that point. Every one of Goku's friends were next to the battle anyway. So the robots should have gone over there to see what was happening. And as far as we know, one did. The one to gather the cells. My point is he stopped tailing Goku and his friends because he had done his research and projected how strong they would become. So there was no further spying after Trunks fight to make the androids stronger.

[Kamiccolo9]

Dr. Gero should know that if his spy robot watched that battle of Trunks against Freeza and King Cold.

The spy robot didn't watch the battle between Trunks, Freeza, and Cold.

When Trunks shows up after Vegeta destroys 19, Gero has no idea who he was . He says something to the effect of "Another one I didn't know about?!?!" Or something to that effect.

Point being, he knew about Freeza and Cold because the cell gathering robot thing was still digging around for traits for Cell. He was done with the spy robot after the Saiyan Arc.

[Low Tone G]

Dr. Gero should know that if his spy robot watched that battle of Trunks against Freeza and King Cold.

The spy robot didn't watch the battle between Trunks, Freeza, and Cold.

When Trunks shows up after Vegeta destroys 19, Gero has no idea who he was . He says something to the effect of "Another one I didn't know about?!?!" Or something to that effect.

Point being, he knew about Freeza and Cold because the cell gathering robot thing was still digging around for traits for Cell. He was done with the spy robot after the Saiyan Arc.

Yeah, but there were two types of robot, who collected information about fighting skills of Goku and another one which didn't collect information, just cells of warriors?

[TheZFighter]

Personally I think it is as simple as Dr. Gero just did a "better job" on the present Androids, than he did on the Future Androids. I don't think it is something that requires much in-depth discussion/ analysis. It could literally just be a result of a "Butterly effect", bought forth by Future Trunks travelling back through time.