Artistic License Military: Difference between revisions

 

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== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* The official subtitled version of ''[[Strike Witches]]'' calls Mio a Major (an Army/Air Force rank) in the subtitles. It's the right grade, but as a naval officer she should technically be a Lieutenant Commander. They also call Shirley a Lieutenant in episode 5, but since she's an officer in her country's Army, she should technically be a Captain. The actual dialogue averts this, since the characters use the all-forces rank structure of the Imperial Japanese forces (''shousa'' and ''taii'' referring to grades as opposed to the actual ranks).

== [[Literature]] ==

* Tom Clancy botched the job completely in ''[[Clear and Present Danger]]'' with a conversation between an officer and a "Seaman First" in the United States Coast Guard. That rank does not exist in the Coast Guard. The correct term for that particular Coastie would have been "Fireman" (E3). Previously out of basic he would have been a "Fireman Apprentice" (E2). He was an engineer. This contrasts with deck force ranks, "Seaman Apprentice" and "Seaman" (E2 and E3 respectively).

 

== [[Live-Action TV]] ==

* ''[[Doctor Who]]'':

** We'll start with ''New!Who''{{'}}s "saluting while not wearing hats" (you can actually bow when wishing to show respect to a superior officer within most Commonwealth countries). Yes, it means that the Doctor can do his "no don't salute" bit, but would it cost them too much to borrow the hats?

* Mostly averted in ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'', although there were some uniform oddities that popped up now and then, most notably an airman in the pilot wearing the insignia for both a Staff Sergeant and a Major. It was officially endorsed by the US Air Force, and had military advisers on board to avoid most flagrant mistakes.

* ''[[Stargate Universe]]'':

*** There is also that the writers often confuse "having the conn/being Command Duty Officer" with "commanding the ship". As it stands, so long as Captain Picard is medically able to fulfill his duties and has not been relieved of his post by Starfleet Command, he remains Commanding Officer of the ''Enterprise'' regardless of where he is or what he is doing, even if he isn't even on the ship. However, since he obviously cannot live on the bridge 24/7 (if nothing else, the man does need to sleep sometime), other officers are given the duty of standing bridge watch ("Command Duty Officer") as needed in rotation, and they act in Picard's stead and with his authority whenever he is not present or in communication. This can result in the situation of Ensign Newguy, absolute last in seniority out of any officer on board, still acting 'in command' of the Enterprise if he's the guy awake and on bridge watch while everybody else is asleep during the graveyard shift. Obviously his "command" will only last as long as it takes for someone senior to him to wake up and get to the bridge, and only so far as his orders are not contradicted by someone senior who is aware of the situation and in a position to act on it — but until after that happens both the absolute authority of a ship's commanding officer under way and all the responsibility that entails is stuck to Ensign Newguy, because he's the guy who has the conn right that minute. So, yes, Crusher, or Troi, or anyone else who has the basic qualifications to act as a bridge officer at all, can potentially be stuck with the 'command' hat at any given time — on an acting basis, and as needed, and if Picard concurs.

* ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'' is a serious offender. Buster seems to be in and out of boot camp whenever it's plot convenient, and the uniforms (when not grossly inaccurate) were out of date by about seven years. Probably just an example of [[Rule of Funny]], though.

* In ''[[The Wire]]'', the second half of the fifth season has some plot points that revolve around whether or not a reporter is making up details in his stories. As part of his stories, he interviews a former Marine who served in Iraq. When the reporter first meets the Marine, the Marine talks about an "M niner niner eight," which (he explains) is a Humvee. He also calls a .50 caliber machine gun an ''M-50'' (which is actually an M-2). Later, the Marine's credibility is called into question. Even a fellow Marine is questioned on the subject. In the second interview, the Marine correctly identifies the machine gun as a .50 caliber machine gun, but the audience is supposed to be left with the notion that the former Marine is a credible source of information, despite a few mistakes in his story.

* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'': The Initiative can't seem to figure out whether it's a special ops arm of a civilian agency or a unit in the military, and if so, it's not sure which agency or which branch. In one episode Riley refers to his colleagues as soldiers, in the next they are marines. Others use the terms interchangeably to refer to Riley. They answer to a civilian at first, but then are taken over by a general. Insignia seems to have been chosen by grabbing stuff at random and pinning it on wherever it would fit. Though strangely, they avert [[Mildly Military]] by being very well disciplined with a clear chain of command.

** The White House received weather forecasts from a Coast Guard 1st Lieutenant. The Coast Guard equivalent to this Army/Air Force/Marine Corps rank is Lieutenant (Junior Grade).

** The Army Chief of Staff is portrayed as a three-star general. The job is always held by someone with a least four-star rank.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

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