Colony Drop/Playing With
- Basic Trope: A large object from space is being used as a weapon against people on Earth or other planets.
- Played Straight: Earth or an inhabited world now has colonies on the moon(s) and the LaGrange Points. The Big Bad de-stabilizes the moon(s) and the artificially made La Grange Point colonies and sends them hurling towards an inhabited world to kill lots of innocent people.
- Exaggerated:
- The colonies are carrying/powered by some sort of Applied Phlebotinum suspiciously similar to nuclear power.
- An entire moon loses its orbit, and is set to crash into the planet.
- Justified:
- Well, destroying a large amount of a planet and its population is a great way to get the survivors' attention and get them to submit out of fear...
- The Big Bad is an Omnicidal Maniac. A Colony Drop is a pretty easy way of fufilling this.
- Inverted:
- The colonies are being sent far away from the planet's orbit, far out into outer space.
- The colonies are being launched from the planet.
- Subverted:
- The Big Bad was planning to do this, but The Hero prevents it from actually happening.
- The colony is actually a ship and only comes close to the planet before flying off.
- The Big Bad threatens to do this, but never actually does.
- The Colony is too small to do actual damage
- Double Subverted:
- But another villain comes along and has the same idea.
- The Hero only delayed it.
- Deconstructed: This is usually being done as a show of power, but if most life would be destroyed by large objects (natural or artificial) hurling towards a world, who will be left for the Big Bad to rule over?
- Reconstructed:
- The Big Bad finds other ways of showing his power and taking over the world.
- The Big Bad is an Omnicidal Maniac.
- Parodied: The colony is dropped on some eyesore of a sculpture/building/etc. or on some Acceptable Targets.
- Averted: The space colonies are not dropped onto an a world.
- Lampshaded: "Hey, what's that coming towards....AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
- Zig Zagged: The Big Bad screws with the gravity on the La Grange Points, causing their colonies to come hurling towards the planet, but then The Hero helps them get back where they belong or sends them floating away. This happens several times.
- Enforced: "We need to create drama in a Sci Fi Mecha series."
- Invoked: The Big Bad messes with the gravitational fields.
- Defied: The Big Bad doesn't want to needlessly destroy innocent civilians, and so does not do this.
- Discussed: "Why would it be a good idea to destroy most of your potential underlings if World Domination is what you desire?"
- Conversed: "Meh. Wouldn't be Gundam without it!"
- Played For Laughs: The colony falls onto the Big Bad himself, and no one else is harmed.
- Played For Drama: Almost always is.
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