Commander Contrarian: Difference between revisions

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{{quote| ''[[The Captain|Captain]]! [[With Due Respect]], you can't seriously be considering this, can you?! [[What the Hell Hero|What kind of hero]] would do that? It's crazy! Cruel! Stupid! Suicidal! ... you want an alternative? What do I look like, your [[Number One]]? [[Oh Wait|Oh, wait...]]''}}

{{quote| ''[[The Captain|Captain]]! [[With Due Respect]], you can't seriously be considering this, can you?! [[What the Hell, Hero?|What kind of hero]] would do that? It's crazy! Cruel! Stupid! Suicidal! ... you want an alternative? What do I look like, your [[Number One]]? [[Oh Wait|Oh, wait...]]''}}

{{quote|''Your proposition may be good,<br />

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I'm against it!''|'''[[Marx Brothers|Groucho Marx]],''' ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7cry-4pyy8 Horsefeathers]''}}

[[Commander Contrarian]] doesn't just carry the [[Conflict Ball]], he holds the world hackey-sack record for keeping it aloft. His main purpose in the plot is to naysay and find flaws in the hero's plans so the other can fight physical and social obstacles. They might be legitimate concerns, but are usually spurious. This can be either because Commander Contrarian is [[Alpha Bitch]], [[Green Eyed Monster|jealous]] [[Divided We Fall|of the hero's position]] (like a good aligned [[The Starscream|Starscream]]), a [[Grumpy Bear]], or just a plain ol' [[Jerkass]].

[[Commander Contrarian]] doesn't just carry the [[Conflict Ball]], he holds the world hackey-sack record for keeping it aloft. His main purpose in the plot is to naysay and find flaws in the hero's plans so the other can fight physical and social obstacles. They might be legitimate concerns, but are usually spurious. This can be either because Commander Contrarian is [[Alpha Bitch]], [[Green-Eyed Monster|jealous]] [[Divided We Fall|of the hero's position]] (like a good aligned [[The Starscream|Starscream]]), a [[Grumpy Bear]], or just a plain ol' [[Jerkass]].

His objections can be born of [[Dying Like Animals|stupidity]], [[Death By Pragmatism|pragmatism]], or [[Strawman Political|politics]], but will almost always be just plain wrong. Even if they aren't, he'll only rarely propose a viable alternate plan of action, and it's almost unheard of for the hero to use it and have it work. If he's persuasive, he'll get the group to [[Never Split the Party|split up and go separate ways]]. Odds are high his group will be monster chow.

When especially cliché, [[Foil|he will oppose anything a hero proposes]]. He'll wail and moan over [[Shoot the Dog|leaving the refugees]] or [[Pet the Dog|saving the refugees]]. He'll [[Redshirt Army|be adamant]] about a [[Suicidal Overconfidence|suicidal charge]] ''or'' be [[Apathetic Citizens|entirely against]] any military action. [[Foil|As a character type]], he's practically [[~~Schrodingers~~ Gun|Schrodinger's Gun Lobbyist]]; no matter ''what'' the hero advocates, he's against it. Likewise, his [[Token Evil Teammate|morality]] and [[Genre Savvy]] will always be 180 degrees opposite the leader.

When especially cliché, [[Foil|he will oppose anything a hero proposes]]. He'll wail and moan over [[Shoot the Dog|leaving the refugees]] or [[Pet the Dog|saving the refugees]]. He'll [[Redshirt Army|be adamant]] about a [[Suicidal Overconfidence|suicidal charge]] ''or'' be [[Apathetic Citizens|entirely against]] any military action. [[Foil|As a character type]], he's practically [[Schrodinger's Gun|Schrodinger's Gun Lobbyist]]; no matter ''what'' the hero advocates, he's against it. Likewise, his [[Token Evil Teammate|morality]] and [[Genre Savvy]] will always be 180 degrees opposite the leader.

Usually the complainer in [[The Complainer Is Always Wrong]]. This can result in a [[Doomed Contrarian]]. Sometimes, however, he's doing this on ''purpose.'' This is called a "[[Devils Advocate|Devil's Advocate]];" the basic idea is that, even though he may actually agree with the plan himself, he wants to make sure out of principle that the leader doesn't do anything he can't clearly defend against criticism, and might have missed something.

See also [[Rebellious Rebel]]. [[Hilarity Ensues]] when [[Commander Contrarian]]'s companion is [[Like a Weasel]]. Contrast with [[Yes Man]]. Compare [[Sarcastic Devotee]]. If someone with the literal rank of Commander is actually ''competent'', that's [[Commanding Coolness]].

== Anime & Manga ==

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== Film ==

* Decker in ''[[Star Trek ~~the~~ Motion Picture (Film)|Star Trek the Motion Picture]]'' existed simply to be contrary to Captain Kirk. Sort of. But the script (specifically McCoy and Kirk's dialogue) suggests that it's rather an [[Inverted Trope]] - Kirk is acting contrary to Decker just to reassert control whereas Decker actually shows he has his head screwed on straight by saving the ship on more than one occasion.

* Decker in ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Film)|Star Trek the Motion Picture]]'' existed simply to be contrary to Captain Kirk. Sort of. But the script (specifically McCoy and Kirk's dialogue) suggests that it's rather an [[Inverted Trope]] - Kirk is acting contrary to Decker just to reassert control whereas Decker actually shows he has his head screwed on straight by saving the ship on more than one occasion.

** In point of fact, ''all'' of the first officers of the ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]'' series usually act like this, especially with regard to the [[Alien Non-Interference Clause|Prime Directive]]. Picard, at least, believes that that is the job of the first officer: to contradict and question the captain when necessary — which (as he notes in "Encounter At Farpoint") is why he picked Riker (who had such an incident on his record). Star Fleet captains are supposed to pick an executive officer that should have a different personality (although one he can get along with). This because Star Fleet captains have a fairly loose leash, and as such there should always be a second opinion on if the choices they make are the right ones.

*** There's also the whole "Doomsday machine" angle. The "crazy" Commodore Decker in that Original series episode (basically Ahab [[In Space]]), this one's dad.

* Utterly, utterly subverted in ''[[Night of the Living Dead]]'' - the local exemplar of this trope sticks to his guns, and is portrayed as an archetypal contrarian. In the end, however, he is convinced to follow the protagonist's plan - and ends up making a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] when the plan turns out to be tragically flawed. The real kicker then comes when the protagonist, by following Contrarian's original plan, ends up the only survivor {{spoiler|until he's shot by Sergeant Zombie-Hunter at the end.}}

** [[Self Demonstrating Article|Uh, what]]? Which version of [[Night of the Living Dead]] are you talking about? In the original, Harry's plan does eventually turn out to be Ben's salvation, but he makes no heroic sacrifice- in fact, his cowardice almost gets Ben killed when he {{spoiler|locks Ben out with the zombies, only relenting and letting him in at the last second}}. In fact, his death comes {{spoiler|when he tries to steal the gun from Ben and gets himself shot for it.}} Not to mention that Ben's plan would have worked if they hadn't been so careless with the torch.

** [[Self-Demonstrating Article|Uh, what]]? Which version of [[Night of the Living Dead]] are you talking about? In the original, Harry's plan does eventually turn out to be Ben's salvation, but he makes no heroic sacrifice- in fact, his cowardice almost gets Ben killed when he {{spoiler|locks Ben out with the zombies, only relenting and letting him in at the last second}}. In fact, his death comes {{spoiler|when he tries to steal the gun from Ben and gets himself shot for it.}} Not to mention that Ben's plan would have worked if they hadn't been so careless with the torch.

* Vader actually has [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Daine_Jir the good kind] in ''[[A New Hope]]''. Daine Jir apparently often called Vader's judgment into question while on missions, but at the same time he was thought to be a model Imperial officer, as he could follow orders explicitly when he saw the sense in them, and he usually accepted Vader's explanation after asking him about his planned course of action.

* Zig-zagged with Grouchy in ''[[The Smurfs (Film)|The Smurfs]]''.

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** Cassie as well; she tends to test the morality of a given plan, where he looks at the practicality.

* ''[[The Mist]]'' had a jerky lawyer as neighbor to the protagonist. After some humanizing exposition at the beginning, he sticks to his skepticism and leads a group of like minded people into the [[Ominous Fog]]. They all die.

* Elinor of ''[[In the Keep of Time]]''. When in the past, all she ever wants is to come back to the present, no matter how much Andrew enjoys the exciting adventures, Ian likes playing with the other kids, or the fact they might be leaving Ollie behind. Similarly, when they go to the future, as soon as they figure out they're not in the past and won't be finding the "real" Ollie, Elinor again wants to head home. But as soon as Andrew appeals to her sense of charity via the old blind Vianah needing their help, she changes her mind and agrees to stay. Then, when they go to Kelso and discover they are in a future [[After the End]], Andrew is frightened and immediately wants to go home...only to have Elinor think the place is beautiful and peaceful and want to stay. It'd be annoying, if the irony and slight bit of [[Laser Guided Karma]] to Andrew weren't so delicious.

* Elinor of ''[[In the Keep of Time]]''. When in the past, all she ever wants is to come back to the present, no matter how much Andrew enjoys the exciting adventures, Ian likes playing with the other kids, or the fact they might be leaving Ollie behind. Similarly, when they go to the future, as soon as they figure out they're not in the past and won't be finding the "real" Ollie, Elinor again wants to head home. But as soon as Andrew appeals to her sense of charity via the old blind Vianah needing their help, she changes her mind and agrees to stay. Then, when they go to Kelso and discover they are in a future [[After the End]], Andrew is frightened and immediately wants to go home...only to have Elinor think the place is beautiful and peaceful and want to stay. It'd be annoying, if the irony and slight bit of [[Laser-Guided Karma]] to Andrew weren't so delicious.

* In ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' Lord {{spoiler|Snow}} finds that his council is full of these. He reflects that his father had told him it's better to have men who aren't [[Yes Man|afraid to argue with you]], but their constant, predictable objections and lack of alternative suggestions makes them no more useful than if they were.

* To some extent, the [[Bureau Of Sabotage]] in [[Frank Herbert]]'s [[Con Sentiency]] stories, as it is their mission to interfere with the rest of the government to keep it from becoming too irresistable.