Cut the Juice: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|"''Sometimes it’s easier if you just turn off the power.''"|'''Chloe''', ''[[Smallville]]''}}

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Considering how much our society relies on computers and machinery, it makes sense that we have often considered the possible effects of [[Science Is Bad|such things being used against us]]. Thus, we have many stories where [[Instant AI, Just Add Water|a computer runs rampant]] or [[Time Bomb|a bomb is set to explode]], or [[Mad Scientist|someone]] just built your average everyday doomsday machine.

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== Films -- Live-Action ==

* ''[[Superman (film)|Superman]] 3'': Subverted. Gus Gorman, geek-for-hire, has built a supercomputer with a self defense arsenal capable of taking down even Superman. As Superman crumbles under the computer's assault, the boss triumphantly congratulates him on building the machine that Kills Superman. Gorman has an ''[[Oh Crap]]'' (despite this not being the first time in the movie it was made clear to him that this was the goal) and tries to Cut the Juice (which somehow can be performed by removing a single ordinary screw with a single pocket screwdriver from a panel. Apparently giant knife-switches or ''[[Big Red Button~~|Big Red Buttons~~]]'' weren't dramatic enough, or at least wouldn't have given the boss time to realize his henchman wasn't all the way on board with this plan and try to keep him from disabling the computer before it can finish). This works for a few seconds. Then, although supposedly without power, the supercomputer restarts and creates its own reroutes straight to the nearest power lines. Gus shouts in horror, "It's feeding itself... it wants to LIVE!" It Got Worse.

* ''[[Superman (film)|Superman]] 3'': Subverted. Gus Gorman, geek-for-hire, has built a supercomputer with a self defense arsenal capable of taking down even Superman. As Superman crumbles under the computer's assault, the boss triumphantly congratulates him on building the machine that Kills Superman. Gorman has an ''[[Oh Crap]]'' (despite this not being the first time in the movie it was made clear to him that this was the goal) and tries to Cut the Juice (which somehow can be performed by removing a single ordinary screw with a single pocket screwdriver from a panel. Apparently giant knife-switches or ''[[Big Red Button]]s'' weren't dramatic enough, or at least wouldn't have given the boss time to realize his henchman wasn't all the way on board with this plan and try to keep him from disabling the computer before it can finish). This works for a few seconds. Then, although supposedly without power, the supercomputer restarts and creates its own reroutes straight to the nearest power lines. Gus shouts in horror, "It's feeding itself... it wants to LIVE!" It Got Worse.

* The [[Transformers Film Series|live-action]] ''[[Transformers]]'' movie.

* The backstory to ''[[The Matrix]]'' trilogy. The machines were solar powered, so the humans took the logical (if horrible) step of blackening the sky. The machines retaliated by switching to a much [[Human Resources|nastier]] power source.

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== Live-Action TV ==

* The ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek the Original Series]]'' episode "The Ultimate Computer". The computer finds a way to draw power directly from the engines (that it controls) while killing the [[Red Shirt]] who tried it. In the end it took one of Kirk's patented [[Logic Bomb~~|Logic Bombs~~]] to do it.

* The ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek the Original Series]]'' episode "The Ultimate Computer". The computer finds a way to draw power directly from the engines (that it controls) while killing the [[Red Shirt]] who tried it. In the end it took one of Kirk's patented [[Logic Bomb]]s to do it.

* Most of the time you hear someone in the [[Stargate Verse]] say "Shut it down" the response is invariably either "I can't" or "I already tried to". In that universe destructive things seem to have have an uncanny ability to power themselves. The stargate is capable of drawing power from just about anything, so the justification will usually be that it's being fed constant power by whatever's causing the problem.