Everyone Knows Morse: Difference between revisions

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** Also, [[Fridge Brilliance|they're probably not very experienced with sending Morse by radio]].

* ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'': While Frenzy has Maggie, Glenn, Secretary Keller, and Agent Simmons pinned in the archives, Glenn modifies an ancient PC to send a Morse code tone through the shortwave radio set so Keller can authorize an air strike against the Decepticons in Mission City.

* This trope is key in ''[[Eagle Eye]]''; in order to get his message out, the [[Sacrificial Lamb]] flashed his cell phone light while walking in circles around an elevator shaft. Somehow, the all-seeing [[AI Is a Crapshoot|evil]] [[Master Computer|supercomputer]] onto which the message was recorded (and from which the other protagonists retrieved the message) was not able to catch the Morse-coded message despite the fact that the character was not apparently doing anything else while walking in circles around the elevator shaft.

* This trope is key in ''[[Eagle Eye]]''; in order to get his message out, the [[Sacrificial Lamb]] flashed his cell phone light while walking in circles around an elevator shaft. Somehow, the all-seeing [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|evil]] [[Master Computer|supercomputer]] onto which the message was recorded (and from which the other protagonists retrieved the message) was not able to catch the Morse-coded message despite the fact that the character was not apparently doing anything else while walking in circles around the elevator shaft.

** This also a trope ''aversion'' -- the supercomputer has no reason to know Morse Code (all of its radio communication will be done by either voice or computer networking protocols), which is exactly why the character in question can use it under the computer's nose.

* In the [[Stephen King]] movie (that is, written AND directed by King) ''[[Maximum Overdrive]]'', the machines have suddenly gained intelligence and started slaughtering humanity in wildly ridiculous fashions (eg. a vending machine pitching soda can fastballs, push mover killing its pusher, and so on). Anyway, at one point the vehicles are running low on fuel, so they have the mounted gun among them honk its horn in Morse, which the boy scout among the survivors in a diner translates into a "fuel us and we don't kill you" message. A perfect display of the trope: spoken language speed translation, post sending translation, and so on.

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* In ''Phenomenon'', Forrest Whitaker's character is a HAM operator, so he should know Morse code for that reason, but John Travolta's character not only knows Morse code (for no reason) and can decipher a very fast message that Whitaker picks up on his HAM radio.

** To be fair, Travolta's character has a {{spoiler|brain tumour}} which rewires his brain, allowing him to learn things easily. He could have picked up Morse code off camera.

* Babyface, one of Sid's toys in ''[[Toy Story]]'', taps out "RR Come out" in morse code on a metal table leg in Sid's room to call the mutant toys out.

* Babyface, one of Sid's toys in ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'', taps out "RR Come out" in morse code on a metal table leg in Sid's room to call the mutant toys out.

* Parodied (and then played straight by Simpkins) in ''[[Carry On]] Spying'';

{{quote|'''Bind:''' It's Morse code!

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** According to The Corellian Trilogy, the series where this first became a plot point, Leia is considerably better at it than Han.

* The tribute/compilation book "Nancy Drew's Guide to Life" points out that you never know when a skill will come in handy- using, as an example, Nancy's once combining her knowledge of Morse code and tap-dancing to signal for help.

* Appears in Dalton Trumbo's novel [[Johnny Got His Gun]]. The main character is blind, deaf, mute, and a quadruple amputee after being hit by an artillery shell in [[World War ~~One~~]]. The climax of the novel is when he learns to communicate with the outside world by tapping his head in Morse code. Slightly averted in that the nurse who sees it doesn't know what he's saying until she finds an officer to translate, and him knowing Morse code makes sense given he's in the army.

* Appears in Dalton Trumbo's novel [[Johnny Got His Gun]]. The main character is blind, deaf, mute, and a quadruple amputee after being hit by an artillery shell in [[World War I]]. The climax of the novel is when he learns to communicate with the outside world by tapping his head in Morse code. Slightly averted in that the nurse who sees it doesn't know what he's saying until she finds an officer to translate, and him knowing Morse code makes sense given he's in the army.

* In ''[[Matthew Reilly|Area 7]]'', Fox got tied up, and was able to call for help on her wrist mike by tapping out her callsign in Morse code.

* In ''[[Shades of Grey]]'', everyone ''does'' know Morse code; it's used to communicate at night via East Carmine's central plumbing system. {{spoiler|The librarian}} transmits (illegal) book readings.

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** Arguably Justified though, since most of the episode is [[All Just a Dream|an hallucination]] caused by being in the transporter for longer than usual. It wouldn't matter if Archer really knows morse code or not, as long as Hoshi does.

* An episode of ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'', introduced trailers for a "The Semaphore Version of Wuthering Heights", but went on to have fun with other film parodies of well-known literature. All of which are done with (random) signal dialogue, subtitles, and melodrama (no talking).

* An episode of ''[[Mission Impossible]]'' called "The Town" employed this when Jim Phelps was paralyzed and could only communicate to his friends via blinking.

* An episode of ''[[Mission: Impossible]]'' called "The Town" employed this when Jim Phelps was paralyzed and could only communicate to his friends via blinking.

* In ''[[Inspector Morse]]'' (what else?), composer Barrington Pheloung based the theme on the Morse code for "Morse." He claims that in many episodes he works the name of whomever done it into the musical score via Morse code (and sometimes the name of another character as a red herring).

* In an episode of ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', an SOS in Morse code draws Voyager to a planet occupied by the descendants of abducted humans.

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* Justified in ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'', Lt. Col. Shepard taps out SOS in subspace so that Atlantis could recognize his distress call, but the wraith, being not even from the same galaxy as Earth, wouldn't have a clue.

** A similar situation happens in ''[[Stargate SG-1|SG-1]]'', when Sam reprograms a Tok'ra beacon to broadcast an SOS, knowing that their only hope of rescue, Daniel and Jacob/Selmak, are also the only two people who would be able to interpret the signal.

*** Curiously absent in another episode. O'Neil is stuck invisible and intangible and can only interact with the others by typing on an alien keyboard that got him into this mess. Despite being a fairly senior Air Force officer (and able to see everything normally) the idea of communicating through Morse never comes up. Instead he's stuck answering yes or no questions by pressing one key for yes and one key for no.

** And again in ''[[Stargate Universe]]''. Eli realizes he could send a message to Destiny with a damaged gate's subspace transponder, but so far he's only figured out how to turn it off and on. Cue [[Eureka Moment]] from Lt. Scott.

*** Although, since he's a hardcore geek and an inveterate gamer, Eli should have thought of it himself.