I Cannot Self-Terminate: Difference between revisions

* ''[[2000 AD|2000 AD's]]''{{'}}s ''[[Rogue Trooper]]'' encounters a subverted version of this trope. Having thought that he was the last remaining super-soldier, he is amazed to find a much older prototype living as a hermit on the poison-choked planet Rogue roams. The old man says he is waiting to die and that he feels like nature is going to take its course very soon. When enemy troops approach, Rogue's friends - personality-chips of fallen comrades embedded in his helmet and gun—vote to leave the old man to his fate. Rogue declines—the old man wants to die with ''dignity''—and his already impressive abilities are ramped up to eleven in order to massacre the enemy patrol and give the old man something Rogue hopes to have himself one day.

* The protagonist in the 1986 horror/comedy ''House'' is troubled by memories of Vietnam, and especially his own failure to carry out a [[Mercy Kill]] when a trap-snared friend invoked this trope. Sure enough, {{spoiler|the source of the haunting is the ex-friend's ghost, out to for revenge because he'd been captured by the enemy and tortured for weeks.}}

* In ''[[Callahan's Crosstime Saloon|Callahans Crosstime Saloon]]'', Michael Finn was sent by an alien force to determine whether Earth is so dangerous that it needs to be destroyed; however, he's decided (after an evening at Callahan's) that he likes us [[Puny Earthlings]]. Should he fail to report in, they will assume we destroyed him and stay well clear of us—but it's impossible for him to ''intentionally'' fail to report, as long as he's properly functioning. When he gives his name as Michael Finn, Callahan the bartender takes the hint and [[Slipping a Mickey|slips him a "mickey"]], which renders him unconscious during the assigned reporting period. (Also of note here is that Michael himself refers to his mission as a "geas.")

* At the end of [[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Discworld]] novel ''[[Discworld/The Fifth Elephant|The Fifth Elephant]]'', Angua's (a werewolf) {{spoiler|brother (the main villain of the novel) goes batshit insane after his plans are foiled and goes on a rampage. When he is dead she makes Captain Carrot promise to kill her if she ended up in a similar state.}}

** Also, in another Discworld novel ''[[Discworld/A Hat Full of Sky|A Hat Full of Sky]]'', {{spoiler|The Hiver}} cannot die {{spoiler|because it literally does not know how. However, it does know that it wants it, and Tiffany helps it find the gate to Death and the next world.}}

** One of the creepier parts of ''[[Discworld/Guards! Guards!|Guards Guards]]'' is a brief passage from the perspective of the Master of Assassins. He reflects on how {{spoiler|[[This Is Your Brain on Evil|Wonse]]}} mouthed "Help me" to him, and that as far as he can see, there's only one kind of "help" he's qualified to give...

* The humanoid Cylons on ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined(2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' are forbidden from committing suicide by their religion (although at least two have successfully self-terminated by putting themselves in close proximity to explosives); given the overall tone of the series, it is perhaps not surprising that this has led to ''multiple'' instances of Cylons begging someone else to pull the trigger on them. This appears to be purely a psychological effect rather than something hardwired into them - Brother Cavil, the one Cylon who doesn't believe in the Cylon god, is shot by the underground resistance on New Caprica in the third season, and, upon coming back sometime later, casually mentions that he had to cut his jugular vein open with a shell casing to kill himself. And he does it again in the final episode as well, {{spoiler|shooting himself in the head after Tyrol makes resurrection impossible by killing another one of the Final Five.}} "Frak!" * bang*