Instant Forensics: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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{{trope}}
{{trope}}
In real life forensics labs have a backlog and several tests take time to actually process. In fiction land, though, DNA tests, fingerprint analysis, and other forensic tests take, at most, the time it takes to get the evidence to "the lab". These results often require a [[Magical Database]] to get their match. In works set in the future, this may be [[Justified Trope|justified]] through a gadget, possibly an [[Everything Sensor]] and/or [[Super Identikit]], that performs the tests without the need for a human to.
{{trope workshop}}
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In the real world, this has resulted in juries being more resistant to non-forensic evidence ''and'' easily swayed by "evidence" of questionable scientific validity. This phenomenon is known as [[The CSI Effect]].
In real life forensics labs have a backlog and several tests take time to actually process. In fiction land, though, DNA tests, fingerprint analysis, and other forensic tests take, at most, the time it takes to get the evidence to "the lab". As an [[Omnipresent Tropes|Omnipresent Trope]] only exceptions and non-straight examples will be listed.

As an [[Omnipresent Tropes|Omnipresent Trope]] only exceptions and non-straight examples will be listed.


{{examples|Exceptions}}
{{examples|Exceptions}}
== Advertising ==


== Anime and Manga ==


== Comic Books ==
== Comic Books ==
* Justified when Barry Allen, a forensic scientist, is ''[[The Flash]]''.
* Justified when Barry Allen, a forensic scientist, is ''[[The Flash]]''.


== Fan Works ==


== Film ==


== Literature ==




== Live-Action Television ==
== Live-Action Television ==
* Averted, though generally still unrealistically quick, in ''[[Law and Order]]'' where investigations take place over a longer period of time. The detectives will continue working their case until they are told latter the results of whatever test are in. The franchise does play it alarmingly straight when evidence to be tested is introduced midstory.
* Averted, though generally still unrealistically quick, in ''[[Law and Order]]'' where investigations take place over a longer period of time. The detectives will continue working their case until they are told latter the results of whatever test are in. The franchise does play it alarmingly straight when evidence to be tested is introduced midstory.
* Played with in ''[[Murdoch Mysteries]]'', where the detective will often have to ''invent'' the forensic science needed to solve the crime. Often [[Historical Domain Character]]s of the early 1900s will help Murdoch to invent the appropriate devices, like Nikola Tesla. In one early episode, Murdoch has a beautiful steampunk [[Lie Detector]] -- which the writers soon realized that they could never bring back as it would be a total [[Game Breaker]].
* [[Playing with a Trope|Played with]] in ''[[Murdoch Mysteries]]'', where the detective will often have to ''invent'' the forensic science needed to solve the crime. Often [[Historical Domain Character]]s of the early 1900s will help Murdoch to invent the appropriate devices, like Nikola Tesla. In one early episode, Murdoch has a beautiful steampunk [[Lie Detector]] -- which the writers soon realized that they could never bring back as it would be a total [[Game Breaker]].
* Similarly played with in ''[[Hec Ramsey]]'', where the forensics tech is ''so'' primitive it can only return immediate results, because it can't do anything sophisticated that would take a long time. Here, it takes longer to ''collect'' the evidence than it does to analyze it.

== Music ==


== Myths and Legends ==


== Newspaper Comics ==


== Oral Tradition ==


== Pinball ==


== Podcasts ==


== Professional Wrestling ==


== Puppet Shows ==


== Radio ==


== Tabletop Games ==


== Theater ==


== Video Games ==


== Western Animation ==


== Web Animation ==


== Web Comics ==


== Web Video ==


== Other Media ==


== Real Life ==



{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Omnipresent Tropes]]
[[Category:Omnipresent Tropes]]
[[Category:Pages Original to All The Tropes]]
[[Category:Pages Original to All The Tropes]]
[[Category:Forensic Phlebotinum]]
[[Category:Television Is Trying to Kill Us]]

Latest revision as of 01:54, 2 July 2022

In real life forensics labs have a backlog and several tests take time to actually process. In fiction land, though, DNA tests, fingerprint analysis, and other forensic tests take, at most, the time it takes to get the evidence to "the lab". These results often require a Magical Database to get their match. In works set in the future, this may be justified through a gadget, possibly an Everything Sensor and/or Super Identikit, that performs the tests without the need for a human to.

In the real world, this has resulted in juries being more resistant to non-forensic evidence and easily swayed by "evidence" of questionable scientific validity. This phenomenon is known as The CSI Effect.

As an Omnipresent Trope only exceptions and non-straight examples will be listed.

Exceptions

Comic Books

  • Justified when Barry Allen, a forensic scientist, is The Flash.


Live-Action Television

  • Averted, though generally still unrealistically quick, in Law and Order where investigations take place over a longer period of time. The detectives will continue working their case until they are told latter the results of whatever test are in. The franchise does play it alarmingly straight when evidence to be tested is introduced midstory.
  • Played with in Murdoch Mysteries, where the detective will often have to invent the forensic science needed to solve the crime. Often Historical Domain Characters of the early 1900s will help Murdoch to invent the appropriate devices, like Nikola Tesla. In one early episode, Murdoch has a beautiful steampunk Lie Detector -- which the writers soon realized that they could never bring back as it would be a total Game Breaker.
  • Similarly played with in Hec Ramsey, where the forensics tech is so primitive it can only return immediate results, because it can't do anything sophisticated that would take a long time. Here, it takes longer to collect the evidence than it does to analyze it.