Mission Control: Difference between revisions

[[File:meilingsnake.jpg|link=Metal Gear|frame|Snake can always count on Mei Ling to [[Stealth Pun|save]] his hide again and again.]]

 

 

A character or group of characters who, rather than accompany the hero into the field, [[Fighting for Survival|offers assistance]] with [[Doing Research|information]] and technology from the other end of a phone. Alternatively, a sapient computer that travels with him, but is incapable of rendering assistance physically.

 

{{examples}}

* Since they can link up via their cyberbrains, various characters in ''[[Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]'' serve this role at times, especially [[Techno Wizard]] Ishikawa and, even more so, Chief Aramaki (who got to display his calmness under fire when he was caught off duty).

* ''[[Mazinger Z]]'': [[The Hero|Kouji Kabuto]] [[Battle Couple|and]] [[Tsundere|Sayaka Yumi]] were assisted by Prof. Yumi (Sayaka's father, who was the [[Older and Wiser]] [[The Mentor]], [[The Professor]] and [[The Lab Rat]]) and [[Home Base|Photonic Research Insitute's]] [[Bridge Bunnies]], who gave them assistance during missions via communicators.

** The same role was filled by Prof. Kabuto in ''[[Great Mazinger]]'' and Prof. Umon in ''[[UFO Robo Grendizer]]''.

* Ryou in ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'' sometimes serves this role.

* Hiroshi Ozora in ''[[Moldiver]]''.

* The Long Arch crew in the third season of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''. We also have the [[Quirky Miniboss Squad|Numbers Cyborg]] Uno, who takes this role on the villain's side.

* Lelouch from [[Code Geass]] often performs this role, guiding his forces on what to do and when to attack.

 

* Aleph from ''[[Global Frequency]]''. She was born to be the ultimate Mission Control; she's a "superprocessor"—someone who can "handle any number of separate input processes while performing multiple complex tasks and running deductive strings." A "Baddies Invade Base" moment happened in the original comic.

* In [[The DCU]], Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, helps out many of the superheroes in Gotham City and around the world as Oracle, since she was crippled by the Joker in ''[[Batman]]: The Killing Joke''. However, she most often serves as actual Mission Control for the Black Canary, Huntress, and even Catwoman in the ''[[Birds of Prey]]'' comic.

* Microchip is this for [[The Punisher]]

* Weasel sometimes acts as this for [[Deadpool]].

 

== Films ==

* Lucius Fox in ''[[The Dark Knight]]''. Also the [[Gadgeteer Genius]].

* A good deal of ''[[Apollo 13]]'' took place in NASA's Houston mission control, and, as in the real event, the operators there were just as much heroes as the astronauts were.

** And a more chilling version, [[Eldritch Abomination|Soundwave]] is this to the Decepticons by [[Paranoia Fuel|attaching himself to a Pentagon satellite]].

 

== Literature ==

* Salem from ''[[What Is This Black Magic You Call Science]]?'', who also qualifies under [[Mad Scientist]], [[Deadpan Snarker]], [[The Voice]] {{{spoiler| though his mugshot is revealed in Case 5}}] and [[Dr. Jerk]].

* A rather confusing example from the ''[[Star Wars]]'' [[Star Wars Expanded Universe|Expanded Universe]]: the [[Timothy Zahn]] [[Hand of Thrawn]] duology features some pirates whose Mission Control is referred to on the radio simply as "Control"... which one would assume is a callsign, but it later turns out that his ''[[Meaningful Name|actual name]]'' is Control.

* [[Domina]] gives us MC, also the [[Voice with an Internet Connection]].

 

* Charlie of [[Charlie's Angels]]; he never even makes an appearance until the movie adaptation (and even then his face isn't shown on screen).

* Ocassionally Director Jenny Shephard for Tony during the 'Le Grenouille' arc of ''[[NCIS]]''. Gibbs sometimes does this with his team as well.

* Starfleet Command never really had much of presence in ''[[Star Trek]]'' since the various series focus on the whole idea of a group of people cut off from ready assistance. This changes in ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'' where human deep space travel is just starting, so there are many calls back home; we also get Admiral Forrest as the first Starfleet Command recurring character.

** Also seen in ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' but as a subversion. Project Pathfinder actually does very little to get ''Voyager'' home.

* Most seasons of ''[[Power Rangers]]'' have their mentor and a techie who can summon the zords.

* Barbara Gordon/Oracle on ''[[Birds of Prey (TV series)|Birds of Prey]]'', as well as the original comics mentioned below.

* It is strongly implied that Robert Lansing's character (named Control, natch) on ''[[The Equalizer]]'' once filled this role while McCall was at [[Government Agency of Fiction|The Agency]], and still occasionally has an odd job for him.

* Jess from ''[[Primeval]]''. While everyone else is out there fighting dinosaurs, she's back at the ARC monitoring the anomaly, tracking the creatures, locking and unlocking doors, and saving everyone's butts.

 

== Video Games ==

** Albatross, [[The Spook]].

** Steven Heck, a [[Crazy Awesome]] [[Cloudcuckoolander]].

 

== Web Animation ==

* In ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'', Vic, who is with mission control, turns out to be mission control ''for both sides''.

 

== Web Comics ==

* In a way, this is the role of any server player in ''[[Homestuck]]'', but they can also manipulate the client player's environment to some extent.

** Feferi {{spoiler|after her death}} and Aradia {{spoiler|in dream bubbles}} work as better examples.

 

== Web Original ==

* Arra and Bren in ''[[Splinter Cell Extinction]]''. Bren can handle herself pretty well in combat, taking out a whole SWAT team that tried to ambush her in Episode 6.

* Loophole's artificial intelligence Carmen in the [[Whateley Universe]].

 

== Western Animation ==

* In ''[[Clue Club]]'', Dotty is relegated to the club's mission control on account of being the youngest since she's 13, but at least she makes the most of it since she's a whiz with the base's electronics and forensic equipment.

* Commissioner Stress in the ''Pith Possum'' segments of ''[[The Schnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show]]''.

 

== Real Life ==

* The [[Trope Namer]] is, of course, [[NASA]]'s [[wikipedia:MCC-H|Mission Control Center]] located at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. During the early days of the manned space program, it became evident that even comparatively primitive early spacecraft were too complex for a single astronaut to operate alone. NASA's solution was the then-revolutionary idea of controlling the majority of the spacecraft's systems from the ground. This concept has only grown more prominent as the emphasis of manned space exploration has shifted more towards scientific research (for example, the vast majority of the day-to-day operation of the systems on the International Space Station is conducted from the ground, leaving the crew members with more time to conduct science experiments). Similar mission control centers are prominent features of most space agencies with a manned space program, including the Russian, European, and Japanese space agencies.

* Emergency service operators are trained to advise callers over the phone, keeping them calm if possible, and directing them to avoid hazards, apply first aid, etc.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characters As Device]]

[[Category:Home Base]]