Neglectful Precursors: Difference between revisions

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[[Precursors]]; kindly ancient civilization or [[Parental Abandonment|deadbeat parents?]] You decide, on today's episode of '''''Judge Troper's Court!'''''

'''The plaintiff:''' The [[Adventurer Archaeologist]] claims that the Neglectful Precursor has left this galaxy and not provided a proper means of child support. He further alleges that the abundance of [[Sealed Evil in A Can|sealed evils]] [[Evil Is Not a Toy|with flimsy seals and easily found keys]], the leaving of outstanding debts with ancient enemies bent on collecting from humanity, and the presence of [[Zombie Apocalypse|civilization-shattering plagues]] are clear signs of neglect. The plaintiff demands that the ancients stop [[Pointless Doomsday Device|leaving dangerous weapons]] [[Lost Superweapon|lying about]] for villains to acquire, or else make access to them [[Empathic Weapon|morality-sensitive]], so only heroes can use them to pay off previous debts.

'''The plaintiff:''' The [[Adventurer Archaeologist]] claims that the Neglectful Precursor has left this galaxy and not provided a proper means of child support. He further alleges that the abundance of [[Sealed Evil in a Can|sealed evils]] [[Evil Is Not a Toy|with flimsy seals and easily found keys]], the leaving of outstanding debts with ancient enemies bent on collecting from humanity, and the presence of [[Zombie Apocalypse|civilization-shattering plagues]] are clear signs of neglect. The plaintiff demands that the ancients stop [[Pointless Doomsday Device|leaving dangerous weapons]] [[Lost Superweapon|lying about]] for villains to acquire, or else make access to them [[Empathic Weapon|morality-sensitive]], so only heroes can use them to pay off previous debts.

'''The defendant:''' Claims that since they've become [[Energy Beings]] thousands of years ago, they have [[Ubermensch|evolved]] [[Above Good and Evil|past]] [[Blue and Orange Morality|conventional morality]] but are nonetheless caring for humanity or ''[[Humanity On Trial|"testing it"]]'', evidenced by their "wise" decisions to [[You Are Not Ready|hold back]] [[Lost Technology]] until we're ready to use it, and scatter [[MacGuffin|the keys]] to important technology so it can be used again. They defend their "long distance parenting" as character building, making sure the [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil|threats humanity faces]] are in line with its skill, and that there's always ''one more'' [[Lost Superweapon]] around for each. They assure the court they [[Omniscient Morality License|"always knew we would win."]] And finally, the defendant argues that there needs to be a cutoff point where their actions, inaction, and remaining artifacts stop being the excuse for everything bad that happens in the universe-- that they did the best they could under circumstances beyond our comprehension-- and where the younger races start realizing that they are [[Humans Are Bastards|responsible for their own mistakes.]]

'''The defendant:''' Claims that since they've become [[Energy Beings]] thousands of years ago, they have [[Ubermensch|evolved]] [[Above Good and Evil|past]] [[Blue and Orange Morality|conventional morality]] but are nonetheless caring for humanity or ''[[Humanity on Trial|"testing it"]]'', evidenced by their "wise" decisions to [[You Are Not Ready|hold back]] [[Lost Technology]] until we're ready to use it, and scatter [[MacGuffin|the keys]] to important technology so it can be used again. They defend their "long distance parenting" as character building, making sure the [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil|threats humanity faces]] are in line with its skill, and that there's always ''one more'' [[Lost Superweapon]] around for each. They assure the court they [[Omniscient Morality License|"always knew we would win."]] And finally, the defendant argues that there needs to be a cutoff point where their actions, inaction, and remaining artifacts stop being the excuse for everything bad that happens in the universe-- that they did the best they could under circumstances beyond our comprehension-- and where the younger races start realizing that they are [[Humans Are Bastards|responsible for their own mistakes.]]

'''The Verdict? ''You'' decide!'''

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== Anime and Manga ==

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' (the first anime) is example when humans become Neglectful Precursors of much stronger beings than they are themselves. Because of bad initial appearance they dump their creations, which made them hate humanity or seek a very cruel ways to become humans, made worse when the [[Big Bad]] helps them survive and gain power by feeding them [[Powered By a Forsaken Child|Philosopher's Stones]].

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' (the first anime) is example when humans become Neglectful Precursors of much stronger beings than they are themselves. Because of bad initial appearance they dump their creations, which made them hate humanity or seek a very cruel ways to become humans, made worse when the [[Big Bad]] helps them survive and gain power by feeding them [[Powered by a Forsaken Child|Philosopher's Stones]].

* The Prosecution would like to present evidence in the case against the much-vaunted Protoculture from ''[[Super Dimension Fortress Macross]]'' for being irresponsible forebears:

## Created the [[Person of Mass Destruction|Zentradi race]] solely for the reason of waging war, to the point the Zentradi [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|don't know how to do anything else]].

## They involved themselves in [[Escalating War|Escalating Wars]] that led to the development of [[Weapon of Mass Destruction|Weapons Of Mass Destruction]] capable of wiping out entire solar systems.

## Their [[Person of Mass Destruction|creations]] were possessed by beings from [[Another Dimension]] that nearly annihilated the Protoculture itself. Instead of destroying them, they merely [[Sealed Evil in A Can|imprisoned them]] and left them there for further generations to deal with.

## Their [[Person of Mass Destruction|creations]] were possessed by beings from [[Another Dimension]] that nearly annihilated the Protoculture itself. Instead of destroying them, they merely [[Sealed Evil in a Can|imprisoned them]] and left them there for further generations to deal with.

## They seeded Earth with life, but left behind an overseer in case things got too nasty just so it could put [[Humanity On Trial]] and trigger the [[The End of the World As We Know It|destruction of life on Earth]] if it found mankind lacking.

## They seeded Earth with life, but left behind an overseer in case things got too nasty just so it could put [[Humanity on Trial]] and trigger the [[The End of the World as We Know It|destruction of life on Earth]] if it found mankind lacking.

## They left behind [[Imported Alien Phlebotinum|pockets of ancient technology in various worlds]], which invariably is turned into weapons (if it's not a weapon itself) by either the Zentradi or humanity.

* Your honor, I bring before the court the case of Al-Hazard from ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''. The defendant is charged with the creation of no less than ''twenty-one'' 'Jewel Seed' Lost Logia with a combined output capable of fracturing reality, with an ease of use even a ''child'' could use. They also stand accused of the creation of several blatantly destructive 'Tomes', 'Dividers', and a fully armed interdimensional warship complete with an army of drone weaponry.

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** Objection! GQ, upon asked by the main characters about Drizripool's madness, first provides some technobabble meant to prove how his psyche has deviated from what amounts to sanity between Merk, then quips that he himself is uncertain for how long he may hold his mental health, risking to succumb to the same brand of insanity is currently afflicting Drizripool. Thus it can be safely inferred that Drizripool used to be sane, and since (by GQ admission) he was also the most powerful Fusionkaster and champion of justice of their race, he was left behind to provide the Nexus with the best and finest of the whole Merk. Eventually, his insanity just took the best out of him, forcing the Merk to settle for the less powerful but trustier GQ.

*** Also, as a secondary proof, later in the story appears a new couple of a Merk and his human agent: Kimbo and Plexus, tasked with mercy and rehabilitation. While Nexus interacts meaningful with Plexus, GQ and Kimbo refuse to aknowledge their mutual existence, with each of them claiming that the other is "An insane superego left behind from our race". Thus, Merk psychology is still an inexplorated field, and we don't know if a single Merk can simply escape his race and set shop in our continuum with no other noticing.

* The Celestials of the [[Marvel Universe]] tinkered with humanity's genes, creating the Eternals and the Deviants, as well as sticking the [[X Men|X-Gene]] into humanity's genetic mix. They also happened to leave behind one of their advanced spaceships where it would be found by En Sabah Nur, one of the first mutants resulting from the X-Gene. One can guess at the sort of use he put the Celstials' technology to by the fact that he renamed himself [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Apocalypse]].

* The Celestials of the [[Marvel Universe]] tinkered with humanity's genes, creating the Eternals and the Deviants, as well as sticking the [[X-Men|X-Gene]] into humanity's genetic mix. They also happened to leave behind one of their advanced spaceships where it would be found by En Sabah Nur, one of the first mutants resulting from the X-Gene. One can guess at the sort of use he put the Celstials' technology to by the fact that he renamed himself [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Apocalypse]].

** Then it turns out {{spoiler|they ''let'' En Sabah Nur nick their stuff so [[Deal ~~With~~ the Devil|he would owe them a favor.]]}}

** Then it turns out {{spoiler|they ''let'' En Sabah Nur nick their stuff so [[Deal with the Devil|he would owe them a favor.]]}}

== Film ==

* To be tried in absentia: the unspecified race which dispatched a probe to Earth's humpback whales in ''[[Star Trek IV ~~the~~ Voyage Home ~~(Film)~~|Star Trek IV the Voyage Home]]''. This species, alleged to have long been in peaceful contact with said whales, equipped their probe with the capacity to communicate with these creatures underwater ... and to ''decimate'' Earth's indigenous ecosystems, in the event that the whales failed to respond. Even if the probe's makers were unaware that whales were not Earth's only sentient residents, such environmental sabotage is reckless and unconscionable. Moreover, if the whales' language were to ''change'' in the millennia between one probe's visitation and the next, rendering them incapable of a coherent response, then the probe's "peaceful communication" might well have exterminated the humpback species long before humans could do so! Your Honor, I submit a charge of reckless endangerment on behalf of plaintiffs George and Gracie, and of negligent homicide on behalf of other Earth life forms killed by the probe's transmissions.

* To be tried in absentia: the unspecified race which dispatched a probe to Earth's humpback whales in ''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home|Star Trek IV the Voyage Home]]''. This species, alleged to have long been in peaceful contact with said whales, equipped their probe with the capacity to communicate with these creatures underwater ... and to ''decimate'' Earth's indigenous ecosystems, in the event that the whales failed to respond. Even if the probe's makers were unaware that whales were not Earth's only sentient residents, such environmental sabotage is reckless and unconscionable. Moreover, if the whales' language were to ''change'' in the millennia between one probe's visitation and the next, rendering them incapable of a coherent response, then the probe's "peaceful communication" might well have exterminated the humpback species long before humans could do so! Your Honor, I submit a charge of reckless endangerment on behalf of plaintiffs George and Gracie, and of negligent homicide on behalf of other Earth life forms killed by the probe's transmissions.

== Literature ==

* The plaintiff brings the precursors of the ''[[Morgaine Cycle]]'' to court, having created a system of star gates that slowly tore the fabric of reality apart (This is not known until several hundred years after the network is finished). Eventually they discover this, after which they then proceed to cause a energy cascade that wipes out their entire race, just to destroy the incredibly dangerous gates. Unfortunately, one survives and is copied to create another network by a second precursor race who They are almost wiped out warring with each other over whether the gates are dangerous or not. The last member of said race is the titular Morgaine, who embarks on a million-year journey to close all the gates. {{spoiler|Some others remain trapped on worlds as [[Sealed Evil in A Can]], and these fall under [[Abusive Precursors]] as they typically run slave empires.}}

* The plaintiff brings the precursors of the ''[[Morgaine Cycle]]'' to court, having created a system of star gates that slowly tore the fabric of reality apart (This is not known until several hundred years after the network is finished). Eventually they discover this, after which they then proceed to cause a energy cascade that wipes out their entire race, just to destroy the incredibly dangerous gates. Unfortunately, one survives and is copied to create another network by a second precursor race who They are almost wiped out warring with each other over whether the gates are dangerous or not. The last member of said race is the titular Morgaine, who embarks on a million-year journey to close all the gates. {{spoiler|Some others remain trapped on worlds as [[Sealed Evil in a Can]], and these fall under [[Abusive Precursors]] as they typically run slave empires.}}

* Your Honour, The Elder Gods of the [[Cthulhu Mythos]] would like to plead guilty, [[Eldritch Abomination|except that they have no concept of guilt]]. ...also, they want permission to use the buffet, that being what they prefer to call the jury.

** A plea of no contest is entered. Permission to eat the jury is deniAAAAAAARrrrrggghhhh....

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== Stargate Verse ==

* Your Honour, for unbelievable neglect, incredible incompetence, blinding hypocrisy, and a refusal to take any responsiblity at all for crimes, misdemeanours, or even basic sapient decency, the prosecution requests that The Ancients of the [[Stargate Verse]] be given the highest punishment the court will allow. A summary of their deeds and lack thereof is as follows:

## Refuse to help normal people [[Ascend to A Higher Plane of Existence|ascend]] to [[Energy Beings]] save on their own merits, and punish those who do. Fair enough, but they also won't allow ''anyone'' who ascends to help mortals, bringing down the banhammer at the slightest sign of rule-breaking.

## Refuse to help normal people [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence|ascend]] to [[Energy Beings]] save on their own merits, and punish those who do. Fair enough, but they also won't allow ''anyone'' who ascends to help mortals, bringing down the banhammer at the slightest sign of rule-breaking.

## Refuse to help any of the "lower beings" ''at all'', including against monstrous, [[Always Chaotic Evil]] beings that will kill or enslave everything in their path. Which is EXTREMELY hypocritical considering they CREATED ALMOST ALL OF THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE! (see below) Anyone of their kind that ''does'' attempt to help are treated ''worse'' than those that attempt to help them ascend. Witness: Daniel Jackson.

## Rarely took security measures (and almost never left instructions) regarding the ''legions'' of [[Pointless Doomsday Device|Pointless Doomsday Devices]] they left like so much trash throughout various galaxies, leaving good people to pray and hope that using them wouldn't horribly backfire while evil people were practically gleeful at all the fun toys left lying around. The Goa'uld managed to go from a fairly mindless parasitic species to for thousands of years the single greatest threat in the Milky Way galaxy using Ancient leftovers, including a device which made them functionally immortal even with highly flawed copies.

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## So, the prosecution suggests we extend the verdict to Guilty, guilty, hypocritical [[Lawful Stupid]] Energy Being scumbags. Thankfully, the Ancients turned out to be ''so'' neglectful they actually left behind the keys to creating the sangra'al, a device capable of destroying ''themselves''. All in favor of capital punishment?

### Jury Foreman Turtler says Aye.

* The defense would like to note that they did, in fact, attempt to stop the Wraith, starting a war that raged across a galaxy. They lost. Their complicity in the accidental creation of said space-vampires notwithstanding, they ''did'' do their level best to stop them until forced to retreat to the Milky Way. Similarly, they did almost destroy the Replicators, but unfortunately missed enough of them that the Replicators were able to subsequently rebuild. Although this was before they [[Ascend to A Higher Plane of Existence|ascended]], and they were still marginally benevolent at this point. It's only after they ascended that they became truly neglectful.

* The defense would like to note that they did, in fact, attempt to stop the Wraith, starting a war that raged across a galaxy. They lost. Their complicity in the accidental creation of said space-vampires notwithstanding, they ''did'' do their level best to stop them until forced to retreat to the Milky Way. Similarly, they did almost destroy the Replicators, but unfortunately missed enough of them that the Replicators were able to subsequently rebuild. Although this was before they [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence|ascended]], and they were still marginally benevolent at this point. It's only after they ascended that they became truly neglectful.

** The defense would also like to note that most of the "lower beings" of the Milky Way galaxy owe their very existence to the Ancients: the Ori plague which forced them to ascend also wiped out most life in our galaxy. The Ancients built the device on Dakara to repopulate the galaxy with life. The defense therefore suggests that their policy of non-interference probably has more to do them being afraid of playing god than simply apathy. (Please see the case of The Ark of Truth vs. The Ancients' Conscience).

* Reluctantly, the defense notes that the actions/non-actions of the Ancients may be justified due to reasoning beyond our comprehension. No one can deny that the Ancients behave wrong in terms of ''human'' morals, nor their hypocrisy. But no human can either imagine the consciousness of an ascended being, nor how small the lives of this existence are in comparison to that of the Ancients. After all, would you stop two ant colonies from fighting? Imagine this to an even bigger extreme, as they monitor not just one planet but the entire universe. This is no justification, just a comparison to what humans do, and does not excuse them in the case of Adria (who did indeed break the exact rules Daniel was guilty of breaking) or the Ori (who were to some level fighting on the Ancients' own level of existence and thus they should have jurisdiction), but may excuse their behavior in all other cases.

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** The convenient (alleged) banishment of Morgan Le Fey (a powerful Ascended Ancient) to the galaxy wherein lived the Ori, conveniently accompanying SG-1 through the Supergate, conveniently being present to heal Teal'c of mortal injury, conveniently giving Daniel Jackson the knowledge and means to sever Adria's power, and conveniently being on-hand to destroy her once her power had been severed, [[Rules Lawyer|all while sticking exactly to the letter of their rules]], should not be ignored.

** In addition, the Ancients maintained a shield around the entire Milky Way galaxy (and likely Ida and Pegasus galaxies as well) for thousands upon thousands of years precisely so that the ascended Ori wouldn't learn about the humans in other galaxies and come to forcibly convert them. Daniel and Vala were the ones to screw that up, not the Ancients (after all, Daniel himself admitted that the Ancients wouldn't have stopped them because they believed in free will above all else).

*** It should be pointed out that the existence of said shield indicates that the ''Others'' (he Ancients are only ''some'' of the Others, not all of them) collectively (since when acting as a collective they appear to possess power on a scale best expressed as exponentialy greater) possessed the strength to shield and overcome the best efforts of the Ori across no less than three galaxies. That they indeed possessed the ability to defeat them in a straight fight should not be in question, hence the strategy of converting enough in the galaxies they protected to worship of the Ori, granting said energy beings enough power to overcome the Others. They appear entirely willing to be [[Hoist By His Own Petard|undone]] by the very beings they protect, as long as that choice to worship the Ori be made out of free will.

*** It should be pointed out that the existence of said shield indicates that the ''Others'' (he Ancients are only ''some'' of the Others, not all of them) collectively (since when acting as a collective they appear to possess power on a scale best expressed as exponentialy greater) possessed the strength to shield and overcome the best efforts of the Ori across no less than three galaxies. That they indeed possessed the ability to defeat them in a straight fight should not be in question, hence the strategy of converting enough in the galaxies they protected to worship of the Ori, granting said energy beings enough power to overcome the Others. They appear entirely willing to be [[Hoist by His Own Petard|undone]] by the very beings they protect, as long as that choice to worship the Ori be made out of free will.

== Live Action TV ==

* Humanity themselves in ''[[~~Red Dwarf (TV)|~~Red Dwarf]]''. They left a huge number of maladjusted sentient beings ranging from genetically engineered bioweapons to homicidal cybernetic war machines with indefinite lifespans to overpossessive gestalt entities to mind and emotion sucking parasites. The only saving grace seems to be that they all want to kill all humans (virtually to the exclusion of everything else), which three million years into the future consisted mainly of Lister, and could be considered to be dropped to the lesser offense of [[Turned Against Their Masters|"Having Your Own Race Destroyed by Your Foolish Creations."]]

* Humanity themselves in ''[[Red Dwarf]]''. They left a huge number of maladjusted sentient beings ranging from genetically engineered bioweapons to homicidal cybernetic war machines with indefinite lifespans to overpossessive gestalt entities to mind and emotion sucking parasites. The only saving grace seems to be that they all want to kill all humans (virtually to the exclusion of everything else), which three million years into the future consisted mainly of Lister, and could be considered to be dropped to the lesser offense of [[Turned Against Their Masters|"Having Your Own Race Destroyed by Your Foolish Creations."]]

** If [[Ridiculously-Human Robots]] may be counted as a "species", the prosecution brings forward the remains of the Wax Droids of the episode "Meltdown". After being abandoned for millions of years, they broke their programming, whereupon the Villain Wax Droids attacked the Hero Wax Droids and almost wiped them out (so the "good" wax droids were indeed left in the lurch). We are even forced to overhear the execution of {{spoiler|Winnie the Pooh}}. It wasn't until Arnold Rimmer arrived and used his military "genius" to {{spoiler|wipe out the entire planet}}.

* The State Of New Mexico wishes to bring charges against the Greys of ''[[The X Files]]''. However, the evidence seems to have been destroyed by [[The Men in Black]].

* The State Of New Mexico wishes to bring charges against the Greys of ''[[The X-Files]]''. However, the evidence seems to have been destroyed by [[The Men in Black]].

* The people of Earth would like to bring charges against the Colonials and Cylons of the reimagined series of ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'' for {{spoiler|abandoning technology}} and sentencing their descendants to:

## {{spoiler|140,000 years}} of struggle to reinvent things such as basic sanitation, agriculture, medicine, education, and the wheel!

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* Your honor, The Empire would like to bring before the court the other Old Ones from ''[[Warhammer]]''. Creating a race of [[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]] through overuse of magic, shoving the burden of cleaning up their own mess onto their creations, making sure the only people who understand the plan were a group of [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|lizard-people]] who may or may not have misinterpreted the entire thing (and are pretty anal anyways), and then packing up and leaving? The Empire accuses them of being neglectful in the highest degree!

** According to the background, the reason that their gates failed was because said toad-like lizard creatures (the fourth generation of them, to be precise) were responsible for maintaining their magic portals. It wasn't actually their fault that the gates failed, and once they did, it was either escape or die. And in ''Warhammer'', escape is an infinitely more desirable alternative to death.

* The ''[[~~Scarred Lands (Tabletop Game)|~~Scarred Lands]]'' franchise. The backstory to the series is a war against the amoral creators of the world, the Titans, and their rebellious children, the Gods. The Gods were unable to completely kill the Titans, so they just maimed and imprisioned them. Despite completely oblierating two of the Titans, the other Gods were left mostly whole and just imprisoned. Since then, the remains of the Titans has damaged the land and corrupted countless creatures, even the two who were almost destroyed. Despite the fact that the Gods now rule the world, they haven't shown themselves to be in any hurry to clean up their mess.

* The ''[[Scarred Lands]]'' franchise. The backstory to the series is a war against the amoral creators of the world, the Titans, and their rebellious children, the Gods. The Gods were unable to completely kill the Titans, so they just maimed and imprisioned them. Despite completely oblierating two of the Titans, the other Gods were left mostly whole and just imprisoned. Since then, the remains of the Titans has damaged the land and corrupted countless creatures, even the two who were almost destroyed. Despite the fact that the Gods now rule the world, they haven't shown themselves to be in any hurry to clean up their mess.

** Perhaps the most noticeable screw up is what they did to the Titan Kadum, the Father of Monsters. They ripped out his heart, chained him to a rock and threw him into the ocean. Unable to die, his blood continually seeps out of his chest, corrupting a large part of the ocean and all of the creatures inhabiting it.

* The gods in ''[[Exalted]]''. Their creators, the Primordials, are not accountable due to being [[Cosmic Horror|dead]], [[Sealed Evil in A Can|imprisoned]], or fled for their lives. The gods, however, designed a race of superhumans (the eponymous Exalted) to defeat their masters, then left them to run reality. The gods are still around, but the most powerful of them refuse to do anything except play heavenly foozball. The rest have become thoroughly corrupt, as all of reality falls into chaos and madness.

* The gods in ''[[Exalted]]''. Their creators, the Primordials, are not accountable due to being [[Cosmic Horror|dead]], [[Sealed Evil in a Can|imprisoned]], or fled for their lives. The gods, however, designed a race of superhumans (the eponymous Exalted) to defeat their masters, then left them to run reality. The gods are still around, but the most powerful of them refuse to do anything except play heavenly foozball. The rest have become thoroughly corrupt, as all of reality falls into chaos and madness.

** The defense appeals this ruling, on the grounds that it is implied that the gods were not entirely aware of just how addictive the Games of Divinity really were. If this is the case, they most likely had every intention of ruling wisely and well, and are guilty only of falling victim to [[Applied Phlebotinum]] of which they had little understanding. This is supported by the fact that the withdrawal of the Incarnae from mortal and Exalted affairs happened very gradually, over the course of millenia. Furthermore, the Great Curse and the Usurpation are responsible for much of the corruption in Heaven and Creation, and effectively removed the beings best equipped to clean up the situation. One of the functions of the Exalted is, after all, to keep the lesser gods (who have exceedingly narrow perspectives and tend to view everything through the lens of their spheres of influence) in line.

* ''[[Star Drive]]'' is filled to the brim with ancient alien ruins, some of them quite advanced. Humans of various faiths (Hatire and Ancientist) find religious inspiration in these ruins, but this probably wasn't the intent of the precursors.

* ''[[Star*Drive]]'' is filled to the brim with ancient alien ruins, some of them quite advanced. Humans of various faiths (Hatire and Ancientist) find religious inspiration in these ruins, but this probably wasn't the intent of the precursors.

* Blackmoor and Evergrun, two ancient civilizations from the [[Mystara]] ''[[Dungeons and Dragons|D&D]]'' setting, aspired to technological greatness but succeeded only in damn near [[Apocalypse How|blowing up the world]]. Oh, and they left some spare nukes sitting around for their barbaric successors to tinker with, which is why the Known World now has a contaminated wasteland called the Broken Lands in the middle of it.

* ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' -- The [[Hate Plague|Dracorage]] Mythal. Making the device designed to put ''all dragons in the world'' at once into [[Ax Crazy|murderous madness]] may be justified by the extreme situation those ancient elves faced. But leaving it around for the rest of eternity (it survived even severe damage to the Weave)? Especially considering its short activation by a comet was not an inherent feature, but merely a control condition that could be changed by a competent enough wizard--which eventually happened.

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* The Xel'Naga of the ''[[Starcraft]]'' series created the Zerg, which [[Turned Against Their Masters|promptly killed them]], then spread like a plague of locusts and started consuming other species wholesale. The Zerg Overmind's rebellion shouldn't have been entirely unforeseen; the Protoss, their prior creations, similarly rebelled and chased their creators off. As of the end of the ''Brood War'', it seems that the Zerg are the single most powerful force lurking in space, making things all the worse. If the kooks spent a little of their supposedly-vast resources building some defenses for their worldships instead of mucking with genetics, this mess wouldn't have happened.

** Your honor, in light of new evidence it appears that the Zerg's misbehaviour may have been due to the intercession of The Dark Voice, an entity the Xel'Naga imprisoned in the ancient past. This may be grounds for them to have any neglectful accusations dismissed.

* The Eloh, the ancient precursors of ''[[Tabula Rasa]]'', created a [[Magic From Technology|superscience capable of manipulating energy and matter by acts of will]]. They then went through interstellar space handing this stuff out randomly. When this [[Turned Against Their Masters|didn't end well]] - surprise, surprise - they annihilated the entire military of the first race to rise against them, the Thrax, firmly cementing xenophobia. Then a small faction called the Neph went and enslaved the Thrax and went on a war against the rest of the universe to make sure no one would ever be their equals again, starting with the mainstream Eloh. Rather than actually fighting back or enlisting (or even warning) the sentient races across the universe, the Eloh just tossed various pieces of [[Applied Phlebotinum]] on random populated and unpopulated worlds. At least the Sages of the ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' series bothered to seal away the [[Sealed Evil in A Can|evil in a can]].

* The Eloh, the ancient precursors of ''[[Tabula Rasa]]'', created a [[Magic From Technology|superscience capable of manipulating energy and matter by acts of will]]. They then went through interstellar space handing this stuff out randomly. When this [[Turned Against Their Masters|didn't end well]] - surprise, surprise - they annihilated the entire military of the first race to rise against them, the Thrax, firmly cementing xenophobia. Then a small faction called the Neph went and enslaved the Thrax and went on a war against the rest of the universe to make sure no one would ever be their equals again, starting with the mainstream Eloh. Rather than actually fighting back or enlisting (or even warning) the sentient races across the universe, the Eloh just tossed various pieces of [[Applied Phlebotinum]] on random populated and unpopulated worlds. At least the Sages of the ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' series bothered to seal away the [[Sealed Evil in a Can|evil in a can]].

* Suit brought on behalf of the people of Azeroth and related worlds of ''[[~~War Craft~~]]'' against the the Titans, who ordered the universe, defeating evil where they found it. Crafting prisons to host creatures like demons, the Old Ones and their elemental servants, though their intentions were noble, it hasn't really worked out in the universes' favor. Also, the demons were released by a corrupted member of their race, and while they tried to ease his pain, it is unknown if they did anything to stop him after he turned.

* Suit brought on behalf of the people of Azeroth and related worlds of ''[[Warcraft]]'' against the the Titans, who ordered the universe, defeating evil where they found it. Crafting prisons to host creatures like demons, the Old Ones and their elemental servants, though their intentions were noble, it hasn't really worked out in the universes' favor. Also, the demons were released by a corrupted member of their race, and while they tried to ease his pain, it is unknown if they did anything to stop him after he turned.

** Defense raises the following points: 1. Destroying the Old Ones would have required destroying and remaking Azeroth as well. By imprisoning them the Titans gave the races a chance to grow instead of destroying them outright. 2. The Titans are well aware of the fall of one of their own and the demons and are fighting against it across the universe. Whereas other precursors often abandon the younger races, the Titans continue to fight these evils providing support for the world of Azeroth and countless others. Move to dismiss due to being active and not neglectful.

* Your Honour, we would like to know your opinion on prosecuting [[Planescape Torment|The Nameless One]] as a Neglectful Precursor to himself. Thanks to multiple cases of [[Easy Amnesia]], almost every Precursor never figured out about the whole [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|immortality loop]]. One of the few incarnations that figured it out took extreme measures to make sure that his next incarnation (the player) could fix the problem, although he was an extremely evil Jerkass.

* Your Honour, we would like to know your opinion on prosecuting [[Planescape: Torment|The Nameless One]] as a Neglectful Precursor to himself. Thanks to multiple cases of [[Easy Amnesia]], almost every Precursor never figured out about the whole [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|immortality loop]]. One of the few incarnations that figured it out took extreme measures to make sure that his next incarnation (the player) could fix the problem, although he was an extremely evil Jerkass.

* Potentially the player in ''[[Spore]]''. One of the achievements requires them to uplift a certain number of creatures. The easiest way to do this is to just randomly drop monoliths on every planet encountered without sentient life and then forget about it.

* Your Honour, I would like to submit another case: The Elder Gods from the ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' series. They seem to be perfectly willing to allow the realms to be endangered by either a renegade Elder (Shinnok), a [[Knight Templar]] protector (Raiden) or other entity (Blaze). Even the times they do pay attention, the go back on their word, as Scorpion will attest.

* The Shee in the ''[[Creatures]]'' series created the Norns, fuzzy adorable little critters with rudimentary intelligence that they claimed to love as pets. But when they decided it was time to move on to a bigger, [[World Shapes|round]] world, they left most of the creatures they had created to die on their home planet.

* Your Honour, we would like to state the case against the Precursors from ''[[Jak and Daxter]]'' on the following grounds: they did knowingly [[Sealed Evil in A Can|position the world's supply of Dark Eco in easily accessible silos]] that simply require one of their seemingly thousands of [[Humongous Mecha]] left lying around; they did position the Precursor Stone, {{spoiler|the last egg of their own species}}. within a dungeon without taking any precautions to prevent its [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|theft after the door was opened by their chosen hero]]; and moreover that the rupture of said stone would destroy the entire universe. However, there is a mitigating factor in their {{spoiler|near-}}extermination by a [[Horde of Alien Locusts]]; what is the verdict, your honour?

* Your Honour, we would like to state the case against the Precursors from ''[[Jak and Daxter]]'' on the following grounds: they did knowingly [[Sealed Evil in a Can|position the world's supply of Dark Eco in easily accessible silos]] that simply require one of their seemingly thousands of [[Humongous Mecha]] left lying around; they did position the Precursor Stone, {{spoiler|the last egg of their own species}}. within a dungeon without taking any precautions to prevent its [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|theft after the door was opened by their chosen hero]]; and moreover that the rupture of said stone would destroy the entire universe. However, there is a mitigating factor in their {{spoiler|near-}}extermination by a [[Horde of Alien Locusts]]; what is the verdict, your honour?

* Your Honor, I would like to bring forth the case of the people of Vana'diel from ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' versus Altana and the Celestial Avatars. Upon creating the world of Vana'diel Altana carelessly left the keys to undoing all of creation, the Mother Crystals, not in scattered places across the planet buried deep under the seas or mountains, but instead she left them easily accessible within hundreds of yalms of each other. And when [[Omnicidal Maniac|the Zilart]] attempted to harness the power of the Mother Crystals nearly obliterating the planet, did she attempt to move the Mother Crystals or even destroy the machinery that the Zilart created? No! She left it all intact setting the stage for the same tragedy to unfold again! Instead she sat back and watched while [[An Adventurer Is You|random people]] got together and fought back the various schemes that she could not be bothered to acknowledge.

* Your honor, the citizens of the ''[[~~Homeworld (Video Game)|~~Homeworld]]'' galaxy would like to present the following class - action suit against the ancient Hiigaran, Taiidan and Bentusi empires, and the Progenitors.

* Your honor, the citizens of the ''[[Homeworld]]'' galaxy would like to present the following class - action suit against the ancient Hiigaran, Taiidan and Bentusi empires, and the Progenitors.

** Your honor, the actions of the ancient Hiigarans, Taiidans, and Bentusi resulted in the Hiigarans' descendants being exiled for 3,000 years on the barren desert world of Kharak. The terms prohibited the exiles from developing certain technologies. However, the records of those terms were lost, so that the Kushans had no idea of the danger. As a result, the modern Taiidans attacked in response, unaware that the Kushans had no way of knowing what was going on, wiping out {{spoiler|all life on Kharak}}.

** Your honor, there is no incontrovertible evidence the loss of records was anything more than a tragic accident. The attack by the Taiidans was the sole result of a decision made by the Taiidan leadership of the time. The terms of my clients’ treaties did not require such a ruthless response. The exile itself, while harsh, appeared to be the only way to prevent {{spoiler|the ancient Hiigarans from enslaving the galaxy}}. The Hiigarans and Taiidans paid a terrible price for their mistakes. The Bentusi accept some guilt for limiting their aid and propose their community service guiding the Kushans toward their destiny following the initial events of the modern Kushan – Taiidan conflict be accepted as penance. In summary, my clients have already paid their debt to society!

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* The [[Dinosaurs Are Dragons|Dragons]] from ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]'' left behind one of the deadly Iridium Bombs from their ancient war that wiped out the dinosaurs. The government found it and human civilization almost got blown up in the ensuing scuffle.

* The creators of the universe in ''[[Homestuck]]'' were caught up in other matters and never got the chance to shape it as gods. This was probably for the best.

* Your honor, the people of [[~~Drow Tales~~|Chel'el'Sussoloth]] would like to bring charges against the Dokkalfar kingdoms. They opened nether gates, bringing demonic beings to feast upon our life energy. They squandered their homelands and forced their descendents to live underground and be transformed into monsters! For 1100 years, they then ruled us with an iron fist from afar in their towers above our city. Had they stepped down and agreed to share what they knew, perhaps the recent Nidraa'chal “incident” would never have occurred. Now, when we need them most, {{spoiler|they refuse to teach our heroes how to fight the darkness, instead waiting for us to destroy ourselves before deciding it is time to rebuild.}}

* Your honor, the people of [[Drowtales|Chel'el'Sussoloth]] would like to bring charges against the Dokkalfar kingdoms. They opened nether gates, bringing demonic beings to feast upon our life energy. They squandered their homelands and forced their descendents to live underground and be transformed into monsters! For 1100 years, they then ruled us with an iron fist from afar in their towers above our city. Had they stepped down and agreed to share what they knew, perhaps the recent Nidraa'chal “incident” would never have occurred. Now, when we need them most, {{spoiler|they refuse to teach our heroes how to fight the darkness, instead waiting for us to destroy ourselves before deciding it is time to rebuild.}}

** Your honor, have we, the last surviving Dokkalfar, not suffered enough? We sacrificed our lives and bodies to give our descendents a chance to build a new home, and how do they repay us? By slaughtering us so that they can forget what we taught them! It is we who are the victims here!

** Your honor, my clients would like to ask that a verdict be withheld until the current series of events is played out. There is still opportunity for the facts of the case to change.

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== Western Animation ==

* Your Honour, the prosecution wishes to file suit against The Vok from ''[[~~Beast Wars (Animation)|~~Beast Wars]]''. While likely not outright precursors like the Quintessons, there is considerable evidence to be presented: At least two of their machines were present on or in the orbit of prehistoric Earth prior to the Beast Wars. While appearing more curious than malevolent in the beginning, by the halfway point of the show, they were clearly shown as openly hostile, and omnicidal. Consider the following:

* Your Honour, the prosecution wishes to file suit against The Vok from ''[[Beast Wars]]''. While likely not outright precursors like the Quintessons, there is considerable evidence to be presented: At least two of their machines were present on or in the orbit of prehistoric Earth prior to the Beast Wars. While appearing more curious than malevolent in the beginning, by the halfway point of the show, they were clearly shown as openly hostile, and omnicidal. Consider the following:

** Their second expedition to prehistoric Earth was an experiment to test and gauge the threat level of the transformers. When the robots failed, the Vok's third machine was revealed - one of Earth's moons turned out to be a heat ray capable of a Class X [[Apocalypse How]] event. This machine was used, and, if not for the intervention and sacrifice of Optimus Primal, would have achieved its' purpose. Additionally, this device was indeed in orbit long before the arrival of the transformers.

** Also, their fourth machine, while not quite as destructive, still posed an enormous threat, once it was captured by Megatron. The security protocols were almost laughably inept at keeping them robots out, much less preventing a hostile takeover.