Nuclear Weapons Taboo: Difference between revisions

Therefore, any time a series needs a powerful [[Forgotten Superweapon]], instead of an actual nuclear weapon (even if those are available), a bit of [[Applied Phlebotinum]] will be introduced that has the destructive ''effect'' of a nuclear weapon, but a different name. Great pains will frequently be taken to stress that these ''aren't'' actual nuclear weapons, even if they can level whole cities and/or destroy the world.

 

 

So far, this is [[Truth in Television]]. No nuclear weapons have been used in armed conflict since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Two small direct wars (USSR vs China during the Sino-Soviet split and India vs Pakistan during the Kargil War) and several more proxy wars have been fought between nuclear powers without nuclear deployments taking place, though both NATO and Soviet combat doctrine for [[World War III|a hypothetical land war in Europe]] would have involved the deployment of battlefield [i.e. tactical] nuclear weapons.

 

If there is a weapon treated in a similar manner to nuclear ones but isn't referred to as such not because of censorship, but because it doesn't make sense in that setting, it's a [[Fantastic Nuke]]. Almost any series involving a [[Wave Motion Gun]] involves this. Compare [[Never Say Die]].

 

== Anime and Manga ==

== Live Action TV ==

* There's a very odd [[Retcon]] example in the ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' story "Genesis of the Daleks". In the previous Dalek stories, it had been repeatedly stated that the mutations that led to the Daleks were the result of a nuclear war on the planet Skaro. In the definitive origin story "Genesis", however, the word "nuclear" was never used and all the usual effects depicted in the story that one would associate with nuclear weapons (mutation, explosives that kill the slaves forced to handle them within a few days, massive destruction) were ascribed to mysterious "chemicals". It almost looks as if there was censorious [[Executive Meddling]]. The vast majority of fans, and subsequent canon writers, keep "Genesis" as the definitive origin but tacitly replace all references to "chemicals" with "nuclear" or "radioactivity" again.

** Ziggy does mention to Dillon how the radiation interferes with both his compass and radio frequencies in their first meeting ("The Road to Corinth").

* Strongly averted in ''[[Babylon 5 (TV)|Babylon 5]]''. So much so that Captain Sheridan's community nickname is John "Nuke 'Em" Sheridan. On no less than 3 occasions, Sheridan deploys tactical nukes during the series. Londo Mollari uses them as well, and then is blackmailed by a nuclear threat later in the series.

* Semi-averted in ''[[Rise of Nations]]''. Players can build nukes, but as soon as a player researches Nuclear Weapons, the Doomsday Counter appears on his screen. It starts at a number based on the number of players in the game, and every time a nuke is launched, it decreases by 1. Each time a player researches the "Missile Shield" supertech it increases by 2. If it ever hits 0, the game ends, with ''everyone'' losing.

* Averted kind of tastelessly in the Japanese version of ''[[The Simpsons|The Simpsons Arcade Game]]''. You can use atomic bombs to clear every enemy on screen.

* The [[X (Video Game)|X-Universe]] has a very [[Fridge Logic|Fridge Logicky]] variation, where tactical nuclear weapons are allowed, but nuclear ''reactors'' apparently aren't: ships need externally supplied energy cells to use jumpdrives, which are produced by giant solar power plants. At which point you wonder where ships get the energy to power their [[Deflector Shields]] and [[Energy Weapons]], which work just fine with an otherwise empty cargo bay.

* Played with in ''[[EV Nova]]''. The EMP torpedo is a nuclear weapon tuned to emit a much stronger electromagnetic pulse than usual. But there aren't any other types of nukes in the game.

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* The "Bleach Protocol" in ''[[Generator Rex]]'', used as a last resort against particularly dangerous EVOs. Lampshaded in one episode:

'''Six''': [[Insistent Terminology|Forced Plasma Cascade.]]<br />

'''Rex''': Try working ''that'' into a [[Catch Phrase]]. }}