Patrick Stewart Speech: Difference between revisions

 

* ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' gives these ''all'' the time. Her introduction speeches are all about the innocence and wonder that is currently being invaded by the bad guys. Then, right before she powers up to end the deal, she'll plead with the bad guys to let the people live in peace. In the manga, she even gives up being a being of pure energy and thought so she can live on earth, pain and all, with her friends--and gives a speech about it, too. When faced with the [[Big Bad]] every season, they tell her how awful the world is and how useless her idealism is.

'''Sailor Moon''': No, I haven't. I love this world... even though there are lots of sad or difficult things...I like this world very much because I could meet everyone! I know you know...how wonderful this world is!<br />

'''Sailor Galaxia''': Stop joking! This world can not be protected by someone who won't fight! It's because of your weakness that [[Battle Royale With Cheese|all your friends are gone!]] }}

* Simon gives a lengthy one (which is really more like a dialogue) in the last episode of ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'' to counter the villain's [[Puny Earthlings]] speech.

* If such a thing is possible, there is a ''combined'' [[Patrick Stewart Speech]] and [[William Shatner Speech]] in the finale of ''[[Macross Frontier]]'', in response to {{spoiler|Grace O'Connor's plan to give humanity the Vajra's ability to sense fold waves}}:

{{spoiler|'''Alto:''' But it's because we ''are'' alone... '''[[The Power of Love|that we can love someone!]]''' }} }}

** It becomes more clearly defined as a [[Patrick Stewart Speech]] when you inter-splice the lines that Sheryl and Ranka are singing at the time: {{spoiler|In fact the song Lion may have been written just for that moment, as it is also the more prominent song in the Nyan Nyan Service Melody}}

{{spoiler|'''Sheryl/Ranka:''' I want to live, I want to survive, I'm in love with you (I love you)Until I show you my serious heart I will not sleep!}} }}

* Judai Yuuki, almost constantly, in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]''. [[Macekre|Jaden]], less so.

* In ''[[Stellvia of the Universe]]'', Masaru's personal [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] is a [[Patrick Stewart Speech]] broadcast to the entirety of humanity from a space station about to be crushed by a cosmic cataclysm. {{spoiler|He survives}}.

* Variation in [[Mahou Sensei Negima]], Negi is nearly tempted to return to Earth and abandon the [[Magic World]] to be destroyed by [[Big Bad|Fate]], who claims that the inhabitants' lives don't matter because they are just meaningless illusions. Asuna counters with:

* There is a truly badarse one given in [[Paranoia Agent]] by the chief investigator's dying wife.

* Belldandy gives one these, sprinkled with [[The Power of Friendship]], to Celestine near the end of ''[[Ah! My Goddess|Ah! My Goddess!]]: [[The Movie]]''.

* Almost the exact example given in the trope description was used in ''[[Yumekui Merry]]''.

* Enoah Ballard delivers an absolutely beautiful one in the final volume of [[Eden]]. Read it [http://view.thespectrum.net/series/eden-volume-18.html?ch=Volume+18&page=222 here].

* In [[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]], During the final fight with the Anti-spiral, Simon, Nia, and Yoko team up to give one to the Anti-Spiral King. And, as you would expect, it's totally awesome.

* Being an adopted alien, ''[[Superman]]'' is quite fond of this.

** Sometimes he doesn't need a speech. Just pointing out that ''frickin' Superman'' absolutely adores humans and wants to be a human is enough:

** ''[[Wonder Woman]]'' is also quite found of this. Though she's a bit more of a realist then Superman, she'll break out the speech when the situation calls for it.

* In ''[[Watchmen]]'', the emotionless Dr. Manhattan justifies his return to earth with a smaller version of this--he realises that all human lives are "thermodynamic miracles", events that have no logical or probable reason for occurring. They simply shouldn't happen. The fact that he says this in the middle of a giant smiley face ON MARS ([[Reality Is Unrealistic|that really exists]]) just drives the point home.

* Optimus Prime (as usual) delivers one in the [[Transformers Generation One Dreamwave|Dreamwave]] comics sequel to the original series, and to drive the point home, it contrasts Megatron's earlier [[Hannibal Lecture]] with humans abandoning those trapped under some rubble, and others raiding shops in amongst the chaos - with images of firemen then rushing to save those under the rubble, and the thieves using what they stole to help out as well. Then Optimus lets out a little secret - he ''knows'' the [[Humans Are Bastards|majority of humans are assholes]], but he also knows that they're an impressionable lot, and so he fights for those who deserve it - because he knows that if anyone can turn humanity around, it's them. And to put the cherry on this cake of awesome? Those same humans then risk their lives to ram a fire engine right in Megatron's face! And remember - humanity hates all transformers right about now.

* In ''[[The Killing Joke]]'', [[Batman]] gives one to [[The Joker]] in response to his "one bad day" monologue.

 

== Film ==

* Averted in ''[[Outland (film)|Outland]]''. The hero played by [[Sean Connery]], having defeated the killers sent to eliminate him, limps up to the boss of the corrupt space-mining colony, opens his mouth to say what he thinks of him, then says "Oh fuck it" and just decks the man.

* The Prime Minister in ''[[Love Actually]]'' has one of these, specifically for Britain:

* Kim Basinger's character gives one at the end of ''[[My Stepmother Is An Alien]]''. She presents Jimmy Durante as her "jelly donut".

* [[The Lord of the Rings (film)|The Fellowship of the Ring]]: Boromir's speech to Aragorn, shortly before the breaking of the fellowship.

* Peter Graves delivers the start of one at the end of ''[[It Conquered the World]]'' (wonderfully [[Overly Long Gag|played with great solemnity many a time]] during its take-down on [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]].) It turns into a lecture about how man must improve after the first line, though, so it probably stops qualifying at that point.

* [[Charlie Chaplin]] of all people, gives one at the end of [[The Great Dictator]]. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIjSnaa22oo see it here]

* Professor Xavier gives such a speech to Magneto in what is ''almost'' a literal Patrick Stewart Speech; however, it happens in [[X-Men (film)|X-Men: First Class]], where Stewart's character is played by James McAvoy. During their chess game, Charles attempts to convince Erik that human beings are capable of great understanding, and that mutants should be patient, as "we have it in us to be the better men." Erik skeptically replies, "We already are."

* One of the earliest in cinema was in the seminal 1936 sci-fi movie ''[[The Shape of Things to Come|Things To Come]]'' on the nature of humanity's progress.

* Batman gives a speech to Joker in ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' which plays out pretty similar to ''[[The Killing Joke]]'' example above.

 

* T.H. White's ''[[The Once and Future King|The Book of Merlyn]]'' contains a lengthy [[Hannibal Lecture]] on humanity's flaws, which seems like a massive downer. However, it does follow it up with a brief Patrick Stewart Speech on what the speaker considers to be humanity's saving grace: the love it has for its pets.

* Death actually gets one in the ''[[Discworld]]'' novel ''[[Discworld/Reaper Man|Reaper Man]]''. He stands before Azrael, his boss, and basically tells him that humanity ''deserves'' a Death that will care for them, rather than a simple blind force.

* Even though he's talking about hobbits instead of humans, [[The Lord of the Rings|Gandalf]] is fond of them. And Hobbits are just Englishmen anyway.

* After being [[Joker Jury|outwitted]] and getting one of the greatest [[Shut Up, Kirk]] squelches ever by [[The Devil|Mr.Scratch]], Daniel Webster gives an outstanding example of this trope in [[The Devil and Daniel Webster]]

* Jean-Luc Picard of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', multiple times.

** [[Lampshaded]] in the episode "True Q":

::* Subverted during the same speech when Q responds to Picard's scolding with what amounted to a [[Shut Up, Kirk]].

:* Subverted in the episode "Code of Honor". Picard is talking about how wonderful humanity is, then breaks off and says, "forgive me, this is becoming a speech." Troi replies, "You're the captain, you're entitled." Picard then says "I'm not entitled to ramble on about something everyone knows." While looking almost directly at the camera.

:::* Actually subverted in an episode of [[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|Deep Space Nine]]. After a baseball grudge match between our heroes and a crew of [[Straw Vulcan|Vulcans]], a pissing match ensues. The various aliens in the crew balk after the Vulcan disses human emotion.

'''Quark:''' All that intelligence and he still doesn't know what a human looks like! }}

:* Also Quark gives such a speech in defence of the Ferengi:

::* No slavery, huh? So how's that whole "treating your females as property" thing going, eh?

:* Heck, ''Encounter At Farpoint'' is Q stating [[Humans Are Morons]], with Picard shooting back [[Shut UP, Hannibal]] lines and Q returning [[Shut Up, Kirk]] lines.

:* Inverted in "The Beast Below", Season 5, Episode 2 of the new series. "Nobody HUMAN has anything to say to me today!"

:* Another, very touching one, in "''The End of Time''". He tells Wilfred Mott that he's 900 years old, to which the old man remarks:

'''The Doctor:''' I think you look like ''giants''. }}

:* Inverted with the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) who often expressed his frustration with humans as "stupid apes".

:* [[Deconstructed]] along with several other ''Doctor Who'' tropes in "Midnight," when the [[Monster of the Week]] is an unknown entity possessing a woman on a bus, and the Doctor is [[Shaming the Mob|trying to keep the other passengers]] from [[Thrown Out the Airlock|throwing her out into the planet's deadly sunlight]]; for once, he's drastically misjudged his audience and his ability to influence them.

'''Dee Dee:''' [[It Got Worse|I think we should.]] }}

:* "The Ark in Space": "Homo sapiens. What an inventive, invincible species. It’s only a few million years since they crawled up out of the mud and learned to walk. Puny, defenceless bipeds. They’ve survived flood, famine and plague. They’ve survived cosmic wars and holocausts. And now, here they are, out among the stars, waiting to begin a new life. Ready to outsit eternity. They’re indomitable."

:* Even {{spoiler|the TARDIS herself}} gets in on it:

"{{spoiler|So much bigger on the inside}}." }}

* In ''[[Outcasts]]'', the rather Picard-esqe Richard Tate, President of the Human colony on the planet Carpathia, confronts a mysterious alien race only known as the Host Force. They communicate with him through [[A Form You Are Comfortable With|a vision of himself]].

'''Richard Tate:''' Maybe, but we have one thing you appear to have lost on your evolution to disembodied know-it-all. We may be frayed at the edges, but we still have love. And while we have that, we still have hope. }}

* Commander Adama in the 2003 miniseries of ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'' does a subversion. Rather than give a sappy speech at the Battlestar's decommissioning he asks "Is humanity worth saving?" A pertinent question considering the incoming genocide by humanity's rogue robotic children.

* In ''[[Angel]]'', Angel gives one of these to Illyria, declaring himself champion of humanity, even for a traitor on her side ("He's scum, but he's still human"). Subverted when the speech is cut short by Wesley shooting the traitor in the chest. Angel, somewhat annoyed, asks him "Were you even listening?"

* In ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', Spike explains to Buffy why he ''likes'' the world, and the humans in it, and thus would rather side with Buffy against Angel's evil personality Angelus than see Angelus summon the demon Acathla that sucks the world into Hell. A subversion in that he's not defending humanity except as food, but is quite fond of some parts of the culture that we give rise to.

'''Spike''': We like to talk big, vampires do. "I'm going to destroy the world." It's just tough guy talk. Struttin' around with your friends over a pint of blood. The truth is, I ''like'' this world. You've got... dog racing, Manchester United, and you've got ''people''. Billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs. It's all right here. But then someone comes along with a vision. With a real... [[Omnicidal Maniac|passion for destruction]]. Angel could pull it off. Goodbye, Piccadilly. Farewell, Leicester bloody Square. You know what I'm saying? }}

:* None of which explains all that business with The Judge earlier in the season.

::* Also, Spike pays attention to technology. Dru may have thought the Judge was going to end the world, but Spike would notice that he's only going to kill people until the army brings up the tanks and airstrikes. He's only doing it to keep Dru happy.

:* Anya gets one in "End of Days"

* Captain Jack Harkness' monologue in the ''[[Torchwood]]'' episode "Everything Changes" about the wonders of 21st century Earth that never cease to amaze him; considering he is an immortal ex-Time Agent in a World War II uniform who was native to the 51st century prior to his first appearance, he might as well be an alien from another planet.

* [[Inverted Trope]] on ''[[Supernatural]]'': in the Season 4 episode "Wishful Thinking," when someone asks why people can't get what they want, Sam and Dean say it would create chaos.

:* As cynical as the show is, even the speech is played straight a few times. Dean doesn't understand why {{spoiler|Anna would give up being an angel for being human}}. He's not totally swayed by her reasons, but he agrees that sex is pretty cool. Castiel also thinks humans are okay, and considers each of them to be works of art, being created by God. Also, because angels and humans were created by God, he considers the idea that humans are inferior to be close to blasphemy.

:* In Season Five's "Hammer of the Gods," The Trickster/{{spoiler|[[Archangel Gabriel|Gabriel]]}} gives one of these to {{spoiler|[[Satan|Lucifer]]}}, the season's [[Big Bad]], who refers to humans as "cockroaches" and "flawed, broken abortions." The Trickster tells {{spoiler|Lucifer}} that, although [[Humans Are Flawed]], they try to be better. {{spoiler|Then tops it off with, "And you should check out the Spearmint Rhino."}}

* Seeing how wanting to be human is a major part of the show, ''[[Being Human]]'' has a few, usually from Mitchell, who, despite living through both World Wars, and being attacked by a mob believing he's a peadophile, still has complete belief in human goodness.

* Kind of parodied in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXn1zJa0K8c this scene] from ''[[Misfits]]'', when Nathan gives a ridiculously impassioned rooftop-speech to his brainwashed friends about the glories of hedonistic youth:

* Several of Tsukasa's [[World of Cardboard Speech|World Of Cardboard Speeches]] in ''[[Kamen Rider Decade]]'' have elements of this; his speech in [[Kamen Rider Agito|Agito's World]] is the best example, given to a race that protects humanity from monsters but also eliminates superior humans to prevent them from becoming corrupted.

* Horribly subverted in an episode of the 1985-87 CBS revival of [[The Twilight Zone]]. [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens]] land, claim [[Neglectful Precursors|they triggered humanity's evolution]] and [[You Have Failed Me|threaten to wipe them out for not reaching their potential]] (mentioning their only virtue seems to be "a small talent for war"). A human diplomat delivers a [[Patrick Stewart Speech]] and buys humanity 24 hours to demonstrate why they should be spared; the governments of the world quickly put together a comprehensive world-wide agreement to stop all fighting. The next day the diplomat presents the treaty to the alien representative; he looks at it...[[Mass "Oh Crap"|and laughs]]. He explains that [[Humans Are Warriors|humans were placed on Earth to evolve into powerful warriors.]] Instead they've merely developed [[Ironic Echo|the aforementioned "small talent for war"]], and the global peace treaty proves their inherently pacifist nature. There's nothing left for the aliens to do but [[Apocalypse How|scour the planet clean]] and start over again elsewhere.

* Parodied in an episode of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. The omnipotent Observers have been making [[Mad Scientist|Pearl Forrester]] and [[Butt Monkey|Professor Bobo]] fight to the death throughout the episode. At the end, Pearl has Bobo down and the Observers order her to finish him. Pearl refuses, throwing away her sword and delivering a speech ([[No Fourth Wall|directly to the camera]]) about how humans may not be perfect, but their capacity for compassion and love makes them special. It does get to the Observers...until Bobo gets up and clocks Pearl in the back of the head, reminding her that he's not human. Then she starts chasing after him, shouting "That's it Magilla, you are so dead I can't believe it!"

* In the ''[[Smallville]]'' episode ''Blue'', Kara Kent tries to convince her father Zor-El not to destroy the human race, but he just beats her up and continues his rampage, forcing Clark to save the day.

* Happens in the [[Farscape]] episode "A Constellation of Doubt." The episode is intercut with a documentary they intercepted from Earth about the alien members of the Moya crew who visited. A lot of it involves people being very xenophobic and showing only the worst of human nature, but Noranti redeems us (sorta):

'''Noranti''': Yes! You're so ignorant! But you never give up, even in the face of insurmountable odds! }}

* At least one episode of every [[Ultra Series]] focuses on Human Spirit and Courage.

* Dante in ''[[Devil May Cry]]'' gave one of these to Agnus when the [[Mad Scientist]] asked how a [[Half-Human Hybrid|half-demon]] could be stronger than a full-blooded one. Worth noting is that he said that humans have something that demons don't... but he didn't say what it was.

** That is (possibly) revealed as [[The Power of Love]] in a supplementary speech made by Nero to Sanctus, right near the end of the game.

*** I was under the impression that the thing humans have that devils don't that Dante was referring to is the ability to shed tears. Recall Dante's line in ''[[Devil May Cry]] 1'': "Trish... Devils never cry. These tears... Tears are a gift only humans have." and the repeated usage of the line "Devils never cry" throughout the series.

**** Well, it's also hinted that devil may cry, because devil [[Incredible Lame Pun|may]] love.

*** And then they [[Right Makes Might|kick his insane godly rear end anyway.]]

* [[Vandal Hearts|Ash Lambert]] made a quite rousing Patrick Stewart Speech after the [[Big Bad]] had revealed his plan to "[[Apocalypse How|cleanse]]" the world and it's sinful inhabitants.

** Of course, it kinda lost a little of its initial, profound bite when the [[Big Bad]] called him out on the [[Moral Dissonance]] in that speech.

* In ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]'', ''the [[Big Bad]]'' {{spoiler|Orphan}} delivers one {{spoiler|when it explains why the Fal'Cie turn humans into L'Cie.}}

* In a subversion, the [[Final Boss]] of ''[[Persona 3]]'' lists all the ways humanity is so great [[Boss Banter|as you fight him]]. Eventually, he sums up by saying that it none of it matters, because [[Nietzsche Wannabe|everything's going to die anyway.]] Then he [[Turns Red]].

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080107003422/http://www.qwantz.com/fanart/japan/ People is sometimes kind.]

* In ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' (Chapter 30: "Dangerous Days Ahead"), Torg fails badly at this.

 

== Western Animation ==