S.P.O.C.K
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"We are Es, Pe, Oh, Ce, Key! —S.P.O.C.K, "Star Pilot On Channel K"
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The synth band S.P.O.C.K specializes in Science Fiction geekery. The band members usually wear Star Trek uniforms on stage during their concerts, and most songs are built around tropes or characters in Science Fiction.
Common themes are Star Trek, Star Wars, alien invasions and generic Science Fiction concepts - that often get twisted around quite a bit.
Named after the Star Trek character Spock, who is also the Trope Namer for The Spock.
Not to be confused with the band Spock's Beard.
S.P.O.C.K provides examples of the following tropes:
- Alien Abduction: The main character in "Next In Line" - and eventually also the audience: the title is the protagonist's warning "you are next in line".
- Alien Among Us: The protagonist of "ET Phone Home".
- Alien Invasion: Aliens invade in "Alien Attack" as well as "All ET's aren't nice", "They Are Here" and "Next In Line".
- Aliens From Earth: The aliens in "Alien Attack" are actually dinosaurs.
- Exclusively Evil: NEVER TRUST A KLINGON!
- Crapsack Only by Comparison: "Beam Me Up", (surely inspired by Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) sums up our world with the words "Beam me up, there's no intelligent life down here where I am".
- The Dark Side: Featured in "The Dark Side Of The Force" (where Darth Vader is the protagonist) as well as in "The Stormtroper" (where the protagonist is a reluctant minion of the evil Empire).
- Dream Within a Dream: In the song with the same name.
- Earth All Along: In "Beam Me Up", the characters encounter a barbaric culture that they eventually realize is 21:th century Earth.
- Earth Is Young: Subverted in Alien Attack. It starts out as a straight Type B, ranting about how geology is just a theory that shouldn't be trusted. And then it turns out that they are not talking about the earth being young (which would have made more sense from the first lines). Instead, they are talking about how the dinosaurs actually survived the extinction level event by fleeing out into space. Now they are back, and furious that the humans evolved and took over their planet in their absence.
- "Alien, alien attack. They. Want. Their. Planet. Back."
- The End of the World as We Know It: Parodied in the song "End of the universe", which is actually about the Douglas Adams novel The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe.
- Fun with Acronyms: The band's name, as noted below in Public Domain Character.
- Give Geeks a Chance: In "Every Single Day", the protagonist tries to convince a woman that it would be great to be with a geek like him. In "Android's Dilemma", the protagonist is not only a geeky humanoid computer, but also a virgin who is trying to get a love life.
- Gravity Is Only a Theory: See Earth Is Young example above.
- He's Dead, Jim: Invoked in "Dr McCoy"
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: "Astrogirl" is a quite sad story.
- Last of His Kind: The protagonist in "The Last Man On Earth".
- The Masquerade: Evil aliens infiltrating earth government et cetera. Featured in several songs, including "Next In Line" and "They Are Here".
- The McCoy: Featured in "Dr McCoy"
- No Place for Me There: All the children shall lead. (Warning: Bad quality clip.)
- Public Domain Character: Inverted & Defied - Spock is not public domain, and thus the band is named S.P.O.C.K. instead. If some copyright lawyer starts bitching about it, they can always pretend that the title of their song "Star Pilot On Channel K" is the "real" name of the band.
- Punch Clock Villain: The protagonist of "The Stormtrooper".
- Small Secluded World: In "Home Planet", the protagonist is stranded on an asteroid.