Someday This Will Come in Handy: Difference between revisions

Because, by [[Law of Conservation of Detail]], or maybe because of some usage of the [[Idiot Ball]], there will rise an ''exact'' situation where their trivial knowledge will come to the rescue. Sometimes it requires a [[Plot Tailored to the Party]] to happen, other times it just happens naturally. In any case, their so-called "useless knowledge" will save the day. Of course, this is pretty much the mantra of the [[Crazy Prepared]].

 

 

[[Chekhov's Hobby]] and [[Chekhov's Classroom]] leads to this. Compare [[Figure It Out Yourself]], [[You Will Know What to Do]].

* In ''[[Planet Terror]]'', Cherry Darling even calls many of her skills 'Useless talents' and numbers them.

* In ''[[Legally Blonde]]'', law student Elle Woods' extensive knowledge of fashion allows her to both a) discredit a witness and b) implicate the true guilty party in the case. And she does it again in the sequel, this time to prove that a certain politician was a) not getting a facial and b) secretly against a "no testing on animals" bill she's working on.

** Wayne lampshades this again later, when Sharp's whereabouts suddenly become important: "Aren't you glad we were there to hear that information? Seemed extraneous at the time."

** The sequel does something similar as well. When Wayne and Garth arrive outside of a studio, a number of men are doing things such as moving a window back and forth across the street, stacking fruit, and so on. When asked why, the workers reply that it's just their job. Of course, later on Wayne crashes through them all in his car in a stereotypical "action sequence", causing the workers to state in satisfied fashion that their job is done. Of course, the "handiness" of this is almost entirely under the [[Rule of Cool]].

* Subverted in ''[[Titanic]]'' (1997): While being given a tour of the ship, Rose's entourage is shown the equipment in the Titanic's gymnasium, which includes a rowing machine. When offered to give it a try, Rose's mother remarks, "Don't be absurd. I can't imagine a skill I should likely need less!"

* It probably qualifies more as a [[Continuity Nod]] than anything else, but a cut scene in the 1979 sci-fi classic ''[[Alien]]'' shows Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley reading a bioscanner for crewmember Kane, and failing to understand that he's had an organism planted inside of him. This scene pays off in the third film, when Ripley gets prison staff member Andrews to scan her using her crashed escape pod's bioscanner, and she knows where and how to scan for anomalies.

Wilkes: Jesus Christ will save your life, lad, if you'll only let him into your heart.

Posner: I'm Jewish, sir. }}

 

== [[Literature]] ==

** Of course, this is something that Beldin and Belgarath have both known perfectly well for centuries. It's common knowledge among the world's sorcerors and, of course, the Grolims. Mentioning it early in the story for later use is an excellent example of [[Chekhov's Gun]], but this may not exactly fit the trope since it isn't ''unusual'' knowledge.

** The page quote ''itself'' simply refers to Silk learning that green is made from blue and yellow...which had absolutely no impact on the plot beyond explaining {{spoiler|why the Sardion was red}}.

** Early in the book, the rabbits discover that sitting on a floating piece of wood allows a rabbit to float. This is a difficult concept for such simple animals, and only a couple of the group can wrap their heads around it. After using this principle to help a wounded rabbit get across the brook, Blackberry comments: "I admit it was a good idea. Let's remember it. [[Lampshade Hanging|It might come in handy]] [[Foreshadowing|again sometime]]." And of course, {{spoiler|it ''does''. When the rabbits have to make a quick getaway from an enemy patrol, their plan hinges on getting on a little punt and biting the rope. The enemy rabbits (and many of the escapees) are completely baffled by this tactic.}}

** Hazel, on an impulse, saves a mouse from a kestrel. This is seen as unusual because rabbits usually have no associations with other non-predator species. Hazel, however, sees it as an opportunity. Mice are fairly useless to the rabbits, but what would be the benefit of befriending a more useful animal? Enter Kehaar.

* On ''[[Bones]]'', one of the interns, Mr. Nigel-Murray, spouts off useless facts only vaguely related to the case whenever he gets nervous. Occasionally, his useless facts turn out to be helpful.

* In an episode of ''[[The Good Guys]]'', Jack and Dan track down a criminal to a restaurant because of barbecue sauce left at the crime scene. When Jack asks Dan how he knows which specific restaurant the criminal ate at, Dan responds, "There's three things I know something about: fast cars, fighting crime, and the various good barbecue in the Dallas metroplex."

** Not to mention Brittany, who is anything but bright, helps the team win with her incredible knowledge of cat diseases.

* [[Criminal Minds|Spencer Reid]] is the ''king'' of this trope. Knowledge of Siouxsie and the Banshees, 14th century English literature and government issued traffic reports? You betcha.

== [[Web Original]] ==

* [[Whateley Universe]]:

** Phase learning about 'giants' (size Warpers who use a warp field to appear to grow to giant size) in class, and then using that to defeat one in Boston. He also uses the same tactic to defeat the Vindicators in the beginning of ''Ayla and the Birthday Brawl''- he takes over Sizemax's field and uses her like a meteor hammer.

** Phase is made of this trope, when he's not being [[Crazy Prepared]] or the [[White Prince]]. There's the lecture he gave on fighting other mutants in "Ayla and the Birthday Brawl". There's the training manual he read in "Ayla and the Great Shoulder Angel Conspiracy". There's the financial expertise he learned about as a child in a super-rich family. There's the knowledge about religious icons he wields in "Ayla and the Grinch". And so on...

 

== [[Real Life]] ==

* ''[[wikipedia:Academic Bowl|Quizbowl]]''. Being a repository of completely random knowledge is an immense asset.

** Subverted by the canon ( http://www.qbwiki.com/wiki/Canon ), thanks to which experienced players can predict fairly accurately what topics will come up and study accordingly. Probably most of the points good players accumulate are the result of targeted accumulation.