Teleporter Accident: Difference between revisions

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** In the first season of ''[[Star Trek Enterprise (TV)|Star Trek Enterprise]],'' the transporters hadn't gotten all the kinks out and weren't certified for transporting humans (or Vulcans or... you know what I mean). In an emergency a [[Red Shirt]] was transported from the surface of a planet during a windstorm and came back with leaves and twigs embedded in his body. Luckily he would make a complete recovery, which for a [[Red Shirt]] is amazing.

** Note that despite all this, in every series except ''Enterprise'', when a character is shown to be unwilling or scared to used the transporters, they are treated as eccentric and unreasonable in their fear of the device.

** Also note that, apparently, [[Reed Richards Is Useless|none of these effects are reproducible when you might actually want them]]. A gizmo that can [[Fountain of Youth|turn an old man into a child, with his memory intact?]] A gate for entering parallel universes? Of course, most of these effects would be [[Story Breaker Power|Story Breakers]] if they could be invoked at will. Even the related (and ubiquitous) replicator tech is never explored to its fullest potential, for this reason.

** Also note that, apparently, [[Reed Richards Is Useless|none of these effects are reproducible when you might actually want them]]. A gizmo that can [[Fountain of Youth|turn an old man into a child, with his memory intact?]] A gate for entering parallel universes? Of course, most of these effects would be [[Story-Breaker Power|Story Breakers]] if they could be invoked at will. Even the related (and ubiquitous) replicator tech is never explored to its fullest potential, for this reason.

*** In ''[[Deep Space Nine]]'' the characters (of the {{mirror universe}) have [[Alternate Universe Reed Richards Is Awesome|created technology to allow transport between the two universes at will]].

* In ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'', O'Neil and Carter enter the [[Cool Gate|Stargate]] to return to base, but end up on an ice planet instead. However, {{spoiler|it turns out they did make it back to Earth, only they rematerialized in Antarctica.}}

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** An energy discharge in a wormhole bisecting a black hole causes all subsequent wormholes bisecting the black hole from the same direction (in any alternate universe to boot) to connect to a specific alternate universe's stargate on Earth.

* In ''[[Fringe]]'' the teleporter has rather horrible side-effects: you have to stay in a decompression chamber for a few weeks, and even then it slowly kills you. Then again, you become [[Immune to Bullets]].

* The ''[[~~Doctor Who (TV)|~~Doctor Who]]'' two-parter episode "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead" featured [[Teleporter Accident|Teleporter Accidents]] on a planet-wide scale deliberately like a lifeboat. {{spoiler|The main computer of the Library teleported everybody ''into'' her database in order to save them from evil shadowy pirahna particles.}}

* The ''[[Doctor Who]]'' two-parter episode "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead" featured [[Teleporter Accident|Teleporter Accidents]] on a planet-wide scale deliberately like a lifeboat. {{spoiler|The main computer of the Library teleported everybody ''into'' her database in order to save them from evil shadowy pirahna particles.}}

* ''[[The Comic Strip Presents]]'': "The Yob" parodies ''[[The Fly]]'' remake by having a scientist accidentally merged with a soccer hooligan. Also, at the end of the episode, a macho stud ends up with the lower body of {{spoiler|a tomcat}}.

== Tabletop Games ==

* ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' has a "deepstrike mishap" table, used when deepstriking (sometimes teleportation, but also includes tunnelling and being [[~~Its~~ Raining Men|dropped from the skies]]). Since it's a mishap table, a lot of things go wrong. Some examples listed in the book includes units being fused to rocks (teleporting into impassable terrain). The newer edition is a bit more forgiving, but given the mechanics, it's anything but reliable.

* ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' has a "deepstrike mishap" table, used when deepstriking (sometimes teleportation, but also includes tunnelling and being [[It's Raining Men|dropped from the skies]]). Since it's a mishap table, a lot of things go wrong. Some examples listed in the book includes units being fused to rocks (teleporting into impassable terrain). The newer edition is a bit more forgiving, but given the mechanics, it's anything but reliable.

** Warp Spiders can make a special teleportation "shunt" move during their assault phases. However things can go wrong, in which one member of the squad is dragged into the warp, never to be heard from again. This is especially scary for Autarchs, as (being a unit of one) only he can disappear, so it's recommended to keep him in a unit of warp spiders so that someone else can take the unfortunate fall.

* In ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'', regular teleports don't always take you to the exactly where you want to go. possibly resulting in being in hostile territory. Also if you roll "mishap" you take damage.

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* In ''[[Portal (Video Game)|Portal]]''. Under some circumstances, deactivating a portal while you're halfway through it will get you stuck. Also...

{{quote| ''"These intra-dimensional gates have proven to be completely safe. The device, however, has not. Do not touch the operational end of the device. Do not look into the operational end of the device. Do not submerge the device in liquid, even partially. Most importantly, under no circumstances should you--[[Lost in Transmission|[power drain]]]"''}}

* In ''[[Space Quest]] V'', a transporter accident swaps your head with the head of a fly, in a [[Shout Out]] / blatant rip-off of ''[[The Fly]]''.

* In ''[[Space Quest]] V'', a transporter accident swaps your head with the head of a fly, in a [[Shout-Out]] / blatant rip-off of ''[[The Fly]]''.

** At one point, Roger's head is turned into a giant eyeball and at another, he was partially melted. (These were [[Played for Laughs|just sight gags]] and were fixed immediately afterwards)

** Eventually, the characters figure out that they can use the teleporter to intentionally create an accident {{spoiler|and thereby separate the toxic goo from the people it's infected.}}

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* In one ''[[Venture Brothers]]'' episode where Dr. Venture ends up ([[Played for Laughs|harmlessly]]) stuck in the walls of various parts of the house for the duration of the story. To quote him "Well, wherever my lower half is, it must be outdoors. I think it's raining."

* In ''[[X-Men Evolution]]'', Forge tries to extend the range of Nightcrawler's teleportation, and ends up creating rifts to the hell-like dimension Nightcrawler uses to move from place to place. Needless to say, the inhabitants get out.

* ''[[Re Boot]]'' has a [[Shout Out]] to this in one episode. Bob tries to use a makeshift transporter (itself a [[Shout Out]] to ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]'') to separate himself from Glitch. Bob dematerializes and then rematerializes with no change and somehow picked up a passenger along the way. Then the trope is played straight later when Bob tries to use a portal for the same purpose, only for it to explode and nearly kill him.

* ''[[Re Boot]]'' has a [[Shout-Out]] to this in one episode. Bob tries to use a makeshift transporter (itself a [[Shout-Out]] to ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]'') to separate himself from Glitch. Bob dematerializes and then rematerializes with no change and somehow picked up a passenger along the way. Then the trope is played straight later when Bob tries to use a portal for the same purpose, only for it to explode and nearly kill him.

* ''[[Dexters Laboratory]]'' episode "Sole Brother" featured Dexter testing a teleporter. When he used it on himself, he ended up fused with Dee Dee's foot.

* When Candace and Perry fell into ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'''s teleporter in "Does This Duckbill Make Me Look Fat?", they [[Body Swap|swapped bodies]].

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[[Category:Doppelganger]]

[[Category:Teleportation Tropes]]

[[Category:Teleporter Accident]]

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