Tyrannosaurus Rex: Difference between revisions

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[[File:rexfamily1024.jpg|link=Jurassic Park|frame|~~<small>~~A ''T. rex'' family. It's probably not a good idea to [[Mama Bear|bother]] the baby.~~</small>~~ ]]

[[File:rexfamily1024.jpg|link=Jurassic Park|frame|A ''T. rex'' family. It's probably not a good idea to [[Mama Bear|bother]] the baby. ]]

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In older fiction, tyrannosaurs and many other bipedal dinosaurs were typically portrayed in an upright "tripod stance" like a kangaroo (pretty much the only bipedal animal with a long tail early paleoartists could use as a model; see [[Godzilla]]). [[Science Marches On]], however, and by the '70s, it was generally agreed by the paleontological community that dinosaurs did not drag their tails. However, it wasn't until ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' came along in 1992 that this view managed to filter into pop culture: just the scene of a group of humans in a jeep being chased by a ''T. rex'' with that proper anatomic structure, and looking like she had a real chance of catching them, was enough to lock it in the public imagination. Even then, newer works still sneak in the tripod stance every so often, usually by showing ''T. rex'' in a "triumphant" pose that resembles the stance.

If a work of fiction involves [[Time Travel]], the probability of a ''T. rex'' appearing is directly proportional to the number of episodes. If the characters time-travel once in a series, they will either end up in a hilariously inaccurate version of the late Cretaceous and meet a ''T. rex'' or a hilariously inaccurate version of the old ~~west -- where~~ they may meet a ''T. rex'' anyway. Likewise, a machine that merely pulls things out of the past, or other dimensions, seemingly has a 90% chance of grabbing a ''T. rex''. If the work of fiction supposedly ''doesn't'' involve [[Time Travel]], there's a good chance of the ''T. rex'' nevertheless [[Misplaced Wildlife|encountering critters from wildly different eras]], such as ''Stegosaurus'', which predates ''T. rex'' by roughly as long as ''T. rex'' predates us.

If a work of fiction involves [[Time Travel]], the probability of a ''T. rex'' appearing is directly proportional to the number of episodes. If the characters time-travel once in a series, they will either end up in a hilariously inaccurate version of the late Cretaceous and meet a ''T. rex'' or a hilariously inaccurate version of the old west—where they may meet a ''T. rex'' anyway. Likewise, a machine that merely pulls things out of the past, or other dimensions, seemingly has a 90% chance of grabbing a ''T. rex''. If the work of fiction supposedly ''doesn't'' involve [[Time Travel]], there's a good chance of the ''T. rex'' nevertheless [[Misplaced Wildlife|encountering critters from wildly different eras]], such as ''Stegosaurus'', which predates ''T. rex'' by roughly as long as ''T. rex'' predates us.

'''Note''' -- While we're here, a word about spelling, punctuation, and [[Taxonomic Term Confusion]]: the correct way to refer to the species is ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' or ''T. rex'' ~~-- upper~~-case T, lower-case r, period after the T in the abbreviated version. And italicized. Not "T Rex", "T-Rex", "t-rex" and so on.

'''Note''' -- While we're here, a word about spelling, punctuation, and [[Taxonomic Term Confusion]]: the correct way to refer to the species is ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' or ''T. rex''—upper-case T, lower-case r, period after the T in the abbreviated version. And italicized. Not "T Rex", "T-Rex", "t-rex" and so on.

Also, there was far more than one kind of "tyrannosaur". The word "tyrannosaur" can be used to describe various relatives of ''T. rex'' belonging to the superfamily [[wikipedia:Tyrannosauroidea|Tyrannosauroids]]. It turns out this group included members both large and powerful like the almost-identical Asian ''[[Prehistoric Life|Tarbosaurus]]'' and the smaller North American ''[[Prehistoric Life|Albertosaurus]]'' , ''[[Prehistoric Life|Daspletosaurus]]'' and ''[[Prehistoric Life|Gorgosaurus]]'' ~~-- and~~ relatively small and quick, like the recently discovered ''[[Prehistoric Life|Eotyrannus]]'' and ''[[Prehistoric Life|Guanlong]]''.

Also, there was far more than one kind of "tyrannosaur". The word "tyrannosaur" can be used to describe various relatives of ''T. rex'' belonging to the superfamily [[wikipedia:Tyrannosauroidea|Tyrannosauroids]]. It turns out this group included members both large and powerful like the almost-identical Asian ''[[Prehistoric Life|Tarbosaurus]]'' and the smaller North American ''[[Prehistoric Life|Albertosaurus]]'' , ''[[Prehistoric Life|Daspletosaurus]]'' and ''[[Prehistoric Life|Gorgosaurus]]''—and relatively small and quick, like the recently discovered ''[[Prehistoric Life|Eotyrannus]]'' and ''[[Prehistoric Life|Guanlong]]''.

Another important note: ''T. rex'' lived only in what is now central North America (ranging from about Alberta to Texas), so don't expect your time traveler to [[You Fail Geography Forever|bump into them]] if they take off from anywhere else in the world ([[Time and Relative Dimensions In Space|unless it's one of those time machines that can go to a different location]]). This is partly due to [[Science Marches On]] - specifically, the Asian ''Tarbosaurus'' was long suggested to be a species of ''Tyrannosaurus''.

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== Films -- Live-Action ==

* ''[[Jurassic Park]]''

** The first movie has a ''T. rex'' chasing the heroes all over the ~~place -- though~~ it's somewhat of a subversion, as the real threat is the Velociraptors. Additionally, in the original film, she ''is'' seen hunting actual dinosaurs, and at one point gives up on chasing the protagonists when they outrun her in a jeep. And finally, she comes back at the climax of the film to [[Big Damn Villains|save the protagonists from the raptors]].

** The first movie has a ''T. rex'' chasing the heroes all over the place—though it's somewhat of a subversion, as the real threat is the Velociraptors. Additionally, in the original film, she ''is'' seen hunting actual dinosaurs, and at one point gives up on chasing the protagonists when they outrun her in a jeep. And finally, she comes back at the climax of the film to [[Big Damn Villains|save the protagonists from the raptors]].

** The sequel upped this by having ''three'', including a baby, and the [[Papa Wolf|Papa Rex]] goes on a rampage in southern California.

** [[Contested Sequel|The third one]] has the ''T. rex'' killed by the larger ''Spinosaurus'', which is more likely a [[Somewhere a Palaeontologist Is Crying|fish eater]] or [[wikipedia:Spinosaurus#Feeding ecology|generalist carnivore]] than the unstoppable [[Big Bad]] the film made it out to be. The ''[[JP 3]] Spinosaurus'', arguably, falls under the "Pseudo-Rex" trope mentioned above. Somewhat justified, as Grant mentions, since these aren't real dinosaurs, but mutations. The animals were bred by InGen using non-dinosaur filler-DNA and raised in environments (and with other animals) they may have never otherwise encountered. This would lead to strange behavior at best, and outright mutation into new species at worst (which is essentially what happened).

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* Both ''[[Dino Crisis]]'' 1 and 2 (think ''[[Resident Evil]]'' meets ''[[Jurassic Park]]'') have the protagonists being pursued by [[Super-Persistent Predator]] ''T. rex''es.

* Both ''[[Freedom Force]]'' games feature ''T. rex''es.

* In the end of the Soviet campaign in ''Red Alert: Yuri's Revenge'', the defeated villain Yuri highjacks a time machine and attempts to escape. Soviets manage to override the controls of the machine and overload its core and send Yuri one-way straight to prehistoric times. Gues who's waiting for him there. Note that in this case the ''T. rex'' is actually a [[Chekhov's Gunman]], as in the first Soviet mission if you move really quickly when you're accidentally sent back there you can capture one and return it to the ~~present -- where~~ you can send it on a rampage in present-day San Francisco. It seems to have gained much tougher skin in the time travel tripe than the dozens you have no choice but to slaughter before you make the return ~~trip -- you~~ can take out most of the enemy base with "Rexy" alone.

* In the end of the Soviet campaign in ''Red Alert: Yuri's Revenge'', the defeated villain Yuri highjacks a time machine and attempts to escape. Soviets manage to override the controls of the machine and overload its core and send Yuri one-way straight to prehistoric times. Gues who's waiting for him there. Note that in this case the ''T. rex'' is actually a [[Chekhov's Gunman]], as in the first Soviet mission if you move really quickly when you're accidentally sent back there you can capture one and return it to the present—where you can send it on a rampage in present-day San Francisco. It seems to have gained much tougher skin in the time travel tripe than the dozens you have no choice but to slaughter before you make the return trip—you can take out most of the enemy base with "Rexy" alone.

* ''3-D Ultra Pinball: The Lost Continent'' has at least one, who can eat the pinball whole. To make matters worse, the protagonist is named Rex, leading a scientist to this: "That's interesting... Rex meets ''T. rex''."

* ''Lineage II'' has an entire island of dinosaurs. The ''T. rex'' is a raid-boss like, aggressive mob that will, occasionally, eat other dinosaurs and be surrounded by a glowing blue effect. They normally wander around a set area (per 'rex) but there's one or two that walk around the whole Primeval Forest. And they're also aggro. The developers actually kept the poor eyesight of the ''T. rex'', and have given players a chance to run away: if you see the ''T. rex'' say "?" it means you have been noticed.