Unwinnable Training Simulation: Difference between revisions

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Occurs most often in [[Speculative Fiction]], series about teams of criminals, series set in the military, and shows about ninjas. Sometimes leads to a [[Training Accident]] plot, if the people involved don't know it's not real.

The former [[Trope Namer]] is the training simulation shown in the first scenes of ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan]]'' where a bunch of Starfleet cadets attempt a simulated rescue of the space freighter ''Kobayashi Maru'' in hostile Klingon space. Compare [[Danger Room Cold Open]], in which an [[Unwinnable Training Simulation]] (or some other "safe" action scene) is used to introduce the characters and their abilities before the real action starts.

The former [[Trope Namer]] is the training simulation shown in the first scenes of ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan]]'' where a bunch of Starfleet cadets attempt a simulated rescue of the space freighter ''Kobayashi Maru'' in hostile Klingon space. Compare [[Danger Room Cold Open]], in which an '''Unwinnable Training Simulation''' (or some other "safe" action scene) is used to introduce the characters and their abilities before the real action starts.

An [[Unwinnable Training Simulation]] may double as an [[Hidden Purpose Test]], often of how the trainees deal with unwinnable situations. If this type of scenario is featured at the beginning of an episode, the character flaw the rest of the episode focuses on will either be the character's own pride or inability to accept that sometimes, [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog|crap happens]].

An '''Unwinnable Training Simulation''' may double as an [[Hidden Purpose Test]], often of how the trainees deal with unwinnable situations. If this type of scenario is featured at the beginning of an episode, the character flaw the rest of the episode focuses on will either be the character's own pride or inability to accept that sometimes, [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog|crap happens]].

Occasionally, this will be subverted in that the character ''will'' win the scenario, by 'cheating' (which is how Kirk in both ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|The Wrath of Khan]]'' and [[Star Trek (film)|the 2009 reboot]] became the only cadet to ever win).

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* Somewhat used in the second ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' [[The Movie|movie]]. After capturing all of the Cards, we learn that this is how Tomoyo keeps herself entertained. However, it's not a simulation (the monsters are made with the Create card), and Sakura wins.

* Used once in [[Outlaw Star]], where Gene goes through several launch simulations. Each time, something goes badly wrong as a test to see how he's react in unanticipated situations. Needless to say, it pissed him off, and the first launch went perfectly...Well, if you don't count the thousands of dollars worth of damage he caused to the landing dock, that is.

* ''[[Code Geass]]'' doesn't use it, but in one interview the show's director offered a [[Unwinnable Training Simulation]] situation to illustrate the differences between the two male leads. As the story goes, there's a car wreck and two men are injured, one worse than the other; there's also a hospital some distance away. Lelouch, an "end justifies the means" type, would consider the factors, then take the man with less severe injuries to the hospital; that man lives, and Lelouch consoles himself over the other's death with the knowledge that at least he saved one person. Suzaku, a "means justifies the ends" type, would do his best to get both of them to the hospital, but they'd both die along the way; at first he'd curse his own weakness, but then he'd assuage himself by saying that he did the right thing.

* ''[[Code Geass]]'' doesn't use it, but in one interview the show's director offered a Unwinnable Training Simulation situation to illustrate the differences between the two male leads. As the story goes, there's a car wreck and two men are injured, one worse than the other; there's also a hospital some distance away. Lelouch, an "end justifies the means" type, would consider the factors, then take the man with less severe injuries to the hospital; that man lives, and Lelouch consoles himself over the other's death with the knowledge that at least he saved one person. Suzaku, a "means justifies the ends" type, would do his best to get both of them to the hospital, but they'd both die along the way; at first he'd curse his own weakness, but then he'd assuage himself by saying that he did the right thing.

* In ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'' the titular ship has landed on the surface above an underground refugee camp and Captain Yurika Misumaru attempts to save everyone underground, but the ship is crippled and she must face the choice of taking off and retreating (thus causing the ground to collapse and kill everyone below) or the ship itself getting blown up; only it's ''not'' a training simulation. Lest the series end early, she chooses to retreat.

* [[Crest of the Stars|Banner of the Stars]] opens with a fierce battle which results in the [[Main Character|main characters]]' ship being destroyed. It turns out it was a mock engagement.

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** The episode of TNG in which Picard, Crusher, and Worf storm a Cardassian base also uses this.

* ''[[Power Rangers]]'' is fond of this one, using it in episodes of ''[[Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue]]'' ("Trial by Fire"), ''[[Power Rangers Ninja Storm]]'' ("There's No 'I' In Team"), ''[[Power Rangers SPD]]'' ("Beginnings"), and ''[[Power Rangers RPM]]'' ("Ranger Red").

** "Gung-Ho" from MMPR is a very interesting ~~twist -- using~~ the carrier zord, Titanus as this.

** "Gung-Ho" from MMPR is a very interesting twist—using the carrier zord, Titanus as this.

* ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' does it with "Avatar", wherein Teal'c is trapped in a training simulation designed to learn from him and become harder to beat as a result. It did this by either spawning enemies right around corners to shoot him, spawning new enemies after the conditions of the simulation had been beaten, and adding factors to make the enemies harder to beat. It took Daniel being added in as an ally (with the ability to see the future as a cheat) for the computer to finally give Teal'c a victory scenario.

** Worse, it turns out {{spoiler|it was a reverse-[[Clap Your Hands If You Believe]] scenario. Since Teal'c's mind was driving the game, it turns out that Teal'c had to ''believe'' he'd won}} or every time, he'd find that [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]] and would change the rules on him. And he {{spoiler|could ''never'' see the battle against the Goa'uld finally being over.}}

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* ''[[X-Men: Evolution]]'' does this the most times in its short run, twice forming the plot for the episode. (In the first, Cyclops doesn't want to train against Rogue's simulation, and in the second, the young'uns learn teamwork.)

* The 1990's ''[[X-Men (animation)|X-Men]]'' cartoon and the concurrently-running ''[[Spider-Man: The Animated Series|Spider-Man]]'' cartoon once did a [[Crossover]]: ''The Mutant Agenda'' introduces Spidey to the X-Men by his sneaking into the mansion to find Professor X... and getting waylaid by Sentinels. Turns out it's the Danger Room, of course.

* Used in the "Glitter N' Gold" episode of ''[[Jem]]''. Jerrica wants to tell her boyfriend, Rio, that she is Jem's secret identity. She uses Synergy, her hologram-making super-computer to make an illusion of Rio to see what will happen; it goes badly. Synergy assumes that she might be ~~wrong--but~~ then the real Rio explodes at Kimber after she reveals that she made a mistake - using almost the exact same words the holographic Rio did. This came from Christy Marx, the writer of most of the episodes of the ''Jem'' series, who wanted Jerrica to have a reason to keep her other identity a secret from Rio.

* Used in the "Glitter N' Gold" episode of ''[[Jem]]''. Jerrica wants to tell her boyfriend, Rio, that she is Jem's secret identity. She uses Synergy, her hologram-making super-computer to make an illusion of Rio to see what will happen; it goes badly. Synergy assumes that she might be wrong—but then the real Rio explodes at Kimber after she reveals that she made a mistake - using almost the exact same words the holographic Rio did. This came from Christy Marx, the writer of most of the episodes of the ''Jem'' series, who wanted Jerrica to have a reason to keep her other identity a secret from Rio.

* ''[[Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends]]'', in keeping with its Marvel Comics roots, pulled a Danger Room on Iceman in a late episode.

* ''[[Family Guy]]'' two parter, ''Stewie Kills Lois/Lois Kills Stewie''

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[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]

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[[Category:Unwinnable Training Simulation]]