History Main / DeflectorShields

** Brainiac 5 compensates for not ''technically'' having any offensive powers by having an impenetrable personal force field which he invented for himself. The [[WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes animated version]] doesn't have one, but as he's a transforming robot he probably needs it less.

-->-- ''Series/RedDwarf''

* In the 1953 FilmSerial ''Film/CommandoCody: Sky Marshal of the Universe'', Earth is being bombarded by missiles from another planet, so Cody surrounds the Earth with a cloud of radioactive dust which will overheat the missiles as they pass through the cloud and destroy them. Let's hope none of that dust fell to Earth!

* Shields feature prominently in ''VideoGame/SupremeCommander'', where they were originally reverse-engineered from an alien race by the Aeon, then stolen and copied by the UEF and Cybran Nation. All three factions have powerful stationary shield generators that project a spherical shield around their area. They can all upgrade them a little, with the UEF beating the other two by being able to get up to level seven, and having an "artillery shield roughly four times the size of even that. The Aeon take things a step further with a number of units sporting personal shield generators that conform over the unit. The UEF also gets in on the personal shield idea with their siege bot and Fatboy-class MilitaryMashupMachine, then adding in a naval-based shield generator in ''Forged Alliance''. The sneaky Cybrans only use shields in stationary defensive installations.

** In the serial "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E6TheInvasionOfTime The Invasion of Time]]", the planet Gallifrey is shown to have a large force field protecting it from being attacked.

** ComicBook/{{Polaris}}, the daughter of the aforementioned Magneto, can also create electromagnetic deflector shields.

* ''Literature/Area51'': Airlia technology can create large protective shields around sites, such as their hidden computers at different places on Earth (like Easter Island). Later on, Artad even helps China invade and retake Taiwan through protecting their soldiers using one, so the Taiwanese fire uselessly at them.

** A few races have personal force fields. When SG-1 ambushes Apophis, he single-handedly [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomps]] them, since they haven't figured out how to bypass it. They end up using darts (and once, a thrown knife), although these don't always work either. Jack unloads a magazine at the System Lord Heru-ur, only for the bullets to bounce harmlessly off his personal shield -- then Jack hurls a throwing knife at him, impaling Heru-ur through the hand, causing him to retreat by teleporting away. Carter then praises Jack for correctly deducing that the shields don't stop slower objects (otherwise the wearer couldn't move), but from his reaction, it's clear that Jack just threw the knife ''in desperation''.

* Earth has one in the ''Film/MenInBlack'' movies as a result of a donation from a refugee; the third movie is about its construction. One wonders how the Arquillians managed to get around it in the first film. It would explain why no-one but J takes the threat particularly seriously; they never actually managed more than a warning shot.

* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' has the "Force Field" buff set, which is a straight use of this trope, however, there are also many other protective powers, such as [[MakeMeWannaShout sound waves]] (whu...?), [[AnIcePerson ice]] (hey wait...) and [[IncendiaryExponent FIRE]] (AAAAGH!?). There's also a personal armor set called Energy Aura which is technically this.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'': [[GoldenSuperMode Super Silver]]'s special move is "Shield of Light", a barrier of [[MindOverMatter telekinetic energy]] which can deflect projectiles.

* ''VideoGame/{{Transistor}}'': Bounce() as a passive gives Red a blue and purple shield dome around herself that blocks one attack then it falls, BlockingStopsAllDamage, and comes back up after 5 seconds.

** And then there's the Team VideoGame/StarFox reflectors, that repel any projectiles, but not regular attacks. And the standard method of blocking manifests as a shield around a character.

** The Shield Battery was reinstated in ''VideoGame/StarCraftIILegacyOfTheVoid'' with the added ability to recharge ''building'' shields and automatic targeting, giving them new strategic depth for protecting defenses like Photon Cannons.

** In II, the Protoss lost the Shield Battery, so no more sort-of healing. Their new unit, the Immortal, gets special hardened shields that reduce high-damage attacks like artillery (as long as they still have shields). Unfortunately, this leaves them open to DeathOfAThousandCuts, especially by the Zerg. The Shield Battery was reinstated in ''VideoGame/StarCraftIILegacyOfTheVoid'' with the added ability to recharge building shields and automatic targeting.

* In ''Series/Cleopatra2525'', the PowerTrio is equipped with armbands that project personal energy shields as part of their function (they can also fire energy blasts and allow them to swing like Franchise/SpiderMan). The shields can be overloaded with too much firepower. Also, in one episode, it's revealed that the shields do not protect against kinetic weapons, as shown when Sarge uses a 20th-century gun to kill the episode's BigBad who is hiding behind a super-strong shield.

An interesting effect of the lasgun/shield interaction in ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' is that the explosive power is random: a weak lasgun and shield may produce a giant explosion while a strong lasgun and shield may only destroy themselves. Used to great tactical advantage in the [[Literature/ChapterhouseDune later books]], where unmanned shield projectors were placed on the battlefield as booby traps.\\\

* ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore 4'' and for Answer features Deflector Shield protecting your [[HumongousMecha Armored Core]] called Primal Armor. In for Answer, your shield can even be weaponized, turning it into an explosive blast of energy that deals massive damage and completely strips other Primal Armor in the vicinity thanks to violent reaction between both. Note that this shield doesn't deflect as much as reduce impact with solid weapons due to the forcefield slowing the velocity of incoming projectiles. Bolts of laser penetrates it, plasma plays merry havoc with it, getting hit repeatedly, getting hit with something with faster-than-supersonic speeds, get hit up close either with a laserblade or a super-dense pilebunker will ruin the forcefield. On top of that, engaging extra boosters in your mech consumes the forcefield, ''and'' it's made from a highly toxic particles. Despite all that though, getting hit without it reduces your mech into a fiery wreck very, very fast, so it is useful to a degree.

* Averted in ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm''. Although some in-universe fictional stories refer to [[ClarkesThirdLaw clarketech]] deflector shields which work like this, the jury is out on whether such things actually exist in-universe. Most relativistic interstellar ships are covered in a thick layer of rock in front to deflect debris when traveling at high speeds. There are deflector shields but they're active systems that use a powerful laser to ionize particles in front of the ship and then magnetic fields to deflect the ions.

* ''Franchise/XMen'':
** ComicBook/JeanGrey and ComicBook/RachelSummers of the ComicBook/XMen commonly use telekinetic force fields to protect themselves and their teammates. Presumably other telekinetic mutants are capable of this, as well.

*** Note that there is also a distinction drawn in one episode between starship force fields that work like those on ''Franchise/StarTrek'' (repel everything indiscriminately) and smaller personal shields that work like those on ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' (let slow-moving objects through); both exist in the ''Stargate'' universe. Also, Goa'uld ships [[CoolButInefficient use force fields instead of glass for windows]]. One thing about Goa'uld forcefields (that was pretty much always portrayed with continuity) is that they are one-way. Thus, they stop all attacks coming from the outside, but don't impede firing from the inside or launching smaller ships, with no need to open dangerous holes in the shield.

** The Vorlon too have shields for their larger ships, allowing them to shrug off attacks from the Younger Races and tank even ones from the Shadows, First Ones like the Vorlon themselves.
*** The White Stars, built by the Minbari but including Vorlon technology, have shields too. They are however a lot less effective, as the Vorlon technology transfer did not include their advanced power sources.

* Almost every sci-fi fleet [[SummonMagic summoned]] in ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder'' is equipped with some kind of energy shield, though occasionally some intentionally hard science fiction entities eschew them.

* ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder'': Used often by high-tech entities. The Preston Cole has several layers, each one has a different effect and aegis described the workings of all of them.

** Also lampshaded when the commander of a Terran battlecruiser (a powerful yet unshielded warship) says: "Shields up, weapons online!" -- only to correct himself when clicked again -- "... not equipped with shields? Well then, buckle up!" In the ''VideoGame/WingsOfLiberty'' campaign, they can finally "raise shields" on their own with the Defensive Matrix upgrade from the Hyperion Armory, but only on themselves unlike the Science Vessel's variant.
** In II, the Protoss lost the Shield Battery, so no more sort-of healing. Their new unit, the Immortal, gets special hardened shields that reduce high-damage attacks like artillery (as long as they still have shields). Unfortunately, this leaves them open to DeathOfAThousandCuts, especially by the Zerg. The Shield Battery was reinstated in ''VideoGame/LegacyOfTheVoid'' with the added ability to recharge building shields and automatic targeting.

** In the second game, you can improve the ''Normandy'' with a new type of kinetic barrier that significantly improves the damage absorption by jerking the incoming object (be it a kinetic round or a huge piece of debris) sideways to decrease the force impacting the barrier.
* 343/Bungie''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series Energy shields are a prominent technology for all sorts of things, including to cover their massive starships.
** Initialy The alien Antagonists "The Covenant" solely possessed energy shields, which was a huge tactical disadvantage for humanity early in the war. Covenant warships are largely invulnerable to human weaponry, unless saturated to point of overloading.

* Deflector shields, both ship-mounted and man (animal?) portable versions, occur frequently throughout the ''VideoGame/StarFox'' game series.

* ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'':