History Main / LostInTransmission

This trope is about that scene where someone is receiving, or has found, some important piece of information only to have ''--[[SelfDemonstratingArticle connection lost]]--''

----

* Some list of important information is being conveyed. Whether because of technical reasons (network failure, radio static, the tape breaks, the computer has experienced a psychotic break from reality, etc) or unintentional stupidity, some of the information is lost. Inevitably it is going to be [[HisNameIs the most important piece of information]]. It's the one single piece required to complete the task you are being given, or prevent you from being killed while performing the task. The last clear part of the message will invariably be something like "Under no circumstances should you ever..." or "It's vitally important that you..."
* A variation where the audience is [[TakeOurWordForIt left in the dark]], but in-universe everyone is clued in. The ''Film/PlanetTerror'' example below is this type. (Similar to RelaxOVision, but where that is obviously intentional, this is made to look purely accidental.)
* You have [[ApocalypticLog some kind of communication]] or [[GreatBigBookOfEverything tome of information]], part of which is missing or has been either intentionally or unintentionally redacted, leaving something much more mysterious, suggestive and/or humorous than the original could possibly have been. What you're left with is an accidental list of NoodleImplements with no instructions. Or a non-sequitur without the information that would have naturally linked Point A to Point Z and you are left wondering just exactly ''how the heck'' Point A and Point Z could ''possibly'' be connected. The Website/SCPFoundation example below is this type.

* You aren't simply missing necessary information to be discovered as with a puzzle or in context of a mystery.
* It's '''not''' a case of [[FunnyPhoneMisunderstanding misunderstanding what was said]] or a translation error.
* The '''most important''' is that the recipient ''knows'' there is another piece and there is no way for them to get it; communication has effectively become a one-way street and they are getting all they are going to get without the chance to ask "Can you please repeat yourself?"
* It's nearly always used for the funny.

In a best-case scenario you are left going "Huh?" in a worst-case scenario you are left holding a pair of wire snips and a dead cellphone saying, "Hello? It's still ticking. You just said 'Never ever do...' Never ever do what? Are you still there? It's started to make beep-beep noises now. Hello?"

Compare: OrphanedPunchline and NoodleImplements. HisNameIs and ConvenientlyInterruptedDocument are subtropes. Contrast: LostInTranslation (where the information is all there, just interpreted wrongly) and FakeStatic (where the recipient ''pretends'' he didn't receive instructions he doesn't want to follow). See also DistressCall, ElectronicSpeechImpediment, TranslationYes and CorruptedData.

* Famously happened to the third game of the 1989 World Series -- as Creator/{{ABC}}'s sportscasters were recapping the events of the preceding games, a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Loma_Prieta_earthquake massive earthquake began]], [[WeAreExperiencingTechnicalDifficulties cutting the announcers off as the feed from Candlestick Park was lost]] {"[[https://youtu.be/umIzQ-C-fTc?t=272 I tell you what, we're having an earth-]]" *static*). Fortunately, they were unharmed and managed to reconnect by telephone (with Al Michaels declaring it had been "the greatest open in the history of television, ''bar none!''"). ABC went to rain delay programming before Ted Koppel was able to begin continuous coverage of the quake.

* Jarringly subverted in ''Film/TheSpanishPrisoner'', where several points of fact, detail, or exposition are obscured by environmental noise or bad camera angles as a deliberate signal to the audience ''of the movie'' that they are Macguffins.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'', as Gallaxhar is [[TheUnreveal telling his life story]] and being cloned (when he's downed into the cloning machine, we can't hear him) at the same time.
* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'', of all places, has this occur: [[spoiler:After TJ escaped from his makeshift cell with Prickly and into Benedict's office (formerly Prickly's office), TJ manages to report that he located Prickly and that he discovered Benedict's plan from a mural, which was to get rid of Summer Vacation. TJ then tries to supply his friends with a plan... but was unable to even start talking because at that moment, the ugly bald guy grabbed the walkie talkie, and likewise caused the communication to go dead.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheReluctantWerewolf'': A humorous variant with Dracula's "Bat Laser" holographic transmitter. His words get through just fine, but the hologram failed to include his pants in the image, leaving him standing there in his boxer shorts.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
** Module S4 ''The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth''. The {{PC}}s can acquire an ApocalypticLog document of a party that previously entered the title area. It has a number of smudges, stains, blotches and smears that cover important words and phrases.
** Module O2 ''Blade of Vengeance''. Two items have missing information: Druinder's letter and the last page of the hermit's book.
** ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' supplement ''Chilling Tales'', adventure "The Taskmaster's Leash". The {{PC}}s receive a letter from Dr. Rudolph von Richten that has been crudely censored, with all of the segments that indicate what's really going on blotted out.

* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' supplement ''Cthulhu By Gaslight'', adventure "The Yorkshire Horrors". An account by a Roman legion scribe of an attack by Franchise/CthulhuMythos monsters and cultists has two parts that are hard or impossible to read. The first possibly refers to "walking trees" (actually Dark Spawn of Shub-Niggurath). The second is a stain of blood or perspiration that covers up part of the narrative.

* [[http://xkcd.com/521/ This]] ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' strip has only the prime-numbered panels (the other 2/3 of the panels are blacked out).
* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' has the doc [[ItMakesSenseInContext riding a robot Dracula in outer space]], calling his brother (who is fighting a demonic spirit in a submarine at the time) for tips on how to control it. No surprise the connection (eventually) gets lost.

* In ''Webcomic/QuentynQuinnSpaceRanger'', [[http://www.rhjunior.com/quentyn-quinn-space-ranger-0079/ he is told he must take the assassin alive, but not why.]]

* This trope accidentally a MemeticMutation. To explain -- the meme comes from a discussion thread about ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', asking about Hanyuu's horns and specifically why none of the characters ever seem to notice them [[spoiler:in the timeline she is brought into the world as an otherwise normal human girl as a ploy by Rika to finally get out of her GroundhogDayLoop]] -- they remain visible at least to viewers. One poster had written "Why doesn't anyone her horns?", presumably omitting the word "see" by accident, and the board took off with it; the most (in)famous iteration of this was "I'd her horns" (this being the Internet, the reader is left to decide what word is missing). Even the mods got in on it: "Guys, you can't just verbs out of your sentences."

* An episode of kids' show ''WesternAnimation/MarthaSpeaks'' has the kids and Martha hiding a tape recorder to record the plans of what they think are a couple of criminals getting ready to rob a bank. They retrieve the recorder later and take it to the police. When they play the tape, just as the criminals are starting to discuss details, the tape has been recorded over with Martha singing pop tunes. ([[FridgeLogic No explanation over how she managed to get time to record herself singing between the time they retrieved the tape and arrived at the police station.]])

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SushiPack'', Tako goes with his [[LongLostRelative newly-discovered cousin]] to a family reunion. After he's gone, the rest of the Pack start to worry that this reunion is a trap, and go investigate in their underwater craft. When they spot a couple of octopi, Kani turns on an eavesdropping device, but it cuts out at a crucial moment, making it sound like the family reunion is indeed a trap. It turns out the reunion was actually a surprise party honoring Tako's achievements as an octopus and a member of the Sushi Pack.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'' Diddy and Funky are in Funky's biplane and are told by DK over the radio NOT to read a certain piece of paper that has a terrible spell on it. Unfortunately due to static the "not" part gets cut out of the message.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'' episode "Mordland", static interrupts band mascot Facebones during several important parts of the Fan Day safety briefing.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "It's About Time", Future Twilight keeps getting interrupted by Present Twilight (who is geeking out over the fact that she apparently will learn time travel) and doesn't get to reveal her intended message before getting dragged back to the future.
* ''WesternAnimation/AeonFlux'': From the episode "The Demiurge", a rare example that doesn't involve transmitting equipment. Trevor Goodchild is speaking with an underling when he suddenly recalls a vital piece of information. What he says is "Wait, I remember!" -- and what he says next is drowned out by the sound of an explosion behind him.

* The Book of Mazarbul in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' is read out with all the missing bits included as ellipses. Tolkien also [[DoingItForTheArt inscribed the relevant pages]] to show the missing burned parts.

* Famously happened to the third game of the 1989 World Series -- as Creator/{{ABC}}'s sportscasters were recapping the events of the preceding games, a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Loma_Prieta_earthquake massive earthquake began]], [[WeAreExperencingTechnicalDifficulties cutting the announcers off as the feed from Candlestick Park was lost]] {"[[https://youtu.be/umIzQ-C-fTc?t=272 I tell you what, we're having an earth-]]" *static*). Fortunately, they were unharmed and managed to reconnect by telephone (with Al Michaels declaring it had been "the greatest open in the history of television, ''bar none!''"). ABC went to rain delay programming before Ted Koppel was able to begin continuous coverage of the quake.

* In ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' several shrines on the [[spoiler:Spirit Turtle]] contained warnings and explanations from past Heroes. Key phrases and words had been lost over time, destroying the most critical information. [[spoiler:Naofumi later suspects this to have been done by the entity behind the waves to deny future generations vital knowledge]].

* In ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy,'' a Grebulon ship (which is on an exceptionally long-haul flight across the galaxy and whose crewmembers are in stasis) suffers this with their orders after an asteroid ripped through their ship which destroyed the system which held their identites and their mission plan. The only instructions they end up with are to land a safe distance from something and monitor it.

* [[http://xkcd.com/521/ This]] Webcomic/{{xkcd}} strip has only the prime-numbered panels (the other 2/3 of the panels are blacked out).

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' episode ''Stranded'' ([[FridgeBrilliance in which the entire plot is about various miscommunications]]), The Titans are in their CombiningMecha-like ship and trying to shake off the MonsterOfTheWeek which was latched on to the hood. Robin orders them not to separate-- ''twice''-- but a radio malfunction misleads the team into separating.