History Main / MildlyMilitary

** The Demon Research Initiative. The soldiers lacked military haircuts and proper uniforms, didn't use military ranks (instead using the title "agent"), and allowed a civilian to look around their secret operation. Justified, in that their cover as [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Perfectly Ordinary College Students]] explains the lack of uniforms and haircuts, they were ordered to show the Slayer (a potential ally) around only after she'd been interviewed by their commander, and using the term "agent" is perfectly reasonable for a secret government organization that probably isn't ''technically'' part of the military.

** The Demon Research Initiative. The soldiers lacked military haircuts and proper uniforms, didn't use military ranks (instead using the title "agent"), and allowed a civilian to look around their secret operation. Justified, in that their cover as [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Perfectly Ordinary College Students]] explains the lack of uniforms and haircuts, they were ordered to show the Slayer (a potential ally) around only after she'd been interviewed by their commander, and using the term agent is perfectly reasonable for a secret government organization that probably isn't ''technically'' part of the military.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': In "Gropos", several visiting infantrymen harass Delenn and are let off with nothing more than DrillSergeantNasty treatment. Delenn is a ''foreign ambassador'' and such a thing would almost certainly be worth a court martial in RealLife. It's likely that their superior never even realizes this happened, as he only appears when another soldier stands up for Delenn, causing a fight, which is what he breaks up; blink and you'll miss Delenn saying something to Garibaldi out of earshot before the latter intercedes on the soldiers' behalf, presumably asking him to do the interceding at least for the sake of the one who defended her.

** The Initiative. The soldiers lacked military haircuts and proper uniforms, didn't use military ranks (instead using the title "agent"), and were allowed a civilian look around their secret operation. Justified, in that their cover as [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Perfectly Ordinary College Students]] explains the lack of uniforms and haircuts, they were ordered to show the Slayer (a potential ally) around only after she'd been interviewed by their commander, and using the term agent is perfectly reasonable for a secret government organization that probably isn't ''technically'' part of the military.

* Fully {{inverted|Trope}} in ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'', where UsefulNotes/{{NASA}}, a civilian scientific and organization is treated like a strict military organization. The astronaut characters are practically never seen out of uniform. While at the time of the series's debut in 1965, most NASA astronauts were in either the Air Force, Navy, or Marines (NASA picked its first civilian astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Elliot See, in 1962), NASA was and is not run like a military or paramilitary organization in real life.

** Although in terms of diverse formations, roles, and tactics, Doctor Who never really portrays this accurately. The amount of troops available to UNIT varies, they are all light infantry apart from the odd bazooka, and although they manage to get the hierarchy right in terms of order, a Private is shown leading and ordering a small group of other Privates in ''Poison Sky''.

** The Doctor is officially "scientific advisor" but he has rank on almost everybody. Granted, this is a {{justified|Trope}} because, regardless of what his position is on paper, basically everyone at UNIT knows he's a time traveling alien after a while (and by New Who, young recruits worship the ground he walks on because of it) and know he knows what's he doing or that he will [[BavarianFireDrill just find some ridiculous protocol breaching reason to take control anyway]]. (From "Death in Heaven" onwards, he really ''does'' have rank on everyone since he's [[spoiler: officially ''President of Earth'', making him UNIT's Commander-in-Chief]].)

** Lee Adama makes this very clear in the S3 finale, where he lists many of the egregious lapses in discipline or regulation (as well as being usually lenient on things up to and including mutiny and military coups) as unavoidable. '[because] We're not a civilization anymore. We are a gang, and we're on the run and we have to fight to survive. We need to break rules, we have to bend laws, we ''have'' to improvise!'

** While several examples of temporary insubordination or inappropriate behaviour are forgotten quickly because StatusQuoIsGod, this can be justified given the near-total annihilation of humanity and its military by the Cylons - Adama, Tigh and other leaders simply cannot afford to be as strict on such matters as they used to be. Not only are there no replacements for military professionals (aside from [[spoiler:the one-off exception of the Battlestar ''Pegasus'', the only other surviving Colonial flagship, joining the Fleet]]) and new recruits are thus drawn solely from the civilian population, but the apocalyptic circumstances have fostered a real sense of family among the survivors. And even before the Destruction of the Twelve Colonies, ''Galactica'' was an aging warship with lax behavior among the reduced crew complement. It was undergoing a decommissioning ceremony when the attack happened.

** While several examples of temporary insubordination or inappropriate behaviour are forgotten quickly because StatusQuoIsGod, this can be justified given the near-total annihilation of humanity and its military - Adama, Tigh and other leaders simply cannot afford to be as strict on such matters as they used to be. Not only are there no replacements for military professionals (aside from [[spoiler:the one-off exception of the Battlestar Pegasus joining the Fleet]]) and new recruits are thus drawn solely from civilians, but the apocalyptic circumstances have fostered a real sense of family among the survivors.

** Wraith Squadron, on the other hand, is a RagTagBunchOfMisfits, and Wedge walks a line between humoring their quirks and keeping order. When a pilot interrupts him during the first briefing Wedge puts him PeelingPotatoes; afterward the Wraiths keep making wisecracks during briefings, but don't interrupt their commander unless it's really important. He allows romances between squadmates, but public displays of affection are to saved for off-hours or light duty. When one Wraith attacks another in a brawl Wedge formally reprimands and grounds her, but later decides to lie about her involvement in an incident (just short of committing perjury) to keep her in his squadron. And when a rookie pilot slouches off after arguing with Wedge, he admits that he'd take that sort of disrespect from someone who's flown on some missions with him.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': {{Justified|Trope}} by the Night's Watch, a combination of a military monastic order and a gulag. Naturally, although fairly disciplined, it doesn't run quite the same as a normal army even at the best of times... and by the time the show takes place it's about as far from the best of times as possible, being drastically underfunded and undermanned, with so few willing volunteers they're conscripting the worst dregs of Westerosi society out of desperation.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** Starfleet is both a military and an exploration and research organization, also acting as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendarmerie top-level]] [[SpacePolice law enforcement]] and the [[GunboatDiplomacy advance scouts and bodyguards]] of TheFederation's diplomatic corps and intelligence network. It acts like a conglomeration of a Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Marines & Army, local & international intelligence and law enforcement agencies, Diplomatic corps, the United Nations, space exploration, a military & engineering industrial complex as well as large scale medical and research bureau. A captain may need to think like Colin Powell or like Jacques Cousteau--or all of these may apply at once. Creator/GeneRoddenberry suggested something like the civilian space program ([[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks if it were operated by the military.]]) Since he was in the Army Air Forces during World War II, it's ''very'' likely that some part of his experience had a part in shaping Star Trek. Nicholas Meyer was proudly made military sci-fi, while Creator/JJAbrams has it stated verbatim in his film that "Starfleet is a peace-keeping military armada" and (per Scotty) "We're not a military agency!". Sometimes characters within the story will comment on Starfleet's ambiguous position. However, all in all, Captain Kirk says it best:
--->'''Christopher:''' Must have taken quite a lot to build a ship like this.\\
'''Kirk:''' There are only twelve like it in the fleet.\\
'''Christopher:''' I see. Did the Navy--\\
'''Kirk:''' We're a combined service, Captain.
** ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' takes place before Starfleet became combined with the military. As a result, Starfleet resembles a military service less than it does in any other incarnation of the franchise. The [=MACOs=] (Military Assault Command Operations), however, are essentially the 22nd century answer to the Marine Corps. While taking a few minor liberties, the [=MACO=]s observe military protocol, wear camouflage uniforms, and use real-world small unit combat tactics. In their debut episode, the [=MACO=] commander even points out why having TheMainCharactersDoEverything is a bad idea; insisting that his team handle a combat situation on a planet surface so that Starfleet security personnel are available if ''Enterprise'' gets boarded.
** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' gradually sheds the mildness of its crew as it becomes clear there is a cold war brewing between the Dominion and the Federation. Once the war goes hot the introduction of the Defiant, which is a legitimate warship[[note]]Though still referred to as an [[InsistentTerminology escort vessel officially]].[[/note]] and not an exploration & science vessel and bringing over Worf to command it sees the mildness dropped entirely. Pretty much verifying what fans had long figured: Starfleet ''wants'' to be primarily an exploration and science service, but it ''becomes'' a proper military [[BewareTheNiceOnes when it has to]], and is a powerful one.
** This is not to say that some fairly silly things haven't happened, like a psychologist having to serve as acting pilot of Starfleet's flagship. Jokes immediately abounded about how, both times this happened, the ship crashed. (In Troi's defense, [[RammingAlwaysWorks the second crash was intentional]].)

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'':
** There are lots of characters shouting about hierarchy and such. In fact, however, temporary insubordination or inappropriate behaviour are forgotten quickly because StatusQuoIsGod. This seems justified given the near total annihilation of humanity and their situation creating in them a sense of family more than anything else, not to mention having been forced to dip increasingly into the civilian population over time to replace losses. They simply cannot afford to be entirely strict on such matters as they used to be. Even on a bad day they are a lot more military than many on this page though.
** Lee Adama makes this very clear in the S3 finale, where he lists many of the egregious lapses in discipline or regulation (as well as being usually lenient on things up to and including mutiny and military coups) as unavoidable. '[because] We're not a civilization anymore. We are a gang, and we're on the run and we have to fight to survive. We need to break rules, we have to bend laws, we ''have'' to improvise!'
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}''. Compare/contrast with their real-life organization of the same name. Note, however, that NCIS is a civilian law enforcement agency, which manifests itself in the show- Tony is an ex-cop and Kate was Secret Service. One episode {{Lampshade}}s this at the beginning with a sexual harassment lecturer pointing out that Gibbs's {{Dope Slap}}s, Abby's [[TheGlomp tackle hugs]], and the frequent horseplay between Tony, [=McGee=] and Ziva are all ''absolutely'' against policy, and the rest of the episode is laced with jokes about how they ''really'' do not care. They probably [[BunnyEarsLawyer get away with it]] because they're the best team NCIS has.

* In a second-season episode of ''Series/WonderWoman'', Sergeant Diana Prince approaches a controlled area. The male lieutenant that's guarding it asks her if she's authorized to be there. During the exchange, a female captain (who has never met Diana Prince) yells at the lieutenant and accuses him of pulling rank. The lieutenant apologizes and lets both women go. The problem with this is that no one involved realizes that the lieutenant was doing his job and the female captain was pulling rank, violating security procedures in the process.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** The Initiative. The soldiers lacked military haircuts and proper uniforms, didn't use military ranks (instead using the title "agent"), and were allowed a civilian look around their secret operation. Justified, in that their cover as [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Perfectly Ordinary College Students]] explains the lack of uniforms and haircuts, they were ordered to show the Slayer (a potential ally) around only after she'd been interviewed by their commander, and using the term agent is perfectly reasonable for a secret government organization that probably isn't ''technically'' part of the military.
** In the comics, Buffy treats the Slayer army as a real one, however as she was a shockingly bad instructor and Xander is the only one with any military knowledge they make do as amateurs.
* In ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', the Peacekeepers are extremely variable:
** Peacekeeper grunts and lower ranking officers like lieutenants were usually very military (disciplined and in uniform.)
** Captains like Bialar Crais fell somewhere in-between these extremes, with some captains adhering strictly to military protocols and others being much more like the MilitaryMaverick (Larraq).
** High-ranking Peacekeepers like Scorpius (whose rank wasn't given, but stated to outrank a captain) were given a lot of latitude as to how they conducted their duties. Commandant Grayza usually wore alluring outfits with lots of cleavage (though the actor playing Grayza stated that she interpreted this as being like a soldier whose fatigues are informally unbuttoned to show off their chest). The higher ranking a Peacekeeper was in the series, the more unorthodox their methods tended to be; they could even pursue their own pet projects, and were exempted from some of the totalitarian conditions that governed most troops' and officers' personal lives (like not being allowed to form emotional connections).
** "Special Ops" Peacekeepers, like Larraq's Marauder squadron, were noted by Aeryn as being (superficially) less disciplined than run-of-the-mill PK soldiers, and they could be seen to modify their uniforms with furs, medals, and other trophies picked up from their missions in the Uncharted Territories.
** They also made use of civilian research scientists and mercenaries, who could be Sebacean or other races, most of whom may have been some sort of indentured servants or slaves (like Linfer and Co-kura Strappa, and the Collartas from "Thanks for Sharing" and "Relativity".) Non-Sebacean mercenaries were sometimes apparently equals (the Coreeshi bounty hunters from "I Shrink Therefor I Am").
** In addition to this, the depiction of the Peacekeepers varied in the show from episode to episode between a Nazi-esque military force and an overgrown mercenary force hired by different civilizations to keep order. It's also been implied that over time they've become less of a benevolent police force-for-hire and more of a [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Space Nazi Empire]] full of ScaryDogmaticAliens.
* ''Series/TheATeam!'' But then again, they're actually fugitives from the Army. But at least according to [[Film/TheATeam the movie,]] they were like that even before they were sentenced for a crime they didn't commit.
* ''Series/CombatHospital'': Much like the ''[[Series/{{MASH}} M*A*S*H]]'' example above, actually military protocol in a day-to-day situation is treated relatively casually in the hospital. However the chains of command are still followed, and Colonel Marks on occasion will dress down officers for not following their responsibilities with regards to rank and uniform.
* Averted in ''Series/{{JAG}}''. For a staff corps office they take military protocol very seriously.

* ''Series/SpaceAboveAndBeyond'' went up and down on this scale. In an early episode, the rookies are left alone when the officers have to suddenly leave, and none of them is designated as being in charge. This is ridiculous. In the real military, if as few as two soldiers are assigned to pick up trash, it will still be clear who is in charge.

* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'':
** The team is split into two groups. On the one side, you've got Coulson, May, and Ward, three professional SHIELD agents who are used to giving and taking orders. On the other side, you've got [[TheDividual Fitz-Simmons]] and Skye, the first two being a pair of quirky scientists who act like they share a brain, and Skye being a BoxedCrook who was living out of her car. On the first mission where they all go into the field together, Skye breaks radio silence to ask Ward about the bathroom issues that arise when they're not allowed to leave the van. They don't even have ranks, per se; just security clearance levels.
--->'''Ward''': Anything else?\\
'''Skye''': Oh, yeah! Fitz wants to know if you left any snacks for us.\\
'''Fitz''': Yeah, I'm feeling a bit peckish!\\
''[click]''
** Even the professional parts of S.H.I.E.L.D. can get a bit lax at times. Maria Hill, the second highest-ranking agent in the organization, doodles a porcupine on Ward's evaluation [[NoSocialSkills to represent his social skills]], Chan Ho Yin's official file describes him as "kind of a tool," and the historical documentation on Red Skull may or may not call him a "big fat freaking Nazi."
** Season 7 uses TimeTravel to show us how SHIELD evolved over the years. In the 1950s it is using US Army resources so its bases are run as standard military bases. Its civilian agents are World War 2 veterans so they understand army discipline. In the 1970s it has become much more of a civilian organization though it is run by a general.

* The Night's Watch in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', once you get to know them. Their numbers are, barely, kept adequate only through prisoners being sent their as a punishment in exchange for avoiding death, so this isn't a great surprise that many that even the volunteers and disciplined things are looser in certain areas.

* ''VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest'': Played with in regards to the Tenakth. By any modern standards, their salutes are sloppy, their adherence to protocol inconsistent at best, and their uniform policy horrifyingly lax. But since they based their culture on holograms in an Old World military museum, they are the most regimented, most competent, and most dangerous military in the world. Despite being little more than a hunter-gatherer society, they were able to beat back their far larger and more prosperous neighbors. Unlike the "civilized" Carja (where ranks tend to be based on [[{{Nepotism}} who your family knows]] and [[{{Theocracy}} the priests have too much of a say in military matters]]), the Tenakth have a strict chain of command, strong traditions of duty and loyalty, and promote based on merit. The Tenakth were the only tribe to explicitly ''defeat'' the Carja during the [[HumanSacrifice Red Raids]], to the point that there was a serious chance of the Tenakth sacking the Carja capital.

* VideoGame/{{Transcendence}}'s Commonwealth has a case of this. The Militia will promote you to Captain after your first successful mission, Major after your second, and Colonel after your third. You can complete all of these missions in the space of a few in-universe days. The fleet is a little stingier, but it's still possible to go from nobody to Fleet Commander in about a week.

** Catachan soldiers are essentially all {{Film/Rambo}}es InSpace if they'd been cast in ''{{Film/Predator}}'', and are about as disciplined as you'd expect Vietnam-era Special Forces soldiers with giant muscles to be. Where Commissars have the "Look out, sir!" rule that lets a trooper [[TakingTheBullet Take The Bullet]] for him, Catachans had a special rule called "Oops, [[SarcasmMode sorry sir!]]" where the Commissar attached to them ''[[{{Fragging}} doesn't even make it to the battlefield]]''.

* The most significant mutinies in the British armed forces in [=WW2=] were partially provoked for reasons mentioned above. In September 1943, after four years of war, some British soldiers who had been fighting continually since 1940 were firmly of the opinion that they had done their bit and that new units being raised in Britain should be sent to relieve them. This came to a head when some units ''were'' selectively rotated back to the UK in preparation for the invasion of France. Men from these units, who had been wounded in the last stages of the North African campaign, were angry on discharge from hospital to be told they were not being posted home with their parent units - they would be used as replacements for losses in the new Italian campaign and posted to other units. Nearly a thousand men in this position mutinied and refused to accept orders. When disaffected veterans joined in, the Army had a big problem.

** The Doctor is officially "scientific advisor" but he has rank on almost everybody. Granted, this is a {{justified}} because, regardless of what his position is on paper, basically everyone at UNIT knows he's a time traveling alien after a while (and by New Who, young recruits worship the ground he walks on because of it) and know he knows what's he doing or that he will [[BavarianFireDrill just find some ridiculous protocol breaching reason to take control anyway]]. (From "Death in Heaven" onwards, he really ''does'' have rank on everyone since he's [[spoiler: officially ''President of Earth'', making him UNIT's Commander-in-Chief]].)

* {{Justified}} for the Ranger Corps of ''Literature/RangersApprentice'', who are explicitly intended to operate outside the regular chain of command and are usually deployed solo.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': {{Justified}} by the Night's Watch, a combination of a military monastic order and a gulag. Naturally, although fairly disciplined, it doesn't run quite the same as a normal army even at the best of times... and by the time the show takes place it's about as far from the best of times as possible, being drastically underfunded and undermanned, with so few willing volunteers they're conscripting the worst dregs of Westerosi society out of desperation.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'': For an MilitaryAcademy that produces the [[BadassArmy toughest and most elite soldiers in the world]], Balamb Garden is remarkably light on the 'military' side. Dress code is tenuous, chain of command is borderline nonexistent, and the overall discipline of the members is less than you'd expect in stricter private grade schools. At one point, Zell only gets very brief reprimand for bringing a flying skateboard into Garden and riding it to a briefing just before departing on a mission. During the graduation mission, where you are evaluated on your performance, the rubric has some very odd criteria; ignoring orders or talking when you shouldn't is a 1 point deduction, while not saving a random dog you meet during the mission costs you 10 points. And since it's a game, there is plenty of leeway for horsing around and [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer playing card games while on duty]].

* It should be noted that in South Korea this is {{Averted}}. Due to their strict adherence to discipline and regulations, exhibiting this kind of lax behavior is generally frowned upon by the South Korean Military and expect their troops (including their commanders) to display rigid discipline regardless of circumstance. This is one of the major reasons as to why the [=ROKA's=] Entertainment Unit was [[https://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/23/world/asia/south-korean-celeb-soldiers/index.html permanently disbanded]] as they are able to do things that regular troops are unable to do (such as visiting massage parlors, bars and clubs, etc.).

* ''Literature/BazilBroketail'': Wiliger seems to know little about official regulations or just deliberately ignores them — best evidenced in that he keeps wearing irregular uniforms that are either entirely outdated or composed of clothes he personally selected on his own whim. He also plasters an overgrown "109" sign to his cap to proclaim left and right that he's serving in a famous unit (until his subordinates point out that it's against the regimen).

** Similarly averted in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory Gundam 0083]]'', where Kou Uraki is court martialed for a year for his theft of the [=GP03=] in order to combat the hijacked [=GP02A=] (no matter how much one thinks it might be justified, stealing top-secret military equipment is still punishable by death.) Captain Synapse took responsibility for it and was sentenced to death instead of Kou. He is eventually released because the Federation decides to do a cover up of their epic failure of losing almost half of their entire fleet (2/3 of what was present in the [[FlauntingYourFleets fleet inspection]]) to the nuclear launching, treaty-violating [=GP02A=] and failure to intercept the ColonyDrop afterwards. Once [[InternalRetcon all trace of existence of the GP series were deleted]], Kou's sentence became unjust because he obviously cannot commit a GrandTheftPrototype of a non-existent Gundam, thus he is released 3 months after the court martial.

** Averted in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam'' where military law is in full effect and [[spoiler:Shiro]] barely escapes his court-martial, along with his (likely) execution.
** Similarly averted in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory Gundam 0083]]'', where Kou Uraki is court martialed for a year for his theft of the [=GP03=] (no matter how much one thinks it might be justified, stealing top-secret military equipment is still punishable by death.) Captain Synapse took responsibility for it and was sentenced to death instead of Kou. He is eventually released because the Federation decides to do a cover up of their epic failure of losing almost half of their entire fleet (2/3 of what was present in the [[FlauntingYourFleets fleet inspection]]) to their own nuclear launching [=GP02A=] and failure to intercept the ColonyDrop afterwards. Once [[InternalRetcon all trace of existence of the GP series were deleted]], Kou's sentence became unjust because he obviously cannot commit a GrandTheftPrototype of a non-existent Gundam, thus he is released 3 months after the court martial.