History Main / NoTimeToExplain

---> '''The Doctor''': Collapsing universe, you and me dead, two minutes, no time complete sentences.

--->'''The Doctor:''' ''(very fast)'' I'm the Doctor; I'm an alien from outer space; I'm a thousand years old; I've got two hearts; [[SuddenlyShouting AND I CAN'T FLY A PLANE! CAN YOU?!]]

The only real justification is that it almost always takes longer to describe a given action than to just perform it -- in the words of Grace Hopper, "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission." Explaining the action may waste valuable time that should be spent performing the action -- [[ExplainExplainOhCrap meaning there is no time to perform the action at all.]] Of course, there's always the possibility that the person asking forgiveness ''really'' should have gotten permission -- NiceJobBreakingItHero

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

---> '''Great Dane''': "Blimey! Who's after you, [[{{Satan}} Old Nick]]?\\

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

** Deliberately over-used in Creator/StevenMoffat's UsefulNotes/ComicRelief parody "The Curse of Fatal Death", where it serves entirely as a LampshadeHanging on things there simply aren't in-universe explanations for.
** In "The Bells of St John", the Doctor is somewhat rushed as an airliner is about to crash on their heads, so he has to haul Clara Oswald into the TARDIS, materialize on board the airliner and race into the cockpit without the time to appreciate her BiggerOnTheInside reaction.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Film/ThePrincessBride'': "Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up."

* In ''Anime/TheTwelveKingdoms'', Youko Nakajima was an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent until a mysterious blond man appeared in her classroom, swore allegiance to her, and urged her to escape as quickly as possible with not time for explanations. Shortly after, the school was attacked by monsters, giving some weight to his argument. TrappedInAnotherWorld ChangelingFantasy drama ensued, and it was a ''long'' time before Youko got an explanation. If he had taken the time to say ''one more sentence'' about what was going on, the entire plot would have been very different.

* Spoofed in the ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' "Thousand Year Blood War arc" when Ichigo complains about no one telling him [[spoiler:the Arrancar and Fullbringers were working with them and backing them up]]. Yoruichi claims they didn't have time to explain it to him, and he points out that anybody could have told him during their long and boring journey to the Royal Realm.

* Finn says this in the ''ComicBook/AdventureTime'' comics when he [[spoiler: finds a tear in [[ArcVillain the Lich]]'s BagOfHolding]].
-->'''Princess Bubblegum:''' That's okay, it's pretty clear what's going on right now!
* Marvel Comics' Spider-Man editorial team and "brain trust" tried to do this after ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay''. The switch-over to ''Brand New Day'' resulted in a number of jarring changes -- nobody recalled that Peter Parker was Spider-Man despite remembering that he had publicly unmasked during ''Civil War'', Spider-Man no longer could use his organic webbing and the powers he had gained during ''The Other'', Harry Osborn was back from the dead and now a triple divorcee, and so on. Besides that there were the unanswered questions as to how the new timeline created by Spider-Man's deal with Mephisto differed from the one portrayed in the existing comics. Marvel's official releases said that the reason why none of this was explained was because they had so many exciting and important new stories to tell, but readers soon guessed that the real reason must have been that the writers did not yet know the answers themselves. It took months and years for most of these questions to be addressed in-story, and a number of them are still unanswered seven years later, for instance the one about what happened to the organic webs and ''Other'' powers.

* In ''Disney/SleepingBeauty'' the good fairies tell this to Prince Phillip as they break him out of Maleficent's dungeon.
* [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Belle's]] father says this when trying to hurry her out of the Beast's dungeon.

--> '''Great Dane''': "Blimey! Who's after you, [[{{Satan}} Old Nick]]?
--> '''Pongo''': A close relative of his, I think!
--> The Great Dane [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure lets the dalmatians onto the back of the truck without asking any more questions]].

* Parodied in ''Film/ScaryMovie4'', when the Tom Cruise/''[[Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds War Of The Worlds ]]'' character says "We're leaving this house in 30 seconds, there's no time to explain", and a random passerby runs up to the window and screams "Alien Attack!". Tom admits that that pretty much covered it.

--> '''Carmen:''' Uncle Felix!
--> '''Uncle Felix:''' The first of which is... [''removes his fake mustache''] ...I'm not your uncle.
* ''Film/{{Sherlock Holmes A Game Of Shadows}}''. Holmes tries this line on Watson after [[WithFriendsLikeThese throwing his wife off the train]] so she'll be out of the way of their shootout with Moriarty's henchmen. Unsurprisingly, Watson responds by trying to throttle him and is only stopped when the henchmen burst in the door and are killed by a [[BatmanGambit booby-trapped rifle set up by Holmes earlier]].
-->'''Holmes:''' That was no accident. It was by design. [[SarcasmMode Now, do you need me to elaborate, or shall we crack on!]]

* In ''[[Literature/TheMysteriousBenedictSociety The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey]]'', Reynie uses this to fend off questions from Joe "Cannonball" Shooter about why he and the other members of the Society aren't accompanied by any adults. It works quite easily, given that Cannonball is the sort of guy who is always on the move anyway.
* At the start of ''[[Literature/AuntDimity Aunt Dimity's Good Deed]]'', Willis Sr. abruptly leaves Lori's cottage after writing note to her that's uncharacteristically short on details, citing this trope. At first, Lori thinks it's a joke Nell played, but Nell points to the absence of the blue journal and Reginald. Dimity has left behind a second note, which has some additional information, but it ends in mid-sentence. This sets up the pursuit of Willis Sr. throughout the rest of the novel. When Nell points this out, Wiilis Sr. pleads "high spirits" [[spoiler: at just receiving the news that Lori is pregnant]].

-->'''The Doctor:''' ''(very fast)'' I'm the Doctor; I'm an alien from outer space; I'm a thousand years old; I've got two hearts; [[SuddenlyShouting AND I CAN'T FLY A PLANE! CAN YOU?!]]

--> '''The Doctor''': Collapsing universe, you and me dead, two minutes, no time complete sentences.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' episode "Passage on the ''Lady Anne''" has a pretty JustForFun/{{egregious}} example. At one point, the main characters are told "there's no time for lengthy explanations." [[spoiler:Unlike some of the other examples and the Trope description, though, there never ''was'' an onscreen reveal; the viewer never finds out the ''Lady Anne'''s dark secret.]]
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''

-->"I would be happy to take you through the process, but it would take at least ten hours to explain it all to you."

-->'''EMH:''' What's happened to the ship? The crew?
-->'''Kim:''' No time. The emitter?
-->'''EMH:''' It's in here, but--
-->'''Kim:''' ''(breaks glass case holding the mobile emitter)'' Here. Slap it on. Let's go.
-->'''EMH:''' Wait! I demand an explanation!
-->'''Chakotay:''' [[WalkInChimeIn I'll give you one]]. [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong We're here to change history.]]
* Used in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Hero Worship": The Enterprise is stuck in a NegativeSpaceWedgie which is shooting a WorldWreckingWave at them. At the last second Data, in the throes of a EurekaMoment, orders the DeflectorShields to be deactivated -- explaining, after the fact, that the WorldWreckingWave was [[spoiler: a [[AttackReflector reflection]] of the shields' energy]].
** Played straight in a lot of other episodes. It's not uncommon for Picard to get a message over the Comm from one of his men that he's found something, then upon asking what is told, "[[NeverGiveTheCaptainAStraightAnswer You better come see this]]."
* Parodied in ''Series/GregTheBunny'':
-->'''Junction Jack''': We're going to Greg's house.\\
'''Count Blah''': What? Why?\\
'''Jack''': No time to explain!\\
'''Count Blah''': What are you talking about? It's a forty minute drive to his house, there's plenty of time to explain.
* ''Series/TwentyFour'' was quite fond of this trope. Just do what Jack Bauer says, people. He's always right, anyway.
* A variation on ''Series/{{Lost}}'': Ben tells Sun and Jack that in thirty minutes, he can take them to a woman who can explain everything to them. Cut to them in the car, and Sun says "You said we'd be there in thirty minutes." He responds, "I didn't account for traffic."
* Subverted in the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "[[Recap/CommunityS3E17BasicLupineUrology Basic Lupine Urology]]": Starburns is being chased through the school by Troy and Abed, and he attempts [[FakeOutMakeOut to hide himself by asking Quendra to kiss him]], saying that he will "explain later". She refuses and says that she doesn't care what the explanation is.

[[folder:Theater]]
* In ''Theatre/CactusFlower'', when Julian reads Toni's SpurnedIntoSuicide letter, he changes out of his lab coat and rushes out immediately, outright refusing to explain the situation to Stephanie, though she suspects it has to do with one of his girlfriends. Not only does this leave Stephanie in the awkward spot of having to make excuses to his patients about what happened to the doctor, but she has no idea who Toni is when Igor phones the very next moment to report that Toni is alive.
* In the last act of ''Theatre/TheConsul'', Magda, finally responding to Assan's desperate pleas to do something to stop her husband John from reentering the country and being arrested, tells him to wait as she writes a note, then hands it to him without any explanation other than her assurance that "this note will convince John that there is no reason for him to come back." Judging from her subsequent actions, this is in fact a suicide note. However, it is never delivered, as John returns and is arrested at the end of the same scene.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'', the Exo Stranger summons the player's Guardian to Venus, and while telling them about the [[GardenofEvil Black Garden]], says that she doesn't even have the time to explain why she doesn't have time to explain herself or why she's helping you. In fact, she spends much of the conversation talking to someone elsewhere who is also in danger, and at the end she has to abruptly teleport away to protect them from another threat.

* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': When Kai "recruits" someone (as in using CHEN to practically kidnap them), he has a bad habit of leaving out information until they are at a safe location.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Katamari}}'', the Prince from the BadFuture dismisses his past counterpart's questions about what's going to happen by rushing them both off to recruit help. He also doesn't bother to explain during the flight over.
* In ''Webcomic/{{RetroBlade}}'', Conveniently used by Doctor T [[http://retrobladecomic.com/webcomic/page30 here.]] Time travel can spice up the use of this line in the long run.

* ''Webcomic/TheArtistIsDead''
-->'''The Witch:''' I'll tell you later.\\
'''The Figure:''' ''Why?''\\
'''The Witch:''' Remember when I said that everything was fine and we could stop running?\\
'''The Figure:''' No.\\
'''The Witch:''' That's why.

* Happens ''a lot'' in ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies,'' though by the fifth time the phrase could practically be swapped with, "You were {{brainwashed}} by the villain of the week, but we stopped him, and now you're back to normal." Brainwashing is very a popular thing in this show.

* "No time to explain, Fred!" was Super Chicken's CatchPhrase (well, one of them) in ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle''.
* A common phrase used in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' is "Talk Later", used when a character has NoTimeToExplain and has to deal with a bigger problem.
* Birdman plays this card in the ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'' episode "Avenger for Ransom", as he steals top-secret government documents and flies out the window, when just a few more words might have averted a skirmish with the military. Later, when he reveals that the documents he gave the villain were worthless, the general apologizes to ''him'' for doubting his word.
* In the first season finale of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'', Grandpa Max's response to Vilgax's attack on Ben is to take the RV and drive away in the direction of Mount Rushmore. Gwen asks why they're going there when Ben's in trouble. Max says there's no time to explain. Despite being on an extended drive, a la the above ''Series/GregTheBunny'' example. To the show's credit, Gwen chews him out for his oversecrecy in the next episode.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/AngelinaBallerina Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps]]'' has the titular character saying this when her best friend, Alice, is saying about not liking of going to separate schools. Guess what she tried to her in the end.
* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{ReBoot}}'', in the season 3 episode "Mouse Trap". Bob tells the crew that they have to lower the shields (which were the only things keeping them safe from the ravages of the Web) in order to pass through the buffer surrounding Mainframe. There's a general outcry at this because it sounds insane, but when [=AndrAIa=] asks Bob why, he explains. (Turns out, their shields were made from dead web creatures, which was why Mouse's trap, set up to protect Mainframe from such beings, had activated.)
* In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure Magical Mystery Cure]]" from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', after Rainbow Dash's cutie mark is restored to normal, she asks just what happened. Twilight Sparkle tells her that there's no time to explain; they have to go fix Applejack. There isn't literally a time limit, but Twilight probably feels that the time for explanation is after the rest of the cast has been rescued from their misery.
** Earlier, in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime It's About Time]]", Twilight is visited by herself from what looks like a BadFuture. Future Twilight ''had'' given herself enough time to explain, but was promptly bombarded by questions from her past self, and couldn't get a word in edgewise before her time ran out.
* ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'' 1973/74 episode "The Androids". While Wendy and Marvin are held captive in Dr. Rebos' laboratory she comes up with an idea. After tricking the Wonder Dog android into leaving the room she calls Marvin over and shows him an android assembly kit. When he asks what they'll make she says there's no time to explain and they get to work (they need to hurry because they have to be finished before the Wonder Dog android returns).

** Also from the X-Men; In ''Uncanny X-Men'' #168, when ComicBook/KittyPryde is reunited with Lockheed after thinking him lost after the first time they met, and the two of them face off against three crablike alien hunters, while Professor X communicates with her telepathically:

'''Kitty''': Lockheed's already figured that out, sir.\\

** Also from the X-Men; In ''Uncanny X-Men'' #168, when ComicBook/KittyPryde is reunited with Lockheed and the two of them face off against three crablike alien hunters, while Professor X communicates with her telepathically:

-->'''Professor X''': These creatures are vulnerable to intense heat.\\

* ''Film/SpyKids''

** In "The Bells of St John", the Doctor is [[{{understatement}} somewhat rushed]] as an airliner is about to crash on their heads, so he has to haul Clara Oswald into the TARDIS, materialize on board the airliner and race into the cockpit without the time to appreciate her BiggerOnTheInside reaction.

The only real justification is that it almost always takes longer to describe a given action than to just perform it -- in the words of Grace Hopper, "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission." Explaining the action may waste valuable time that should be spent performing the action -- [[ExplainExplainOhCrap meaning there is no time to perform the action at all.]] Of course, there's always the possibility that the person asking forgiveness ''really'' should have gotten permission -- NiceJobBreakingItHero.

So why do writers use it? There are times when it is useful. If you know the characters in your TV series are going to be at the point A when they learn where the bomb is, and you know the characters will have to be at the bomb at point B - but to add scenes of them traveling from place to place is expensive and adds shooting days to the production. You could have them explain it all at point A, but that scene's been long already. There's very little dialogue at point B, so discussing it at point B would give the characters not actively defusing the bomb something to do. Here, it's okay to make an AcceptableBreakFromReality just to get the characters from one place to another without breaking up the pacing of the work.

--> '''TheDoctor''': Collapsing universe, you and me dead, two minutes, no time complete sentences.

->'''Mindy:''' What the hell is going on?!
->'''Woody:''' No time to explain! You were possessed by an alien probe, and now we're being chased by four soldiers who also appear to have been possessed in the same way! ''({{Beat}})'' I guess there was time to explain.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

[[folder:Theatre]]

[[folder:Videogames]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* Rephrased, with some self-awareness, in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
-->'''Vaarsuvius''': ''[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0427.html You may have noticed that my explanations tend to take longer than the plans themselves.]]

-->'''Vaarsuvius''': ''[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0424.html Time is at a premium, precluding extended discussion.]]

--> '''Maxim 2:''' A Sergeant in motion outranks a lieutenant who doesn't know what's going on.
--> '''Maxim 3:''' [[DontAskJustRun An ordnance technician at a dead run outranks]] ''[[DontAskJustRun everybody]]''.

--> '''The Witch:''' I'll tell you later
--> '''The Figure:''' ''Why?''
--> '''The Witch:''' Remember when I said that everything was fine and we could stop running?
--> '''The Figure:''' No.
--> '''The Witch:''' That's why.

* In ''[[WebAnimation/CharlieTheUnicorn Charlie the Unicorn 3]]'':
--> '''Blue unicorn:''' Come with us to the future!
--> '''Pink unicorn:''' We need your help to finish our snowman!
--> '''Charlie:''' Snowman? What're you going on about?
--> '''Blue unicorn:''' There's no time to explain!
--> '''Pink unicorn:''' Grab on to our tongues!

* Parodied In ''WebAnimation/SonicForHire'', Sonic and Tails get the clue "When at the start the code is the key". Sonic figures it out but repeatedly refuses to tell Tails what the answer is, saying "There's no time!". It's even further parodied as there is a part where the two are riding an extremely slow platform and Tails points out there's plenty of time to explain, however Sonic just jumps to the next platform shouting "No time!".
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': When Kai "recruits" someone (as in using CHEN to practically kidnap them), he has a bad habit of leaving out information until they are at a safe location.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

** In "Timeless" the Doctor naturally wants an explanation when he's reactivated to find Voyager destroyed and the crew dead, except for Chakotay and Harry Kim. They on the other hand are in something of a hurry as a Galaxy-class starship is hunting them down as they're about to break the Temporal PrimeDirective.

-->'''Chakotay:''' I'll give you one. [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong We're here to change history.]]

* The ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' two-parter "Future's End" starts with one. A guy shows up in a time machine and immediately starts shooting at Voyager. This goes on long enough for the crew to figure out how to change their shields so his shots won't damage them anymore. The guy contacts them and says he has to destroy them for the greater good. When asked how their deaths would be for the greater good, he says "No time!" and goes back to shooting at them. We get to know this character a bit better as the episode progresses, and it turns out to be somewhat justified as he's more than a little unhinged.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' episode "Passage on the ''Lady Anne''" has a pretty {{egregious}} example. At one point, the main characters are told "there's no time for lengthy explanations." [[spoiler:Unlike some of the other examples and the Trope description, though, there never ''was'' an onscreen reveal; the viewer never finds out the ''Lady Anne'''s dark secret.]]

** The above is mildly {{bowlderise}}d from the exchange in the book, which goes roughly thus:

* Parodied In SonicForHire, Sonic and Tails get the clue "When at the start the code is the key". Sonic figures it out but repeatedly refuses to tell Tails what the answer is, saying "There's no time!". It's even further parodied as there is a part where the two are riding an extremely slow platform and Tails points out there's plenty of time to explain, however Sonic just jumps to the next platform shouting "No time!".

* A particularly galling comic book example occurred in a plotline in the ''ComicBook/{{X-Men}}'' books, especially ''ComicBook/{{Cable}}''. Bishop, a time-travelling X-Man, was determined to kill an infant being protected by Cable because ... he never said, except that she threatened the future in some way. He constantly insisted that the X-Men would agree that she needed to die ''if only they knew'' what a horrible future her survival would lead to. But he just ''never'' had time to explain it to them. This made sense (or at least you could see how it made sense to him) when he was in a running gun battle with Cable. Made a little less sense when the X-Men caught him and held him onto him for a few hours before he escaped.

The phrase "I'll explain on the way there" can also be used, leading to a "LetMeGetThisStraight" moment in the new location where everything's summed up.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'', the Exo Stranger summons the player to Venus, saying, "I don't even have time to explain why I don't have time to explain."