History Main / PluckyMiddie

* [[TheKingsSpeech George VI]] was this during WorldWarI. He was promoted Sublieutenant in time to serve at the Battle of Jutland.

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* Skewered by [[SpacePirates Ork Freeboota Kaptin Bluddflagg]] of ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar II Retribution''; Bluddflagg always refers to his Kommando Nob as "young Master Spookums" and treats him exactly in accordance with the trope, blithely ignoring that Spookums is a sadistic, bomb-obsessed eight-foot murder-machine.

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* Skewered, along with any number of other WoodenShipsAndIronMen-related tropes, by [[SpacePirates Ork Freeboota Kaptin Bluddflagg]] of ''VideoGame/DawnOfWarIIReribution''; Bluddflagg always refers to his Kommando Nob as "young Master Spookums" blithely ignoring that Spookums is a sadistic, bomb-obsessed eight-foot murder-machine.

* Emily Roland from the ''{{Temeraire}}'' books. While she only made midshipman (or rather the dragon-crew equivalent, midwingman) in the latest book she starts as one of Laurence's runners and is later promoted to ensign.

* ''MasterAndCommanderTheFarSideOfTheWorld'' featured plucky Midshipmen Blakeney and Calamy, who look to be about twelve and fourteen years old, respectively (and the former serving as the trope picture). During the climactic battle, Blakeney is actually in command of the ship at one point and leads a boarding party of adult sailors in a boarding action. Calamy is given the mission of freeing prisoners, gets a HeroicSacrifice moment, and is promoted to Lieutenant posthumously. (He died an acting third lieutenant, and his status at death would have been recorded as such on the ship's muster.) Subverted with Hollom, who is nearly thirty and has no hope of further advancement due to his incompetence and lack of leadership qualities.

* The {{Safehold}} series takes place in a setting where Weber can use the original version of this trope. Midshipman Aplyn is eleven years old at the Battle of Darcos Sound.

* Arguably the TropeMaker: "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casabianca_(poem) Casabianca]]", a.k.a. "The Boy Stood on the Burning Deck". SchoolStudyMedia for generations, to the point of becoming a StockParody. The poem is about the young (no older than 13)-year-old Giocante Casabianca, son of Louis de Casabianca, commander of the [[GaulsWithGrenades French ship]] ''Orient'', who refused to abandon his post without his father's orders even as the ''Orient'' burned in the [[NapoleonicWars Battle of the Nile]], and then died when the magazine exploded. This had [[WorthyOpponent such an effect on the enemy British]] that they didn't forget it for ''years''--the poem was written in 1826, an entire generation later.

* ''DoctorWho'' has "Midshipman Alonzo Frame" in "Voyage of the Damned."

* Arguably the TropeMaker: "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casabianca_(poem) Casabianca]]", a.k.a. "The Boy Stood on the Burning Deck". SchoolStudyMedia for generations, to the point of becoming a StockParody. The poem is about the young (no older than 13)-year-old Giocante Casabianca, son of Louis de Casabianca, commander of the [[GaulsWithGrenades French ship]] ''Orient'', who refused to abandon his post without his father's orders even as the ''Orient'' burned in the [[NapoleonicWars Battle of the Nile]], and then died when the magazine explodes. This had [[WorthyOpponent such an effect on the enemy British]] that they didn't forget it for ''years''--the poem was written in 1826, an entire generation later.

During the days of "WoodenShipsAndIronMen", midshipmen were apprentice officers. Most midshipmen started their naval careers at the age of 11 or 12, working on various ships while they learned seamanship, navigation, and the other skills an officer would need to lead a ship full of men. Most were the younger children of the landed gentry. In terms of authority, Midshipmen were considered the lowest ranking of all the officers on a ship, but regardless of age were treated ''as officers'' by the rest of the crew with all the responsibilities and authority that comes with it. (Ordinary seamen, on the other hand, might be as young as 7 or 9 depending on what sort of job they entered- although not necessarily, as a man could enter the service as a seaman at any age.)

* Several famous naval officers had once been this, naturally enough.

* The ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, being ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'' InSpace, often features Plucky Middies In Space. They are most notably present in the side novels, especially the ''Saganami Island'' ones. Honor is one herself in the prequel story "Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington". Due to the Prolong treatments that retard aging, they usually even look like the teens that were taken into service in Hornblower's time, further cementing the homage.

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* Porky Pig as the Space Cadet in ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers''.

* ''MasterAndCommanderTheFarSideOfTheWorld'' featured plucky Midshipmen Blakeney and Calamy, who look to be about twelve and fourteen years old, respectively (and the former serving as the trope picture). During the climactic battle, Blakeney is actually in command of the ship at one point and leads a boarding party of adult sailors in a boarding action. Calamy is given the mission of freeing prisoners, gets a HeroicSacrifice moment, and is promoted to Lieutenant posthumously. (He died an acting third lieutenant, and his status at death would have been recorded as such on the ship's muster.)

* ''[[Literature/HoratioHornblower Mr. Midshipman Hornblower]]'', although Hornblower was 17 when he became a midshipman. Later in the series he serves with a number of younger Plucky Middie types.

* LarryNiven's ''TheMoteInGodsEye'' features three plucky midshipmen in space. They discover the evil conspiracy behind Motie society. And [[HeroicSacrifice die heroically]] trying to [[BringNewsBack escape with the information]].

* The ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, being ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'' InSpace, often features Plucky Middies In Space. They are most notably present in the side novels, especially the ''Saganami Island'' ones. Honor is one herself in the prequel story "Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington".
** Might even count as a {{subversion}} as well: They go on their Middie Cruise only after completing their studies at the Saganami Island MilitaryAcademy, but given the effects of the Prolong treatments everybody gets, they would ''appear'' to be in their teens, not reaching full physical maturity until some time in their late twenties.

* In Literature/CloudAtlas, there is an eager young lad serving aboard the ship in the first/last section. He has just signed on to the crew and while not an officer, certainly seems to be an homage to this character-type. [[spoiler: Then he gets raped by the first mate after passing out during his initiation for crossing the equator the first time. He kills himself as a result, the protagonist doesn't take it well, but nobody else on the ship seems to care]]
* [[Literature/{{Leviathan}} Deryn Sharp]] loves [[SweetPollyOliver her]] ship very much. Unlike most middies, [[LivingShip her]] [[SpaceWhale ship]] [[OrganicTechnology might]] [[SapientShip love]] [[ABoyAndHisX her]] back.

** Note that Blakeney got his right arm amputated at the beginning of the movie. [[HandicappedBadass Yeah.]]

The trope is perhaps the result of exaggeration by Victorian authors, who knew of course that a large part of their audience would be teenage boys who sucked up naval adventure stories as quickly as they could. This is likely the reason for a lot of romanticized portrayals of ChildSoldiers in general.

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* Porky Pig as the Space Cadet in ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers''.

Compare SpaceCadet for this trope RecycledInSpace.

* Used in the film of ''Captain Horatio Hornblower'' in which a plucky midshipman gives Hornblower (Gregory Peck) and Lady Barbara (Virginia Mayo) the opportunity to be parental, and [[spoiler:dies tragically]].

** Archie Kennedy is very go-hung in the first episode, looking forward to fighting the Frenchies! He proves himself a true BadassAdorable. He's later seen having serious doubts about his being an officer material, but he's very good and he advances in his naval career.

*** Capable Charles Orrock, who plays this straight. He generally has it together, He's brave and dependable, and he knows his signals.

* Series/HoratioHornblower, as mentioned above, includes a few of these. The mini-series has mostly older midshipmen who are supposed to be in their late teens. The following are the most prominent Middie characters.

** Archie Kennedy is very go-hung in the first episode, looking forward to fighting the Frenchies! He proves himself a true BadassAdorable. He's later seen having serious doubts about his being an officer material, but he's a very good officer and he advances in his naval career.

* ''[[HoratioHornblower Mr. Midshipman Hornblower]]'', although Hornblower was 17 when he became a midshipman. Later in the series he serves with a number of younger PluckyMiddie types.

* The ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, being HoratioHornblower InSpace, often features Plucky Middies In Space. They are most notably present in the side novels, especially the ''Saganami Island'' ones. Honor is one herself in the prequel story "Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington".

* Used in the film of ''Captain Horatio Hornblower'' in which a plucky midshipman gives Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo the opportunity to be parental, and dies tragically.

* Sci-fi example, Acting Ensign [[CreatorsPet Wesley Crusher]] in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. In early seasons he was the PluckyMiddie.
** Also Nog in ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space 9]]''
* Series/HoratioHornblower, as mentioned above, includes a few of these, though Horatio himself is unusually old to be a midshipman. In the third series, notably, the Hotspur has two midshipmen, the capable Orrock, who plays this straight, and Hammond, an aversion, being rather incompetent. [[spoiler: Orrock survives, but Hammond is shot and dies after one episode. It's pretty much stated that his motivation for joining the Navy is purely familial, and his admiration of Hornblower prompted him to serve on the Hotspur.]]

[[quoteright:348:[[{{Aubrey-Maturin}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PluckyMiddie_3264.png]]]]

* Played with in the {{Aubrey-Maturin}} saga. Some of the middies start out inexperienced, but prove themselves and rise up the chain of command, as in the cases of Pullings, Babbington and Mowett. Others, like Blakeney, are more known for causing trouble such as swallowing the ship's grapeshot.