History Main / SuperPrototype

** Alpha Primus is an unusual case in that he's both a SuperPrototype ''and'' a FlawedPrototype. He's far more powerful than the average Primaris Marine, with nearly unparalleled (for an Astartes) PsychicPowers and greater physical capabilities implied to have come from chimeric gene-seed. However, the procedure to create him left him in constant physical pain and mental discomfort, to the point where Primus outright calls himself "living evidence of [Cawl's] overreach" and notes that Cawl failed in his original goal when designing him.

* ''Film/BatmanBegins'' had most of Batman's gear be acquired from rejected R&D prototypes from Wayne Enterprises. The suit was rejected by the army because it was too expensive, while Bruce customized the suit to his preferences along with combining the built-in harness to work with a GrapplingHookPistol. The Tumbler was designed for jumping gaps to lay cables for bridges, the bridge system didn't work right but the vehicle itself was an impressive high mobility tank. This set a precedent across different media that much of Batman's gear is him [[WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys adopting and repurposing existing prototypes instead of custom building everything from scratch]].

* Subverted in ''WebAnimation/Shed17''. Thomas, the first of the biofused locomotives, always seems to function perfectly and have no emotional trauma, whereas the other engines are [[TheAllegedCar riddled with problems]]. It eventually turns out that Thomas was cloned and converted dozens of times until the result was perfect, whereas the others were just sent out after the first attempt.

* Military prototypes coming out of less technologically-advanced countries often fall under this trope. The prototype is often hand-crafted by a procession of engineers and scientists that have access to extremely complex high-precision tools, thus granting superior performance. When the designs hit factory lines, though, such precision tools are often unavailable, and mass-production tends to favor production efficiency over precision. This can be mitigated by good quality control, but in desperate war-time situations, such steps can and will be skipped over in favor of increased production. For example, take the [=A6M=] Type Zero, the (in)famous WWII Japanese fighter. Without sufficient factories to meet wartime needs (with many suitable factories had been destroyed by US strategic bombing), high school students were occasionally conscripted as workers. Ultimately, this led to a significant amount of unusable parts, aircraft that were sometimes barely able to fly, and aircraft that would come apart during normal use.

# '''Fusion Prototype''' is when it was based on a known design but gained its' unique properties in an unexpected way. Maybe it was [[TouchedByVorlons tampered with by outside forces]], its onboard computer [[InstantAIJustAddWater suddenly became self-aware]], [[FreakLabAccident it fell into a giant vat of chemicals]], the pilot [[UnusualUserInterface has a special bond with the machine]] or was struck by a [[GreenRocks radioactive magical space rock]]. Regardless of the circumstance, what was once a tame improvement or even a standard device is now a unique existence that is much more than its original designs could ever have anticipated. Since nobody understands exactly what happened to change the original, attempts to replicate it with just the now-outdated schematics invariably produce lesser versions of it.

* The ''Indominus rex'' from ''Film/JurassicWorld'' is the first fully developed hybrid dinosaur born partly as a tourist attraction and partly as a testbed for train military hybrid dinosaurs. She's 18 feet tall, incredibly strong, highly intelligent and extremely durable with a camouflage ability. Her only physical threats are the park's resident elderly ''T. Tex'', who still needed some help, and the much larger ''Mosasaurus''. She's also insane and completely uncontrollable. The second attempt created the ''Indoraptor'', while still intelligent and unhinged, is a fraction of the size and designed to respond to an infra-red targeting device. It's also something of a [[FlawedPrototype failed prototype itself]] as it has [[ItAmusedMe a genuine nasty streak]] and its' creators were looking for something more tameable, in addition to struggling in a fight against Blue, a ''Velociraptor'' a third of its size but with hunting and fighting experience.

# '''Enigmatic Prototype''' that has a foundation in a BlackBox system, ancient LostTechnology, some form of [[{{Unobtanium}} incredible new material]] or otherwise created with MadScience that no one else fully understands. It is thus [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup unreplicable in its' entirety]] until someone can reverse engineer it. In fiction, a popular setup is when the prototype is made by a genius and only they fully understand the technology behind it. So when the genius dies and the prototype goes missing, the bad guys may have the notes and schematics, but there's only so much that they can figure out without the prototype itself. As a result, only weaker or imperfect versions of the prototype can be made. This gives the bad guys a strong motivation to retrieve the prototype, since studying it could allow them to produce perfect replicas. The hero must then keep it out of their hands at all costs. This is often used for more [[FallingIntoTheCockpit inexperienced heroes]] as it is an OutsideContextProblem for the enemy, who have no frame of reference on how to counter it.

* In ''Franchise/StarWars'', Darth Vader's TIE fighter was a custom model with a distinct appearance. At least one ExpandedUniverse technical manual says it's one of a Low-Rate Initial Production batch of unsuccessful Super Prototypes; the design was rejected as too expensive and the TIE Interceptor was selected instead.
** This was further explained in the Expanded Universe, specifically the ''VideoGame/TIEFighter'' game. They had designed a different model similar to Vader's TIE Advanced X1 that was intended for mass production, known as the [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/TIE_Avenger TIE Avenger,]] but it and its successor, the [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/TIE/D_Defender TIE Defender,]] were shelved due to too many resources expended during internal civil war. Which was probably a good thing for the Rebels, seeing as how the Defender was widely considered to be the most advanced starfighter of its time.
** The Trade Federation in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' uses two types of battle droids, that look the exact same. You have the OOM models, which possess advanced and independent programming, and the B1 models, which are [[TooDumbToLive dumb as a box of rocks]]. The kicker, the [=OOMs=] are the prototypes. You would think that with code being easily replicated, ALL battle droids would be [=OOMs=], but instead the Trade Federation decided to shoot themselves in the foot. Expanded Universe sources indicate that they feared a droid army in which every soldier was capable of intelligent thought [[RobotWar might turn against them]].
** Mandalorian armor is highly customized to the individual, but typically decked out with numerous weapons and gadgetry. Clone Trooper armor was based on Jango Fetts' Mandalorian armor but standardized and simplified.

* It's suggested heavily in ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' that the Emerald Eye of Ekron (best known as the weapon of ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperheroes'' villain Emerald Empress) was essentially an early version of what would eventually become the ComicBook/GreenLantern rings. If that's the case, then they clearly broke the mold, as Emerald Empress is consistently shown as able to overpower Green Lanterns and Kryptonians, and has never shown any need to charge the Eye or any trouble with the traditional yellow weakness. On the other hand, it does have a rather unusual KryptoniteFactor (literally; for some reason kryptonite works on it).

* There's also ComicBook/NormanOsborn being the super prototype for the Goblin Formula. It was meant to increase intelligence, but also added SuperStrength, insanity and a powerful HealingFactor. Most other Goblin Formula users tend ''not'' to get the Healing Factor and double down on the insanity portion.

* The ComicBook/SilverSurfer is the most powerful or second most powerful Herald of Galactus. He was the first person to make the deal with Galactus and as such Galactus gave him a higher level of Power Cosmic than other succeeding Heralds. Even Heralds that are good friends with Galactus, such as Airwalker, haven't been given close to the amount of power the depowered Surfer got, let alone what he had originally. The only Herald to rival or exceed his power is [[ComicBook/ThePunisher Cosmic Ghost Rider]], who's from an alternate future several millennia ahead during a very desperate time for Galactus, carries a number of artifact-level magical weapons (including a chain made from the bones of [[PhysicalGod Cyttorak]]), and has the [[ComicBook/GhostRider Spirit of Vengeance]] powers as well.

* While the ''massive'' ContinuitySnarl in ComicBook/XMen makes saying this definitively difficult, there's a fairly good chance [[KnightTemplar Exodus]] was this for X-Men BigBad ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}}. Empowered by Apoc in the 12th century, Crusader knight Bennet du Paris rebelled against his would-be master and was [[Really700YearsOld sealed away for over 800 years]] as a result. When ComicBook/{{Magneto}} woke him up in the present day and recruited him to his Acolytes, Exodus proved capable of throwing down with the entirety of the Avengers and X-Men teams ''simultaneously'' while ''also'' crushing the entirety of an island nation's capital city beneath the power of his telekinesis. Not a single one of Apocalypse's other later minions, from [[EvilutionaryBiologist Mr. Sinister]] to the [[FourIsDeath Four Horsemen]], have exhibited anything near this kind of power.

* ''Fanfic/{{HERZ}}'': Unit 00, 01 and 02 were the prototype, test type and production models respectively. However 01 was the most powerful of the trio. The MP-Evas were the mass production model, meant to be more advanced (they flew, had unlimited power, quick regeneration and were armed with replicas of the Lance of Longinus). Still Asuka piloting Unit 02 tore them apart nearly completely, and Shinji riding Unit 01 finished them off. In 2027 [[spoiler:SEELE built even more powerful mass production Evas, but the three pilots easily defeated them using their old models.]]
* Subverted and defied in ''Fanfic/AnEntryWithABang[=!=]'': The first GDI monitor is an unstable hodgepodge of Clancy-Earth and ''TabletopGame/BattleTech''... uh, tech. The first prototype [=BearCat=] aerospace fighter is not mounting weapons. Both in-universe and at the writers' level, there has generally been agreement to take things slow and not do any funky stuff.

* C.L. Werner's ''[[FanficRecs/{{Godzilla}} New Era]]'' ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' stories were set to feature the [[Film/{{Gamera}} Ultra-Gyaos]], progenitor of the entire Gyaos race. It was a creation of ancient Atlantis meant to be used to destroy Mu, but when they saw it was powerful enough to betray and destroy them, the Atlanteans were rightly frightened and [[SealedEvilInACan sealed it away in an orihalcyon chamber deep beneath their kingdom]]

* Played with in ''Fanfic/{{Marionettes}}''. [[spoiler:Trixie is the first Marionette, both as a whole and of the current Generation (her AI and the MagicWand composing her horn having been transferred into a new body), and built to rival Sunset and Twilight in strength while Cover Story (another Marionette) is easily overpowered by the latter.]] However, the reason for this [[spoiler:is because she was built to be TheRival to Sunset, and thus power was necessary, particularly since it was believed that Sunset and Twilight could become Alicorns.]] Another reason is [[spoiler:the MagicWand in her horn is one of two like it in existence, being one of Mage Meadowbrook's Enchanted Objects, and thus couldn't be replicated. Also Subverted overall, as generally the more advanced Marionettes ''are'' superior to the previous generations, including Trixie's new body to her original.]]
* In ''Fanfic/EquestriaAcrossTheMultiverse'': All the PoweredArmor suits have this for justified reasons. The prototype model (the 'Advanced' Model) for both the Paladin and [=RANGER=] Armors are far stronger than the mass production model, but are also impossible for a normal pony to use. The Advanced Model Paladin Armor's mana requirements are too high for anypony who's not exceptionally powerful (Shining Armor, Gifted Ponies, ect.) or has some magical artifact or ability (the Bearers, Alicorns, ect.) to actually sustain them for extended periods, thus the mass production versions, while much weaker, can be used by anyone while the Advanced versions are reserved for those who can actually use them. The [=RANGER=] armor's prototype turned out to be far too strenuous for a normal pony to use and Sincere Heart (Shining Armor's Tales universe AlternateSelf) is the only pony available who can properly use it, while the mass production model is usable by anyone. The only suit ''not'' the have this trope attached is the Bard Armor, but that's because it runs on Innocence Magic, and only certain ponies can use that anyway.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Uglydolls}}'', it is revealed that [[spoiler:[[BigBad Lou]] is a prototype doll and the base mold of the Perfection Dolls. Most of his anger is steeped in the fact that he's unable to be given to a child, forced to watch the others pass on, as prototypes aren't meant to be sold.]]

* ''Film/BatmanBegins'' had most of Batmans' gear be acquired from rejected R&D prototypes from Wayne Enterprises. The suit was rejected by the army because it was too expensive, while Bruce customized the suit to his preferences along with combining the built-in harness to work with a GrapplingHookPistol. The Tumbler was designed for jumping gaps to lay cables for bridges, the bridge system didn't work right but the vehicle itself was an impressive high mobility tank. This set a precedent across different media that much of Batmans' gear is him [[WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys adopting and repurposing existing prototypes instead of custom building everything from scratch]].

* In ''Film/TheLastStarfighter'', Alex's Gunstar is stated to be an advanced prototype for the next model of Gunstars, featuring improvements in weapons, armor, and other experimental systems such as the [[SpamAttack Death Blossom]]. Because it's still a work-in-progress, it's kept in a separate area of the base from the main hanger, [[spoiler:which is why it's the only Gunstar not destroyed in Xur's sneak attack which destroyed most of the Starfighters' base. Since it's the only Gunstar they've got left, they have no choice but to use it despite it being largely untested.]]
* In the film version of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing'', CanonForeigner Lurtz appears to be one of these. He is the first Uruk-hai created by Saruman, and shown to be strong and skilled enough to [[HeroKiller shoot Boromir to death]] and give Aragorn a very close fight. The Uruks under his command don't pose half as much of a threat, and the ones that fight at the Hornburg one movie later are largely cut down en masse.
** WordOfGod is that this was deliberate. The design crew wanted to subtly imply that the Uruk-hai, as artificial lifeforms and perversions of nature, were flawed and quick to degenerate physically and mentally. Each time an individual Uruk-hai is seen it looks progressively older and in worse physical condition, because they are literally falling apart on the genetic level.

** Comicbook/TheFalcon's flying exo-suit in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' is a military prototype. No reason is given for why the suits never saw mass production, but it's implied that the other users had all been killed during combat in the Middle East. It was also designed for Para-Rescue. Among the U.S.'s special forces units, Para-Rescue is among the most difficult to succeed in, on par with Seal Team 6, if not outright more difficult. Training is often nicknamed "Superhero School". Given that it would naturally have a low radar profile, it was probably meant to be a poor man's Iron Man but was too costly, too narrow in mission, and had little-to-no body armor to protect the much more valuable man wearing it.

* Nightblood from ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' is revealed by WordOfGod [[spoiler: to be the first attempt at replicating a [[Literature/TheStormlightArchive Rosharan Shardblade]] using Nalthian Awakening. Nightblood is sapient and one of the most powerful entities in Literature/TheCosmere, second only to the [[PhysicalGod Shards of Adonalsium]], but he also devours the soul of anyone who draws him... and can compel most people to draw him. Subsequent refinements of the technique are considerably less powerful, but far safer to use.]]

* On ''Series/{{Chuck}}'', Chuck is the first successful Intersect and remains the only prototype due to repeated sabotage of the project. However, when they finally decide to create more Intersect agents, they turn out to be way too inflexible in their thinking and tend to overreact in combat situations. In this case, it's a matter of NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup for both device ''and'' user: nobody can reproduce the perfect version of the Intersect that Bryce Larkin only entrusted to Chuck, and when it comes to the wielder, well, there's a reason Bryce only trusted Chuck with it. With later attempts to produce it, you got fatal MySkullRunnethOver cases, madness-inducing cases, and a version that damages your memory with each use to the point that it was once used as a form of BrainWashing. The only non-Chuck person who appears to have had a fully functional Intersect was a BigBad.

* Franchise/StarTrek

** The titular ship of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', the NX-01 ''Enterprise'', also subverted the super prototype as her successor, the NX-02 ''Columbia'', left drydock with capabilities that surpassed and were later retrofitted into ''Enterprise''. At least some of these are, realistically, based on some of the flaws and workarounds ''Enterprise'' [[TaughtByExperience had with field experience]]. Production designs for the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen unproduced fifth season]] of ''Enterprise'' and WordOfGod statements from Doug Drexler revealed that the entire NX class was one big work-in-progress and that every ship was its own prototype, as evidenced by [[http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2010/04/25/nx-01-refit-diagram/ these sketches]] showing off the engineering hull that was to be added to the "NX-01.5". These were canonized in the ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' episode "The Bounty", when we see that the NX-01 at the Federation Fleet Museum is in this configuration.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': [[CelestialParagonsAndArchangels Archangels]] were the first four angels created and much more powerful than their younger siblings. [[spoiler: God eventually reveals this is because the Archangels were created using primordial power that takes a long time for him to make, meaning it takes him a lot longer to make an Archangel than the normal angels. This was problematic when the second fight with the Darkness happened, as by then, Lucifer was the only Archangel in fighting shape and resurrecting Raphael or Gabriel or making a new Archangel would've taken more time than they had]].

* The robot Imperiser/[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Imperialiser]] from ''Series/UltramanMebius'' is insanely hard to destroy with thick armor capable of self-regeneration and can evolve ''right in the middle of battle''. The mass production version lacks these qualities but is still deadly. And since they retain teleportation ability, [[WeHaveReserves their strength in numbers does made up with it]].

* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' introduced a trio of uber-powerful, almost godlike AIs. Once the Crash 2.0 hit and the three of them are (apparently) gone, AIs are now roughly as powerful as human hackers in the Matrix (to the point where they are options for player characters).

*** The Thunder Warriors are specifically stated to be cruder, more poorly armored versions of the process that creates modern SpaceMarines, but at the same time, a single Thunder Warrior is to a squad of marines what marines themselves are to a squad of [[RedshirtArmy regular guardsmen]]. Unfortunately they are nowhere near as stable, mentally or physically. [[spoiler: The Emperor had them all (mostly) wiped out after conquering Earth in favor of the more reliable Space Marines.]]

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}''

* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'', uberninja Mongo, the result of early ninja gene experimentation, wields chainsaw nunchucks and has "All the speed, agility, martial arts ability [of a ninja], combined with giant-like strength and general insane awesomeness." The reason they didn't make more? It's too expensive. [[spoiler: The "InverseNinjaLaw" is an actual in-universe force and the maker knows this, so that might also be a factor]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekProdigy'', we have the USS ''Protostar'', a mysterious Starfleet spaceship that somehow ended up in the Delta Quadrant. In the episode "Terror Firma", we finally find out what makes it such a Super Prototype: [[spoiler:it's outfitted with a special warp core powered by an actual protostar (''a friggin' newborn star'') that allows it to travel twice as fast as conventional matter/antimatter warp cores.]]

* The Soviet WWII-era T-34 tank plays this trope straight, subverts it, and generally [[ZigzaggedTrope zigzags]] it ten ways to Friday. Initial prewar batches of it were more carefully built and better outfitted than the wartime construction, but the model 1940 variant with its petrol engine suffered various engine-related teething problems that made them difficult to use, quite unreliable and the maintenance hogs to boot.[[note]]The early air filters that basically failed to filter any air come to mind, as well as the transmission that required such force to switch that there was a popular joke about that T-34 drivers were easier to jump over than maneuver around -- due to the cramped space tankers ''do'' tend to be short, [[DoNotExplainTheJoke but the training made them so much wider]].[[/note]] The model 1941 with the famous and reliable Kharkiv V-2 engine was brought into production and the T-34S variant with a three-man turret was tested as a prototype, but once the war started, the Soviets couldn't afford refitting the production lines to the T-34S variant. Wartime production models were incredibly rushed, crudely finished to the point of sometimes forgoing the ''paint'', but the design itself was polished and improved. It didn't help that there were significant quality differences between the vehicles at different factories, with those from Factory 183 being the best and those from Factory 112 being notoriously unreliable. And then in the midst of a war the real Super Prototype tanks were designed. The T-43, which was a sort of answer to the Pz.V Panther, addressed most of the T-34's existing flaws; however, the realities of the war time made sure that it never was mass-produced because it was not enough of an improvement to warrant stopping the assembly lines for as much as a whole ''month'', meaning some thousands of T-34 wont get to the frontline. Instead, most of its major features, namely its improved drivetrain and larger turret, were incorporated into the T-34 instead.

->''"Why would a prototype be more efficient than the finished model? Did they think that Big Daddies being fast, flexible and capable of self-preservation was just not being fair on everyone else?"''
-->-- '''Yahtzee''', discussing ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation''

# '''Overtuned Prototype''' that reaches into an AceCustom, a version that takes engineering from the ''current'' rank-and-file model but is actually their intended ''successor''. It is ''supposed'' to be an upgrade over the current standard, but justifies having any number of flaws in its systems or design by still being experimental and not properly tested.
# '''Enigmatic Prototype''' that has a foundation in a BlackBox system, ancient LostTechnology, some form of [[{{Unobtanium}} incredible new material]] or otherwise created with MadScience that no one else fully understands. It is thus [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup unreplicable in its' entirety]] until someone can reverse engineer it. In fiction, a popular setup is when the prototype is made by a genius and only they fully understand the technology behind it. So when the genius dies and the prototype goes missing, the bad guys may have the notes and schematics, but there's only so much that they can figure out without the prototype itself. As a result, only weaker or imperfect versions of the prototype can be made. This gives the bad guys a strong motivation to retrieve the prototype, since studying it could allow them to produce perfect replicas. The hero must then keep it out of their hands at all costs. This is often used for more [[FallingIntoTheCockpit inexperienced heroes]] as it justifies the enemy not using all their resources against the heroes for fear of damaging the prototype.

* [[https://www.supercars.net/blog/1964-pontiac-banshee-xp-833/The Pontiac Banshee XP-833]]. Taking inspiration from previous GM prototypes (specifically the [[https://www.motortrend.com/features/1603-1962-corvair-monza-gt-concept-corvette/ Corvair Monza]]), the Banshee was conceived by engineer John [=DeLorean=] (yes, THAT [=DeLorean=]) as a direct counter to Ford's new darling, the Mustang and a midrange product between GM's premium Corvette and the coming entry level muscle car, the Chevy Camaro. By offering a wide range of options while keeping costs down with stock parts and innovative engineering, the Banshee could've been a game changer for the Pontiac brand and GM in general. But GM's upper management, spurred on by the Chevrolet division (who were jealously guarding their position as THE premium sports car division of GM), halted development of the Banshee after only two prototypes (a hardtop and a convertible). They then promptly swiped much of [=DeLorean's=] work and applied it to the 1968 Corvette Stingray.

* [[CelestialParagonsAndArchangels Archangels]] in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' were the first four angels created and much more powerful than their younger siblings. [[spoiler: God eventually reveals this is because the Archangels were created using primordial power that takes a long time for him to make, meaning it takes him a lot longer to make an Archangel than the normal angels. This was problematic when the second fight with the Darkness happened, as by then, Lucifer was the only Archangel in fighting shape and resurrecting Raphael or Gabriel or making a new Archangel would've taken more time than they had]].

* ''Film/BatmanBegins'' had most of Batmans' gear be acquired from rejected R&D prototypes from Wayne Enterprises. The suit was rejected by the army because it was too expensive, while Bruce customized the suit to his preferences along with combining the built-in harness to work with a GrapplingHookPistol. The Tumbler was designed for jumping gaps to lay cables for bridges, the bridge system didn't work right but the vehicle itself was an impressive high mobility tank. This set a precedent across different media that much of Batmans' gear is him [[WhereDoesHeGetThoseWonderfulToys adopting and repurposing existing prototypes instead of custom building everything from scratch]].

* The CoolStarship equivalent is the USS ''Defiant'' in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''. In its debut, it took a dozen Jem'hadar attack ships (just ''three'' of which had shown themselves capable of easily destroying the previous most powerful ship in Starfleet) to disable the ''Defiant'', and that was after it was heavily damaged in an ambush. Not to mention, they hadn't even worked all the bugs out of the design yet; in later appearances it was even more formidable. The specs indicated that it was less than 1/10 the mass of the ''Enterprise''-D yet carried armament equal to it. Starfleet eventually does make others which are apparently just as powerful ([[spoiler:including a replacement for the original when the Dominion finally manages to destroy it]]), but it takes a while to get them into production. For a while she really was superior to others of her class simply because the fixes for the bugs violated Starfleet safety standards and took a while to get around; this came up both times other ships of the class appeared on the show. In addition, the original ''Defiant'' has an InvisibilityCloak on loan from the Romulans; her sister ships don't.
** Franchise/StarTrek actually kept a pretty good eye on its tech level as various ships are introduced. The registry for the prototype ships usually have an NX ([[FunWithAcronyms Naval eXperimental]]) prefix. The ''Excelsior'' was originally NX-2000 and was more of a testbed for the (ultimately failed) "Transwarp" engine more than anything else. Once the testing phase was over, she was given a proper NCC prefix. Otherwise, it didn't appear to completely outclass other starships like the ''Enterprise'' in terms of combat performance. In later series, it seemed that the ''Excelsior'' design was actually one of the most versatile in terms of longevity, the design showed up as modern starships as late as ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'''s fourth season, more than 80 years after it was introduced.
*** The titular ship of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', the NX-01 ''Enterprise'', also subverted the super prototype as her successor, the NX-02 ''Columbia'', left drydock with capabilities that surpassed and were later retrofitted into ''Enterprise''. Production designs for the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen unproduced fifth season]] of ''Enterprise'' and WordOfGod statements from Doug Drexler revealed that the entire NX class was one big work-in-progress and that every ship was its own prototype, as evidenced by [[http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2010/04/25/nx-01-refit-diagram/ these sketches]] showing off the engineering hull that was to be added to the "NX-01.5". These were canonized in the ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' episode "The Bounty", when we see that the NX-01 at the Federation Fleet Museum is in this configuration.

* Batman's costume in ''Film/BatmanBegins'' is a prototype armor suit that was rejected by the army because it was too expensive. The same with the batmobile, which was designed for jumping gaps to lay cables for bridges.

* The ''Indominus rex'' from ''Film/JurassicWorld'' is the first fully developed hybrid dinosaur born partly as a tourist attraction and partly as a testbed for train military hybrid dinosaurs. She's 18 feet tall, incredibly strong, highly intelligent and extremely durable with a built in camoflague ability. Her only physical threats are the park's resident elderly ''T. rex'', who needed help to hold her own in a straight fight, and the much larger ''Mosasaurus''. She's also insane and completely uncontrollable. The first attempt at a production model, the ''Indoraptor'' while still intelligent and unhinged, is a fraction of the size and amenable to some level of conditioning. It's also something of a failed prototype itself as while trainable it's still largely untameable and was handily overpowered by Blue, a not particularly physically remarkable ''Velociraptor'' a third of its size.

** The ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Message In A Bottle" features the USS ''Prometheus'', an advanced Starfleet warship packing tons of weaponry, flys faster than ''Voyager'', has a shipwide holographic projection system, and [[DetachmentCombat can split into three smaller ships in combat]]. It's up to ''Voyager'''s Doctor and the ''Prometheus'''s own EMH to stop [[GrandTheftPrototype the Romulans trying to steal it]].

** ''Series/KamenRiderFaiz'': Zigzagged. The prototype Delta Gear provides the highest overall boost to its wearer's physical attributes, is regarded with fear and awe during the story arc in which it is introduced, and doesn't include the element of PowerAtAPrice that its successors deliberately introduced in a failed effort to prevent a PhlebotinumRebel. However, it lacks any of the supplementary gadgets or expansion slots that the Faiz and Kaixa Gear have, which makes a fully upgraded Faiz much more powerful than Delta, while a fully upgraded Kaixa breaks even. Faiz itself is the super prototype to the mass production Riotrooper Gear, which is for use by {{Main/Mooks}} and combines all of the worst traits of the three prototypes.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Delta shows up in ''VideoGame/BioShock2'' as a prototype of the Big Daddies who are the optional (not really optional) bosses in the first and second games. Delta is stronger than typical Big Daddies and is capable of upgrades they aren't (plasmids and weapon stations). However, the flaws (from his designer's point of view) are that he can only truly bond to one Little Sister and has a great deal of independent thought and free will. He's a cross between an Experimental Prototype and a FlawedPrototype.

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