History Main / TheyWouldCutYouUp

* Sort of the catalyst for the whole series in RedDwarf. In the first episode, the Captain tells Lister his cat will be cut up and have tests run on it, prompting the response, "Would you put it back together when you were done?"

* The backstory in ''Literature/TheStarsMyDestination'' has shades of this with the first man, a scientist, to learn to Jaunt, or teleport. The first time it happens is under the stress of a fatal situation, and the scientist knows that, to replicate the phenomenon, his colleagues are going to do their best to kill him. He actually ''goes along with this'', and after saying his goodbyes, ''does'' replicate it. The result is, by the time the novel takes place, all of mankind can teleport at will.

* The backstory in ''TheStarsMyDestination'' has shades of this with the first man, a scientist, to learn to Jaunt, or teleport. The first time it happens is under the stress of a fatal situation, and the scientist knows that, to replicate the phenomenon, his colleagues are going to do their best to kill him. He actually ''goes along with this'', and after saying his goodbyes, ''does'' replicate it. The result is, by the time the novel takes place, all of mankind can teleport at will.

* In the ''ExcelSaga'' manga, this happening to [[IllGirl Hyatt]] is one of many reasons Excel is nervous about health care providers.

* In one of the bad endings of {{H game}} ''Madou Souhei Kleinhasa'', Roze is experimented on by enemy scientists to find out how her magic works. It's implied that [[{{High Octane Nightmare Fuel}} she doesn't survive their experiments]].

[[folder:Comicbooks]]

* Notably averted in ''EscapeToWitchMountain'' and ''Return From Witch Mountain'', which revolved around the HumanAlien kids being more in danger of exploitation by greedy individuals than dissection by {{MIB}}. However, it's played straight in the 2008 ''RaceToWitchMountain''.

* In ''DelaTheHooda'', the extradimensional fox hybrid Dela is warned against contacting Earth authorities because rumor has it that they dissect aliens. This potential problem is later resolved when the [[{{MIB}} Men In Plaid]] (the Canadian division of {{MIB}}, [[CanadaEh who wears plaid suits because the Canadian government can't afford fancy, black Italian suits]]) has a talk with her and decides let her go free.

** Also the [[{{MIB}} Guys in White]], and their famous quote from Reality Trip: "You're coming in for questioning-" "-and experiments. Lots and lots of really ''painful'' experiments."

** However, this is ''exactly'' the reason that Wikus goes on the run, [[spoiler:since they actually ''were'' about to vivisect him ([[NightmareFuel unanesthetised and fully aware, no less!]]) when he managed to get free and escape.]]

* Similarly to the ''TwilightZone'' example, the first humans to encounter the aliens in ''Pandora's Star'' by Peter F. Hamilton are dissected. The sequence, told ''from the alien's point of view'', is pure NightmareFuelUnleaded even with death being (usually) a minor inconvenience in the Commonwealth.

* In an unusual twist, the Tam family in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' presumably laughed off this possibility, if it even occurred to them at all, when the government expressed interest in their 'gifted' daughter, River. [[NightmareFuel Disaster]] [[BreakTheCutie ensued]], and her brother Simon had to sacrifice his medical career to get her away from the scientists post-[[TheyWouldCutYouUp cutting up]] and take her on the lam to prevent it from happening again.

* In the UK ''Series/BeingHuman'', the group encounters a zombified girl (who is in total denial of her status and appearance as a rotting corpse). When they go looking into her origins at the hospital they find evidence of several other living dead individuals who met this fate at the hands of doctors and scientists trying to discover what made them tick. [[NightmareFuel The video they find even includes the final disposal of the still aware remains of these individuals (by cremation).]]

* The Japanese did this to Prisoners of War and Chinese civilians during [[WorldWarTwo World War 2]], and to make it worse, [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel they didn't use any anesthetics on the patients when they were vivisected]]

* What [[HeroAntagonist Dib]] wants to do to [[VillainProtagonist Zim]] on ''InvaderZim.'' Unlike most of these examples, this is [[BlackAndGreyMorality not entirely unjustified]], especially since we see Zim [[DoubleStandard doing experiments on humans himself]].

* Largely averted or subverted by the ''WebOriginal/SCPFoundation'', who largely take the place those traditionally experimenting on the MonsterOfTheWeek's corpse would. The Foundation tends to be interested in observing and containing subjects, destroying those too dangerous. It helps that they really don't want more of most [=SCPs=], but the rare helpful ones avoid vivisection simply because there's no way to be sure it'd provide useful information, and there's usually only one. Of course, [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/interview-507-g when that's not the case...]]

* In ''GIJoe vs. the {{Transformers}}'', the Joes are ordered to do this to [[TheBumblebee Bumblebee]] and Wheeljack by their superiors, who [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman only see them as machines]]. They almost carry them out, until a stunned Wheeljack reveals that the army's plans of nuking Cobra Island will have disastrous consequences...

* Notable averted in SupermanTheAnimatedSeries. While alien and metahuman experimentation is fairly established in DCAU, it's not something Superman even considers as a possible problem, and the first thing he does when he has a scientific question is ally with a tech company.

* ''Comicbook/TheSandman'': One of the reasons Hob keeps his immortality a secret from most people he knows, including the mortals he falls in love with. It's too easy for him to imagine a bunch of "Noble-prive wannabes examining slices of my pancreas."

* DeadmanWonderland... just Deadman Wonderland.

* The main reason Roger in AmericanDad hides from the CIA. In one episode, he actually does get captured and is about to be cut up, [[spoiler: but Stan saves him]].

** When short-lived companion Adam has future technology installed ''in his head'' in an attempt to set up a GraysSportsAlmanac situation, the Doctor drops his useless ass back on earth and tells him that now he has to live quietly, less this happen to him. Which isn't going to be easy, since now his skull opens up every time someone snaps their fingers in his vicinity.

** Subverted in the later TV movie, where it's shown that Alf's doing all right after turning himself in.

* Largely averted or subverted by the ''SCPFoundation'', who largely take the place those traditionally experimenting on the MonsterOfTheWeek's corpse would. The Foundation tends to be interested in observing and containing subjects, destroying those too dangerous. It helps that they really don't want more of most [=SCPs=], but the rare helpful ones avoid vivisection simply because there's no way to be sure it'd provide useful information, and there's usually only one. Of course, [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/interview-507-g when that's not the case...]]

* And lest we forget, "disassemble" is practically an [[ArcWords arc word]] in ''ShortCircuit''.

* The talking raccoon, Woo, of ''SandraAndWoo'' mentions this when he first reveals this gift to Sandra, saying that he's kinda' attached to his vocal cords, and asking her to keep it quiet. The danger is never mentioned again.

* In ''{{Prototype}}'', if the [[spoiler:Web Of Intrigue]] videos are anything to go by, this is one of GENTEK's goals regarding [[PsychoPrototype Alex Mercer]]. [[spoiler:The problem with this, of course, is Mercer's PersonOfMassDestruction status, his HealingFactor, and his propensity for [[ISurrenderSuckers playing dead/unconscious]] when he's finally cornered. Less than five seconds after the morgue security camera confirms that he's still there, his ex-boss turns around to find that Mercer is [[RightBehindMe right behind]] [[StealthHiBye him]]. [[OffscreenTeleportation Somehow]].]]

* "For Science!" is why Marquis [=DeSinge=] wants to capture the pox-infected Guybrush Threepwood (who has gained a prodigious HealingFactor) in ''[[MonkeyIsland Tales of Monkey Island]]''.

* ''TheSandman'': One of the reasons Hob keeps his immortality a secret from most people he knows, including the mortals he falls in love with. It's too easy for him to imagine a bunch of "Noble-prive wannabes examining slices of my pancreas."

* In ''Phenomenon'' the government is almost totally upfront about wanting to do this to George. Because George's mind is [[NinetyPercentOfYourBrain working at near 100% efficiency]], it takes him no time at all to realize what they're not saying is [[spoiler:that the exploratory surgery they want to do would kill him, and that they think they'd get less data doing the same surgery after his death.]]

* In ''TheIncredibleHulk'' movie, knowledge of what Thunderbolt wants to do with the gamma power is why Bruce keeps running because he knows they'll dissect him and try to weaponize the gamma power.

* ''RepoTheGeneticOpera''. Plot involves a future society in which 90% of the population has required organ transplants to survive a horrible illness. Unfortunately, the company that gives the operations demands steady repayment for the organs they provide. If not...a 'repo man' comes to 'repossess' your organs. Also, its a musical. Yes, a musical. Also... Giles can sing.
** [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Well, we already knew]] ''[[MusicalEpisode that...]]''

* Invoked in [[RobertAHeinlein The Star Beast]] by John's ancestor when he acquires a native pet [[spoiler: (or rather, inadvertently kidnaps a native princess)]] while exploring an alien planet.

* In ''TheWorldOfDarkness'' game ''TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil'', the Cheiron Group is a MegaCorp which does just this - it captures supernatural creatures, figures out how their powers work, and then [[LegoGenetics cuts out bits and implants them into field agents so they can use those powers]]. This is one of the few times where the ''player'' is doing the cutting-and-utilizing.
* And then there's ''[[PrometheanTheCreated Promethean: the Created]]'', where several of the antagonist monsters demonstrate why you don't want an alchemically-reanimated corpse with incredible power and an inborn UncannyValley effect getting anywhere near a MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate. The reasons range from a Galateid whose tissue was broken down and utilized to create living sex dolls to a cloning program that practically turns Prometheans into genetic soup.

* In ''VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', the PlayerCharacter is warned to never break TheMasquerade, but one quest sees a resourceful human capturing you and performing sick survivability experiments you have to survive to get back at him.
** Mind you, [[spoiler:it's not your masquerade breaches that cause this, but rather that Ming Xiao, someone on the inside, put him up to it so she could discover the best way to off kindred. It's also ultimately very mild, as he's bitten off far more than he can chew.]]

* In [[{{Infamous}} inFAMOUS,]] Cole receives several warnings that the government wouldn't treat him kindly if they got their hands on him. It turns out to be a subversion: they already know how to endow someone with superpowers, they just want to control Cole and choose what direction he's pointed in since his powers are already very offensively oriented. Between the games, every government agent who has this goal for him is killed anyway. The mentalist Alden Tate, however, ''is'' vivisected.

* ''GirlGenius'': This is one of the things sparks needs to worry about. Especially from the Baron himself, in Othar's case.

* This is why Roland has to keep Sadachbia's presence on the down-low in [[{{NotSoDistant}} Not So Distant]], since Sadachbia is a large alien, who'd probably look great cut up on a table to Earth scientists.
* Though she's a little confused about it on their first encounter with the FBI, this is later a thing Aylee in ''SluggyFreelance'' fears. The humans she's living with assume the government would automatically perform a secret alien autopsy on her if they ever found out about her.
* In DelaTheHooda, the extradimensional fox hybrid Dela is warned against contacting Earth authorities because rumor has it that they dissect aliens. This potential problem is later resolved when the [[{{MIB}} Men In Plaid]] (the Canadian division of {{MIB}}, [[CanadaEh who wears plaid suits because the Canadian government can't afford fancy, black Italian suits]]) has a talk with her and decides let her go free.

* Parodied in Webcomic/GrrlPower [[http://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/317 here]]

* In the backstory to ''RedVsBlue'', this was the fate of [[spoiler:the Alpha AI]]. The entire series plot thus far is (sometimes loosely) based around dealing with the repercussions of cutting it into pieces.
* Averted twice in TheSalvationWar: once, the National Security Advisor attempts to get a succubus so that he can vivisect her, but George W. Bush prevents this -- the succubus had already been offered sanctuary for defecting -- so the advisor has to "make do" with dissecting corpses of daemons killed in war. Later, Abigor offers some of his soldiers so that they can vivisected and humans can understand how demons are on the inside, but the general he is talking to tells him that it would be against their laws and doesn't follow on the offer.

** Well, with Jack constantly shouting that when he catches the ghost kid, he will rip him apart, molecule by molecule, it's reasonably understandable.
*** One episode has them find out and accept him, only for him to wipe their minds for no reason, [[StatusQuoIsGod causing them to go back to hunting him]].
** Oh, and let's not forget the [[{{MIB}} Guys in White]], and their famous quote from Reality Trip: "You're coming in for questioning-" "-and experiments. Lots and lots of really ''painful'' experiments."