History Main / UnplannedManualDetonation

Compare to CutTheFuse, a manual ''defusing'' of a bomb, and HoistByHisOwnPetard, where an enemy bomb is (often manually) detonated against its original wielders.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E5Rookies "Rookies"]], the Rishi Moon base, a Republic communications post, is about to be destroyed by the clone troopers present to warn the Republic of an impending Separatist invasion (a strike force of commando droids had hardwired the base to send the "all clear" signal) when they learn that the detonator is broken. Hevy, one of the troopers, stays behind and, with a BFG, takes out a fair share of Droids before he's shot as he goes for the bomb. As the droids wonder if they take prisoners, Hevy crawls towards the bomb and manages to say [[PreAsskickingOneLiner "I... Don't..."]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome before]] [[HeroicSacrifice detonating the explosives, destroying the base.]]

* In ''Film/PacificRim'', the protagonist has to substitute his own [[HumongousMecha Jaeger's]] exploding reactor for the nuke that was lost earlier in the mission, but the overload command fails and he has to manually engage the self-destruct, with his oxygen running low and the Jaeger sinking past the optimum spot for the blast.

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* ''StarWars: Literature/NewJediOrder: [[ColonCancer Force Heretic III]]: Reunion'' (how's ''that'' for a title?) features a scene of this type involving a gigantic {{Booby Trap}}ped signal transmitter. The bad guys manage to damage the explosives and one of the heroes has to go back and trigger the manual override -- and since there isn't a delay, [[HeroicSacrifice it'll have to be a one-way trip]]. A wounded character suspected of being TheMole volunteers on the grounds that his environment suit is damaged and therefore he won't survive the trip back to their base. After some deliberation, the heroes decide to send him in [[spoiler: and he succeeds, destroying a large number of enemy warriors in the process, but leaving the question of who the mole was, if not him]].

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* In the Season 1 episode of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', "Rookies" a Republic Base inhabited by the titular Rookies is about to be destroyed by the Republic when they learn that the detonator is broken. Hevy, one of the troopers, stays behind and, with a BFG, takes out a fair share of Droids before he's shot as he goes for the bomb. As the droids wonder if they take prisoners, Hevy crawls towards the bomb and manages to say [[PreAsskickingOneLiner "I... Don't..."]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome before]] [[HeroicSacrifice detonating the explosives, destroying the base.]]

** In ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'', Master Chief detonates [[spoiler:the engines of the Pillar of Autumn with rockets after 343 Guilty Spark stops the Cortana's automated countdown]].

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* ''The Tango Briefing'' (1973) by Adam Hall. British spy {{Quiller}} must use a small nuclear weapon (what we'd now call a backpack nuke, though it's a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plowshare US commercial design for blasting wells]]) to destroy a shipment of lethal psychotropic nerve gas on a crashed aircraft (the cylinders have cracked and the gas has filled the plane, so they can't just be removed). Unfortunately the timing device is smashed when Quiller parachutes in so he's ordered to detonate the device by hand (local military helicopters are in the area doing a sweep search, so there's no time to parachute in another device). [[spoiler:Fortunately Quiller is able to field-improvise a means of pushing down The Button, involving wedging the bomb under the thrust levers in the cockpit, then capturing a rather startled vulture who, when it's finished flapping around in outrage, settles down on the most suitable perch...]]

* ''StarWars: NewJediOrder: [[ColonCancer Force Heretic III]]: Reunion'' (how's ''that'' for a title?) features a scene of this type involving a gigantic {{Booby Trap}}ped signal transmitter. The bad guys manage to damage the explosives and one of the heroes has to go back and trigger the manual override -- and since there isn't a delay, [[HeroicSacrifice it'll have to be a one-way trip]]. A wounded character suspected of being TheMole volunteers on the grounds that his environment suit is damaged and therefore he won't survive the trip back to their base. After some deliberation, the heroes decide to send him in [[spoiler: and he succeeds, destroying a large number of enemy warriors in the process, but leaving the question of who the mole was, if not him]].

* ''The Tango Briefing'' (1973) by Adam Hall. British spy {{Quiller}} must use a small nuclear weapon (what we'd now call a backpack nuke, though it's a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plowshare US commercial design for blasting wells]]) to destroy a shipment of lethal psychotropic nerve gas on a crashed aircraft (the cylinders have cracked and the gas has filled the plane, so they can't just be removed). Unfortunately the timing device is smashed when Quiller parachutes in so he's ordered to detonate the device by hand (local military helicopters are in the area doing a sweep search, so there's no time to parachute in another device). Fortunately Quiller is able to field-improvise a means of pushing down The Button.

* ''{{Halo}}'' is quite fond of this trope.
** In ''HaloCombatEvolved'', Master Chief detonates [[spoiler:the engines of the Pillar of Autumn with rockets after 343 Guilty Spark stops the Cortana's automated countdown]].
** In ''HaloWars'' and ''HaloReach'', Sgt. Forge and Jorge, respectively, [[spoiler:detonate Slipspace drives as {{heroic sacrifice}}s]].
** Also done with the Crow's Nest bomb in ''Halo 3''.
** And done again in Halo 4 with a [[NukeEm HAVOK nuke]]. [[spoiler:Master Chief's only saved by Cortana shielding him with hard light and teleporting him to safety.]]

* In the Season 1 episode of ''StarWarsTheCloneWars'', "Rookies" a Republic Base inhabited by the titular Rookies is about to be destroyed by the Republic when they learn that the detonator is broken. Hevy, one of the troopers, stays behind and, with a BFG, takes out a fair share of Droids before he's shot as he goes for the bomb. As the droids wonder if they take prisoners, Hevy crawls towards the bomb and manages to say [[PreAsskickingOneLiner "I... Don't..."]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome before]] [[HeroicSacrifice detonating the explosives, destroying the base.]]

* In the Season 1 episode of StarWarsTheCloneWars , "Rookies" a Republic Base inhabited by the titular Rookies is about to be destroyed by the Republic when they learn that the detonator is broken. Hevy, one of the troopers, stays behind and, with a BFG, takes out a fair share of Droids before he's shot as he goes for the bomb. As the droids wonder if they take prisoners, Hevy crawls towards the bomb and manages to say [[PreAsskickingOneLiner "I... Don't..."]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome before]] [[HeroicSacrifice detonating the explosives, destroying the base.]]

* In the Season 1 episode of [StarWarsTheCloneWars Star Wars: The Clone Wars]], "Rookies" a Republic Base inhabited by the titular Rookies is about to be destroyed by the Republic when they learn that the detonator is broken. Hevy, one of the troopers, stays behind and, with a BFG, takes out a fair share of [[Mooks Droids]] before he's shot as he goes for the bomb. As the droids wonder if they take prisoners, Hevy manages to say [[PreAsskickingOneLiner "I... Don't..."]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome before]] [[HeroicSacrifice detonating the explosives, destroying the base.]]

This trope is when a character needs to detonate a bomb, but finds out that the remote control is broken. Then he has to go and rig it himself, while cursing quality assurance the whole time.

Compare to CutTheFuse, a manual defusing of a bomb.

** In ''Halo 2'', after disarming the Covenant's bomb on Cairo Station, MC returns it to the ship and re-arms it.

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* On the Enola Gay's mission to drop the A-bomb on Hiroshima, the crew decided it was unsafe to load the bomb pre-armed, so Lt. Dick Jeppeson had to manually arm it in midflight.

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When a character needs to detonate a bomb, only to find out that the remote-control is broken. Then they have to go and rig it themselves, while cursing quality assurance the whole time.

This is often used to set up either an OutRunTheFireball if the detonator can escape, and/or a HeroicSacrifice if they cannot.

* {{Halo}} is quite fond of this trope.
** In HaloCombatEvolved, Master Chief detonates [[spoiler:the Pillar of Autumn's engines with rockets after 343 Guilty Spark stops the Cortana's automated countdown.]]
** In HaloWars and HaloReach, Sgt. Forge and Jorge, respectively, [[spoiler:detonate Slipspace drives as [[HeroicSacrifice heroic sacrifices]]]].