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6->'''Valeris:''' We must inform Starfleet Command--\
7'''Scotty:''' Inform them of ''what!?'' A new weapon that is invisible? "Raving lunatics", that's what they'll call us! They'll say that we're so desperate to exonerate the captain that we'll say ''anything''.\
8'''Spock:''' And they would be correct. We have no evidence. Only a theory, which ''happens'' to fit the facts.
9-->-- ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry''
10
11This is a common plot device often used to kickstart a story, or get it into high gear.
12
13Basically, the heroes discover that some bad guy is up to no good. The problem is that for whatever reason, the hero has trouble getting people to believe him. Maybe because [[JustAKid the hero is a kid]], because the bad guys are [[VillainWithGoodPublicity respected authority figures]], or because [[CassandraTruth their scheme sounds]] [[RefugeInAudacity outlandish]]. They may have tried to deliver a warning ''without'' getting evidence first and been [[YouHaveToBelieveMe dismissed out of hand]]. Maybe they've [[CryingWolf lied in the past]] and the authorities are sceptical. Or maybe [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure the authorities]] do believe them, but can't act without evidence. Either way, the heroes need proof of what the bad guys are doing in order to get anyone to believe them, and the ensuing adventure becomes essentially about that. Of course, this plot isn't ''quite'' able to [[ScienceMarchesOn catch up in this day]] and age of hand-held phone recorders/cameras/camcorders in cell phones; because that would get in the way of the ''drama'' of trying to acquire evidence. Often they'll come up with [[ReinventingTheTelephone different ways of recording information]] that's complicated enough for the plot.
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15This is also a way to get otherwise reluctant heroes involved in the plot. If for no other reason than the fact that since they can't convince anyone else, it's all up to them to solve the problem.
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17This can also affect the genre, and is the catalyst of many an AmateurSleuth and SnoopingLittleKid story. If the bad guy taunts the heroes that they can't prove anything, that's ProofDare. If the heroes resort to fabricating the evidence, it's FramingTheGuiltyParty. If someone needs to collect evidence of their ''own'' achievement(s), they're BringingBackProof. Compare ClearMyName.
18----
19!!Examples:
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21[[foldercontrol]]
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23[[folder: Anime and Manga]]
24* The main obstacle for L of ''Manga/DeathNote'' is not in deducing [[SerialKiller Kira]]'s identity, but in finding proof beyond a shadow of a doubt to ''support'' his deduction. Not unreasonable, given that Kira is using a magic killer notebook to commit his crimes. Without proof, who would believe that?
25* What Tenma of ''Manga/{{Monster}}'' occasionally tries to do about Johann. The rest of the time he's attempting to kill him.
26* A large part of ''Manga/RedRiver1995'': Kail and his group know that Queen Nakia is behind about 90% of the bad things that happen in the story, but she is very good at covering her tracks, and you don't accuse the second-most-powerful person in the Empire of serious crimes without some serious proof to back it up.
27[[/folder]]
28
29[[folder:Comic Books]]
30* A recurring hassle for Mickey in the ''ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse'' before he can put a stop to whatever scheme he's gotten on the track of. Subverted in ''"The Mystery of the Robot Army!"'', where the police believed Mickey without further question but Mickey ruined things by taking a piece of evidence with him, which the villains discovered and took as cue that it was time to clear out before the police arrived. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''"The Mystery at Hidden River"'' when Mickey discovers Pete's presence at the crime site early in the story:
31-->'''Mickey:''' Well, I don't have to be clairvoyant to know who's the villain in this mystery! The trick is to get the goods on him!
32[[/folder]]
33
34[[folder:Fan Works]]
35* This serves as the reason why Minato hasn't taken down Danzo yet in ''Fanfic/CatchYourBreath'', despite knowing about his actions.
36-->'''Minato:''' If I had any solid evidence to link Shimura directly to anything, I'd have ordered the seizure of all of his assets within the village and put him under seal-enforced house arrest until we could have a trial.
37* In ''Fanfic/DelendaEst'', Harry might know what the dark lord is doing, but he can't tell Orion and Cygnus about it until he's got proof.
38* ''Fanfic/DreamingOfSunshine'': One of the reasons Shikako doesn't run around changing things willy-nilly is because no one would ever believe her. Instead, she painstakingly begins investigating events of interest such as [[spoiler:the Uchiha massacre, especially after being subjected to Tsukuyomi, and Akatsuki]]. This even makes sense, since she KNOWS the information is there and will thus notice things someone else would dismiss.
39* Blue Diamond and Jasper do this on behalf of [[spoiler:Hema]] in ''Fanfic/TheHarvester'' when they are put on trial for being accused of a crime punishable by death, by [[spoiler:bringing out Emerald]] as proof that they were framed.
40* Tom says this almost verbatim about how they're going to clear Skinner's name in the fourth volume of ''Fanfic/ThePrivateDiaryOfElizabethQuatermain''.
41* ''Fanfic/RobbReturns'':
42** Benjen Stark travels beyond the Wall in order to gather proof that the Others and the wights are real.
43** Tywin runs into this issue as well: many of his nobles didn't hear [[spoiler:the Call]], or deny the fact they heard it, insisting it was all a trick. Thus, Tywin needs solid evidence that the Others exist before he can rally everyone against the threat they pose.
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
47* Many 1950s horror films used this plot device, specifically applied to teenagers (i.e. those who paid to see drive-in movies) who found out some horror or other, but the adults wouldn't believe them.
48* In the 2017 film ''Film/BadMatch'', Harris spends the last third of the film trying to find evidence of the person who hacked his Twitter account and downloaded child porn onto his computer, as while his acquaintances believe that he isn’t responsible the investigators need evidence of who did it instead. [[spoiler:Unfortunately Harris fixates on the wrong suspect as the one responsible for his problems, with the result that he beats an innocent woman to death before his lawyer identifies the person responsible]].
49* ''Film/{{Nope}}'': The cusp of the story revolves around the Haywood siblings trying to prove that a UFO is haunting the area around their ranch by getting definitive footage of it (which they dub "the [[Creator/OprahWinfrey Oprah]] shot"). This is complicated by the fact the UFO in question causes electronics to turn off as it passes over and absolutely hates being looked at. [[spoiler:It takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but Emerald is finally able to get the Oprah shot at the very end using the [[ChekhovsGun old-timey well camera at Jupiter's Claim]], which does not use electricity.]]
50* ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'' has this in the plot aboard the ''Enterprise'' in the middle acts of the movie. In the aftermath of the attack on the Klingon Chancellor's transport to Earth, subsequent masked Starfleet boarders assassinating him, curious external readings right before it all went down, and a suspicious discrepancy between magazine inventory and event logs concerning torpedo weapons fire, the crew of the ''Enterprise'' deduce that another ship must have fired on the Chancellor's ship; one of the Klingons' own with a new cloaking device that can enable torpedo fire while cloaked. All they have is circumstantial theories, as Scotty is quick to point out and Spock is quick to concur on. It sets them on the task to find the evidence: specifically, the gravity boots that the assassins must have worn to board the crippled klingon diplomatic ship that was deprived of gravity.
51* This becomes the main challenge in ''Film/{{Zodiac|2007}}'' once the heroes become convinced that [[spoiler:Leigh is the Zodiac]]. Despite mountains of evidence -- the windbreakers, the gloves, the wing-walker boots, the knives, the guns, ''Film/TheMostDangerousGame'', the watch -- it could all be dismissed in court as circumstantial.
52[[/folder]]
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54[[folder:Literature]]
55* This happens in a few of the ''AlvinFernald'' books by Clifford B. Hicks.
56* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' starts off with the kids trying to expose the Yeerks' silent invasion to the world, in hopes that once the world knows what's going on, they'll be able to fight back. This plan becomes less significant as the series progresses, in favor of simple guerrilla war, but ultimately succeeds near the end.
57* A major plot thread in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'' involves the titular character being certain that GoldfishPoopGang leader Draco Malfoy is up to something, and trying (without success) to prove it. Of course, this is in large part due to the fact that the primary responsible authority figures [[spoiler:(Dumbledore and Snape) already know he's up to something and want Harry to have as little to do with it as possible]].
58* ''Literature/JenniferTheJerkIsMissing'' starts out this way, as Malcolm needs her babysitter, Amy, to believe that he did indeed witness a kidnapping. They then try to prove it to the adults, which doesn't work.
59* ''Literature/MyTeacherIsAnAlien'' starts off with Susan Simmons finding out that, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin look at the title]]. She knows full well no-one will believe her, and her efforts to try to get evidence are what set the story in motion.
60* Aiden and Meg of ''Literature/OnTheRun'' race to prove their parents' innocence when they happen to be arrested for a crime they didn't commit.
61* ''Literature/ASpyInTheNeighborhood'' is about three boys who think a certain neighbor may be a spy. They want to get the cops on her case, but in order to do that, they need to find proof of some sort, so they basically spy on her.
62[[/folder]]
63
64[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
65* In ''Series/{{Two}}'', Gus must prove that Booth, his EvilTwin, exists in order to prove his innocence.
66* One ''Series/Adam12'' episode involved a woman who was desperate to get the drug dealer who killed her boyfriend. Malloy had to keep reminding her they needed proof. She had a record and wouldn't be seen as a reliable witness, so she couldn't testify. When she bought drugs from the guy, it still wasn't enough because though she wrote down the serial number on the money, the dealer could say he got it in change. Eventually, the police stakeout pays off and they get what they need to arrest him.
67* In ''Series/BabylonFive'', several episodes involved a search for evidence to prove that [[spoiler: President Santiago's death was an assassination engineered by his successor, not an accident]].
68* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
69** Hank finds some clues linking Gus to Gale's drug-related murder, and suspects that Gus is actually a drug kingpin running the biggest meth empire in the American Southwest. He only has circumstantial evidence and nobody else in the DEA believes him, so he starts a one-man quest to find proof. His brother-in-law, Walter (and the audience), knows that Hank is 100% correct (because he is Gus's meth cook), and realizes they'll all be in ''big'' trouble if Hank actually finds proof and does his best to secretly sabotage his efforts.
70** Later, Hank discovers that [[spoiler:Walter is actually the mysterious meth baron "Heisenberg" he's been hunting for so long]]. Looking back at the DEA case files for the past year, he finds tons of circumstantial links, but no definitive physical proof (because [[spoiler:Walt did a ''very'' good job destroying it all]]). He's finally able to get this proof by [[spoiler:teaming up with Jesse and employing a TrickAndFollowPloy, getting Walt to confess to his crimes ''and'' lead them to his hidden caches of drug money]].
71* A common occurrence on ''Series/{{CSI}}'' and its spinoffs. Often occurs on cases where the evidence isn't yielding as many leads as the [=CSIs=] need to make the case.
72%%* ''Series/EerieIndiana''
73* ''Series/TheFugitive'' combines this with SternChase, as a wrongfully-accused man flees from the law as he tries to find the evidence to prove who the real killer was.
74* In the penultimate season of ''Series/GameOfThrones'', the Night's Watch and their allies undertake a dangerous mission to capture a [[OurZombiesAreDifferent wight]] to prove to Cersei that the White Walker threat is real. This results in the deaths of [[spoiler:Thoros, Benjen, and Viserion (who is then reanimated as a {{Dracolich}}, which the Night King uses to destroy the Wall at the end of the season)]]. And it turns out it was probably AllForNothing since Cersei agrees to a temporary alliance against the White Walkers...and then, unsurprisingly, [[ILied doesn't send any help at all]].
75* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': When Bronwyn is trying to warn the people of Tirharad that there is a looming danger, Waldreg asks her to bring first a proof before asking everyone to just abandon their homes. Which she does, she fights an Orc that attacked her son and brings his beheaded head to Waldreg.
76* About halfway through every episode of ''Series/{{Monk}}'', the titular detective will figure out who did it. Without exception, the person he accuses will have an airtight alibi (once, the guy was ''in space'' at the time of the murder), and Monk will have to find the one thing that doesn't fit.
77* On ''Series/SavingGrace'', Rhetta is a forensic investigator and does all kinds of tests on any items that Earl gives Grace to prove his angelic existence. Boy, does she find proof.
78* Subverted in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''. When Sisko sets out to find proof that the Dominion is going to attack the Romulans, resident spy-in-exile Garak tells him the best way to find it will be to manufacture it themselves.
79* Happens a lot in ''Series/WhiteCollar''. The criminals are often known right away; the trick is gathering enough evidence to allow the FBI to do anything about it.
80* ''Series/TheXFiles''. If Scully had a catch phrase, "We need scientific proof!" would be it.
81* The unaired ''Series/WonderWoman2011Pilot'' features this in a plotline. The police can't do anything to Veronica Cale without proof. Wonder Woman goes about this by stabbing a guy in the neck and hospitalizing him, getting negative results, torturing him in a bed, and then getting this confession thrown out because police can't use information gained from coerced testimony. [[SarcasmMode Surely, the world's greatest detective.]]
82[[/folder]]
83
84[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
85* ''TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil'''s Network Zero has proof of nearly goddamn anything. The problem is getting people to take it seriously.
86** Not helping is that the same high-tech world they're relying on to break the news has some strict limits. Posting footage of a werewolf mauling someone on Website/YouTube breaks its content guidelines.
87[[/folder]]
88
89[[folder:Video Games]]
90* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' you're required to find overwhelming evidence of the younger Roenall's wrongdoings, as all complaints about him have to go through...him. So you need something very convincing to convince his superior to break protocol and get rid of him.
91* In ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'', this is basically the entire plot: to prove the [[ArmiesAreEvil Alpha Sections]] are secretly associated with the [[PlanetLooters Domz]] they're supposed to protect against.
92* In the NES ''ComicStrip/DickTracy'' game, as Dick is a by-the-book cop, you have to follow the trail and find a LOT of evidence before you can arrest any of the big villains, even though you can confront them directly at any time. Arresting them prematurely earns you a stern talking to from your boss. (Much to the chagrin of WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd.)
93* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout|1}}'', after saving the mayor of a little town from an assassination attempt, he asks you to gather evidence on the person (a local crime boss casino owner) he knows is behind it. You can either side with the crime boss, pretend to be an assassin available for work to make him do an EngineeredPublicConfession thanks to a tape recorder the mayor gave you, or just plain bugging his room.
94* In the first ''VideoGame/GabrielKnight'' game, Mosely demands that Gabriel prove that the murders were committed by an actual Voodoo cult and that said cult is a threat to the public before he'll help Gabriel fight it.
95* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'': In Wonderland, Sora and company must clear Alice's name regarding an assassination attempt at the Queen and find evidence against the Heartless.
96* The early plot of ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' revolves around the protagonist uncovering evidence to prove that the villain is actually the villain to the not-so-omniscient council of very visible politicians.
97* ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'': A quest late in the game has Ryder investigating whether someone high-up in the salarian Ark's leadership sold them out. [[spoiler:As it turns out, when they thought they were gathering evidence they were actually ''erasing'' it. Whoops. Fortunately, they manage to catch one of the conspirators anyway.]]
98* Your first mission in ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarII'' is to recover a recorder from the Bio Systems laboratory in order to find out why the lab started making monsters. This is but the first step in proving that the [[InstantAIJustAddWater Mother Brain]] is not as benevolent as she appears to be...
99* The first step in many of the ''VideoGame/Reincarnation2008'' games is to discover evidence proving that [[MonsterOfTheWeek the Reincarny]] has relapsed back into sinful ways and therefore should be sent back to Hell; whether it'd be overhearing [[DomesticAbuse a man beat his wife over what she served him for dinner]] or discovering [[PedophilePriest a drugged altar boy in a priest's bedroom]].
100* According to his introduction blurb, this is one of [[IntrepidReporter Kouji Tagawa's]] goals in investigating the mysteries of Shiokawa in ''VideoGame/WorldOfHorror'':
101-->A picture is worth a thousand words. The government won't sweep this one under a rug.
102[[/folder]]
103
104[[folder:Western Animation]]
105* ''WesternAnimation/TheDeputyDawgShow'': The cartoon "Diamonds in the Rough" has the deputy tasked with finding a diamond smuggler, but the sheriff tells him not to make an arrest without evidence. A haphazard golfer swings by, and Deputy Dawg deduces that the golfer is the smuggler and the diamonds are in the golf balls. After he accidentally swallows some golf balls, Deputy Dawg is at the doctor with the golfer, and the X-ray shows the diamond-laden golf balls in DD's stomach.
106* In ''WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk'', TheHero Hiccup knows the old man named Mildew not only destroyed the village's supply of weapons to defend the village and framed the dragons, he even saw the framing objects in Mildew's hut. But after Mildew destroys the evidence, Stoick explains to his son that while he really does believe, he can't punish Mildew for treason without hard evidence.
107* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In the series premiere "[[Recap/GravityFallsS1E1TouristTrapped Tourist Trapped]]", Dipper worries that his sister Mabel is dating a zombie. Soos tells Dipper that unless he gets solid evidence, no one will believe his claims, leading to a montage of Dipper following "Norman" and Mabel on their dates. Dipper apparently gets his proof when he catches Norman's hand falling off and reattaching, goes to warn Mabel... [[spoiler:and then it turns out that Norman is in fact [[TotemPoleTrench a bunch of gnomes stacked up]]]].
108* Zim of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' is a DevilInPlainSight whose PaperThinDisguise shouldn't ''need'' any proof to expose, but the earth is largely populated by idiots so [[HeroAntagonist Dib]] is continually after "proof" (generally, a shot of Zim not in disguise) -- he's managed to get it on more than one occasion, but since FailureIsTheOnlyOption, he always loses it even if he otherwise thwarts Zim's latest {{Zany|Scheme}}[=-=]but-EvilScheme.
109* A common occurrence for Candace in ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', despite the guys not being evil (at least not to us). Their inventions are always in plain sight, but their sister goes through great ordeals to actually get their mom to see it, resulting in this trope several times by using cameras etc.
110* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Stoked}}'' called "To Catch a Reef", Reef's accused of stealing various things from guests and staff from around the hotel after he starts having way more money than he usually does. Johnny's the only one to believe that Reef isn't the thief (mostly because he feels that Reef isn't smart enough to pull off something like this). After looking through some hotel security footage, Johnny and Reef discover that the thief is apparently [[ThievingMagpie just a seagull]]--later, while trying to catch the bird, Reef questions Johnny on why they can't just tell the others about it, and Johnny explains that they need to get more definitive proof since they all the evidence they have is circumstantial at best. In the end, Reef's proven innocent and it turns out that all the extra money he had was the result of someone in the hotel's accounting department accidentally adding Wipeout's pay to Reef's--Bummer (Reef, Johnny and Wipeout's boss) rectifies this by making Reef wear the Wipeout-costume for a week without pay to make up for all the money Reef got by mistake.
111[[/folder]]

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