History Main / DefenselessTransports

In real life, most vehicles intended to be used on the front lines have at least a machine gun mount. But there is some TruthInTelevision to this trope as the transport needs to sacrifice its ammo storage in favor of passenger space. Contrast AwesomePersonnelCarrier, which is (usually) anything but defenseless.

* In ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/TheLastJedi'', the transports aboard the ''Raddus'' are slow, with no weapons, DeflectorShields, or hyperdrive. [[spoiler:This becomes a problem when the First Order learns how to see through their InvisibilityCloak and starts firing on them.]]
** The above example is particularly odd since [[Film/TheForceAwakens the last film]] featured Resistance Transports with all the features the new transports lack but the film pretends those transports don't exist.
** The Techno Union Transports from ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' are completely unarmed but do have shields and hyperdrives. The Trade Federation Core Ships and Commerce Guild Cruisers from the same film were armed but the weapons negligible at best for any sort of prolonged combat.

In real life, most vehicles intended to be used on the front lines have at least a machine gun mount. But there is some TruthInTelevision to this trope (see below). Contrast AwesomePersonnelCarrier, which is (usually) anything but defenseless.

* ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'' has three such vehicles: APC for ground transport, Lander for sea transport, and Transport Copter for air transport. As none of those vehicles can fight back if provoked, this leaves them open to enemy attacks if the CO is not careful. Black Boats introduced in the third game are similarly harmless and capable of transporting up to 2 infantry units, but can also repair 1 HP to a unit per turn.

* ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]]'' has three such vehicles: APC for ground transport, Lander for sea transport, and Transport Copter for air transport. As none of those vehicles can fight back if provoked, this leaves them open to enemy attacks if the CO is not careful.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': There are no faction-unique APCs, the only transport options are the mercenary zeppelins/ships, which have no defense but their speed (and if killed over deep water, all units are lost, if killed over land or shallow water, the units are alive but horribly slowed, making them easy prey). In ''VideoGame/WarcraftII'' both sides could build defenseless transports.

* The C-47 Skytrain was completely defenseless while taking Allied paratroops over enemy territory. The Soviet licensed copy sometimes mounted a single machine gun in a dorsal turret, but it wasn't terribly effective.

* In vanilla ''[[VideoGame/{{Civilization}} Civilization V]]'', land units gain the ability to embark onto transports to cross water once the 'Optics' tech is researched. While in this state, they are completely defenseless, and even a super-advanced Giant Death Robot will be easy prey for a leftover barbarian Galley. The expansions change this, giving embarked units the ability to fight back (although not very effectively).

* In ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'', transport modules use the same slot in the [[DesignItYourselfEquipment unit workshop]] as weapons. However, since combat tests the attacker's weapon strength against the defender's ''armor'' strength, and psi combat is based on morale instead of either, it's possible for a weaponless transport to win a battle but not attack.

* ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' games in general tend to zigzag this trope, depending on the size of the transport. Any vehicles designed to carry personnel - [=APCs=], transport choppers or [=VTOLs=], etc. - tend to at best have weapons that will barely scratch the paint on a battlemech. Dropships, however, can easily pack the firepower of an entire assault lance, typically sporting several [[RailGun Gauss Rifles]], [[LightningGun PPCs]], and/or [[FrickinLaserBeams Large Lasers]].

*** The Techno Union Transports from ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' are completely unarmed but do have shields and hyperdrives. The Trade Federation Core Ships and Commerce Guild Cruisers from the same film were armed but the weapons negligible at best for any sort of prolonged combat.

* In ''Film/StarWars: Film/TheLastJedi'', the transports aboard the ''Raddus'' are slow, with no weapons, DeflectorShields, or hyperdrive. [[spoiler:This becomes a problem when the First Order learns how to see through their InvisibilityCloak and starts firing on them.]]