Last-Second Term of Respect

Be it military rank, title, position in a business, or even being sufficiently older than someone, there are certain areas in life where protocol and respect are a given.

Even an organization that is Mildly Military will have some insistence on military protocols being met, to at least adhere to the "mildly" part of the military.

One of those protocols is that you address a superior as "Sir". "Ma'am" will do in a crunch, or any address of title, honorific, or rank. In works of fiction this will often show up after a subordinate has gone on a rant, complained that a plan is too crazy to work, or asked if someone is out of their mind, before suddenly remembering who it is that they're talking to and throwing in the last-second "Sir" to cover their posteriors. Sometimes this might be prompted by a clearing of the throat by a friend or even the authority figure being spoken to. Closely related to With All Due Respect. Often accompanied by a Beat before the person remembers to add it. The main difference is that, as explained in With All Due Respect is that typically, no actual respect is intended, whereas with Last-Second Term of Respect, the speaker is attempting to inject a degree of respect after speaking harshly or out of turn.

Other times, if the subordinate forgets to add "Sir", the superior will damn well make sure that they remember to add it, probably yelling, "That's Sir to you, [lower rank]!"

This can also occur in a classroom between student and teacher, student and principal, or teacher and principal.

And in some settings, it can occur between a suitor and a Boyfriend-Blocking Dad.

Contrast Don't Call Me "Sir", where a character refuses to be addressed with fancy honorifics, titles, or formalities even when they're higher in status than those around them; and Parenthetical Swearing, where the last-second respect is technically delivered correctly but is intended to mean the exact opposite.

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Examples

Anime & Manga

• Robotech: After undergoing basic training and being made a member of the Robotech forces, Rick Hunter is walking through Macross City with Roy Fokker, when they encounter Lisa Hayes and the Bridge Bunnies. Rick, while still a civilian, had once referred to Lisa as "That Old Sourpuss". So, when she remembers who he is during this chance encounter...
  Lisa: I remember now! You're that loudmouthed pilot, aren't you?
  Rick: (alarmed, points, then claps a hand over his mouth) Then you must be...
  Lisa: (stern look) Yep!
  Rick: (saluting) Sir!

Films — Live-Action

• In A Few Good Men, Lance Corporal Dawson has little respect for his attorney, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, but because Kaffee's his superior officer, Dawson always addresses Kaffee as "sir", but he makes clear his disdain when doing so. After one particular rant at Kaffee, Dawson waits for almost two beats before adding, "Sir".
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: In the Director's Cut, Admiral Kirk takes delight in teasing Scotty's nephew, Peter Preston, about the state of the Enterprise's engine room.
  Preston: Oh, no sir! Wha... this is the finest engine room in the whole Starfleet! If the Admiral can't see the facts for himself, then, with all due respect, he's as blind as a Tiberian bat!
  Scotty: Ahem!
  Preston: Sir!

Literature

• First Flight Trilogy: Nicole is furious with Kymri, one of the Halyan't'a she's working with, after he not so subtly implies that her ordeal with the wolfpack has caused her to lose her edge. "We've a full days work to do and we're not going to get it done standing around here. Sir."
• In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry is forced to do this when he starts the Occlumency lessons with Snape, and the latter demands that Harry addresses him as "Sir" or "Professor". He complies grudgingly as Snape's presence only makes him more anxious and uncomfortable.
• In Hornblower and the Atropos Hornblower repeatedly reminds Dr. Eisenbeiss to address him as "sir," with Eisenbeiss either forgetting to do so or delaying a beat before remembering to do so.
• Played for laughs in X-Wing: Wraith Squadron. Several members of Wraith Squadron are watching a camera feed from Face and are analyzing the security measures at a hangar controlled by Warlord Zsinj.
  Kell Tainer: Maybe an alarm on timer; if they don't switch it off with the comlink within the appointed time, the alarm goes off.
  "Grinder" Thri'agg: That's my guess, Demolition Boy.
  Kell: I'm leader here; call me 'Demolition Boy Sir'. Uh, roll that sequence back to the point at which he hit the button on the comlink. (watches as Grinder complies) Jesmin, how long have you been recording?
  Jesmin Ackbar: (snaps to attention) Since we came on station, Demolition Boy Sir.
  Kell: (gives her a Death Glare)

Live Action TV

• Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024): After Lieutenant Ji finally lets loose at Iroh with a small speech about just how much he (and by extension, the rest of the crew) dislike Zuko, he punctuates it with a nervous "sir".
• Barbarians Rising: In "Rebellion", Quinctilius Varus and current protagonist Arminius look on as German tribesmen offer children to their Roman overlords as slaves to cover their tax bills.
  Arminius: Is that what I am, is it? A trinket of Rome?
  Varus: What else are you? You climb to the highest rank of any barbarian in the Roman army, and yet the Emperor sends you back here?
  Arminius: Who am I to question the Emperor's wisdom? After all, you crucified two thousand Jewish rebels in the Syrian uprising, and the Emperor saw it fit to send you here. (Beat) Sir.
  Varus: (glances at him and starts chuckling) Careful, Arminius, I'm beginning to like you.
• Castle: "Fool Me Once...", While discussing the fact that the Victim of the Week had been running a con on little kids, Castle points back that he actually took the time to write back to each of the children for his supposed trip to the North Pole. Montgomery agrees that Castle has a point.
  Beckett: Now who's the sucker?
  Montgomery: (Stern Look)
  Beckett: (realizing she just said that to her boss) Sir.
• Gilmore Girls: In "They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?", Jess attempts to grab a bite from the concession stand while crashing the town's dance marathon to annoy Rory. Except it's run by Lane and her tough-as-nails Almighty Mom. Jess has a deep-seated disdain for authority, but even he's intimidated.
  Mrs. Kim: Who are you??
  Jess: Jess. (Beat) Ma'am.
• M*A*S*H:
  • In one episode, Frank, who is temporarily in command of the 4077, goes on a lengthy diatribe to poor Igor about the arrangement of the food on the line in the mess tent. Igor replies, "Yes."
    Frank: "Yes", what?
    Igor: "Yes", Sir.
    Frank: "Yes, Sir", what? ^note It's implied Frank wants Igor to address him by rank, as in "Yes, sir, Maj. Burns, sir.", but being a draftee unused to military protocol, and having already met the minimum, Igor is now confused.
    Igor: "Yes, sir" yes, Sir? Three bags full?
  • A regular occurrence with the draftee enlisted personnel at the 4077th. Radar often forgets to address Burns and Houlihan as "Sir" or "Ma'am" until prompted, at which point it is a 50-50 shot he'll refer to them with the correct gender. Klinger, Rizzo, and Zale occasionally forget to address Colonel Potter as "Sir" only to have Potter hold up a finger to prompt them that they aren't done talking until they say it. Given Potter's casual relations with his staff (in spite of his regular Army background), it's a mistake he hardly berates anyone for.
• Red Dwarf: In the pilot episode, when Captain Hollister demands that Lister turn over his cat, Frankenstein, Lister goes on a long explanation about his five-year plan and says that no one, not even Hollister, will get in the way of that, "And I do respect you. (Beat) Sir."
• Power Rangers Time Force: After Alex commandeers his former team-leader rank (and morpher) from Wes, he attempts to command the team and stop Frax's Giant Mecha robot, Dragontron, but he fails at both. He blames the team, not realizing that he himself is the problem. Despite that, he gives them a dressing-down (however unneeded it was), and Katie gives him a small piece of her mind.
  Alex: TRUST ME! With the kind of performance you gave out there today, we don't have a chance against Dragontron! Do you realize what could happen? Do you care about the future? Have you forgotten about it completely?!
  Katie: [exasperated] We haven't forgotten...!
  [Alex shoots Katie a Death Glare]
  Katie: [realizing she's spoken out-of-turn] ...Sir.
• Star Trek:
  • Star Trek: The Original Series:
    • "This Side of Paradise": Spock, under the influence of alien spores, is making out with the Girl of the Week and trying to ignore his communicator.
      Capt. Kirk: We're evacuating all colonists to Starbase 27.
      Spock: No, I don't think so.
      Capt. Kirk: You don't think so, WHAT?
      Spock: I don't think so, SIR.(drops communicator to continue making out)
    • "The Trouble With Tribbles": Kirk asks Scotty what it was that the Klingons said that made him disobey orders and start a fistfight with them. Scotty passionately replies, "They called the Enterprise a garbage scow! Sir."
    • "Friday's Child": Upon learning that the new baby destined to one day rule a tribe has been named Leonard James Akaar, Spock cannot help but be flabbergasted by the smugness of (James) Kirk and (Leonard) McCoy.
      Spock: [genuinely exasperated] I think you're both going to be insufferably pleased with yourselves for at least a month. Sir.
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation: In the Season 4 episode "Redemption " Data is tasked with commanding a starship that's part of a blockade keeping the Romulans out of the Klingon Civil War. His first officer is a Commander Contrarian because he believes that androids can't be ship captains. Data proves himself by going against orders and uncovers proof that the Romulans were aiding one side of the civil war. The first officer, Hobson, admits that Data is right and ends his apology (and final scene) by addressing Data as Captain.

    Hobson: They're changing course, heading back to Romulan space.

    Data: Make a full report to the flagship. Take the main phasers offline and begin radiation cleanup on the affected decks.

    Hobson:: Yes, sir, Captain.

  • Star Trek: Voyager: In "Tinker, Tailor, Doctor, Spy", Tuvok is forced to play along with the Doctor's "Emergency Command Hologram" fantasy.
    Tuvok: Activating the 'photonic cannon'... sir.
  • Star Trek: Discovery's Season 2 finale involves engineer Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) having to charge some phlebotinum, with the fate of the galaxy at stake. Captain Saru admonishes her to hurry, getting a response which (Starfleet being Mildly Military) is Played for Laughs:
    Reno: I'm going, I'm going. Get off my ass.
    Reaction Shot
    Reno: [as the turbolift doors close] Sir! Get off my ass, sir!

Radio

• Cabin Pressure: In "Abu Dhabi", Martin imperiously tries to pull rank on Douglas, who refuses for several reasons, not least including he doesn't respect Martin. Eventually he finally capitulates, saying "sir" with such venom it sounds more like a swear, and then spends much of the rest of the episode sarcastically referring to Martin as "Sir".

Video Games

• Occurs in one of the chapter titles in the Halo: Combat Evolved level "The Truth and Reconciliation." The end of the level features an Escort Mission where Master Chief has to safely guide Captain Keys to a designated extraction point. In the original Xbox release and its initial PC port only, the chapter title displays toward the end of the preceding cutscene only partially at first, revealing itself fully after a brief pause: Shut Up And Get Behind Me...Sir. Lampshaded in the developer commentary.
• Mass Effect: In an early conversation with a male Shepard, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams lets slip a little too much before she remembers who she's talking to (with additional amusement to be derived from Ash's later theory on With Due Respect being code for "kiss my ass" and what that means for this).
  Ash: If you expect me to dress up in a tinfoil miniskirt and boots, I want dinner first! ... sir!
• Played for Laughs in the final level of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, when Decepticon Vortex instigates this with another Decepticon Mook during their attack on the Autobot spacecraft, the Ark:
  Vortex: Make sure those tow cables hit their mark. I've mapped out precise weak points to hit. Once we're latched on, I'll start dispatching the boarding parties.
  Decepticon Mook: Yes sir.
  Vortex: Yes sir, what?
  Decepticon Mook: Yes sir, sir?
  Vortex: That's more like it. Those Autobots won't know what'll hit 'em. Megatron had the Nemesis designed for maximum carnage.
  Decepticon Mook: Yes sir, sir.

Western Animation

• Invader Zim: In "GIR Goes Crazy and Stuff", Zim is fed up with GIR's incompetence and locks him into Duty Mode, which makes him smarter, more obedient, and more focused. Being smarter also allows GIR to realize that his master is quite incompetent himself.
  Zim: Go upstairs and...um, monitor Earth broadcasts until I think of something better for you to do! That's a good GIR.
  (from GIR's point of view, the words "Analysing Intelligence: Questionable", "Order: Counter-productive", and "Zim = Commander?" appear)
  Zim: GIR?
  GIR: (eye twitching) Right away...s-sir...
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: In "Keep Calm and Flutter On", Princess Celestia tasks Twilight and her friends with reforming Discord, something they're not too keen about given what he did to them last time.
  Twilight: With all due respect, Princess Celestia... HOW COULD YOU BRING DISCORD HERE?!?!? (clears throat) ...Your Majesty?

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