History Main / WhatDoesThisButtonDo

** On Day 6 of the ''[[WebVideo/LifeSMP Limited Life SMP]]'' while his faction-mate Jimmy is interrogating Lizzie-as-Pearl (who's in another faction) about his late frog Judge Judy And Executioner ([[ItMakesSenseInContext long story]]), Grian presses the button which triggers Pearl's PitTrap on which both of them were standing -- while [[LampshadeHanging Jimmy dies yelling at Grian for being an idiot]].[[note]]For context about the Pearl situation, Pearl ''made'' the trap, but couldn't make it to the Day 6 recording session and had to be subbed in by Lizzie, who had no idea the trap even existed until Grian triggered it.[[/note]]

* When Roman Torchwick takes control of a military airship in ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' Volume 3, he invokes this trope while merrily wreaking havoc. It's downplayed, though; while the first button causes an offScreen explosion, ("Oh, fun!") the second button just dumps a squad of robots out, causing no serious harm.

* Rex in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' asks this while pointing to a big red button on Buzz Lightyear's armor. Subverted in that it just plays a voice recording. In the same scene, there's also a bit in which one of the toys activates Buzz's laser, though without the line.

* Grian is ''infamous'' for randomly pushing any and all buttons and levers he sees. As the result, this leads to hilarious or disasterous consequences.
** In Season 9 of ''WebVideo/{{Hermitcraft}}'', Doc exploits Grian's bad habit by hiding a horde of ghasts inside of the redstone device and make a sign that says "DO NOT PRESS THIS BUTTON!" in order to prank him for Secret Fools Day. The resulting prank is what you expected, but several months later, Grian's habit (alongside with Scar tagging along) accidentally destroys Doc's tunnel bore, which leads to an EscalatingWar of pranks and the redstone robot fight between Grian, Scar, and Mumbo against Doc and Ren.
** On Day 6 of ''[[WebVideo/LifeSMP Limited Life]]'' while his faction-mate Jimmy is interrogating Lizzie-as-Pearl (who's in another faction) about his late frog Judge Judy And Executioner (long story), Grian presses the button which triggers the PitTrap where both are standing on, killing both Jimmy and Lizzie-as-Pearl -- while [[LampshadeHanging Jimmy dies yelling at Grian for being an idiot]].

** In "A Bullet For Bullock", Harvey Bullock asks this about one of the Batmobile's buttons. Batman half-grins and says, "Passenger ejector seat". Doubles as a ShoutOut to a rather similar event in which Batman duped the Joker with that button.
** In "Harlequinade", Harley Quinn is riding in the Batmobile and pushes what she thinks is the radio switch - deploying a drag chute that nearly causes the car to crash before Batman brakes to a stop.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', Laurie is exploring Nite Owl's aircraft and starts pressing buttons on the panel. She presses one and it turns off the lights. Then, she taps another button with the fire marked on it for the cigarette lighter. [[HilarityEnsues It's not a cigarette lighter]]. After the fire is put out and Dan mentions the air-to-air missiles, Laurie announces that she has just quit smoking forever. [[spoiler:In a nice bit of {{Foreshadowing}}, Dan mentions that The Comedian did the same thing back 1977...]] In the film version she doesn't smoke, but still pushes the button just to see what it does.
* ''ComicBook/{{The Legend of Wonder Woman|2016}}'': After Diana and the Holliday Girls "borrow" an experimental aircraft in order to go join the fight against the Duke of Deception and try to prevent him from awakening the Titan, they pass an allied aircraft. When Diana talks about contacting them on the radio, Tilly Heyday pushes the giant red button covered in caution tape while cheerfully chirping "maybe it's the radio!" while the others, in horror, tell her not to. It turns out to be the button to turn the plane invisible.

-->'''Lovell:''' (deadpan) That's good thinking.
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'', Rocket shows Groot an explosive device (with the yield of a [[NukeEm nuke]]) and gives him specific instructions not to press the BigRedButton, as it would set the nuke off immediately, killing them all. [[HilarityEnsues Groot has trouble understanding.]] [[spoiler:Luckily, when Groot has to press the button, the instant explosion one is cracked and possibly broken, meaning the right one is the only choice]].
** ''Film/ThorRagnarok''. On finding the spacecraft they stole doesn't have any weapons because it's a pleasure yacht used by the Grandmaster for his orgies, Banner is told not to push any buttons, presumably for fear of activating some kind of {{Orgasmatron}}. However when they're being shot at, Banner in desperation pushes the biggest button he can see. This activates the Grandmaster's birthday celebration fireworks which distract the craft shooting at them, causing it to crash.

* ''Series/Castle2009'': Detective Beckett often laments that Castle is prone to this. HilarityEnsues in one episode when his curiosity results in him believing he has been cursed by a Mayan mummy!

** In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS4E13MessageInABottle Message in a Bottle]]", two Emergency Medical Holograms have to take control of a vessel being attacked by Romulans. As neither has been on the bridge before, the [[BillionsOfButtons LCARS interface throws them into confusion]] and they have to make educated guesses on what to press. HilarityEnsues.

* Ling Xiaoyu says this in Panda's ''VideoGame/Tekken5'' [[https://web.archive.org/web/20131025032458/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbFGBCcpf-E ending.]] HilarityEnsues.

When it comes to curiosity, there are generally two main types. The first type is patient enough to wait for an explanation to be given, usually by an expert on a subject and/or its creator. Someone who can [[LaymansTerms break it down into a more simplified language]], to a point where it can be easily understood, what its benefits are, what dangers it may impose, and the like. [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny The second type]]...does not have that kind of patience. Or insight. Or anything resembling ''restraint''. They're willing to stumble blindly towards a control panel and start randomly pressing buttons. Usually, they'll ask the all-important question, "[[TitleDrop What Does This Button Do?]]" just before doing so, or just after doing so if the work emphasizes them being unthinking rather than reckless.

* Pretty much the set up for every plot in ''Series/{{Aquila}}'' as the boys press buttons on the titular craft with no idea of what will happen. There was once a whole episode focused around Jeff wanting to try out all the buttons just to see what happens... generally something odd.
* ''Series/{{Batwoman|2019}}'':

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. PlayedForDrama in "Cygnus Alpha". When our heroes first get hold of the Liberator, they have no idea how to operate the alien vessel and so must make educated guesses about every button. One sends them hurling across the galaxy at LudicrousSpeed, the next button does nothing at all. Then when Blake is in urgent need of a TeleportationRescue, the button they thought would teleport him up does nothing, so they have to try buttons at random until it works.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. The Scooby Gang capture a [[StaticStunGun taser blaster]] from the Initiative and try to figure out how it works. Willow suggests just pushing buttons to see what happens, but Xander replies that since they're fiddling with a "blaster," randomly hitting buttons is not high on his agenda. He then adds that if it were called the "[[{{Orgasmatron}} Orgasminator]]," that would, in fact, be his desired approach.
* ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'': Detective Beckett often laments that Castle is prone to this. HilarityEnsues in one episode when his curiosity results in him believing he has been cursed by a Mayan mummy!

** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E10InTheForestOfTheNight In the Forest of the Night]]": When Clara and Danny's students wind up on the TARDIS, as might be expected from a group of children, there are lots of fun buttons they feel compelled to play with. Fortunately, doing so does nothing other than annoy the Doctor.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E1TheWomanWhoFellToEarth "The Woman Who Fell to Earth"]]: Ryan Sinclair sees a glowing golden square appear in the air, which expands to form a glowing button. He presses it, summoning the MonsterOfTheWeek. Later in the episode, when he admits this, the others give him flack for it but the Doctor admits [[ConstantlyCurious she'd have done the same]].
* ''Series/{{Eureka}}''

* Lampshaded in the ''Series/FatherTed'' episode "Flight into Terror". We're explicitly told that the BigRedButton dumps all the fuel, but for some reason, it's placed next to another Big Red Button, which is to be pressed when the plane is in trouble (in this case, an old priest in the cockpit going a bit mad and molesting the pilot). [[HilarityEnsues When the pilot asks Dougal to press the button...]]
* Dr. Smith on ''Series/LostInSpace'' is made of this trope. For all his raving cowardice, the man never met a button he wouldn't push. Probably the best example is when he finds a giant machine, stupidly activates it, and it produces an android which tries to kill him. The Robinsons destroy the android and forbid him to go near the machine again. So of course, [[TooDumbToLive he sneaks back and does exactly the same thing]] ''[[TooDumbToLive again.]]''

* Referenced in ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''. In one movie Servo greets a nuclear blast with the line "Oh, that's what that button does!"

** In "Hold the Door", Olive begins to give a dramatic speech about how great Odd Squad is, but is interrupted by Ori asking "What does this do?" and then pressing the button in question, which causes green fire to spit out into the Lab's quarantine room and the glass wall to start cracking. Olive immediately rushes over to scold him and lead him back to the bullpen to continue the tour of Headquarters.
** Another Ori-related example occurs at the end of "Worst First Day Ever" when he presses the blue button that Odelia stopped him from pressing earlier when sucking all the Centigurps back into one being. Oprah rushes into the lab in a panic, asking him if he pressed the blue button, and Ori confidently states that everyone does that on their first day working at Odd Squad. The reactions of Oprah and Odelia show that he could not be more wrong, and Headquarters begins to rumble and warp in a similar manner to when the Time Sheep arrive.
** In "Now You Don't See Me", Otto does this but with string instead of a button and ends up activating a BucketBoobyTrap full of invisible ink that's dropped on him, causing him to turn invisible.
** The opening of "Oswald in the Machine" has Omar eyeing the pencil-and-paper button on one of the desks in the bullpen of the Mobile Unit Van, and Opal asks what would happen if she presses it. As it turns out, pressing the button causes the desk to retract into the wall, which sends all the papers, pencils and folders sitting on it to the floor.

** [=McKay=] in ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' claims the rights to this trope in "Sunday" and berates two other scientists for using it, since he has the ability to fix whatever he might screw up, while they will usually turn to him for the same. Doesn't always turn out that way, but does in this episode.
** Likewise, in ''Series/StargateSG1'' Dr. Jackson explains that him fiddling with alien control panels is acceptable whereas Colonel Mitchell doing the same is stupid because "I know how to ''read'' 'that'."
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "The City on the Edge of Forever", [=McCoy=], under the influence of cordrazine, passes out in the street of a Depression-era city. A tramp picks up his phaser, curious, and hits a button or two. [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat Oops]].
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "Half A Life", Lwaxana Troi is poking around the tactical console on the bridge, and asks the question of "Mr. Woof", who alarmedly says it is the photon torpedo launcher...! [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And his name is "Worf", not "Woof."]]
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. In "Message in a Bottle", two Emergency Medical Holograms have to take control of a vessel being attacked by Romulans. As neither has been on the bridge before, the [[BillionsOfButtons LCARS interface throws them into confusion]] and they have to make educated guesses on what to press. HilarityEnsues.
-->'''EMH-1:''' All we have to do now is find a way to send Starfleet a distress signal, and --\\

* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. Trip creates a new captain's chair for Archer in "Borderland". As they're about to go on a mission he says they don't have time to go over the controls, "...but try not to hit that button." This is a MythologyGag too, as the chair is a recycled prop from ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'' that activates the seatbelts. ''ST:ENT'' takes place when they still have NoSeatBelts.
* On ''Series/TopGearUK'', James May built a limousine from an Alfa Romeo and a Saab, creating a two-headed Frankenvehicle. Richard Hammond couldn't resist pulling a lever on the Alfa side... which uncoupled the steering and left the "Alfaab" fishtailing wildly while Jeremy Clarkson tried to regain control.

[[folder:Music]]

[[folder:Music Videos]]
* In Music/{{Genesis|Band}}' music video for "Music/LandOfConfusion" starring ''Series/SpittingImage'' dolls, Reagan presses "Nuke" instead of "Nurse". That earns him a slap on the back of the head from Nancy.
* At the end of Laszlo & Gary's "Don't Touch That", a recording engineer begs him not to touch a big red button on the control panel even though he's curious about what it does; he touches the button and the song ends with a loud explosion.
* In the music video for Series/TheYoungOnes' "Living Doll", Vyvyan says "What does this button do?", pushes a button on the mixing desk, and blows up the studio.
[[/folder]]

* Lampshaded on ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1978'' (the original radio series).

* In the RPG ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' you enter a dungeon with [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience red and green]] pressure plates. The green plates have positive effects (they open doors that block your way or treasure rooms), while red ones more or less negative ones (they release monsters or open rooms with cursed items). At one point you enter a room with a blue pressure plate -- and a party member, curious what it does, steps on it, which opens a trap door and sends the party crashing down below.

* Obligatory ''VideoGame/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' example: Buffy is trying to gain access to a control room at the docks. The only way seems to be a shorting out and sparking control panel. Using it sends her flying twenty feet through the glass of the control room so she can progress at least.
* Marle in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''. While searching for a way back from the [[BadFuture post-apocalyptic future]] at Arris Dome, Marle says this exact phrase before pressing a button on Arris Dome's supercomputer that plays a recording of [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Day of Lavos]], the very day the world "ended". Though, she and her friends take it upon themselves to try and prevent this future. One could argue that pressing it has [[TimeyWimeyBall disastrous effects to the timeline...]]

* Will Smith's character in ''Film/MenInBlack'' is firmly instructed early in the movie to never, ever touch the red button. In the crisis of the climax scene, [[ForbiddenChekhovsGun Tommy Lee Jones tells him to push it]]. [[spoiler: It activates turbo engines that allow the car to drive on walls and ceilings to get through a traffic-clogged tunnel.]]

* In the 1995 [[UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi Philips CD-i]] informercial ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhZdWvnF3do A Day with Sid, Ed & Cd-i]]'', in a scene deriding [=PCs=], a woman tries and fails to start a game in DOS for her son. While she goes looking for the manual, the boy instantly becomes bored and, having been told not to touch anything, immediately starts pressing random keys. Two keypresses in and a Windows 3.1-style dialog box appears asking if he wants to erase the hard drive. Up to five keypresses later and the screen is literally flashing red. A dramatic press of the enter key (while his mother helplessly tries and fails to run across the room) later and the obvious happens.