Discussion History Main / DefconFive

* Rare anime example (that got it \\\'\\\'right\\\'\\\'): The last episode of \\\'\\\'SentouYouseiYukikaze\\\'\\\' has the supreme commander announcing \\\"all ships, go into DEFCON 1\\\".
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[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Another correct use: \\\'\\\'Comicbook/{{X-Factor}}\\\'\\\' v2 #26, where Cyclops refers to \\\"the mutant equivalent of Defcon 1\\\".
* \\\'\\\'{{Foxtrot}}\\\'\\\': Jason Fox once set his mother\\\'s cellphone ringtone to an alarm [[LoudOfWar that took up the whole panel]], named \\\"Defcon 1\\\".
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[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Averted in \\\'\\\'WarGames\\\'\\\'. In fact, it\\\'s explained quite clearly that DEFCON 5 is peace and DEFCON 1 is war. Although in the {{DVD commentary}} the writers believe (wrongly) that they got it backwards.
* Averted in \\\'\\\'Film/{{Watchmen}}\\\'\\\', when Nixon correctly tells his staff to \\\'take us to Defcon one\\\'.
* Averted in \\\'\\\'Film/ThirteenDays\\\'\\\'. The scale is shown in proper order. The US military first stands up to DEFCON 3, and later escalates to DEFCON 2.
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[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Another exception was in \\\'\\\'Series/StargateSG1\\\'\\\', where they correctly order the Defcon sequence in an episode where the US and Russia each believe the other has been infiltrated at the top levels by the Goa\\\'uld. (This was done in several other episodes as well - they even have a set of Defcon lights on the wall so we can see them clicking downwards. These lights are, in fact, identical to the ones that appear in \\\'\\\'Film/WarGames\\\'\\\'. Which makes sense, to a point, since the SGC and NORAD are both within the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Having a military advisor on the show probably helped set that straight. Or just [[http://lmgtfy.com/?q=defcon+5 Googling]] it. An early episode, however, did have the Defcon system used erroneously.
** \\\'\\\'Stargate SG-1\\\'\\\' [[BackedByThePentagon asked for, got, and accepted gratefully a]] \\\'\\\'[[BackedByThePentagon lot]]\\\'\\\' [[BackedByThePentagon of help (material and advice) from the US military]] (mostly the USAF, but the USN did lend them a sub), so accuracy in these matters is probably as high as the military would allow, notwithstanding artistic licence.
* Correctly used in \\\'\\\'Series/DoctorWho\\\'\\\' \\\"The Poison Sky\\\". UNIT is said to be at Defcon 1 as they prepare to launch nuclear missiles at the Sontaran ship.
* Parodied, [[ShownTheirWork predictably enough]], in \\\'\\\'TheBigBangTheory\\\'\\\'. Howard describes an emergency as being \\\"DEFCON 5\\\" and as Leonard rushes everyone toward the door, Sheldon protests \\\"DEFCON 5, well there\\\'s no need to worry then\\\" and when his friends inquire he says \\\"DEFCON 5 means \\\'no danger\\\', DEFCON 1 is a crisis.\\\"
* Averted in \\\'\\\'GeneralHospital\\\'\\\' by Spinelli. When his computer is hacked...which, for the PlayfulHacker, is a FateWorseThanDeath...he keeps repeating \\\"Defcon 1\\\".
* Averted in the \\\'\\\'Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer\\\'\\\' episode \\\"Bargaining\\\" when Xander declares \\\"This place is NORAD, and we\\\'re at [=DefCon=] 1.\\\"
* [[AllBlueEntry Due to]] [[ShownTheirWork its almost unerring dedication to accurately portraying]] GovernmentProcedural, \\\'\\\'TheWestWing\\\'\\\' [[AvertedTrope avoids this particular pitfall.]]
** Generally true, although DEFCON/THREATCON mistake did occur occasionally in the show, with even military characters using expressions like \\\"DEFCON Alpha\\\" and \\\"Threatcon Five\\\". When advising his sole survivor cabinet secretary what to do if he were to become Acting President in the event of the Capitol Building being destroyed, Bartlet counselled that he should take the U.S. to DEFCON 4 (arguably wrong even if Bartlet meant \\\"up from five\\\", because such an event would likely put the country at two or three)
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[[folder:Print Media]]
* [[http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a8b24e9a7-b21b-4f69-87dd-71afa4039770 Averted in this article]]. As the author points out, he was stating that the rhetoric had become boring.
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[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Averted in the board game \\\'\\\'TwilightStruggle\\\'\\\', a two-player game about political tensions during the ColdWar. The DEFCON level starts at 5, and gets lowered as tensions mount between the two superpowers. Lower DEFCON levels restrict actions that can be taken (for example, below DEFCON 5 no coups or realignment attempts are allowed in Europe). If it ever goes to 1, though, the game is over and the player who triggered WorldWarIII has lost. This could be seen as a variant of YouLoseAtZeroTrust.
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[[folder:Videogames]]
* Done correctly in \\\'\\\'SamAndMax Save The World\\\'\\\', using Defcon 1 (North, South and West Dakota were at war with each other).
* An aversion \\\'\\\'right there in the title\\\'\\\': The PC, [=PlayStation=], and Sega Saturn game \\\'\\\'Defcon 5\\\'\\\'! You wouldn\\\'t think it, but within the backstory, Defcon 5 is precisely what\\\'s going on... [[spoiler:even if the company in charge of the base you\\\'re automating does not want that.]]
* Averted in \\\'\\\'RiseOfNations: Thrones and Patriots:\\\'\\\' the threat meter in the Cold War scenario accurately starts from DEFCON 5, and counts down the more reckless you are. If your threat meter reaches DEFCON 1, both sides will launch the nukes.
* Averted, obviously, in \\\'\\\'{{DEFCON}}\\\'\\\'. All [=DEFCONs=] prior to One is spent building silos, fleets, and generally preparing for nuclear holocaust. When it gets to one, the nukes start flying.
* Averted in the browser-based nation simulation game \\\'\\\'CyberNations\\\'\\\', in which DEFCON 5 yields a happy population but weakened and more expensive military and DEFCON 1 makes your nation ready for battle at the cost of citizen income.
* Averted in \\\'\\\'EndWar\\\'\\\'. \\\"If the mission Condition becomes critical\\\", DEFCON 1 starts. (In Conquest mode, it starts when one side takes more than half the uplinks; In assault, it starts when one side starts running out of units; and in siege mode, it starts when 10 minutes pass and the defender gets access to support.)
** Also interesting in that the player that is \\\'\\\'winning\\\'\\\' doesn\\\'t go to DEFCON 1 first. The \\\'\\\'losing\\\'\\\' player does, and therefore gets the WMD capability first. And the winning player can\\\'t use a WMD until the losing player has, in a sort of retributive strike.
*** Probably for balance; in universe, the explanation is probably that high command doesn\\\'t think the use of WMD\\\'s are necessary if you\\\'re \\\'\\\'winning\\\'\\\'. Also, both sides go into DEFCON 1 at the same time; but the losing side still gets authorization to use [=WMDs=] first. (The losing side also does get one perk - the ability to permanently disable one uplink for the rest of the match.)
* Used correctly in \\\'\\\'WarGames\\\'\\\', loosely (very loosely) inspired by the movie of the same name. The DEFCON system started at 5, and got lower over time as enemy attacks landed. Once it reached DEFCON 1, that began the launch countdown for a nuclear response that would set off World War III.
* Presumably averted in \\\'\\\'VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}\\\'\\\', in which one of the levels is titled \\\"We are now at LEMCON 1\\\" - the fact that this was worth announcing makes it clear that they didn\\\'t think it meant peacetime. (It also helps that the lemmings start out about two seconds from [[MalevolentArchitecture walking into a bottomless pit]] and have a [[EverythingTryingToKillYou spinning deathtrap]] right behind them.)
* \\\'\\\'CommandAndConquer[[ColonCancer : Red Alert 2: Yuri\\\'s Revenge]]\\\'\\\' gets it right: the first spoken word in the intro cutscene is \\\"We are now at DEFCON 2\\\" about a minute before the BigBad threatens to MindControl the entire planet all at once.
* \\\'\\\'Act of War: Direct Action\\\'\\\' (as well as its expansion pack \\\'\\\'High Treason\\\'\\\'), a RTS produced by Eugen Systems, gets it right when the player plays as the US Army side, except that in the beginning of a game, the DEFCON mode starts at 3, not 5 (it\\\'s a wargame, after all), and successively goes to 2 and 1 as the player pays for those modes with the in-game currency. The lower the DEFCON condition, the more powerful and expensive the units become available. - effectively, DEFCON 1 allows for a nuclear missile strike.
* \\\'\\\'Universe at War\\\'\\\' uses this in an odd fashion, with the DEFCON mode new units and powers are available through time, it uses it in the right order but not for the correct powers granted.
* \\\'\\\'[[CallOfDuty Call of Duty: Black Ops]]\\\'\\\' averts this. During the campaign, the DEFCON level will be shown increasing toward 1 during cutscenes, in response to the time limit. Then, during the \\\'Five\\\' level of zombie mode the team must lower the DEFCON level from 1 to 5 end the map\\\'s security lockdown and open an important door to a weapon upgrade machine.
* Averted, in all places, in the arcade version of \\\'\\\'VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}\\\'\\\' - throughout one level, you see DEFCON numbers posted. They go down from four as you get further into the level, reflecting the increasing threat of the Battletoads getting deeper.
* \\\'\\\'CommandAndConquerGenerals\\\'\\\' has, of all things, a map named \\\"Defcon \\\'\\\'[[UpToEleven Six]]\\\'\\\'\\\". One imagines this might make the opposing sides \\\'\\\'catatonic\\\'\\\' in their tranquility, but the map is a frantic, six-player melee.
* Averted in one scenario of \\\'\\\'VideoGame/{{Tropico}} 4\\\'\\\': though an adviser at the beginning of the scenario assumes that \\\"DEFCON\\\" is a new American doomsday weapon, DEFCON starts at 5 and increments after certain actions that threaten the peace (like building weapon and chemical factories). You lose the scenario at DEFCON 1, but have the opportunity to raise the level through certain decisions and holding Pan-Caribbean Summits.
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