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Author: pinkdalek

Jan 11th 2014 at 5:35:51 AM

@DAN004: SmashTheSymbol is the InUniverse one. In that, the symbol has InUniverse meaning to the characters - for instance, the Bat symbol or a Nazi banner. Destroying it therefore represents to the characters themselves that they have destroyed whatever it represents.

In this trope, the symbol has no InUniverse meaning to the characters. For instance, the main character's favourite scarf - to him, and to the other characters, it's just a thing he likes to wear, but to the show's fandom it's shorthand for his whole identity. As a result, when the characters shred it or dismiss the idea of wearing it, it's done completely off-handedly or at least as a quirk of bad luck, but when the audience sees it, they know exactly what it means - NothingIsTheSameAnyMore.

If the symbol does represent something in-universe - such as the Jem'Hadar example, in which the Galaxy-class ship is an in-universe symbol of the in-universe organisation the Federation - its destruction does not represent the destruction of what the symbol represents InUniverse, but what it has come to symbolise out of universe - the show. It can also be both. For instance, the ''ZorkGrandInquisitor'' example has the White House smashed in the opening cutscene, because it was being used by the corrupt AntimagicalFaction government as a symbol of magic, and destroying it indicated their attitudes towards magic (SmashTheSymbol) - but the White House is also the first location visited by the player in the original ''Zork'' and seeing it fully realised in 3D a few seconds before it is destroyed indicates to the player that ''Zork'' is SoLastSeason and this game is going to be SomethingCompletelyDifferent.

SmashTheSymbol also necessarily deals with an active destruction of a symbol, whereas this trope can deal with characters just snubbing that symbol non-violently.