History Main / AmbiguouslyTrained

* Ian Chesterton from the original ''Series/{{DoctorWho}}'' is unusually good at different sorts of violence for a science teacher. In one episode he mentions that he "trained as a fighter" but this isn't expanded on. {{Fanon}} often assumes he served some National Service (required military service of most British men his generation), but this is never confirmed onscreen.

* ''Film/{{Brother}}'': The protagonist Danila repeatedly claims that he has sat out the First Chechen War in a desk job at some command post but, when guns are drawn, displays skills of a seasoned veteran of close quarters combat and urban warfare, easily outclassing the criminal thugs who come after him or his brother.

* Ian Chesterton from the original ''Series/{{DoctorWho}}'' is unusually good at different sorts of violence for a science teacher. In one episode he mentions that he "trained as a fighter" but this isn't expanded on. Fanon often assumes he served some National Service (required military service of most British men his generation), but this is never confirmed onscreen.

* Ian Chesterton from the original ''Series/{{DoctorWho}}'' is unusually good at different sorts of violence for a science teacher. In one episode he mentions that he "trained as a fighter" but this isn't expanded on. ''Fanon'' often assumes he served some National Service (required military service of most British men his generation), but this is never confirmed onscreen.

* The protagonist of the 1997 Russian film ''Brother'' repeatedly claims that he just worked in Headquarters during the First Chechen War, but shows combat skills that hint at more active service.

[[HiddenBadass Can your character kick-ass despite working in a Dry-Cleaners]]? Do they have [[TattooTropes strange, unexplained tattoos]] and [[RuggedScar gnarly scars]] littered across their bodies? [[ShellShockedVeteran Do they snap and do back-strokes on the floor as if they had lost touch with reality?]] Where did they get those CoolGuns and how the hell do they know how to use them all?

* PlayedForDrama in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''. Atton Rand seems to be a Han Solo {{Expy}} - you meet him in jail where he's ostensibly being held for contraband smuggling. He's got a smart mouth and a blaster, and is apparently over his head when it comes to Jedi-Sith matters. But several characters remark that his fighting style is ''not'' what you'd expect out of a typical spacer whose combat experience is limited to {{Bar Brawl}}s. Atton is evasive about it until you get a chance to confront him. [[spoiler: He used to be a [[MageKiller Jedi hunter]] and TortureTechnician in Revan's army, converting Jedi by making them succumb to TheDarkSide but hauled ass when one of his targets showed him that he was Force Sensitive and about to be on the other end of the torture rack.]]

* The SoftReboot of the Franchise/JamesBond series beginning from ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' goes this route with Bond himself, dropping his character's established Royal Navy rank but still strongly implying he had a military background (probably Special Forces) prior to joining [=MI6=].

* The SoftReboot of the Franchise/JamesBond series beginning from ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' goes this route with Bond himself, dropping his character's established Royal Navy rank but still strongly implying he had a military background (probably Special Forces) prior to joining MI6.

[[HiddenBadass Can your character kick-ass despite working in a Dry-Cleaners]]? Do they have [[TattooTropes strange, unexplained tattoos]] and [[RuggedScar gnarly scars]] littered across their bodies? [[ShellShockedVeteran Do they snap and do back-strokes on the floor as if they had lost touch with reality?]] Where did they get that Mk .14 EBR and how the hell do they know how to use it?

* Shepherd Book from ''Firefly'' has a suspicious level of knowledge about guns for a preacher, and is implied to have a former connection with the Alliance. Eventually confirmed in the ExpandedUniverse comics.

* Shepherd Book from ''Firefly'' has a suspicious level of knowledge about guns for a preacher, and is implied to have a former connection with the Alliance.

* Barbara Lake from ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}'' [[DeadlyDoctor knows Krav Maga, an aggression-based martial art that is commonly practiced by military personnel]]. Since the only visual instance of her ex-husband - James Lake Sr. - is a photograph of him in an army-green mess dress tuxedo with medals pinned to it, it is likely that she served some form of military service just like he did, or at least worked as a military M.D. at one point in her life.

* Elliot's parents in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' are ''very'' good at [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/sister3-303 organising a search-and-rescue mission]], doing so with at least as much military precision as the characters we ''know'' are government agents would have. They are a stay-at-home mom and possibly an accountant. Word of God is that there is absolutely no intention to explain this.

* Walter Sobchak in ''Film/TheBigLebowski'' makes it very clear in every scene that he has done service in Vietnam, but it is never made clear in which branch of the military he served. [[spoiler:While the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Air Force where all involved, over half of troops involved where a part of the Army, so it is likely that Walter was in the Army.]] [[spoiler:But if the original screenplay is in anyway canon, Walter [[PhonyVeteran did not actually serve any time in Vietnam]], thus averting the premise entirely.]]

See also RetiredBadass. When averted, see PhonyVeteran and WannabeSecretAgent.

[[HiddenBadass Can your character kick-ass despite working in a Dry-Cleaners?]] Do they have [[TattooTropes strange, unexplained tattoos]] and [[RuggedScar gnarly scars]] littered across their bodies? [[ShellShockedVeteran Do they snap and do back-strokes on the floor as if they had lost touch with reality?]] Where did they get that [=Mk .14 EBR=] and how the hell do they know how to use it?

This isn't just something that applies to a specific military organization either. It can work under homeland intelligence services like the Central Intelligence Agency (UsefulNotes/{{CIA}}), international agencies like the International Criminal Police Organization ([[InterpolSpecialAgent INTERPOL]]) and any other GovernmentAgencyOfFiction that has FunWithAcronyms.

!!Examples:

[[folder:FanWorks]]

--> "Where'd you learn how to do a sleeper hold, anyway?"\
"My dad taught me."\
"Where'd he learn it?"\

* ''Videogame/MassEffectAndromeda'': Liam was a cop on Earth, and then joined Crisis Response, neither of which involved heavy combat training. When questioned by most party members about his surprising skill in skirmishes, he says [[IKnowMortalKombat he learned how to fight "in movies"]]. One party member, Drack, calls "Bullshit" and demands to know what war veteran taught him how to fight. Liam admits to him that he had a mentor in Crisis Response that taught him how to fight, but that's as far as he's willing to reveal.

* PlayedForDrama in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''. Atton Rand seems to be a Han Solo {{Expy}} - you meet him in jail where he's ostensibly being held for contraband smuggling. He's got a smart mouth and a blaster, and is apparently over his head when it comes to Jedi-Sith matters. But several characters remark that his fighting style is ''not'' what you'd expect out of a typical spacer whose combat experience is limited to {{BarBrawl}}s. Atton is evasive about it until you get a chance to confront him. [[spoiler: He used to be a [[MageKiller Jedi hunter]] and TortureTechnician in Revan's army, converting Jedi by making them succumb to TheDarkSide but hauled ass when one of his targets showed him that he was Force Sensitive and about to be on the other end of the torture rack.]]

[[folder:WebVideo]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* Barbara Lake from ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}'' [[DeadlyDoctor knows Krav Maga, an aggression-based martial art that is commonly practiced by military personnel.]] Since the only visual instance of her ex-husband - James Lake Sr. - is a photograph of him in an army-green mess dress tuxedo with medals pinned to it, it is likely that she served some form of military service just like he did, or at least worked as a military M.D. at one point in her life.

* Phil Cassidy from the ''Series/GrandTheftAuto'' games is alleged to have served in the army in some games, but others say they doubt this in others. Notably, he claims to have lost his arm in combat in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto3'', but ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'' shows he lost it due to an accident with explosives.

This isn't just something that applies to a specific military organization either. It can work under homeland intelligence services like the Central Intelligence Agency ({{CIA}}), international agencies like the International Criminal Police Organization ([[InterpolSpecialAgent INTERPOL]]) and any other GovernmentAgencyOfFiction that has FunWithAcronyms.

* PlayedForDrama in ''VideoGame/StarWarsKnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''. Atton Rand seems to be a Han Solo {{Expy}} - you meet him in jail where he's ostensibly being held for contraband smuggling. He's got a smart mouth and a blaster, and is apparently over his head when it comes to Jedi-Sith matters. But several characters remark that his fighting style is ''not'' what you'd expect out of a typical spacer whose combat experience is limited to {{BarBrawl}}s. Atton is evasive about it until you get a chance to confront him. [[spoiler: He used to be a [[MageKiller Jedi hunter]] and TortureTechnician in Revan's army, converting Jedi by making them succumb to TheDarkSide but hauled ass when one of his targets showed him that he was Force Sensitive and about to be on the other end of the torture rack.]]

* PlayedForDrama in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''. Atton Rand seems to be a Han Solo {{Expy]} - you meet him in jail where he's ostensibly being held for contraband smuggling. He's got a smart mouth and a blaster, and is apparently over his head when it comes to Jedi-Sith matters. But several characters remark that his fighting style is ''not'' what you'd expect out of a typical spacer whose combat experience is limited to {{BarBrawl}}s. Atton is evasive about it until you get a chance to confront him. [[spoiler: He used to be a [[MageKiller Jedi hunter]] in Revan's army, but hauled ass when one of his targets showed him that he was Force Sensitive and about to be on the other end of the torture rack.]]

* ''Fanfic/OversaturatedWorld': Because ClassifiedInformation is usually connected to governments and militaries, from [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/361544/5/unfriendly-competition/the-dark-crystal Unfriendly Compeition - Dark Crystal]], when Lyra asks Bon-Bon how her dad learned to do a sleeper hold.