History Main / HumanityOnTrial

Sometimes an "act of self-sacrifice" by one of the protagonists will "prove" that humanity deserves to exist. If the aliens didn't know that this was possible, then they really didn't think things through. And since this is the case more often than not, the whole "trial" device frequently gets a distinct tint of PlotInducedStupidity.

* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' subverted this in episode 815, ''Agent for H.A.R.M''; Mike is transported into a courtroom run by a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien, and assumes he's on trial for all of humanity. The judge replies that no, it's all about him, and he shouldn't be trying to drag anyone else into this.

* In Literature/TheBible, {{God}} effectively puts all of humanity, present and future (except UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}), on trial in Genesis after the original sin, finds us guilty, and sentences us to death. However, he also makes plans to pardon us, as long as certain conditions are met, and allows hundreds of years pass by in order for humans to accept or reject that pardon. This is also subverted, as the Bible also states that each individual human is on trial for their own sins (not '''just''' the original sin), and (apart from the aforementioned exception) [[HumansAreBastards all humans]], [[HistoryRepeats past, present and future]], [[HumansAreFlawed have sinned in some form or another]]. Since [[HumansAreFlawed humanity]] [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption is not capable of overcoming sin on our own]], and God didn't want us all to condemn ourselves to [[AndIMustScream Hell]], He [[TakeAThirdOption gave us]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} a way out]].

* Every thousand years, Ming the Merciless from ''Film/FlashGordon'' tests every inhabited planet with natural disasters and if they show signs of recognizing an alien did it, he wipes them out. Hence Zarkov doomed Earth by flying in to space to confront Ming.

-->-- '''[[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Q]]''', ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', "Encounter at Farpoint"

* In the Fimbulwinter Game from ''Literature/TheBarsoomProject'', the adventurers are put on trial for humanity's sins ''by'' humanity's sins, in the form of nasty insect-like holographic vermin.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2055 SCP-2055]] is still picking its jury. The immediate problem for the Foundation isn't humanity being found "guilty", it's that [[spoiler: the people who are chosen have to kill themselves in order to go to the next phase of selection]] and there's nothing the Foundation can do to stop the "trial".

* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'': In "The Magicks of Megas-Tu", humanity is put on trial by the Megans for the crime of being xenophobic jerks. The trial is actually for "humanity and those who would aid them" in order to account for the nonhuman crew members. Humanity initially had its sentence suspended after the first trial (held on Earth), because the Megans felt they were no real threat. Once they manage to find the hidden Megan homeworld, the case is reopened. This time, humanity is found not guilty after Kirk risks his life to protect a Megan who had been sentenced to a FateWorseThanDeath for associating with them. When asked why they didn't just consult the ''Enterprise'''s records to discover for themselves that humans were capable of things like a HeroicSacrifice, the Megans reply the records could have been faked.

* Parodied on ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': Roger the alien believes that the other aliens gave him the privilege of deciding whether humanity should be destroyed, but they actually lied to Roger, and only used him as a crash dummy for their ship.

* While not all of humanity, a god-like being known as the Ethereal judged Agrabah in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'' this way. It asked the rulers what made their civilization "great" and threatened to destroy it if they couldn't answer. It rejected every answer they gave and decided to commence with the destruction, until Princess Jasmine risked her life to save a citizen. It was then satisfied and decided that they learned the intended lesson: that the people were what made Agrabah great. The very same people it was [[BrokenAesop planning to mass murder]].
* Parodied on ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', when the Grand Galactic Inquisitor arrives to judge humanity, based on criteria that humans apparently cannot possibly fathom. He insists that they not alter their behavior in any way (famously shouting "IGNORE ME!"). To this end, he follows the cast around on a completely unrelated adventure and continues insisting that they ignore him, despite being twelve feet tall and equipped with a loudspeaker on his chest. [[spoiler: Turns out that the seemingly unrelated plot of the episode was an elaborate plan to summon another alien to shoot the Inquisitor in the head, thus apparently saving humanity. The cast still didn't consider the Inquisitor anything more than a nuisance, however.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "The Magicks of Megas-Tu", humanity is put on trial by the Megans for the crime of being xenophobic jerks. The trial is actually for "humanity and those who would aid them" in order to account for the nonhuman crew members. Humanity initially had its sentence suspended after the first trial (held on Earth), because the Megans felt they were no real threat. Once they manage to find the hidden Megan homeworld, the case is reopened. This time, humanity is found not guilty after Kirk risks his life to protect a Megan who had been sentenced to a FateWorseThanDeath for associating with them. When asked why they didn't just consult the ''Enterprise'''s records to discover for themselves that humans were capable of things like a HeroicSacrifice, the Megans reply the records could have been faked.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Gump Roast", Kang and Kodos decided to judge humanity. They were about to destroy the Earth after seeing Homer's {{Jerkass}} memories, but Lisa asked them to see [[ChildrenAreInnocent Maggie's]]. This caused them to [[BizarreAlienBiology vomit through their eyes]], but the sight of all the celebrities caused them to spare the Earth in exchange for getting to attend the People's Choice Awards.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunnysLunarTunes'' Marvin the Martian tries to get Earth destroyed by filing charges against it in court, with Bugs Bunny being brought in for the defence.

The hypocrisy of wiping out a fellow sapient species just because it suits them is rarely addressed, and this is especially hypocritical if the aliens list this among humanity's crimes. It's often justified with HumansAreTheRealMonsters, being the only sapient race in the whole universe that does dirty things like [[HumansAreFlawed lying]], [[HumansAreBastards murder]], [[HumansAreWarriors war]], etc. The accusing aliens may have long ago [[ApeShallNeverKillApe overcome such behaviors]] (though one sympathetic advocate might ask, [[NotSoDifferentRemark "Were we so different, at their age?"]]), but they may even drop the bombshell that they ''never'' suffered from them in the first place, and have always been a [[MarySuetopia utopian, perfect race that never as much as littered]]. The accuser also ignores the oddity of punishing an entire species for crimes against itself.

* In ''VideoGame/RuneScape'', a particularly nasty example of this begins immediately after [[spoiler:[[HopeSpot killing Sliske and seeing the Stone of Jas destroyed]]]] when [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination Elder]] [[TheOldGods God]] [[TopGod Jas]] [[AlwaysABiggerFish herself]]]] confronts you face to face, and ([[spoiler: after [[PretenderDiss dismissing]] [[DivineRanks Zaros]]]]) ultimately tells you little more than that [[spoiler: life is [[CreatingLifeIsUnforeseen an unexpected aberration]], and must prove its worth through action - though not how - or be destroyed]].

The {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s are not pleased. The human race has been warring, polluting, nuclear-bombing, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking not looking both ways before crossing the street.]] So now, they've come to put humanity on trial.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunnysLunarTunes'' Marvin the Martian tries to get Earth destroyed by filing charges against it in court, with Bugs Bunny being brought in for the defence.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}:'' Season six revealed this has happened in the past, and we failed - thus why the world is called [[AfterTheEnd Remnant,]] and why the moon is shattered to pieces in the present day. [[spoiler: It's also revealed that the Brother Gods (who enacted the first trial) warned that they would return one day and enact ''another'' trial, though they were 'nice' enough to say they would only come when summoned. This is the root of the ForeverWar between [[BigGood Ozpin]] and [[BigBad Salem]] - Ozpin is trying to unite the world in peace so it will pass the trial, and Salem is trying to summon the gods before then.]]

* ''WebAnimation/RWBY:'' Season six revealed this has happened in the past, and we failed - thus why the world is called [[AfterTheEnd Remnant,]] and why the moon is shattered to pieces in the present day. [[spoiler: It's also revealed that the Brother Gods (who enacted the first trial) warned that they would return one day and enact ''another'' trial, though they were 'nice' enough to say they would only come when summoned. This is the root of the ForeverWar between [[BigGood Ozpin]] and [[BigBad Salem]] - Ozpin is trying to unite the world in peace so it will pass the trial, and Salem is trying to summon the gods before then.]]

* Zigzagged in BeeMovie. The defendant isn't quite as large as the whole human race (it's "only" every [[MegaCorp major corporation that exploits bees]]), but Barry, as the plaintiff, represents the entire nonhuman species of bees.

The hypocrisy of wiping out a fellow sapient species just because it suits them is rarely addressed, and this is especially hypocritical if the aliens list this among humanity's crimes. It's often justified with HumansAreTheRealMonsters, being the only sapient race in the whole universe that does dirty things like [[HumansAreFlawed lying]], [[HumansAreBastards murder]], [[HumansAreWarriors war]], etc. The accusing aliens may have long ago [[ApeShallNeverKillApe overcome such behaviors]] (though one sympathetic advocate might ask, [[NotSoDifferent "Were we so different, at their age?"]]), but they may even drop the bombshell that they ''never'' suffered from them in the first place, and have always been a [[MarySuetopia utopian, perfect race that never as much as littered]]. The accuser also ignores the oddity of punishing an entire species for crimes against itself.

* Inverted in ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. The first Q-related episode of the series gave the ship's crew an opportunity to put a member of the omnipotent race on trial for once.
** Zigzagged would be a better adjective. They didn't put him on Trial, the recurring Q (Creator/JohnDeLancie) is putting him on trial. Voyager is defending him and his right... to commit suicide. So, it's a trial where the prosecution is bringing up examples to justify that the gods are necessary to humanity and thus humans shouldn't tolerate when a god wants to not exist any more as a matter of his own personal choice.

* In ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'' X, a semi-omnipotent representative of the X Continuum, [[[[https://www.irregularwebcomic.net/comic.php?current=3422&theme=4&dir=prev puts humanity on trial]] with Paris as proxy. Paris suggests putting the sparrials on trial with Serron as a proxy, but X thinks a case that open-and-shut wouldn't be as much fun. [[https://www.irregularwebcomic.net/comic.php?current=3418&theme=4&dir=next Paris's defence]] is that she stops the non-humans in the crew getting into worse trouble than they would without her. X can't argue with that, so throws "[[https://www.irregularwebcomic.net/comic.php?current=3430&theme=4&dir=next a semi-omnipotent tantrum]] instead.

* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers''
had "[[http://retrooasis.blogspot.com/2013/08/captain-planet-twelve-angry-animals.html 12 Angry Animals]]" with a [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti yeti]] and a court of animals putting the Planeteers on trial for the crimes of humanity. It was exceptionally {{anvilicious}} in a series full of moral anvils.

* The Council of Superior Species from ''Film/AbsolutelyAnything'' are testing Earth for membership by giving one man godlike powers for ten days, seeing how he acts and will destroy Earth if he fails. They've done this to several other planets and the Council only has four members.

* Impress Your Creators by Tub Ring is about an advanced alien race giving humanity a decade to shape up or be killed. [[spoiler:Humanity [[oh crap has other opinions.]]]]