History Main / OperatorIncompatibility

[[AC:LiveActionTelevision]]

* Occurs in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' when anyone other than D'Argo tries to operate Lo'la. The ship requires D'Argo's DNA to function so it's...messy for someone else to use it.
* Stairs were impossible for [[Series/DoctorWho Daleks]] to use until they gained levitation technology. ''{{QI}}'' speculates that ramps are a Dalek conspiracy.

* Celia's ill-conceived magic artifact in ''OrderOfTheStick'' requires a jolt of electricity to activate. Humans can't generate lightning at will? Since when?

* [[Webcomic/{{Subnormality}} Subnormality's]] [[http://www.viruscomix.com/page432.html Sphinx]] can't watch movies in modern formats.

* Averted in the novelization of ''TheLastStarfighter', since the Gunstar is capable of detecting the species of its pilot and modifying its cockpit and controls to match.

* In ''{{District 9}}'', alien weapons can only be used by those with the alien's arm, presumably due to some sort of DNA compatibility. [[spoiler: Then, of course, the protagonist ultimately gets an alien appendage and fires at will.]]

* The ''MyTeacherIsAnAlien'' series involves thousands of alien species living peacefully on one massive space station. This leads to some rather complex issues--for example, when the human protagonist first needs to use a bathroom he has to answer a series of rather personal questions to the computer, causing serious discomfort before he finds a toilet that will actually work for his anatomy.

* Averted in the novelization of ''{{The Last Starfighter}}', since the Gunstar is capable of detecting the species of its pilot and modifying its cockpit and controls to match.

* [[{{Webcomic/Subnormality}} Subnormality's]] [[http://www.viruscomix.com/page432.html Sphinx]] can't watch movies in modern formats.

* In MonstersVsAliens, the alien is octopus-like, and as a result his ship is controlled with what is essentially a DDR pad. Dr. Cockroach is still capable of using it though, abet with some difficulty.

* In MonsterVersusAliens, the alien is octopus-like, and as a result his ship is controlled with what is essentially a DDR pad. Dr. Cockroach is still capable of using it though, abet with some difficulty.

** This includes pretty much any gun ever made. Fire a gun left-handed and you'll get red-hot bullet casings in the face. Some guns, like the SAR-21, try to deflect blasts caused by chamber explosions to the right side (i.e. away from the face for a righty, but right into a lefty's face).

In certain settings, FinaglesLaw ensures these assumptions will cause disaster. Sure, sometimes it's a bonus, or even a built-in feature, that the alien saboteurs can't use the artifact of doom properly, but usually it's just a pain.

* A lot of tech in ''{{Stargate}}'' can only be operated by someone with the ATA (Ancient Technology Activation) gene. Luckily a procedure is developed that can give most people this trait.
** As well the hand devices, healing and ribbon, only usable by someone who has or has had a Goa'uld symbiote.

** It was actually mentioned that the [=ATA=] gene therapy is only effective half the time.

* The {{Halo}}s can only be activated [[spoiler: by humans because they are descended from the [[{{Precursors}} Forerunners]] who built them.]]

* In one ''{{Animorphs}}'' book, our heroes steal a Bug fighter that is usually piloted by a Taxxon (a really, really big centipede with maybe six or eight arms), and is here piloted by an Andalite with two arms. Then they learn the ship was designed with a ''mutant'' Taxxon in mind, one with "twice the usual amount of appendages". They manage to fly it perfectly though.

* Averted in the novelization of {{The Last Starfighter}}, since the Gunstar is capable of detecting the species of its pilot and modifying its cockpit and controls to match.

In certain settings, [[{{Ptitlee6pckmje}} Finagle's Law]] ensures these assumptions will cause disaster. Sure, sometimes it's a bonus, or even a built-in feature, that the alien saboteurs can't use the artifact of doom properly, but usually it's just a pain.

* Averted in the novelization of {{The Last Starfighter}}, since the Gunstar is capable of detecting the species of its pilot and modifying its controls to match.

** This includes pretty much any gun ever made. Fire a gun left-handed and you'll get red-hot bullet casings in the face. Some guns, like the SAR-21, try to deflect blasts caused by chamber explosions to the right side (i.e. away from the face.) This is not good news for lefties.

* Occurs in {{Farscape}} when anyone other than D'Argo tries to operate Lo'la. The ship requires D'Argo's DNA to function so it's...messy for someone else to use it.
* Stairs were impossible for [[DoctorWho Daleks]] to use until they gained levitation technology. {{QI}} speculates that ramps are a Dalek conspiracy.

* The {{Halo}}s can only be activated [[spoiler: by a human because they are descended from the forerunner who built them.]]

* [[http://www.viruscomix.com/page432.html The Sphinx]] can't watch human-made movies.

* Stairs are, of course, impossible to navigate if you're in a wheelchair. (Or a [[DoctorWho Dalek]], for that matter, until they gained the ability to elevate...) {{QI}} speculates that ramps are a Dalek conspiracy.

* ''FreeFall'' features a humanoid wolf with a wolf's snout, digitigrade legs, and black/white vision (Florence), a squid-thing wearing a humanoid environmental suit (Sam), a rotund robot of human-normal height (Helix), a giant construction robot (Sawtooth Rivergrinder), and assorted other semihumanoid robots (Dvorak, Tangent, and the robot tailor, for instance). [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff700/fv00673.htm This]] [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff400/fv00321.htm trope]] [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1400/fv01400.htm shows]] [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1500/fv01421.htm up]] [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1400/fv01316.htm often.]]

* Most humans couldn't use the pod racers in ''StarWars The Phantom Menace'' because their reactions weren't good enough.

* One of the characters in HarryTurtledove's Worldwar books is Kassquit, a human woman raised by the alien, lizardlike Race. She must wear artificial "fingerclaws" to be able to use the Race's computers.

* In ''TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossTheEighthDimension'', Buckaroo gets confused at the climax when trying to fly the Red Lectroid Thermapod because its controls are, among other things, designed to be operated partially by the pilot's bare feet. He therefore has to turn control of the ship over to the Black Lectroid John Parker, who unfortunately "failed driving school."