History Series / RoboCopPrimeDirectives

* TerroristsWithoutACause: The Bombs in Dark Justice. They are anarchists who love explosives, any attempt at negotiation fails, and they admit they have no manifesto or real interest besides killing people.

* GoryDiscretionShot:[[spoiler:Damian]] getting a laser drilled through the back of his head and

* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Averted -- Damian and Sara use the old notes and
documentation used for the original prototype (Alex Murphy) to create Robocable.

* GoryDiscretionShot: [[spoiler:Damian]] getting a laser drilled through the back of his head and Robocable destroying the OCP commander's head with a sledgehammer, among many others.

* MindControlDevice: Kaydick uses a variant on Robocable, and uses it to make him follow his commands.

* ClassyCatBurglar: Anne R. Key leads a group of beautiful female thieves.

* WorfEffect: [=RoboCop=] is beaten by Anne and her group due to him not shooting any of them despite their involvement in several murders.

* HeelFaceTurn: James Murphy in "Resurrection".

* AssholeVictim: Damian attempts to leave the OCP building in "Crash And Burn"', and first gets shoved down an elevator shaft by Sara Cable (breaking his legs) and then gets his legs and hands cut off by the building's automated laser defense system before dying
.* DisproportionateRetribution: Kaydick was fired by OCP for illegal experiments, so he decides to get back at them by creating a nanite virus and killing all organic matter in Detroit.

* DidNotThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler: Damian sends the Special Forces unit against the Old Woman's orders and is fired for it.]]

* InternalReveal: Alex Murphy discovers that his father was turned into [=RoboCop=].

* BigBadEnsemble: Damien, Sarah Cable, and Kaydick.

* GorgyDiscretionShot: [[spoiler:Damian]] getting a laser drilled through the back of his head and Robocable destroying the OCP commander's head with a sledgehammer, among many others.

* {{Fingore}}: The OCP special force commander's hand when [=RoboCable=] blows it to pieces with his gun.

* AssholeVictim: Damian attempts to leave the OCP building in "Crash And Burn"', and first gets shoved down an elevator shaft by Sara Cable (breaking his legs) and then gets his legs and hands cut off by the building's automated laser defense system before dying.
* ArtisticLicenseLawEnforcement: In a flashback, Murphy and Cable enter the home of a man who's been chopping up people. Once he's subdued, Cable executes him on the spot because they entered without a warrant and he would have gotten off on a technicality. Except they only entered to begin with because they caught the dog gnawing on human remains. That's probable cause.

* BetterThanNew: Murphy shuts down as a result of the injuries he sustains in "Meltdown", and is upgraded by Ann's crew, who replace all his old parts and bring him back up to spec. In "Crash And Burn", he is deactivated by Robocable (who jams his data spike into the back of Murphy's head). This allows him to survive the EMP blast that shuts down the city and also removes his original directives, no longer constraining him to OCP orders.
* BigDamnHeroes: In "Meltdown", [=RoboCable=] arrives to save Murphy (who is badly injured and losing critical functions after being electrocuted by the OCP special unit), then Ann and her crew show up to save him in "Resurrection" after Cable creates a distraction to draw the unit away.
* BigNo: Cable screaming just before Murphy shoots him in the chest, and Murphy when the dormant memories in his core are reactivated.
* BoardToDeath: Damian spearheads the project for developing a fully-functional AI, called SAINT. After sending a team to destroy [=RoboCop=] after the Old Woman had forbidden it, Damian gets fired and uses SAINT to kill the Old Woman and the Board.

* CallBack: Cable references the ShowWithinAShow from the original film responding to something said to him with the tagline "I'll buy that for a dollar."
* CallingTheOldManOut: James' motivation for trying to use the EMP on [=RoboCop=].
* ChekhovsGun: The random police officer Murphy and Cable talk to about the Detroit Mangler case in one of the flashbacks [[spoiler: turns out to be The Bone Machine.]]
** Jordan's teddy bear, which is first seen in the second episode, and whose function is discovered in the third.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Kaydick was fired by OCP for illegal experiments, so he decides to get back at them by creating a nanite virus and killing all organic matter in Detroit.
* DrunkOnTheDarkSide: Kaydick, who relishes the chance to beat up his ex-wife just as much as he enjoys trying to kill everyone in Old Detroit.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Detroit is now stuck in total darkness (thanks to [[spoiler:[=RoboCable=] activating the EMP]]), and several people have died to stop the corrupted S.A.I.N.T. computer program from destroying the city, but Murphy does get to make up for lost time with his son, who spearheads the rebuilding with his own newly formed company, and continues in his role as a protector, free of his overriding directives.
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * EnergyWeapon
* EvilIsHammy: Both Bone Machine and Kaydick aren't subtle in their villainy.
* ExecutiveMeddling: In-universe with Murphy being reprogrammed by The Trust to kill John Cable (as part of a plan to make him the new enforcer for the company).
* {{Fingore}}: The OCP special force commander's hand when [=RoboCable=] blows it to pieces with his gun.
* GoryDiscretionShot: Murphy killing Bone Machine by stabbing him repeatedly with his datajack (also serves as a CallBack to the way he killed Boddicker in the original), [[spoiler:Damian]] getting a laser drilled through the back of his head and Robocable destroying the OCP commander's head with a sledgehammer, among many others.

* HeelFaceTurn: James Murphy in "Resurrection".
* HeroicBSOD: The activation of Murphy's locked memories causes him to scream for several seconds before literally shutting down.
* HeroicSacrifice: Ann goes into the SAINT processing room in "Crash And Burn" to kill Kaydick, despite full well knowing that she'll die in the process. Robocable also sacrifices himself to stop SAINT so that Murphy and his son (and the rest of the city) can live.
* HonestCorporateExecutive: The Old Woman and James Murphy at the end of the series.
* HowManyFingers: Ann's sidekick says this to Murphy once he reactivates in "Resurrection".

* LawOfInverseFertility: John and Sara Cable tried several times to have a child, and when she finally did give birth, the baby was stillborn. [[spoiler:In the final part, Sara reveals she secretly had a late-term abortion.]]
* ManlyTears: Robo sheds a few for Cable at the end of "Dark Justice" while looking [[ThousandYardStare utterly shell-shocked]], and when reuniting with James near the end of "Resurrection".

* MindControlDevice: Kaydick uses a variant on Robocable, and uses it to make him follow his commands.
* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Averted -- Damian and Sara use the old notes and documentation used for the original prototype (Alex Murphy) to create Robocable.

* PapaWolf: Murphy has put up with a lot of crap over the last decade, but do not, under any circumstances, threaten his son or there will be ''hell to pay''.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler:Back when he and Murphy were both still human, Cable gunned down the Motor City Mangler after they freed one of his captives, and the Mangler took Cable hostage and tried to kill both him and Murphy. This also marked the end of their partnership as Murphy put in for a transfer shortly thereafter--to [[DoomedByCanon Metro West]].]]

* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Ann to her daughter before going to fight Kaydick -- "Stay here, sweetie. Mommy's going to kick some ass."

* RewindReplayRepeat: [=RoboCop=] does this with Cable's death, although it's not entirely clear whether he's deliberately torturing himself or just having some sort of PTSD flashback and the replay is just his mind's way of trying to process it.
* ShootTheHostage: In "Dark Justice", Robo is forced by his own programming to shoot Cable when he's being held hostage by Bone Machine.
* ShoutOut: At the end of an episode, [=RoboCop=] muses that "[[Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns the world only makes sense when you force it to]]".

* TerroristsWithoutACause: The Bombs in Dark Justice. They are anarchists who love explosives, any attempt at negotiation fails, and they admit they have no manifesto or real interest besides killing people.
* VillainousRescue: Kaydick shows up to rescue the injured [=RoboCable=] in "Resurrection" after he's assaulted by the OCP special forces unit.

In the intervening years after the events of the first film, Delta City has become fully owned and operated by OCP, while [=RoboCop=]/Alex Murphy (Fletcher) has remained in service for over a decade. Murphy's also showing his age and is scheduled to be retired by OCP because his parts are out of warranty. In addition, his now-grown son James (Anthony Lemke) has become an OCP executive, and his old partner John Cable (Maurice Dean Wint) has returned to the city to become the company's new security commander. By the end of the first episode, Robo is forced to kill Cable, who is subsequently reborn as [[FanNickname RoboCable]], the second prototype for the once-defunct [=RoboCop=] program. Murphy teams up with an anarchist group led by Ann R. Key ([[Series/TwentyFour Leslie Hope]]) to stop Cable, OCP (which are now hunting both Murphy and [=RoboCable=]) and David Kaydick ([[Series/ForeverKnight Geraint Wyn Davies]]), Ann's ex-husband and a disgraced OCP scientist who plans to use an organic virus to destroy everyone in Delta City.

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: In a flashback, Murphy and Cable enter the home of a man who's been chopping up people. Once he's subdued, Cable executes him on the spot because they entered without a warrant and he would have gotten off on a technicality. Except they only entered to begin with because they caught the dog gnawing on human remains. That's probable cause.

* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Averted - Damian and Sara use the old notes and documentation used for the original prototype (Alex Murphy) to create Robocable.

* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Ann to her daughter before going to fight Kaydick - "Stay here, sweetie. Mommy's going to kick some ass."

* WouldHitAGirl: Ann left her husband because he abused her and Jordan - and every time she faces him throughout the series (with the exception of their final encounter), he leaves her bruised and bleeding.

In the intervening years after the events of the first film, Delta City has become fully owned and operated by OCP, while [=RoboCop=]/Alex Murphy (Fletcher) has remained in service for over a decade. Murphy's also showing his age, and is scheduled to be retired by OCP because his parts are out of warranty. In addition, his now-grown son James (Anthony Lemke) has become an OCP executive, and his old partner John Cable (Maurice Dean Wint) has returned to the city to become the company's new security commander. By the end of the first episode, Robo is forced to kill Cable, who is subsequently reborn as [[FanNickname RoboCable]], the second prototype for the once-defunct [=RoboCop=] program. Murphy teams up with an anarchist group led by Ann R. Key ([[Series/TwentyFour Leslie Hope]]) to stop Cable, OCP (which are now hunting both Murphy and [=RoboCable=]) and David Kaydick ([[Series/ForeverKnight Geraint Wyn Davies]]), Ann's ex-husband and a disgraced OCP scientist who plans to use an organic virus to destroy everyone in Delta City.

The production was filmed and produced in [[CaliforniaDoubling Toronto, Canada]], and featured a number of well-known Canadian actors. Richard Eden (who played the title character on ''Series/RoboCopTheSeries'') was asked to reprise his role, but backed out. The producers hired Page Fletcher instead, who devised his own movement system to reflect where the character was at that point in his life.

* BetterThanNew: Murphy shuts down as a result of the injuries he sustains in "Meltdown", and is upgraded by Ann's crew, who replace all his old parts and bring him back up to spec. In "Crash And Burn", he is deactivated by Robocable (who jams his dataspike into the back of Murphy's head). This allows him to survive the EMP blast that shuts down the city, and also removes his original directives, no longer constraining him to OCP orders.

* BroadStrokes: The series is deliberately set 10 years after the original film to avoid needing to tie into the previous sequels. Prime Directives lines up with ''Film/RoboCop3'' in that Murphy's fourth directive preventing him from harming OCP personnel was erased, and Murphy is shown in Prime Directives to have only three directives. Reference is also made to the battle of Cadillac Heights in ''Film/RoboCop3''. However, Prime Directives also contradicts ''Robocop 3'': the film showed OCP destroyed and its plans to destroy Detroit and build Delta City over the ruins stopped. Prime Directives, however, shows that Delta City is complete and Old Detroit is the abandoned part of the old city. Prime Directives also contradicts ''Robocop 2'' and ''3'' where Murphy's identity was known by most OCP staff and police officers, while in Prime Directives, Murphy's identity is a secret known only to Murphy's doctor and the highest levels of OCP. The writers deliberately made these contradictions, feeling that the previous installments showed police officers entirely too accepting of a dead cop being turned into a cyborg and that OCP was too important to leave destroyed.

* CallingTheOldManOut: Jimmy's motivation for trying to use the EMP on [=RoboCop=].

* ClearMyName: Cable (in the first episode) and Murphy (through the whole series).

* CrapsackWorld: What Detroit has turned into. Robo is practically out of date, crime and poverty is worse than ever, anarchists are storming the OCP building and everyone is a CorruptCorporateExecutive. OCP has enforced a strict no-kill policy on Detroit's police force, taking away almost all lethal guns and ammunition. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

* ExecutiveMeddling: In-universe with Murphy being reprogrammed by The Trust to kill John Cable (as part of an plan to make him the new enforcer for the company).

* HeroicSacrifice: Ann goes in to the SAINT processing room in "Crash And Burn" to kill Kaydick, despite full well knowing that she'll die in the process. Robocable also sacrifices himself to stop SAINT so that Murphy and his son (and the rest of the city) can live.

** Robo has his standard "Auto-9" a fully automatic pistol which holds more ammunition than the weapon should be physically capable of, and has selectable ammunition types from his HUD. Robocable gets two.

* ManlyTears: Robo sheds a few for Cable at the end of "Dark Justice" while looking [[ThousandYardStare utterly shell-shocked]], and when reuniting with Jimmy near the end of "Resurrection".

* ObstructiveCodeOfConduct: Played with. Murphy still has his original directives, but is unknowingly given a directive to kill John Cable as well (which he must carry out). At the end of the miniseries, Robocable purges the original directives from Murphy's software.

* ShoutOut: At the end of a an episode, [=RoboCop=] muses that "[[Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns the world only makes sense when you force it to]]".
* ShowWithinAShow: ''Media Break'', and it's tie-in sister show, ''The Archie Nemesis Show''.

* TerroristsWithoutACause: The Bombs in Dark Justice. They are anarchist who love explosives, any attempt at negotiation fails, and they admit they have no manifesto or real interest besides killing people.

* CrapsackWorld: What Detroit has turned into. Robo is practically out of date, crime and poverty is worse than ever, anarchists are storming the OCP building and everyone is a CorruptCorporateExecutive.
** OCP has enforced a strict no-kill policy on Detroit's police force, taking away almost all lethal guns and ammunition. [[WhatAnIdiot it goes about as well as you'd expect.]]

* FrickinLaserBeams

* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler:Back when he and Murphy were both still human, Cable gunned down the Motor City Mangler after theyfreeing one of his captives, and the Mangler took Cable hostage and tried to kill both him and Murphy. This also marked the end of their partnership as Murphy put in for a transfer shortly thereafter--to [[DoomedByCanon Metro West]].]]

''Prime Directives'' is a polarizing work for fans of the franchise. Some praised the miniseries for throwing out the "kid-friendly" elements of the previous series and third movie in favor of ultra-dark storytelling and copious amounts of violence, while others derided it for the acting, production values and comic book-like plot.

* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: Robo has his standard "Auto-9" a fully automatic pistol which holds more ammunition than the weapon should be physically capable of, and has selectable ammunition types from his HUD. Robocable gets two.

* IronicEcho: [=RoboCable=]'s comment to the OCP soldier who almost destroyed him earlier in the series: "Now '''I''' own your black ass."

* BroadStrokes: The series is deliberately set 10 years after the original film to avoid needing to tie into the previous sequels. Prime Directives lines up with ''RoboCop 3'' in that Murphy's fourth directive preventing him from harming OCP personnel was erased, and Murphy is shown in Prime Directives to have only three directives. Reference is also made to the battle of Cadillac Heights in RoboCop 3. However, Prime Directives also contradicts ''Robocop 3'': the film showed OCP destroyed and its plans to destroy Detroit and build Delta City over the ruins stopped. Prime Directives, however, shows that Delta City is complete and Old Detroit is the abandoned part of the old city. Prime Directives also contradicts ''Robocop 2'' and ''3'' where Murphy's identity was known by most OCP staff and police officers, while in Prime Directives, Murphy's identity is a secret known only to Murphy's doctor and the highest levels of OCP. The writers deliberately made these contradictions, feeling that the previous installments showed police officers entirely too accepting of a dead cop being turned into a cyborg and that OCP was too important to leave destroyed.

* EvilIsHammy: Both Bone Machine and Kaydick aren'r subtle in their villainy.

'''''Franchise/RoboCop: Prime Directives''''' is a 2001 Canadian-made miniseries set in an AlternateContinuity ten years after the [[Film/RoboCop1987 original film]], starring Page Fletcher as the title cyborg police officer.