Line #119 Main/PlugNPlayProsthetics


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6	In real life, learning to use a prosthetic limb takes several months of rehabilitation, especially if it connects to the patient's nervous system. Not so in many works of fiction, attaching a new limb is as quick and easy as plugging in a flash drive.
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8	A SubTrope of ArtificialLimbs and PlugNPlayTechnology. Compare AppendageAssimilation, EasilyDetachableRobotParts, and LegoBodyParts.
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10	----
11	!!Examples:
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13	[[foldercontrol]]
14
15	[[folder:Fan Works]]
16	* In ''Fanfic/TheManyWorldsInterpretation'', Sheldon Cooper muses excitedly about how his life would be very much enhanced by transferring his formidable intellect into a cyborg body, having seen how Discworld supercomputer HEX chooses to present himself as a cyborg. Penny and Amy, aided by Howard, then puncture his balloon by graphically speculating on what sort of prosthetic extensions Amy might choose to add to the design for her own convenience. Penny points out that as a bioneurologist, Amy should have no difficulties whatsoever in programming the Shelbot to appreciate and want to use these prosthetics joyously and repeatedly.
17	* In ''Fanfic/PonyPalsDirkStriderEdition'', Anna replaces her arm by grafting on a sloth's arm, which takes about a minute and works instantly, with no recovery time.
18	[[/folder]]
19
20	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
21	* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
22	** In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'', artificial body parts are not only common enough but standardized enough that Nebula can simply grab a spare hand from a crate full of prosthetics the Ravagers have lying around and have it work perfectly with her prosthetic arm.
23	** In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', Rocket hands Thor a [[ElectronicEyes prosthetic eye]], and he simply pops it into his empty socket. After a minute of moving it around, he can see out of it.
24	* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
25	** In ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', Darth Vader gets two legs and an arm cut off, then gets robot replacements just before he's put into his iconic suit. He's able to break his restraints and walk on his new feet mere minutes later.
26	** In ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', Luke unexpectedly [[AnArmAndALeg loses a hand]] and quickly gets it replaced with a robotic prosthetic that has all the functionality of the original limb.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:Literature]]
30	* {{Justified\|Trope}} in the ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'' series -- the prosthetic hands in question are made of Dreamsteel, a [[FantasyMetals magical substance]] that naturally reshapes itself according to the user's thoughts. Additionally, the recipient (and creator) is a powerful mage in his own right.
31	* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', Voldemort conjures up a fully functional silver hand for [[TheIgor his henchman Wormtail]] to replace the one that Wormtail had ritually amputated minutes prior. Later in the same book, we find out that [[spoiler:Barty Crouch Jr. has been impersonating Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody for months by using a potion to assume Moody's shape and attaching the real Moody's prosthetic eye and leg to his own transformed body]]. [[AWizardDidIt The magic involved]] makes it easier for the characters to attach (and presumably to get used to) their new limbs, especially given the {{humanshifting}} involved in the second example.
32	* {{Exaggerated\|Trope}} in ''Literature/VoidDomain'', as [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demon]] body parts have NoBiochemicalBarriers to being used as prostheses, function perfectly upon being attached, and slowly resize to fit the recipient. [[spoiler:The demon Arachne bites off a few of her own limbs to donate to Eva, and later, Devon replaces a lost arm with a tentacle without any complications.]]
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
36	* ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'': After Fennec Shand is gutshot in ''Series/TheMandalorian'''s "[[Recap/TheMandalorianS1E5Chapter5TheGunslinger Chapter 5: The Gunslinger]]", in "[[Recap/TheBookOfBobaFettS1E4TheGatheringStorm The Gathering Storm]]", Boba Fett rescues her and brings her to a [[BackAlleyDoctor back-alley "mod surgeon"]] who replaces her damaged innards with cybernetics. Fennec then recovers from this major surgery back at Boba's campsite in the desert and is up and running again within a day.
37	* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
38	** ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': In the Season 2 finale "[[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS2E22SOSPart2 S.O.S., Part 2]]", Mack is forced to cut off Coulson's hand to [[AmputationStopsSpread prevent a Terrigen crystal from petrifying him]]. In the seasons that follow, Coulson now has a prosthetic hand which he can use with the same ease as his original hand and contains some useful gadgets to boot (including a forcefield-shield).
39	** In the second season of ''Series/LukeCage2016'', Misty Knight spends the first few episodes coping with the loss of her right arm, which was chopped off by Bakuto in the last episode of ''Series/TheDefenders2017''. She finally accepts an offer from Danny Rand for a high-tech prosthetic replacement and becomes proficient enough to use it naturally one episode later.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
43	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
44	** 3.5 Edition: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] with Construct grafts, which either work perfectly or [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul tear apart the recipient's mind and turn them into a murderous half-Construct]].
45	** From the 5[[superscript:th]] Edition ''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything'' {{Sourcebook}}, prosthetic limbs are common magic items that can be securely attached in seconds with no expertise required and function identically to the original part.
46	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', runners can generally use their new cyberware as soon as they've healed from the surgery.
47	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': While bionics are widespread throughout the Imperium, how quickly they function [[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the writer]] bothering to include it at all. Unless specified, it seems assumed that it happens offscreen and faster thanks to advanced technology.
48	** The Adeptus Mechanicus strive to eventually replace their entire body with machinery and seem to adapt very quickly, given [[MachineWorship the religious nature of their approach]], especially considering that the replacement is not necessarily the same as the original limb, such as replacing legs with treads, jetpacks and even monowheels. The Skitarii Army has the pinnacle of this doctrine as their equivalent to [[ManInTheMachine Dreadnought walkers]] -- a BrainInAJar piloting a MiniMecha. In the ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'' RPG, one of their first implants is the one which integrates the others into their nervous system, after which it pretty much literally is plug-and-play.
49	** ''ComicBook/DeffSkwadron'' has Killboy, an ork pilot who [[SerialProstheses requires extensive bionik replacements]] [[CaptainCrash every single time that he finishes a mission]]. These replacements happen offscreen, but given the absurd physical resistance of orks (they can briefly survive decapitation) and [[BloodKnight how brief R&R is among orks]], it's safe to say that it goes much faster than for humans.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Video Games]]
53	* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' has Big Boss losing his left arm and having it initially replaced with a standard (for the 1980s) prosthesis that looks nothing like a human hand, but he's such a capable soldier that when the hospital comes under attack, he's still able to use it to reload without any complications. After the prologue, during a two-week trip to Afghanistan, he's shown trying to use the prothesis to reload a revolver, and failing, until Ocelot gives him a bionic arm to replace it. The rest of the trip isn't shown, but by the time he arrives in the Afghan mountains, his bionic hand is just as good as (and in some cases better) than his original hand.
54	* In ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'', Cain has stroggan cybernetics implanted in a [[MeatgrinderSurgery traumatic fashion]]. He's 125% OK and able to fight his way out immediately after.
55	* In ''VideoGame/{{Rimworld}}'', colonists who get prosthetics installed will use them with full efficiency right after surgery. This is most likely an AntiFrustrationFeature, since having a colonist spend days in bed before he can use his new biotic legs simply wouldn't be fun.
56	* In ''VideoGame/SmallSaga'', Gwen describes the White Gods severing her feet and then fitting her with new, steel ones and doesn't dwell on if there was an adjustment period. After the TimeSkip she makes an iron tail for Verm and after fitting it to him says that it may take weeks for him to get used to it, but he's an InstantExpert.
57	* In ''VideoGame/SpaceSiege'', Seth can implant any cybernetic he comes across, up to and including a new ''head'' with no drawback besides locking you out of the GoldenEnding.
58	* ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000InquisitorMartyr'' has interchangeable cybernetic implants, such as bionic eyes, spines, and brain enhancers.
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Web Animation]]
62	* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', after [[spoiler:the Fall of Beacon, Yang]] gets a new arm mailed to her. It seems to link straight to the metal cap on the end of her stump, though that might have interfaces built in. She is able to have basic functions immediately, and is combat capable with it in only a few weeks.
63	[[/folder]]
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65	[[folder:Webcomics]]
66	* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Caliborn [[LifeOrLimbDecision gnaws his own leg off at the knee to escape a shackle]], then attaches a mechanical prosthetic to the gushing stump and walks away, apparently through nothing but sheer {{determinat\|or}}ion and [[MadeOfIron improbable resilience]].
67	* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': Allison's wooden limbs work perfectly as soon as she buckles them on. {{Justified\|Trope}} by her KiManipulation -- her soul power is great enough to substitute for the lost limbs on its own, so presumably the prostheses merely contain it.
68	* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': In his backstory, Duane receives {{Magitek}} eyes that work as soon as they're popped into his (undead) sockets. {{Justified\|Trope}}, since the prostheses link directly to the AnatomyOfTheSoul rather than the nervous system.
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70
71	[[folder:Western Animation]]
72	* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', Finn's [[Recap/AdventureTimeS5E34TheVault previous incarnation Shoko]] ends up losing her right arm. She developed a friendship with Princess Bubblegum, who gives her a gift of a prosthetic arm. Shoko looks confused as to how to use it, but the Princess tells her to just put it on.
73	-->'''Princess Bubblegum:''' It's a dang plug-n-play, girl!
74	* In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' story "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueS1E6And7TheEnemyBelow The Enemy Below]]", [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOt8akyFxyk Aquaman is able to get a prosthetic hook attached within hours of losing his hand]], with very little surgery involved. Granted, the cable launching function probably wasn't added until later, but Aquaman still used it as a weapon later that day.
75	* ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes2006'': In "Chained Lightning", Lightning Lad gets his arm blasted off by Imperiex. Brainiac 5 builds him a replacement called the Cybernetic 4000 that he quickly adapts to, including the built-in weapons to amplify his electric attacks.
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	!!Aversions and Subversions:
79
80	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
81	* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', attaching automail to nerve endings is extremely painful and the rehab usually takes half a year. After that, though, it can be taken off and put back on without the rehab period, just the pain. It's said to be so strenuous that patients often vomit blood.
82	* ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'':
83	** In one chapter of the ''Manga/GhostInTheShell'' manga, Motoko needs to hack and teleoperate a police woman who's been having trouble with her new prosthetic arm's software. When Motoko first tries shooting with that arm it freezes and she finds several programs conflicting with each other that she needs to clear out.
84	** ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'':
85	*** During an investigation, Motoko looks for a prosthetic user that she can temporarily hack into and finds a policewoman ([[MythologyGag a reference to the above]]). The woman is complaining to her coworker that you shouldn't override the control software in your body just because you got a new body part. She was having difficulty adjusting to a new arm because it came with software that her [[BrainComputerInterface cyberbrain]] was having trouble adjusting to.
86	*** Batou ends up losing a fight against Kuze in the 2nd season. Kuze takes a metal pole and jams it into Batou's shoulder, pinning him to the ground, and ultimately allowing him to escape. A later scene shows Batou fidgeting with his left arm. He comments that even though it started working as soon as he had it replaced, it takes a few days to get used to it.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Literature]]
90	* ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' is a notable {{aver\|tedTrope}}sion for the ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' universe, since the recovery time for his augmetic fingers to return to their former state (his real fingers having been lost during an emergency Warp transit) is well-documented, happening over the weeks that he's onboard a starship with little else to do (and that's with a SpaceMarine Apothecary and Techmarine regularly checking on their handiwork), and once he's certain they work without crushing or missing by inches, he gets back to his laspistol training to get used to them.
91	* The 1952 novel ''Literature/{{Limbo\|1952}}'' by Bernard Wolfe is about a post-WorldWarIII world where people willingly amputate their limbs for nuclear-powered prosthetics. Training how to use the limbs takes a while -- in fact, we're introduced to the "amps" in the form of [[MuggleSportsSuperAthletes an Olympic team training how to use their limbs to their fullest extent]]. However, the limbs in the form of various tools can be easily swapped; in fact, the ability to do so is part of their philosophy to avoid another war -- a case of literal disarmament. [[spoiler:It turns out that the opposite is true, as the East and Western blocs have been secretly developing weapon-limbs.]]
92	* This is normally the case in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'', but {{subverted\|Trope}} in the ''Literature/XWingSeries''. In ''The Bacta War'', Nawara Ven loses a leg to a micrometeorite strike after ejecting from his X-Wing. He ends up having trouble syncing properly with the prosthesis and [[CareerEndingInjury has to retire from piloting]], switching careers to military attorney.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
96	* In Season 5 of ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', Yo-Yo is fitted with a pair of prosthetic arms. Her teammates note that the arms will take some time to properly calibrate, and later they have to be repaired when Yo-Yo damages them because they weren't designed to withstand her SuperSpeed.
97	* In ''Series/BestFootForward'', Josh's broken and outgrown prosthetic leg takes two visits to the prosthetist several episodes apart to replace, with him using crutches in the interim.
98	* In ''Series/RedDwarf'', Lister has great difficulty using a cybernetic arm after it's attached. At the initial sensitivity setting, he can't even make it lift a ball; when Kryten turns up the setting, his subconscious takes over and it just punches Kryten in the face for amputating his arm in the first place.
99	* In the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E10ItsOnlyAPaperMoon It's Only a Paper Moon]]", Nog returns to the station with a bio-synthetic leg replacing the one he lost at [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E08TheSiegeOfAR558 AR-558]], and after extensive medical treatment and counseling, though he still limps and uses a cane. It's strongly implied that this is psychosomatic; after retreating into Vic Fontaine's holoprogram for a while as self-therapy for [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD incurred in the battle]], he stops limping.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Video Games]]
103	* In ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'', Adam Jenson's {{cyborg}} body has multiple upgrades pre-built into it, however, all but the most basic functions have been disabled for fear of overwhelming his brain, and he unlocks new functions by becoming accustomed to his body (justifying the game's ExperiencePoints mechanic). It's also shown that he underwent therapy after his cyborg conversion, and [[BoxingLessonsForSuperman taught himself clock-making to learn precision control of his prosthetic hands]].
104	* In ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'', Fergus' arm comes from an ''Ubersoldat'' combat robot. [[EvilHand It causes him loads of trouble throughout the whole game]], punching him in the face occasionally, smushing his biscuits when he tries to have tea, FlippingTheBird to Grace when the two meet, and ruining his chances with a girl he fancies by honking her boob. This last event finally drives him to rip it off and beat it on the wall.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Western Animation]]
108	* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'': In [[Recap/FinalSpaceS1E2Chapter2 episode 2]], the Lord Commander rips off Gary's left arm, and by the end of the episode, he is given a robotic arm as a replacement. Though seems to have full control over it immediately after the surgery, at the start of [[Recap/FinalSpaceS1E3Chapter3 episode 3]] it becomes clear that he still has some practicing to do, since the arm [[EvilHand goes out of control and strips him naked]] while Gary is recording his daily video message for Quinn.
109	[[/folder]]

Context Main / PlugNPlayProsthetics