Line #1 Main/TheSquad


1	[[quoteright:350: [[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorPacificAssault https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mohpasquad.jpg]] ]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: Your typical [[SemperFi Marine squad]]. [[note]] From left: TheMedic, [[FriendlySniper the Friendly Sniper]], TheBigGuy, and TheLeader [[/note]] [[note]]Also, for the record, though the number of members varied, there were typically more then 4 members (though the 3 fireteam's of later war marine squads did actually have 4 members).[[/note]]]]
3
4	->''"Look, we know you're new to this command, but the army field manual is very clear on the subject of squad stereotype composition. Every squad must include: 1 quiet religious guy who goes insane, 1 maverick loose cannon who plays by his own rules and dies in a blaze of glory, 1 covert recon operative with a dark past who at first betrays the team but then has a last-minute crisis of conscience and nobly sacrifices himself for the greater good, 1 fresh-faced new recruit who survives but loses his innocence and learns to become a man and 3 or 4 other guys who you don't care about so they can get brutally shot so you can show how serious the war is."''
5	-->-- '''[[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/loadingreadyrun/1681-Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot Loading Ready Run]]'''
6
7	Military and war stories have a number of different levels of focus, from the global strategic level all the way down to squad tactics, and even the plights of individual soldiers on the battleground.
8
9	When the focus is at the smaller end of the scale, we get this trope. Very often, this is a squad composed (like a FiveManBand or TheTeam) of interlocking character types or roles.
10
11	There are quite a few similarities with the types and roles of the CommandRoster. The main difference is the CommandRoster is a very specific combination of skills that may not be [[MildlyMilitary strictly military]]. The Squad may be a BadassCrew and have a SquadNickname. If it's made up of women, it's an example of an AmazonBrigade.
12
13	The trope's inspiration comes from the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireteam fireteam]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squad squad]] units of infantrymen. Such a setup possibly first appeared in UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, where open order skirmishers armed with rifles (at the time, more accurate but slower to reload than standard muskets) depended on close coordination to be effective. They would stealthily get into a good position to fire good shots and avoid the sweeping, densely-formed gunfire that enemy line infantry units provided. The use of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_and_Movement fire and movement]] tactics - some soldiers move towards the enemy, others provide covering fire - also contributed to the reorganisation of militaries into small squads. However, gunpowder in UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars was "black powder" that would quickly fill a battlefield with thick smoke, which made firing accurately difficult. [[TropeCodifier It was not until]] UsefulNotes/WorldWar1, where breech-loading rifles using smokeless powder had become commonplace, that the average infantryman became far more accurate and quick-firing. Throwing in the proliferation of machine gun crews that would inevitably shoot first when a mass of men approached them, defenders in cover were granted a huge advantage. Military science thus experimented: infantrymen would attack fortified positions in small groups, approaching with methodical covertness. This became the default method of military tactics, and remains so to this day.
14
15	[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Has nothing to do with]] the quartet of Congresswomen comprising of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Presley, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Talib who are often called "the Squad". Or the 2016 tactical shooter ''VideoGame/{{Squad}}''.
16
17	-----------
18	[[index]]
19	Some of those character types and roles:
20	* TheLeader, who might be of several different types. If the leader is an OfficerAndAGentleman, expect a CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough relation with a SergeantRock.
21	** ColonelBadass or MajorlyAwesome
22	** TheNeidermeyer
23	** EnsignNewbie, in which case there will ''always'' be a SergeantRock present
24	* The shooter, often a
25	** ColdSniper
26	** FriendlySniper
27	* One or more [[UtilityPartyMember technical]] [[TheSmartGuy "Smart Guy"]] who can take any or [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist all]] of the following roles:
28	** TheStrategist
29	** TheEngineer
30	** CommunicationsOfficer
31	** CunningLinguist
32	** [[HollywoodHacking The Hacker]]
33	** VoiceWithAnInternetConnection
34	* TheMedic (sometimes another variant of TheSmartGuy), sometimes as a CombatMedic
35	* A charismatic smooth talker
36	** TheSocialExpert
37	** TheFace
38	* TheBigGuy
39	** DemolitionsExpert
40	** HeavyEquipmentClass (Will use an LMG for MoreDakka)
41	* [[DesignatedPointMan The Point Man]]
42	** TheSneakyGuy
43	** ArmyScout
44	* The Veteran
45	* NewMeat
46	* TheQuietOne
47	* SadClown
48	* SouthernFriedPrivate
49	* TheSquadette
50	* TokenAdult
51	[[/index]]
52
53	If the story follows the characters through boot camp, or specialized training, expect to see DrillSergeantNasty make an appearance. If the story follows them after the war, expect at least one ShellShockedVeteran.
54	----------
55	!!Examples:
56
57	[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
58	%%* ''Manga/Evangelion303'': features the "Evangelion squad".
59	%%* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers''
60	* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has SWORD, an elite off-the-book unit of the Marines, and each member is given a name and face. Unlike regular Marines, they can disregard orders and take on missions without needing clearance in exchange for the Marines taking no responsibility for their safety and being allowed to cut ties with them at any time. Notable members include Koby, Helmeppo, and [[spoiler: Worst Generation member X. Drake]].
61	%%* ''Manga/PumpkinScissors''
62	%%* ''Anime/{{Simoun}}''
63
64	[[AC:Comic Books]]
65	%%* ''ComicBook/HuntersHellcats''
66	* Any comics featuring [[ComicBook/XMen Team X]], a squad during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar that featured ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}}, and Maverick, among others ([[LaserGuidedAmnesia memory implants and alterations]] by their employers make the exact roster, especially at any one point in time, uncertain).
67	%%* ''ComicBook/Team7'' and their spin-offs (''Team Zero'', ''Team One'' and ''Gen 12'')
68	* ''ComicBook/{{Tomahawk}}'': Tomahawk commanded a squad of guerrilla soldiers known as Tomahawk's Rangers.
69
70	[[AC:Films -- Live-Action]]
71	%%* ''Film/{{Aliens}}''
72	* In ''Film/TheDeserter'', Kaleb assembles a handpicked team to make the assault on the Apache stronghold. The RagtagBunchOfMisfits includes [[CombatMedic the surgeon]], [[BadassPreacher the chaplain]], [[EnsignNewbie a green lieutenant]], [[AgentPeacock a dandyish British captain]], and three men who want to kill him.
73	%%* J Squad in ''Film/EdgeOfTomorrow''.
74	* In ''Film/RockyMountain'', Captain Lafe Barstow leads a seven man squad on a secret mission for General Robert E. Lee.
75	-->'''Capt. Lafe Barstow:''' Six rattle-headed kids and an old man: Kip Waterson, the baby-faced heir to a plantation; Pierre Duchesne, from French Louisiana; Pat Dennison, an old man, really, but a hard, reckless fighter who never gave ground while he lived; Kay Rawlins from the Mississippi steamboats, a rough unfriendly man as the Indians now found out; Jimmy Wheat, a little redneck cropper who could fight like a wildcat with hydrophobia, but who carried a useless little dog for 2,000 miles; Jonas Weatherby, the Texan, a seasoned plainsman at 18; Plank, our other real plainsman, hard and bitter, with chain gang scars on his legs at 22.
76	%%* ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan''
77	%%* ''Film/SevenManArmy''
78	* ''Film/ThirtySecondsOverTokyo'', about the 1942 Doolittle Raid against Japan, focuses on the five-man crew of a single B-25 bomber. Lt. Lawson's the leader, the co-pilot likes to play poker, the bombardier is a home movie enthusiast, and Cpl. Thatcher is a hick from Montana who proves unexpectedly tough under pressure.
79
80	%%[[AC:Light Novels]]
81	%%* ''Literature/LibraryWar''
82
83	[[AC:Literature]]
84	%%* ''Literature/AllQuietOnTheWesternFront''
85	%%* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}''
86	%%* ''Literature/TheBlackCompany''
87	* ''Film/EasternCondors'': Over the course of the film, the {{Boxed Crook}}s gradually transform from being a RagtagBunchOfMisfits into The Squad.
88	%%* ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''
89	%%* ''Literature/GenerationKill''
90	* The Gold Eagle Books action-adventure series of the 1980s features SOBS--Soldiers of Barrabas, a mercenary unit secretly employed by the US Government, and the anti-terrorist groups [[Literature/TheExecutioner Phoenix Force and Able Team]].
91	%%* The Ins-and-Outs in ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment''
92	%%* ''Literature/TheUnknownSoldier''
93	* ''Literature/XWingSeries'': both Rogue and Wraith Squadrons, though Wraith Squadron features more ground/Special Operations missions.
94	%%* ''Literature/TheZone'' novels by Creator/JamesRouch.
95
96	%%[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
97	%%* ''Series/BandOfBrothers''
98	%%* ''Series/BlackSheepSquadron''
99	%%* ''[[Series/Combat1962 Combat!]]''
100	%%* ''Series/GarrisonsGorillas''
101	%%* ''Series/TheRatPatrol''
102	%%* ''Series/SpaceAboveAndBeyond''
103	%%* ''Series/TourOfDuty''
104	%%* ''Series/TheUnit''
105
106	%%[[AC:Multi-Media]]
107	%%* ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' (the Japanese-language title is really their official group designation)
108	%%* ''VideoGame/StarWarsRepublicCommando'', both the {{video game\|s}} and [[Literature/RepublicCommandoSeries the novels]]
109
110	[[AC:Video Games]]
111	%%* ''VideoGame/BattlefieldBadCompany''
112	%%* ''VideoGame/BrothersInArms'' (essentially Series/BandOfBrothers: [[SpiritualLicensee The Game]])
113	%%* Damocles Squad in ''Literature/BrothersOfTheSnake''
114	%%* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty''
115	%%* ''VideoGame/CannonSpike''
116	%%* ''VideoGame/CliveBarkersJericho''
117	%%* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWarII''
118	%%* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar''
119	* ''VideoGame/GeneralChaos'', which makes players choose between four different squad types.
120	%%* Some ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' games, namely ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'', ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', and ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'', as well as ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'''s ''Spartan Ops'' co-op campaign.
121	%%* ''{{VideoGame/Killzone}}''
122	%%* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' all play the trope fairly straight with a few character-based subversions.
123	* ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'':
124	** ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorPacificAssault'' gives us a main character with a voice and a personality, as well as a distinctive squad to support him.
125	** ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorVanguard'' features a squad, however the main character is silent during gameplay.
126	%%* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam''
127	%%* ''VideoGame/ScarletNexus''
128	* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' has a squad consisting of [[PsychoForHire deranged mercenaries]] and parodies of the above tropes.
129	%%* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles''
130	%%* ''VideoGame/WorldInConflict''
131
132	%%[[AC:Western Animation]]
133	%%* ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad''
134	%%* ''WesternAnimation/RoughnecksStarshipTroopersChronicles''
135	%%* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''
136
137	%%[[AC:Other]]
138	%%* ''OverThere''

Context Main / TheSquad