John McKittrick: See that sign up here? "DEFCON." That indicates our current defense condition. It should read "DEFCON 5", which means peace. It's still on 4 because of that little stunt you pulled. Actually, if we hadn't caught it in time, it might have gone to DEFCON 1. You know what that means, David?
David Lightman: No, what does that mean?
McKittrick: World War III.
David Lightman: No, what does that mean?
McKittrick: World War III.
— WarGames, averting this trope
"OK, people, you need to pay attention to WarGames if you're going to drop the DEFCON joke. You are at war at DEFCON 1 and at peace at DEFCON 5. This DEFCON 12 he speaks of must be some higher plane of existence where even mosquitos and people live together in love and harmony."
—Bill Simmons' editor Philbrick responding to a reader email, ESPN.com
