Redshirt
As a red shirt ( English for "red shirt") is - based on the American science fiction series Spaceship Enterprise ( Star Trek ) from the 1960s - a crew member usually dressed in a red uniform sweater, who shortly after his first appearance on an alien planet dies. The term for this partly predictable victim role ( cannon fodder ) was formed by Star Trek fans.
Origin of the term
In Spaceship Enterprise , the different functions of the crew members are indicated by colored uniforms. In the series, red uniforms ( red shirt ) indicate membership of either the technician or the security team. Members of these teams in particular were often killed. The cause of the high death rate of these team members is production-related: The concept of many episodes consisted of some main characters exploring an alien planet as an outside team (or landing party) accompanied by one or more security officers, on which an unforeseen danger then occurs. For dramaturgy reasons, the death of a member of the "away team" was occasionally part of the plot; since the main characters should generally remain part of the series and therefore had a long-term contract, a Redshirt "died".
Use outside of Star Trek
The association of the red outerwear with a figure thought of as cannon fodder is often satirized and quoted, both in other television productions, movies as well as video and computer games. Some are explicitly quoted, some are given a red shirt as an inside joke, and some are parodic characters with red clothing that a quick death is predicted. In the field of screenwriting , the term is well established, especially among science fiction authors. In the field of role play , too, the term for this dramaturgical device has become common as jargon in both the USA and Germany:
- Galaxy Quest - Through space without a plan : The character Guy Fleegman fears for her life when she realizes that she is about to set foot on an unknown planet as a nameless newcomer "Crew member No. 6". However, she survives, proves herself as a hero precisely because of her certainty of death, and is finally appointed a security officer.
- Futurama : Zapp Brannigan adds its commands "Send the redcoats!" (In English. Original: "Send in the Redskirts!") Added. His troops are in red uniform and the orders are so absurd that they foreshadow the inevitable death of the soldiers.
- South Park : As a result, the Edge of Forever (City on the Edge of Forever) the second season a nameless boy leaves the school bus in a red T-shirt Star Trek logo to die shortly thereafter.
- In Lost , two figures hang red fabric on trees to mark them. One of the two points to the importance of red shirts in Star Trek . A few episodes later, this character dies as the first main character in the series. Whether it was meant to indicate that the figure itself was intended as a “secret red shirt” was discussed by fans.
- In Stargate - Kommando SG-1 in the episode True Heroes , the character played by John Billingsley (who plays a leading role in Star Trek: Enterprise ) reacts to a dangerous suggestion by saying, “Come on, Felger, we might as well have red shirts wear!"
- In an episode of the television series Kim Possible , Kim, Ron, Rufus, Shego and Dr. Drakken zapped from one TV series to the next. Kim ends up in a science fiction series. There she wears a red uniform and is ordered by the captain to go on a field assignment. Wade points out that characters with the red uniform will not come back from the missions.
- In the card game Munchkin , specifically with Star Munchkin and the expansion Star Munchkin 2 - The Clown Wars, there are some references to Redshirts - for example, the player can get a red shirt henchman to help. The only ability of these red shirts is to sacrifice themselves in battle - that is, to die.
- In many episodes of Star Wreck , a Star Trek parody, at least one security officer is taken away from the field and is killed, for example in Star Wreck 3 - Wrath of the Romuclans, a “Red Shirted Security Officer” “Which, according to another crew member, is particularly useful to protect the captain in risky situations, and which is then killed on the planet's surface by a Romuclan spaceship. In addition, the manner of death is caricatured by a laid-off straight from the infirmary safety officer directly in the trajectory of an opponent in Star Wreck 5 beamed is and is made instead of the Captains. All known names (Lt. Cannonfodder ("cannon fodder"), Lt. Suicide ("suicide"), Sergeant Manshield ("human shield"), Corporal Minestomper ("(pedal) mine pounder")) play Star-Wreck redshirts on the high death rate.
- In the Robot Chicken episode "The Munnery", the spaceship loses its life support and the energy is only enough to beam five people to the next planet. Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Dr. McCoy and Toby (the Redshirt) beam to the next planet; Toby convinced the others that they simply needed a red shirt. When everyone is finally on the verge of starvation, they discuss who should be eaten now. The choice falls, of course, on the Redshirt - according to Spock, this is his duty. Unlike all the other Redshirts before him, Toby has brought a weapon and is the only one to survive.
- In books by SF author John Ringo , the names of his readers are used for the military cannon fodder, who can thus (for a short time) take part in the action.
- In Spy Game - The Final Countdown , the code name of a general of the North Vietnamese Army who is killed by a sniper is Red Shirt .
- In Warehouse 13 in the episode "Implosion", the main characters Myka and Peter talk about how they feel exploited and helplessly thrown into dangerous situations by their boss Artie. Pete says that it bothers him to be just a red shirt for the boss. Myka replies that she doesn't like to just serve as cannon fodder, whereupon Peter is pleased that his bourgeois colleague understood the suggestion.
- In Family Guy season two episode 16 , Peter Griffin asks a valet boy to pick up his car. He is wearing a red vest and when he gets into the car, it explodes. The episode closes with the words ... and best of all, nobody important got hurt! and the tattered red vest sails to the ground.
- The ninth episode of the fourth season of The Mentalist , in which instead of a prominent ex- football player, his assistant and temporary double is killed by a bomb attack right at the beginning, is called The Redshirt .
- The book Redshirts by John Scalzi , published in 2012, refers to Redshirts and their early death in both title and content. The book is about a spaceship from which a conspicuously large number of lower-ranking crew members, Redshirts, perish during field operations.
- In the KiKa -Nachtschleife Nerds , Bernd receives the bread in a red Star Trek uniform, which he comments with the short phrase “oh no” before he is followed by a monster monkey.
- In the strategy game FTL: Faster Than Light you get the achievement “ No Redshirts Here ” when you reach the final sector , if you reach it without losing a crew (“ Get to sector 8 without losing a crewmember. ”).
- In the 9th episode of the 2nd season of Supergirl (Escape from the slave moon), Winn Schott stands at the Stargate and speaks courageously to "I'm not a red shirt ... I'm not a red shirt". He survives, can overwhelm an alien and everyone comes back safe and sound. So he wasn't a 'red shirt' but it gave him courage again.
Web links
- Redshirt in the Star Trek Wiki Memory Alpha
- Use of the concept in the role play area in the German role play wiki
- Red Shirt on the website of tvtropes.org (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 25, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from December 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ http://trekspace.ning.com/group/redshirthumor
- ↑ http://www.answers.com/topic/redshirt-1
- ↑ Entry at encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com
- ↑ Entry at lostpedia.wikia.com
- ↑ Robot Chicken - Star Trek Official Adult Swim Video on youtube.com (English)
- ↑ Achievements . In: FTL: Faster Than Light Wiki . ( wikia.com [accessed May 31, 2017]).
