Mooks

[Asmodeus]

*dances behind the forcefield*



I remember the episode of Babylon 5 with the two mechanics. Blew my mind.

 

[Torsty]

You called?

 

[Asuras]

Few people actually realize that mooks are a species of highly variable lifeforms, Mookus Pabulum, created by a multi-dimensional corporation that works to supply anyone with the faceless, subservient forces they desire. None of them are actually people, so no worries there!

For only $50.00 a month you too can get your very own steady stream of mooks delivered right to your doorstep!

MookCorp does not claim any responsibility for the mutiny of supplied mooks, or any defects present in mooks discovered post-delivery. MookCorp LackeyCare© is available for varying mook force sizes at different prices. Contact the MookCorp office for questions concerning getting healthcare for your mooks.

 

[Artorias]

 

[Jorick]

1. Yup, mooks will always be mistreated. It's far easier to throw a horde of generic baddies at the hero than to make interesting lesser enemies for the hero to deal with. There will always be a market for quantity over quality, as far as fighting and general violence in media goes, so the useless mooks will always be around and utterly destroyed just to give the protagonist something to do until he can deal with the antagonist.

2. Depends on what I'm looking for in a piece of media. If it's something I expect to be mindless fun, I'll usually shrug off the mooks and roll with it, because it's just entertainment with no thinking required. If I'm looking for something more, I often notice the use of mooks and think about things like what their normal life might be like and how many people could be totally devastated by them getting killed off wholesale by the protagonist. I can sort of tune out the critical analysis part of my mind for the sake of stupid amusement, so for action films and the like I'm probably just soaking in the entertaining violence rather than giving an iota of a shit about the guys getting slaughtered.

3. Nope, can't think of any off the top of my head.

4. I wasn't until I read this question. Your mother is a mook. Take that, you self-satisfied little shit.

 

[Space Cowboy]

This was the best action movie in ever.

STFU.

 

[Asmodeus]

*turns slowly, eyes widening in horror*

O_O

It was YOU who recommended that fucking piece of shit to me!




*goes on a rampage, killing 80 of Seiji's black-suited relatives*

 

[Cpt Toellner]

3: My first thought was this Stormtrooper scene from Star Wars: Rebels (from the Episode 'Empire Day', I couldn't find the rest of the scene on Youtube), which is from a franchise that's generally pretty mixed with dealing with them, having both entire stories and arcs focused on them or just regulating them to typical incompetent mook status. Even Rebels is guilty of that outside of that scene, and plenty die even if it's mostly implied due to being on Disney XD.

Being a huge fan of Star Wars, and managing to struggle through quite a few episodes of Clone Wars, I have a feeling that guy (if not dead) will simply get the "Star-Wars Treatment". Watch them bring back the same dude, have him walk around without his helmet, give him a name, and make him unkillable for a while. Most shows, and Star Wars especially, can't stand to have a nameless badass, they might even take someone who is just a strong fighter and add a "lol force sensitive."

Remember kids, only super-heroes can be cool, no filthy normals here.

I saw an interesting theory about the movies and Stormtroopers;

Every time we see Storm Troopers fighting off Rebels or doing anything else, they wipe the floor with whoever the're up against.

The first time we see them as bumbling "miss everything" guys is on the Death Star. The theory states that they were under orders to miss and only make it appear that they were really after Luke & company, this way they could lead them to the Rebel base.

Then we see them on Hoth, just wrecking shit against Rebels. Only on Bespin, again they are missing everything. Why? They were again under orders to keep everyone alive. Vader needed Luke to be alive to convince him to join, and having his friends killed would be a quick way to convince Luke not to sign up.

And I'm just gonna pretend that Ewoks don't exist.

 

[Razilin]

*dances behind the forcefield*



I remember the episode of Babylon 5 with the two mechanics. Blew my mind.

that was a fun episode

but by the end, they were more Elite Mooks

same genus, different species

 

[SlamifiedBuddafied]

They need a scene like that in the next Bond movie.

Read something about this, still have it on my bookmarks. James Bond bodycount. It's an amusing article but fairly accurate, having seen every Bond film save for the original Casino Royale and it's 60's remake.

 

[Protagonist]

If I were doing this trope, I'd try to reconstruct it somewhat by pointing out that it's tragic that they're being slaughtered, but also points out
A) that they aren't really giving the hero much of a choice in the matter, and B) Lots of redshirts on the hero's side are being killed by them as well. Ultimately, the person to blame for their deaths would be the main villain rather than them.

 

[SlamifiedBuddafied]

1. Yup, mooks will always be mistreated. It's far easier to throw a horde of generic baddies at the hero than to make interesting lesser enemies for the hero to deal with. There will always be a market for quantity over quality, as far as fighting and general violence in media goes, so the useless mooks will always be around and utterly destroyed just to give the protagonist something to do until he can deal with the antagonist.

This made me think of Ninja Scroll for some reason. I know, totally unrelated to John Wick but when it comes to mooks, those baddies are the highest quality mooks you can get on the market. (movie and series btw)

Now that I think about it, how many mooks did Clive Owen kill in "Shoot 'em Up"?

That shit had me rolling.

 

[unanun]

Don't you think the mooks are there for contrast? Not every story has to be completely realistic or ask for your belief. Sometimes it's okay to suspend disbelief, perhaps John Wick is a surreal depiction of something and uses this as way to clearly outline one versus many.

 

[Razilin]

question!

if we personify and humanize mooks, can they still be called mooks?????

mind

blown it is

 

[SlamifiedBuddafied]

question!

if we personify and humanize mooks, can they still be called mooks?????

mind

blown it is

Shit.
They're gaining control. Just like the infamous Agent Smith mook.

Too many mooks. Kind of like "Too Many Cooks." Wait, could the Cooks me considered mooks and the madman the protagonist?

 

[Asmodeus]

I guess at a mythic level, yes, the concept of the ONE versus the MANY is part of the heroic archetype. Not only the eros-thanatos desire to outlive your competitors, but the triumph of a healed ego over multiple psychoses.


*shakes the Vulcan Koala bear as it latches to his leg* >:[

 

[unanun]

Perhaps you can argue that their identical manner of dress is such that they actually present one gigantic boss. Holistic and gestalt.

 

[Brovo]

Maybe it's just a "more stuff = better" fallacy. Look at the new trilogy of Star Wars, there's plenty of development commentary on it, and one thing most of them (especially George Lucas) seem obsessed with is the idea of throwing more shit on the screen. More clone troopers, more lasers, more jedis, more lightsabers, more clone troopers, more droids, more clone troopers, more ships--every scene becomes a cavalcade of mediocrity, but that's okay, because the "moar" quota was fulfilled. Even the digital remastering released onto Blu-Ray, George Lucas CGI'd more shit into every scene--more creatures at Mos Eisley, more ships in outer space, more lasers (sometimes appearing from out of nowhere), et cetera.

"My hero killed 40 mooks!"
"Oh yeah? Well mine killed 53!"
"MINE KILLED 75 AND LOOKED COOL DOING IT! Like, ohhh my god, sooooo cool!"

I mean, it's a lot easier to show your hero being a billy badass when he single handedly guns down an entire room of dudes effortlessly, rather than actually slapping some character development and clever tactics on that guy. Just some food for thought.

 

[Asmodeus]

Well, that's more of a world-building thing. Lucas was imagining a richer universe or some shit. *doesn't pretend to understand one fuck-width of a thing Lucas does*

Although I do agree that the switch from Stormtroopers in the Original Trilogy to Droids in the Prequels was part of this "Mook Racism" . It's like they wanted Mooks who were even LESS human and LESS tactical, without any troublesome emotions or body fluids to get in the way of our sadistic delight. Compounding the stupidity and dispensability of the Mooks to their basest form - that of flimsy toys with strings.

But the BEST action scenes were still the ones in which the Mooks were clever and halfway competent. The speeder chase, where some of them actually RUN THE FUCK AWAY. The fight over the Sarlac pit. The invasion of Hoth. All of these were much more memorable and thrilling encounters, because we were a little more unsure of the outcome.


I wonder if Humanity would have less shooting sprees, terrorist attacks, and high speed chases if we didn't propagate the idea that ONE person can physically overcome the MANY. Sure, it works great as a symbol, but aren't the lines getting blurred from the saturation? Aren't we feeding delusions?


*dangles the Debate Tag over the thread then snatches it away*

 

[Alphakoka]

I wonder if Humanity would have less shooting sprees, terrorist attacks, and high speed chases if we didn't propagate the idea that ONE person can physically overcome the MANY.

No, we would have the same amount of shooting sprees, attacks and chases, it would just be people wouldn't automatically blame 'media violence,' instead, they'll just blame the next closest thing, like religion, 'mental sickness,' etc.

Sure, it works great as a symbol, but aren't the lines getting blurred from the saturation? Aren't we feeding delusions?

If it's blurred, then you're delusional already and it wouldn't matter whether you saw 'mook racism' or not, you'd find a way to justify/fuel similar thing. Maybe you'd say you're hearing God's words and start stabbing people to relief them of their sinful ways, maybe you'd think cows has the same rights as humans and yell (perhaps violently) at everyone and everything that serves them.