History Main / RedShirt

** Occurs in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed'', in which Athurn's buddy Rusty (who never shows his face or has any dialog) is killed. He's wearing red, which ironically is supposed to be the uniform of ZAFT's elite. Nicol and Heine (In Gundam SEED Destiny) get the same treatment. On the Alliance side, the GAT-01 Strike Dagger serves much the same purpose as the RGM-79 [=GM=] in the original (and also closely resembles the older mobile suit).

* Averted in the ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' book ''Literature/StarshipTraveller''. Your security personnel are much more competent in both phaser and close combat; this is reflected by having all non-security characters take a -3 Skill penalty in combat -- presumably showing that a character's Skill stat is for their particular job, not their ability in general [[note]] Backed up by the explanation for why your character, the ship's captain, is the exception to this rule: "[[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Your combat skills are the equal of your professional skills]], as befits a true hero." [[/note]]. But then played almost straight in the fact that it is indicated that there are a great number of faceless nameless redshirts available in your crew for horrible things to happen to (if you play well -- in a way that won't get your identified personnel killed) and that you and your crew repeatedly, if such things happen, suffer a critical giving-a-shit failure.

* In the ''[[WebVideo/HomestarRunner Cheat Commandoes]]'' universe, the Green Helmets are the expendable footsoldiers. In toy form, they're sold in three-packs and not given names. Gunhaver even turns off the video feed of them asking for help because it's Thanksgiving break, saying [[WeHaveReserves "We got like fifty of 'em!"]]

* Website/SCPFoundation:
** All D-class personnel of the Website/SCPFoundation are this. Class D is the designation given to those who handle the more dangerous SCP items, and they tend to be brutally killed en masse. And if they survive to the end of the month, they're supposedly executed anyway[[note]] Though since this is unusually wasteful for the Foundation, it's possible researchers are just told this so that they treat them as expendable[[/note]]. Some of the potential guilt over sacrificing so many people is mitigated by the fact that D-class personnel are either death-row convicts (meaning they are marked for death anyway and probably deserve it) or personnel who screwed up so badly that they got demoted to Class D (meaning a massive breach of ethics and/or causing a containment breach). Needless to say, it gets lampshaded ''a lot''. One of the things that Dr. Bright is no longer allowed to do at the Foundation is swap out D-Class uniforms with red leotards.

** The original ''Star Trek'' red shirts (and the main character's PlotArmor) was briefly parodied in SCP-674, a Nintendo Entertainment System Zapper that can shoot fictional characters on screen. It's all but stated that the tester tried shooting at the bridge crew of the Original Series, but only was able to hit the Red Shirts.

** The original Star Trek red shirts (and the main character's PlotArmor) was briefly parodied in SCP-674, a Nintendo Entertainment System Zapper that can shoot fictional characters on screen. It's all but stated that tester tried shooting at the bridge crew of the Original Series, but only was able to hit the Red Shirts.

** The original Star Trek red shirts (and the main character's PlotArmor) was briefly parodied in SCP 674, an Nintendo Entertainment System Zapper that can shoot fictional characters on screen. It's all but stated that tester tried shooting at the bridge crew of the Original Series, but only was able to hit the Red Shirts.

** [[ThoseTwoGuys Biggs and Wedge]] are a rare ''recurring'' example, thanks to having multiple instances throughout the series. Which tend to not survive showing up onscreen, most notably in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears'' (died protecting Ceodore), ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' (died trying to capture an Esper), and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' (died when Shinra dropped the Midgar plate,

'''Ensign Ricky:''' Aw, crap.

** All D-class personnel of the Wiki/SCPFoundation are this. Class D is the designation given to those who handle the more dangerous SCP items, and they tend to be brutally killed en masse. And if they survive to the end of the month, they're supposedly executed anyway[[note]] Though since this is unusually wasteful for the Foundation, it's possible researchers are just told this so that they treat them as expendable[[/note]]. Some of the potential guilt over sacrificing so many people is mitigated by the fact that D-class personnel are either death-row convicts (meaning they are marked for death anyway and probably deserve it) or personnel who screwed up so badly that they got demoted to Class D (meaning a massive breach of ethics and/or causing a containment breach). Needless to say, it gets lampshaded ''a lot''. One of the things that Dr. Bright is no longer allowed to do at the Foundation is swap out D-Class uniforms with red leotards.

* Wiki/SCPFoundation:

* Averted in the ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' book ''Starship Traveller''. Your security personnel are much more competent in both phaser and close combat; this is reflected by having all non-security characters take a -3 Skill penalty in combat -- presumably showing that a character's Skill stat is for their particular job, not their ability in general [[note]] Backed up by the explanation for why your character, the ship's captain, is the exception to this rule: "[[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Your combat skills are the equal of your professional skills]], as befits a true hero." [[/note]]. But then played almost straight in the fact that it is indicated that there are a great number of faceless nameless redshirts available in your crew for horrible things to happen to (if you play well -- in a way that won't get your identified personnel killed) and that you and your crew repeatedly, if such things happen, suffer a critical giving-a-shit failure.

* ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' (made by ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' creators Creator/{{Bungie}}) introduced the first AI controlled allies in video games, which were defense drones with machine pistols. It also introduced people who ran around in random directions screaming "They're everywhere!" during an alien attack. Guess which one you'll be seeing more of. There are even some of these people, known as [=BoBs=], dressed in red, and they are the [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience weakest color aside from yellow]]. In the sequel, however, all [=BoBs=] carry handguns, and the red ones are [[MauveShirt security guards, and are stronger than the other [=BoBs=]]].

* The Japanese Burai [[HumongousMecha Knightmare Frames]] through much of season one of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' being expendable in combat, many scenes depict them either getting skewered by Cornelia's pike or completely annihilated by [[Characters/CodeGeass Lancelot]]. Interestingly, one of the Britannian Redshirts ([[GreyAndGrayMorality or should that be]] {{Mooks}}?) served as a PlotPoint. One of them happened to be [[spoiler:Shirley's father]], who was killed by [[spoiler:Lelouch, Shirley's crush, in a landslide]] in the battle of Narita. [[spoiler:It starts Shirley's [[BreakTheCutie cutie-breaking]] which progresses throughout the series.]]

* Wrestling/{{Armageddon|Wrestling}} 2000, Hell in a Cell. Wrestling/TheUndertaker vs. [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] vs. Wrestling/KurtAngle vs. Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin vs. Wrestling/TripleH vs… Wrestling/{{Rikishi}}. Guess who gets chucked off the cell into a flatbed truck?

* Most of the guards in [[Machinima/CopsSkyrim COPS:Skyrim]]. Especially when facing things like dragons, trolls, or giants.

* Beth Emhoff in ''Film/{{Contagion}}'' is both this and a dead LivingMacGuffin at the same time, being killed off within the first few minutes. Her recent interactions are then investigated throughout the rest of the film, and then the cause is revealed to be [[spoiler:an infected pig being touched by a chef who then held her hand for a photograph]].

In mass quantities, they make up the RedShirtArmy. Frequently overlaps with MenAreTheExpendableGender and BlackDudeDiesFirst.

** ''Film/RogueOne'' is basically told [[PerspectiveFlip from the perspective of]] the Red Shirts who, in any other movie, would've been dead in the first ten minutes, if they appeared at all. Perhaps fittingly, [[spoiler:it ends with [[KillEmAll the whole team dying]]. It's driven home that the protagonists were, ultimately, nothing more than glorified couriers whose narrative purpose was providing the MacGuffin for [[Film/ANewHope more important characters]].]] All of this is [[{{Deconstruction}} very much]] PlayedForDrama.

* Before the {{Wrestling/Ministry Of Darkness}}’ abduction of {{Wrestling/Stephanie McMahon}}, her father Vince stationed a bunch of security guards outside the room where Stephanie and Shane were staying and left to face the Ministry (who had taken {{Wrestling/Sable}} hostage). When Vince returns, he finds the corpses of two security guards and an empty room. Turns out Shane had left the room when Vince specifically told him not to.

** In a Comicbook/{{Taskmaster}} mini-series, the main villain is a former mook turned leader who actually calls himself Red Shirt. He's the only one that doesn't get the joke. He also doesn't get why it's funny that he calls his organization the [[FunWithAcronyms Minions International Liberation Front]].

** According to Wiki/TFWikiDotNet, across all Transformers media, this happens with characters that don't have toys in the toyline, in order to [[MerchandiseDriven keep selling toys of the characters that have]]. Though the [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel Marvel series]] did subvert this once with the Seacons, the most recent [[CombiningMecha combiner team]], getting introduced and killed off in a span of four issues, even though they were still on the toy shelves.

* ''{{ComicBook/Empowered}}'', being a superhero comic (albeit a parody) also has {{Mooks}}, but one supervillain [=ThugBoy=] worked for really took the cake when he made his Witless Minions wear shirts with an emblem looking like a bullseye. Wow. Now that is...
* Mr. Immortal from ''ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers'' got a red shirt for his X-Mas present since [[GoodThingYouCanHeal he's a redshirt army all by himself]].

* Averted in the IDW comic continuation from ''Film/StarTrek2009'', where the Enterprise crew has almost no casualties ever, up until ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness''.

Has nothing to do with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshirts_%28Italy%29 guerrilla army]] of Italian nationalist leader Giuseppe Garibaldi, or with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshirt_(college_sports) US college athletes]] who take a year-long sabbatical from active play.