History Main / ThrowAwayCountry

[[folder:Anime]]

* ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'', [[BigBad The leader of Homunculi]] enacts this twice. First during 400 years before events of the manga to the country of Xerxes, [[spoiler:as he does it to get himself a body and sentience.]] Second during the "Promised Day", he takes [[spoiler:lives of nearly 50 million residents of Amestris[[note]] The very nation was created for this very purpose[[/note]] to gain the body of God.]] Thankfully, the second time, [[spoiler: it doesn't stick.]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* One of the '' Series/StargateSG1'' crew travels to an AlternateUniverse where the Goa'uld are attacking Earth. One of the characters mentions they are systematically destroying population centers around the world, while showing a map with a lot of red on it to show this. The United States, despite being one of the most powerful nations on the planet (as well as the one in the possession of the Stargate), is virtually untouched compared to Europe and Asia. However, they were just working their way round from the longitude of Egypt, which is [[AncientAstronauts where they ruled the world from last time]].

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' can be pretty merciless about this. The all-time high would be ''Logopolis'', in which the Master accidentally destroys approximately one-fourth of the entire universe, including Traken, the home planet of the Doctor's companion Nyssa. Although there's not a ResetButton in sight, the death of [[AMillionIsAStatistic countless trillions upon trillions]] is never mentioned again. Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) admitted that it was a no-win situation to have a disaster like this on the show, since the alternative to just moving on was to deal with the moral implications of the characters' actions, which would have been too much to handle.
** In the Classic serial "The Dalek Invasion of Earth", a London-based resistance member casually mentions that the entire populations of Asia, Africa and South America has been completely wiped out by a plague induced by the Daleks.
** At the end of the revival's first series, a Dalek invasion bombs entire continents, with [[ShinyNewAustralia all of Australasia]] being cruelly deformed. This was in the year 200,100 AD and we never really saw anything happen, so it's rather lessened.
** The end of season three puts present-day Earth through a year-long reign of terror at the hands of the Master (again). It ''starts'' with a literal decimation of humanity and includes events like "the burning of Japan". This case is subject to the ResetButton.
** In the charity special "Time Crash", without the help of a StableTimeLoop the problem would have eventually blown a hole in the space time continuum the size of... Belgium? "That's a bit under-dramatic, isn't it? Belgium?"
*** The choice of Belgium here is almost certainly a reference to the works of the late Creator/DouglasAdams.
** In the Easter special "Planet of the Dead", [[spoiler:the titular planet's population of 100 billion was wiped out by the MonsterOfTheWeek.]]
** Belgium gets another mention in "Death in Heaven": When [[BigBad Missy]] orders her Cybermen to destroy the plane that the Doctor's on, she also [[AxCrazy randomly]] tells them to destroy Belgium, for no other reason than it appeared to just occur to her.
-->'''Missy''': Destroy this plane and, oh I don't know, Belgium! Kill some Belgians! Why not, they're not even French!

* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
** There is passing mention to a nuclear bomb wiping out San Diego (in the past). This was going to be an aversion, with a shadowy organization based out of its ruins, but it was [[AbortedArc dropped]] after the first episode and became irrelevant again. Season 4 had passing mention of planets destroyed/devastated by Vorlons and Shadows.
** Consciously averted with the Markab, who were wiped out as a species by a plague in Season Two. They were built up as a significant allied species for several episodes, so that their extinction would be more hard-hitting. The Markab homeworld shows up again in Season Three [[spoiler: when Sheridan destroys the jumpgate leading to the system, both to destroy a pursuing Shadow vessel and to prevent looters from pillaging the remains]].
* ''Series/{{Crusade}}'' included a character from one of the planets destroyed by the Shadows, who was introduced planning to assassinate Sheridan for failing to stop them despite knowing full well what they were up to. Eventually Sheridan gets her to understand the impossibility of the situation he was in, having to choose which of many threatened planets would be saved as there weren't anywhere near enough resources to save all of them. This putting a face to the destruction does a good deal to bring the loss home for the viewer.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' used multiple throw-away planets, including Data's home planet. In fact, given the rate at which outlying colonies and/or research outposts are destroyed as a means of setting up the plot, it's amazing TheFederation has any infrastructure at all.
* The titular {{Series/Lexx}} ate Holland. It was hungry, and the Dutch, according to Prince, are used to suffering anyway.
* In the episode "Juggernaut" from the original 1984 series ''Series/{{V|1983}}'', Diana has the [[WaveMotionGun Particle Beam Triax]] destroy [[UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfJupiter Io]] as a warmup exercise prior to taking station over Earth. Fortunately, before [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill it can destroy Los Angeles]] a Resistance member [[HeroicSacrifice crashes the captured mothership into it]].

* In Music/JacquesBrel 's song "Mon Père Disait" he sings how his father told him that London is just a piece of the town Bruges, Belgium that long ago floated away over sea and then got attached to England.

[[folder: Standup Comedy ]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* In ''WebComic/FunnyFarm'', the rogue AI (simply called "PC") conquers Denmark effortlessly and sets up a robotic country called Siliconopolis. The story suggested that all the humans were removed somehow without anybody seeming to care about them.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

See also RedShirt, PlutoIsExpendable.

** In the "Pinewood Derby" episode, Randy and the rest of the world ''nuke the entire country of Finland'' because its president was going to tattle to the intergalactic cops about the space cash they hoarded, [[spoiler:which, of course, turned out to be fake anyway -- Finland was wiped off the map for nothing]].

* Disturbingly large parts of the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' in the 4th edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' have been wiped out in the production of a DarkerAndEdgier product.
** The Time of Troubles event also involved this to a certain extent, as did the Tuigan Invasion. ''TabletopGame/GreyHawk'' (From the Ashes) and ''TabletopGame/DragonLance'' (War of the Lance, War of Souls) as well.
** The very first TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}} adventure, ''Feast of Goblyns'', introduced a ''populated'' domain called Dagland that, upon completion of the scenario, quite literally goes "poof" and disappears into mist.

* ''Film/TheCore.'' The worst destruction is reserved for Rome, which is obliterated by a scientifically improbable thunderstorm.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Earth 2150}}'' Earth is sent hurling into the sun after massive nuclear explosion of thousands of nukes knock it of its orbit, forcing the UCS, Eurasian Dynasty, and Lunar Corporation to build thier own spaceships to escape Earth.

* In ''Film/StarTrek'' ''[[spoiler: Vulcan]]'' is destroyed by the BigBad (which appears to be setting up future plotlines involving rebuilding its civilization elsewhere).

[[/folder]]

** To be fair, the only planets shown to be destroyed in the story itself are Vegeta, Namek, Earth and in the anime Arlia. Vegeta cant be restored, since it happened decades before and the Dragonballs cant resurrect someone who's been dead for more than a year, the heroes dont even know that Arlia was destroyed, and Namek and Earth are treated with relatively the same importance. Its implied that Frieza and his ilk has destroyed far more, but the heroes have no way of knowing which ones.

* The colony in ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', where everyone in it are devoured by the xenomorphs to setup the plot of the movie.

* The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' has a rafter of them. In the early days of the series, Creator/TerryPratchett created a lot of "joke countries" as throwaway one-liners when things were more fluid and the Discworld had not evolved into the more clearly mapped and realised verison that later evolved. Khan-Li, Loko and others are referenced as disaster areas where catastrophes happened. As the world grew and the relationships between them became clearer, with Earth nations and ethnicities being mapped onto their Disc {{Expy}}s, this original list of one-shot countries from when it was ''just'' a generic and hazy fantasy world started to pose continuity problems. Later works like the ''Complete Discworld Atlas'' attempt to address these issues and provide further back-story, even when it has to be RetConned.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' San Fransisco is gets hit with a Smug storm and disappears completely up its own anus. Of course, this is less neglect and more [[AuthorTract writer wish-fulfillment]].
** In the "Pinewood Derby" episode, Randy and the rest of the world ''nuke the entire country of Finland'' because its president was going to tattle to the intergalactic cops about the space cash they hoarded, [[spoiler:which, of course, turned out to be fake anyway - Finland was wiped off the map for nothing]].

** In keeping with its status as a SoftReboot of the franchise, ""Film/StarWars: Film/TheForceAwakens'' features Starkiller Base blowing up the capital of the New Republic at Hosnian Prime and four other planets in the Hosnian system. None are given any characterization whatsoever before they're fried, and afterward their destruction has little impact on anything.

* Franchise/TheDCU has in the past 20 years destroyed [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Coast City]] (''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman / Emerald Twilight''), Montevideo (''ComicBook/DCOneMillion''), Vladivostok (Terror Incognita arc, ''{{JLA}}''), and Bludhaven (''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''). ''Permanently'' destroyed, with nuclear fire.

** Another Turtledove short story about aliens conquering chunks of Earth, ''Vilcabamba'', mentions that Spain was left uninhabitable by the aggresive mining techniques employed by the invading Krolp. Though the trope is played straight, the choice is not as random as in other examples, given that the story is [[RecycledInSpace a loose retelling]] of the [[{{irony}} Spanish conquest of the Incas]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' Vilgax test out a superweapon on Tetrax's homeworld, right after Tetrax gave him the crystal for his weapon to work.

* In ''Universal Century Franchise/{{Gundam}}'', Australia is the victim of a ColonyDrop bad enough to leave a crater visible from space. So much for Sydney.
** [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory 4 years later]], a big portion of the american midwest gets colony dropped by Zeon remnants to cripple the Federation's grain production.
** Then Ireland got smashed when [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Neo Zeon]] dropped another colony on it, and the Earth Federation consider the loss, as lesser mouths to feed.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'', the Euro Universe was brushed aside with no named characters (Save people born in the native countries of the Euro Universe alliance) as China, Britannia and the Black Knights duked it out. China is eventually dissolved into a multitude of smaller nations. Some of which join the U.F.N. And some of which are quickly conquered by Britannia.

* ''Anime/FullMetalAlchemist'', [[BigBad The leader of Homunculi]] enacts this twice. First during 400 years before events of the manga to the country of Xerxes, [[spoiler:as he does it to get himself a body and sentience.]] Second during the "Promised Day", he takes [[spoiler:lives of nearly 50 million residents of Amestris[[note]] The very nation was created for this very purpose[[/note]] to gain the body of God.]] Thankfully, the second time, [[spoiler: it doesn't stick.]]

* Comic books often have Throw Away ''planets''. For example, the Tamaraneans, an alien race of which Starfire from ''Comicbook/TeenTitans'' is a member, have their planet destroyed; the survivors move to a new planet, which is destroyed by an unrelated disaster; the survivors from ''that'' move onto ''yet another'' new planet, which is ''also'' destroyed in another totally unrelated disaster.

* A recurring theme in the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series: the Covenant glasses human colony worlds, which seems to provide the motivation for a lot of human protagonists to fight. Frequently mentioned in-game ("Covenant bastards! It's just like Reach all over again!" - Buck, ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST''), but glassings were only directly shown in the ExpandedUniverse and not actually seen in the games themselves until ''VideoGame/HaloReach''. That said, ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'' does partly take place on a glassed world that is trying to get back on its feet.
* In the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' ''Tiberium'' series, most of the world is ravaged by the spread of Tiberium, to a point where 30% of the planet's surface is rendered uninhabitable, and another 50% is difficult to survive in. Though [[Main/AllThereInTheManual background material]] and some dialogue mentions the difficulties and destruction Tiberium has inflicted on these regions, not a whole lot of time is spent on the life in these areas.

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'': Several Terran worlds are literally sterilized by the Protoss to prevent the Zerg from spreading further. A futile effort. (Mar Sara was an exception to the trope, as you started there and and needed to escape it before it was sterilized. )

* In ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'', Paris is destroyed by a chunk of asteroid, just to serve as a reminder that these things hurt. Hong Kong suffers a similar fate later in the movie, so the heroes have further reason to angst about the danger.

* ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeResolute'' begins with Cobra blowing up Moscow to demonstrate their KillSat. WarrenEllis [[ExecutiveMeddling originally planned]] for it to be Beijing, and summarized what happened thusly:

* Ultron kills the entire population of a fictitious Eastern European nation "Slorenia" in just a few hours in the Main/MarvelUniverse. Then proceeds to align their corpses to resemble his face. Who says 10 foot omnicidal killer robots have no style?

* Franchise/TheDCU has in the past ten years destroyed [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Coast City]] (''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman / Emerald Twilight''), Montevideo (''ComicBook/DCOneMillion''), Vladivostok (Terror Incognita arc, ''{{JLA}}''), and Bludhaven (''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''). ''Permanently'' destroyed, with nuclear fire.
* And back on the Marvel end of things, Dark Phoenix consumed the star D'Bari and doomed the inhabitants of that entire star system to death by way of illustrating the epic scale of the threat she posed.

* Mythical locales in the Franchise/{{Marvel|Universe}} and [[Franchise/TheDCU DC Universes]] have been particularly unsafe regions lately, with Themyscira (DC), Asgard (Marvel), Olympus (both), and Atlantis (both) either being destroyed or depopulated in the last few years, usually in conjunction with a CrisisCrossover. More then once for a few of those places. Quite honestly, Wonder Woman shouldn't have any sisters left.

* In the episode "Juggernaut" from the original 1984 series ''Series/{{V}}'', Diana has the [[WaveMotionGun Particle Beam Triax]] destroy [[UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfJupiter Io]] as a warmup exercise prior to taking station over Earth. Fortunately, before [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill it can destroy Los Angeles]] a Resistance member [[HeroicSacrifice crashes the captured mothership into it]].