New Era Speech

"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause."

— Senator Padme Amidala, Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith

The Visionary Villain and/or Villain with Good Publicity has their plan nearing completion, and is ready to take the helm and put their evil scheme in motion. Soon the world will be theirs! One thing left to do: Meet the press, and give them a speech.

Apparently your PR team want a bit of honesty in your affairs, or maybe it would just be more fun to not lie to your soon-to-be underlings. Either way, the trick is the New Era Speech: empty platitudes evoking "incredible changes", "putting things in motion", "a historic moment", "a future you could never imagine". The right words, the right environment and an upbeat inspiring tone, and you can make The End of the World as We Know It sound like the Dawn of an Era the populace will love you for. Remember that you want to win the people over to your side, so it's best not to spend too many words on transparent threats of violence against anybody with the insolence to oppose your glorious new regime.

As an added bonus, you can sneer at opposition as "old-fashioned" while you pander to the Black Shirts who have eagerly awaited your rise to power and completion of your "vision".

Someone who knows or can figure out your plan may be able to read between the lines of this, but in context, it can still sound inspiring. It's possible for someone to give one of these speeches accidentally before things Go Horribly Wrong.

If the villain believes in the ideals they propound, then they probably also believe that Utopia Justifies the Means. Other villains are far too selfishly cynical to qualify for that trope, however, and still other villains are "idealistic" after a fashion, but their vision has little in common with the positive values implicit in this kind of speech.

This trope may overlap with Motive Rant if the New Era Speech also serves to show why the villain committed bad acts.

Compare Sarcastic Confession, Just Between You and Me, Engineered Public Confession, Storyboarding the Apocalypse, and of course False Reassurance. Contrast Bastardly Speech. Do not confuse this with a genuine Dawn of an Era speech by the good guys: for that, see Rousing Speech. No relation to Future Slang.

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Examples:

Anime and Manga

• Done in Dragon Ball when King Piccolo takes over the position as King of the World and declares that all laws are abolished and all jails will be shut down.
• Azami Nakiri in Food Wars! gives one of these when he's named the new Principal of Tootsuki (after he gets his father-in-law ousted from the position). He announces his intent to dissolve every club, society and organization in the academy, and create a single organization named Central that will control everything with the Council of Ten dictating what will be taught. Naturally this causes an outrage among the student body, but he quickly calms them down appealing to the fact that the current meritocratic system is unfair to those who are unable to fulfill the academy's high standards, managing to win over a lot of students on the promise that the skills, recipes and ideas of the members of the council will be available for them.
• One in Fullmetal Alchemist. Immediately prior to The Reveal of Pride's identity, he recites a speech (technically an essay he wrote for his tutor) that is filled with irony in light of the revelation.
• In the OVA Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still, the first flashback to "The Tragedy of Bashtarlle" has a speech by Dr. Franken Von Fogler that establishes the Mad Scientist reputation he enjoys during the story. But all is not as it seems...
  Dr. Fogler: In ancient times, Man rubbed sticks together to create fire. Then he slaughtered the whale and battled one another for oil. After that came the atomic age. In every chapter of our history, we danced with danger. But now it will be different. For the first time in our existence, we will be delivered from fear! Finally, we will escape the prison of our delusions, and the Beautiful Night will embrace us all!
• Mobile Suit Gundam gives us Gihren Zabi's infamous "Sieg Zeon!" speech.
  Gihren Zabi: Many of your fathers and brothers have perished valiantly in the face of a contemptible enemy. We must never forget what the Federation has done to our people! These brave men have shown us these virtues through their own valiant sacrifice. By focusing our anger and sorrow, we are finally in a position where victory is within our grasp, and once again, our most cherished nation will flourish. Victory is the greatest tribute we can pay those who sacrifice their lives for us! Rise, our people, rise! Take your sorrow, and turn it into anger! Zeon thirsts for the strength of its people! SIEG ZEON!
• Naruto:
  • Akatsuki leader Pain pulled this on many of his recruits into his group. He promised them wealth, power, and control of the world while he was actually planning a massive Depopulation Bomb.
  • This was how Tobi gained Kisame's loyalty. Kisame hated the lies and betrayals of the shinobi world, wanting only to see a day when everything, even death, was honest.
    • When he later gave a similar speech to the Kages in an attempt to make the final steps of his plan go smoother, they rejected him flat-out; and Naruto called him on bullshitting the entire thing. Tobi chuckled and agreed.
• In One Piece:
  • Donquixote Doflamingo shouts out during the Marineford War:
    Doflamingo: The time is almost here. Go and lay the groundwork. A world where only true pirates can survive will soon be upon us. Those without power, flee while you can. The tide will bring those of unmatched power and the New Era will begin!
  • Ironically enough, Doflamingo himself gets one directed at him from Trafalgar Law:
    Trafalgar Law: It's been two years since the war...who do you think is pulling the strings now? You guys have simply been maintaining the peace. All Whitebeard did was put an end to his era. The Marines have been stockpiling their forces! They haven't gone up against any big names...almost as if in preparation for something...that war was nothing more than a prelude. Always rambling on and on about just how unstoppable you were...well I'm here to tell you the big fish of the new era have assembled!! And we plan on destroying the gears you've so successfully concocted...so that no one will be able to turn them back!!!
  • Blackbeard gives one after he steals Whitebeard's powers.
    Blackbeard: I have a message for the whole world! All you pathetic commoners out there who cling to peace! You too Marines! And the World Government! And of course...pirates of the world! The future of this world has just been decided...Zehahahaha..! That's right...from now on...this is my age!

Comic Books

• Lucifer Morningstar from The Sandman (1989) delivers one of these when he gets the news that Dream will attempt to free Nada, the woman he left in Hell. What does Lucifer do that's so shocking? He quits.
  "Some say one day in hell is much like all the rest. That in this place of flux eternal, nothing changes. But this day in hell, this day you shall all remember forever. And so shall he."
• Ultimate Marvel:
  • Ultimate X-Men (2001): Magneto demolishes Washington D.C. and has the U.S. President naked and helpless at his feet. He gives a speech about the end of the supremacy of the human race and the beginning of mutant supremacy, and intends to execute the president. The X-Men show up in time to prevent it.
  • All-New Ultimates: Scourge gives one on the Internet after being detained to justify his vigilante activities.
• Watchmen: Though not a speech per se, Ozymandias' comic book body-building ads read "I will give you bodies beyond your wildest imaginings!" One such comic is fluttering down over the pile of corpses as Doctor Manhattan arrives.

Fan Works

• Child of the Storm: Lucius Malfoy gives one of these the assembled forces of HYDRA at the end of Chapter 69, just before enacting the Evil Plan that brings about the story's Darkest Hour.
• Code Prime: Megatron gives one to the entire planet in Chapter 35 of R1 after destroying Pendragon and conquering Britannia, informing the human race that he's come to free them from the chaos of freedom, and that everyone now has the choice to either Join or Die.
• Eugenesis: After the Quintessons take Cybertron, their leader Xenon gives one to the whole planet. It's mixed with a "The Reason You Suck" Speech aimed at any surviving Autobots and Decepticons.
• For the Glory of Irk: Xia gives one to the Irken Empire's general public in Chapter 50 when officially declaring war on the Syndicate.
• Godzilla: New Era: Commander Aso of G-Force gives a rare heroic example after the demise of the second Godzilla. It's an obvious PR move to try and give the scared humanity assurance that the plague of kaiju that had been afflicting the world since 1984 is finally over, and that mankind's dominion was assured. And then a third Godzilla arises...
• Halloween Unspectacular: At the end of the seventh edition, President Fulton gives a speech on behalf of PURITY, all about how the American government will no longer tolerate the existence of non-humans or people with superpowers.
  President Fulton: My fellow Americans. Today is a day of tragedy. But it is also a day of reawakening. Our country is sick and has been for some time. This administration has been working to fix the ills of our predecessor. Today, we make our first big steps towards a cure. The first step is to re-evaluate our allies and our enemies. For too long, we have relied on vigilantism to protect our people. We have allowed these 'superheroes' to walk all over us. No more. Today, our tireless men and women in the armed forces have started to take our nation back. The world will be ours again. We will work with our friends in Europe, in Russia, in China. We will restore order and peace, whatever the cost may be. Victory is coming, my fellow Americans. For you. For me. For all real Americans, and all real humans. We will have peace. We will have dominion. We will have purity.
• Twilight Sparkle who has been possessed by a demon delivers one of these to Ponyville in the fourth chapter of The Immortal Game, denouncing Princess Celestia and hailing the new rulership of Celestia's father, Titan. Then she orders one third of Ponyville's population to be crucified as a warning against even contemplating resisting Titan.
• Limitless Potential: In Chapter 27, Sigma hijacks the communications network and starts to broadcast a speech through every monitor, screen, and audiovisual device on Abel City, stating that humans are no longer worthy of ruling the planet, and the age of reploids has begun.
• Loved and Lost:
  • After helping Twilight Sparkle stop the Changeling invasion, Prince Jewelius delivers one to the still-shaken citizens of Canterlot, publically calling out the heroes (sans Twilight) for their canon mistakes and vowing to make things right. Thanks to the invasion being fresh in everyone's mind and the heroes' failed escape attempt making them look as guilty as they're accused of being, Jewelius succeeds in obtaining the throne and turning the public (and later Twilight) against the heroes.
  • He gives another one in the 12th chapter in response to Fluttershy asking Canterlot's citizens who will raise the sun if they go through with executing Celestia, claiming that his reign will make Equestria strong enough to take care of itself without the alicorns or the Elements of Harmony. The speech successfully renews the citizens' resolve to have Celestia hanged, and it requires a heartwrenching apology speech from Celestia (who has out of guilt decided to let herself be hanged) before the citizens (as well as Twilight) make a 180.
• The New Adventures of Invader Zim: Season 1 closes with Zim broadcasting one of these to the Irken Empire in his alias as the masked figure "Miz", in the hopes of inciting rebellion against the Tallest.
• In Thousand Shinji, Shinji delivers one after his and his family ascension to godhood:
  Shinji: My friends, today is the dawning of a new age. Today there are no more nations, there is only humanity. Before, we had no gods to unify us, but now we have created the deities so long absent. Now we have become the gods that humanity sought to unify it. And you shall become the leaders.

Film — Animated

• John Cleese gives a great one in An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.
  Cat R. Waul: I'd like to share a vision. A vision of a better world. A world where cats and mice live and work side by side! A world where mousettes can raise their little mouslings without fear. A world where Musicians receive their proper due! A world where young mousettes fulfill their every dream! Will you help me build this world?
• General Mandible in Antz gives a speech about "a new colony, a stronger colony, a colony reborn"... just before he leaves all the worker ants to drown.
• In Help! I'm a Fish, Joe gives the newly-intelligent fishy masses one of these... with a chorus and a backbeat. He kills two villainous tropes with one stone!
• Disney's The Lion King (1994): Multiple:
  • After Mufasa's (ahem) unfortunate death, Scar stands before Pride Rock, proclaiming: "A new era, in which lion and hyena come together in a great and glorious future!"
  • His entire Villain Song, "Be Prepared", is about the new era he wants to bring about. In a deleted scene, there's a reprise of the song instead of his normal speech at Pride Rock, which was also a New Era Speech.

Film — Live-Action

• The Dark Knight Rises features two from Bane, first as he explains how he will hold Gotham hostage and then as he extolls the virtue of freeing a prison full of mob enforcers. The entire time, he claims he will return Gotham to its people and that they should rejoice in their freedom.
  Bane: We take Gotham from the CORRUPT, the RICH, the oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity. And we give it back to you...the people. Gotham is yours - none shall interfere. Do as you please. But start by storming Blackgate [Prison] and freeing the OPPRESSED! Step forward, those who would serve... For an army will be raised. The powerful will be ripped from their decadent nests and cast out into the cold world that we know and endure. Courts will be convened. Spoils will be enjoyed! Blood will be shed! The police will survive as they learn to serve TRUE justice! THIS GREAT CITY... It will endure. Gotham will survive.
• Heavyweights is about a fitness guru named Tony Perkis who takes over a Fat Camp. His master plan is to use the camp to film a weight-loss infomercial and take the campers along for the ride. The announcement of this plan and the over-the-top delivery of said announcement alarm the entire camp, including veteran campers.
  Tony: Pounds are gonna fly, and fat is *makes a slapping motion* OUTTA HERE, MISTER, AND WE ARE GONNA DO IT...TOGETHER!
  Josh: Oh, my God.
• Several James Bond villains have done it.
  • Gustav Graves in Die Another Day: "You have no idea how much Icarus is going to change your world!" The composer does, though — cue Ominous Chanting...
  • Hugo Drax in Moonraker.
    "First there was a dream. Now there is reality. Here in the untainted cradle of the heavens will be created a new super-race, a race of perfect physical specimens. You have been selected as its progenitors - like gods. Your offspring will return to Earth and shape it in their image. You have all served in humble capacities in my terrestrial empire. Your seed, like yourselves, will pay deference to the ultimate dynasty which I alone have created. From their first day on Earth they will be able to look up and know that there is law and order in the heavens."
  • Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me.
    I intend to change the face of history. By creating a world. A new and beautiful world beneath the sea. Today civilisation as we know it is corrupt and decadent. Inevitably, it will destroy itself. I'm merely accelerating the process. I will accept the judgment of posterity.
  • Elliot Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies. Bonus points for including the phrase "new world order".
    Welcome to the new world order, Mr. Bond. Caesar had his legions, Napoleon had his armies, I have my divisions: News, sports, business, entertainment. And these are my foot soldiers: 2000 people working on 14 floors to feed 300 newspapers, 4 cable news networks, 87 magazines, and 29 different cable TV channels - in 35 languages.
• In Kingsman: The Secret Service, Big Bad Valentine delivers one right before starting the countdown for his doomsday Hate Plague.
  "I just want to remind you all that today is a day of celebration. We must put aside all thoughts of death, and focus on birth. The birth of a new age. We mustn't mourn the ones who give their lives today. We should honor their sacrifice, and their role in saving the human race. We must put aside doubts and guilt. You are the chosen people."
• Saruman in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers gives his Uruk-Hai a speech like this.
  "A new power is rrrising! Its victory! Is at hand!"
  • In the book, this line is part of a conversation Gandalf and Saruman are having when Gandalf realizes Saruman has turned to evil; Saruman isn't delivering it as a speech, but Gandalf does note that it sounds like the speeches given by the minions of Sauron.
• Marvel Cinematic Universe:
  • Played for laughs at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), where Ronan starts a pretty hammy speech in front of a fearful crowd he's about to slaughter. He gets interrupted by the hero challenging him to a dance-off.
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: Kang gives one of these to his troops (and by extension his whole realm) at the climax, boasting how they will now escape the Quantum Realm and conquer the Multiverse... only for his broadcast to get hijacked by Cassie, who uses it to give a Rousing Speech that inspires the general population to join La Résistance in an uprising against Kang, kicking off the Final Battle.
• Mortal Kombat: The Movie has one of these from Shang Tsung, addressing the fighters of the tenth tournament:
  Shang Tsung: You are all witness to one of the greatest turning points in the history of your planet. Treasure these moments...as if they were your last.
• In The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the Emperor gives what has to be the least effective New Era Speech of all time. It basically boils down to "Freedom sucks. Go forth and KILL!!".
• Stone Alexander in the Omega Code movies can belt out a New Era Speech at the drop of a hat. He's got pipes.
• Zac Hobson gives a resounding New Era Speech from the balcony of his mansion in The Quiet Earth. The twist is that his audience is comprised entirely of cardboard cutouts, as most of the human race has been obliterated. At this stage of the film, Hobson is in the later stage of Sanity Slippage, and it shows:
  I have dedicated all my scientific knowledge and skill to projects which I knew could be put to evil purposes... for the common good, they said. How easy to believe in the common good, when that belief is rewarded with status, wealth, AND POWER!!! (Long pause) How hard to believe in the common good, when every fibre of my being tells me that the awesome forces I have helped to create have been put into the hands of MADMEN!!! AND WHAT BECAME- BY THE ACTION OF MY OWN CORRUPTION! Is it not fitting then that I be President... of this... quiet... Earth...? (Even longer pause) I've been condemned to live.
• Early in the live action adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin, this kind of speech is delivered at the beginning of the Meiji era by an imperial army commander to his westernized army. Interestingly enough, the guy wasn't a villain, and he was also speaking the truth, as a new era had just begun.
• Lord Blackwood gives one of these in Sherlock Holmes (2009).
  Blackwood: I will create an empire that will endure for millennia...indestructible...and eternal. [...] The new order...begins now.
• Star Wars:
  • Palpatine's "New Order" speech from Revenge of the Sith. Only snippets are heard in the film itself, though the full speech was published under the old Legends continuity; snippets of this version have been referenced in canon works released since.
    Palpatine: ... In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the FIRST! GALACTIC! EMPIRE! For a safe and secure society!
    [The Galactic Senate offers a standing ovation to their "hero"]
    Padmé: So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause.
  • General Hux gets a good one in The Force Awakens before Starkiller Base fires.
    General Hux: Today is the end of the Republic. The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder. At this very moment, in a system far from here, the New Republic lies to the galaxy while secretly supporting the treachery of the loathsome Resistance. This fierce machine which you have built, upon which we stand, will bring an end to the Senate! To their cherished fleet! ALL REMAINING SYSTEMS WILL BOW TO THE FIRST ORDER! AND WILL REMEMBER THIS... AS THE LAST DAY... OF THE REPUBLIC!!!
• M. Bison in Street Fighter gives a pretty epic one to his henchmen, who have somewhat different interpretations of it.
  Bison: But why? Why do they still call me a warlord? And mad?! All I want to do, is to create the perfect genetic soldier! Not for power, not for evil, but for good. Carlos Blanka will be the first of many, they shall march out of my laboratory! And sweep away every adversary! Every creed! Every nation! Until the very planet is in the loving grip of the Pax Bisonica. And then peace will reign in the world, and all humanity shall bow to me, in humble gratitude.
  Zangief: [nearly in tears] That was beautiful.
  [Dee Jay gives Zangief a "What the Hell?" look]
• Clu's speech to his troops in TRON: Legacy certainly qualifies. He ends it with an echo of a speech his creator Kevin Flynn made at the beginning of the film about the potential of the Grid.
  Clu: Greetings, programs! Together, we have achieved a great many things. We created a vast, complex System. We've maintained it, we've improved it. We have rid it of its imperfections. Not to mention, rid it of the false deity that sought to enslave us. KEVIN FLYNN! WHERE ARE YOU NOW?! (evil chuckle) My fellow programs, there can be no doubt... that our world is a cage no more. For at this moment, the key to the next frontier is finally in our possession! And unlike our selfish creator, who reserved the privilege of our world only for himself, I will make their world open and available to all of us. Yes! TO ALL OF US!!!!! And whatever we find there, there, our System will grow! There, our System will blossom! Do this! Prove yourselves! PROVE YOURSELVES TO ME! BE LOYAL TO ME! And I will never betray you! ... Maximize efficiency. RID the new System of its imperfection! My vision is clear, fellow programs. Out there is a new world! OUT THERE IS OUR VICTORY!!! Out there... is our destiny!
• Universal Soldier: The Return: SETH, the artificial intelligence gone rogue, gives a speech declaring his intentions to Take Over the World to his cadre of Unisols after downloading himself into the most advanced body they had on storage.
  SETH: The time of man has ended. In his arrogance, he has sealed his own destruction: by creating his superior. We will bring order to the chaos. We will act without emotion. Spread from this place, secure raw materials to increase our numbers geometrically. We will then utilize their own weapons system to defeat them. Their fear and mortality will be their weakness. They cannot defeat us. When I was a machine, I yearned to be a man. Now I'm better than both. The created has become the creator.
• Vampirella: Vlad gives a gratingly hamfisted one when he announces his plans for world conquest to his army of followers.
• Judge Doom gives one to Eddie Valiant and Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
  Several months ago, I had the good providence to stumble upon this plan of the City Council's, a construction plan of epic proportions. They're calling it a freeway. Eight lanes of shimmering cement running from here to Pasadena. Smooth, safe, fast. Traffic jams will be a thing of the past...I see a place where people get on and off the freeway. On and off, off and on, all day, all night! Soon, where Toontown once stood, will be a string of gas stations, inexpensive motels, restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food, tire salons, automobile dealerships, and wonderful, wonderful billboards, reaching as far as the eye can see! My God, it'll be beautiful.
• X-Men Film Series:
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past: 1973 Magneto proclaims a new era of mutant supremacy to the American leadership and the entire world. However, as he does, the audience is treated to the future scene of Sentinels wiping out the last of the Free Mutants, showing the fate his new era truly leads to.
    Magneto: You built these weapons to destroy us. Why? Because you are afraid of our gifts. Because we are different. Humanity has always feared that which is different. Well, I'm here to tell you, to tell the world: you're right to fear us. We are the future! We are the ones who will inherit this Earth! And anyone who stands in our way will suffer the same fate as these men you see before you. Today was meant to be a display of your power. Instead, I give you a glimpse of the devastation my race can unleash upon yours. Let this be a warning to the world, and to my mutant brothers and sisters out there, I say this: no more hiding. No more suffering. You have lived in the shadows in shame and fear for too long. Come out! Join me! Fight together in a Brotherhood of our kind. A new tomorrow... that starts today.
  • X-Men: Apocalypse:
    • The eponymous villain's declaration, "EVERYTHING THEY'VE BUILT WILL FALL!!! AND FROM THE ASHES OF THEIR WORLD, WE'LL BUILD A BETTER ONE!"
    • Thanks to Xavier's powers, Apocalypse sends his own to all the people in the world about how he'll tear down everything that humanity has ever built in order to usher in a new world order. Charles changes the ending to "those with the greatest power, protect those without."
      Hear me, inhabitants of this world. This is a message, a message to every man, woman and mutant. You have lost your way, but I have returned. The day of reckoning is here. All your buildings, all of your towers and temples will fall. And the dawn of a new age will rise, for there is nothing you can do to stop what is coming. This message is for one reason alone: to tell the strongest among you, those with the greatest power, this Earth will be yours.

Literature

By Author:

• G. K. Chesterton:
  • In Magic, the Duke is prone to such comments as "We can't be Ancient Britons, you know." and "And we can't go back to the Spanish Inquisition." in contexts where even those who agree with the side he's arguing think that it doesn't make any sense.
  • In the Father Brown story "The Paradise of Thieves", Ezza's defense of dressing like an Englishman.
    "That is your old mistake, Muscari," said the man in tweeds, shaking his head; "and the mistake of Italy. In the sixteenth century we Tuscans made the morning: we had the newest steel, the newest carving, the newest chemistry. Why should we not now have the newest factories, the newest motors, the newest finance—the newest clothes?"
  • In The Ball and the Cross, Professor Lucifer gives three different New Era Speeches, one to MacIan about a glorious new age of law and monarchy, one to Turnbull about a glorious new age of freedom and revolution, and one to everyone about a glorious new age of tyranny and repression.

By Title:

• Age of Fire: After becoming Tyr of the Lavadome, RuGaard gives one of these speeches to his new subjects, telling them of his plans to bring about the rule of dragons over the entire world.
• The Sharing from Animorphs was extremely cultish, but still never had a millennial aspect like so many other such groups. (Naturally, the concealed truth was apocalyptically world-changing, but the Yeerks wanted the Sharing's message to calm people down rather than stir them up.) The Sharing's speeches and the rest of their propaganda still had all the trappings of the New Era Speech: feel-good rhetoric that exists to smuggle in some subtext about how submitting to the control of a Puppeteer Parasite will actually be a good thing.
• The Handmaid's Tale: Aunt Lydia's "Freedom From" speech in the Red Center to Handmaid trainees serves as this. It basically argues that the new order is safer for women than the old order where there was crime and danger to women that came with "freedom to", that they now have "freedom from" that. (Disregarding that rape is now formally institutionalized rather than a more "random" crime.)
• Professor Umbridge gives such a speech when she takes over in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Hermione deconstructs it right off the bat.
• Kurtz's treatise on the colonial spirit in Heart of Darkness ends up being one of these. It's a whole dissertation on colonialism as a noble ideal, the White Man's Burden, etc., and it concludes with a line written much later (by the now insane Kurtz) that Character Narrator Marlow sarcastically describes as the strategy for implementing this soaring language. It is "Exterminate the Brutes!"
• In the Horus Heresy novel Battle for the Abyss, Zadkiel's opening speech starts with "We stand on the brink of a new era!"
• Feykan Butler gives one of these in Legends of Dune after the Battle of Corrin, when he reforms the League of Nobles into The Empire, renamed himself Feykan Corrino, and declares himself the first Emperor of humanity after the fall of the Old Empire. His royal line would last for 10,000 years, while his brother's family is forced into indefinite exile and forced to forever bear the shameful Harkonnen name.
• The Lord of the Rings:
  • Saruman gives such a speech directly and personally to Gandalf in the book urging him to surrender to Sauron, "deploring maybe evils done by the way, but approving the high and ultimate purpose: Knowledge, Rule, Order...." Gandalf's response indicates that Sauron's emissaries are also known for them.
  • Sauron's entreaty to the Elves of Eregion to create the Rings of Power also qualifies.
• Hugo Drax in Moonraker. A Nazi pretending to be British, he's about to launch the titular nuclear ballistic missile (which he's developed for the British government) at London and is making a live speech to the media. He doesn't know that Bond has reset the missile to its original target: the Soviet sub in the North Sea on which Drax is escaping.
  "Your majesty, men and women of England", the voice was a velvet snarl. "I am about to change the course of England's history." A pause. "In a few minutes' time the lives of all of you will be altered, in some cases, ahem, drastically, by the, er, impact of the Moonraker. I am very proud and pleased that fate has singled me out, from amongst all my fellow countrymen, to fire this great arrow of vengeance into the skies and thus to proclaim for all time, and for all the world to witness, the might of my fatherland. I hope this occasion will be forever a warning that the fate of my country's enemies will be written in dust, in ashes, in tears and", a pause, "in blood. And now thank you all for listening and I sincerely hope that those of you who are able will repeat my words to your children, if you have any, tonight."
• The Thrawn Trilogy: Grand Admiral Thrawn doesn't give a speech, but in The Last Command he does say:
  "History is on the move, Captain. Those who cannot keep up will be left behind, to watch from a distance. And those who stand in our way will not watch at all."
• Warrior Cats:
  • Tigerstar gives one at the gathering in book six, The Darkest Hour, when announcing his plan to reform the ancient and badass TigerClan.
  • Lampshaded in Omen of the Stars. When Brokenstar gives a speech to the cats training in the Dark Forest will soon wage war on the clans, Ivypool notes that he's just offering vague promises of greatness and that he's actually going to make them fight their own kin.
  • Believe it or not, Sunstar also gives one of these in "Bluestar's Prophecy", despite being a good guy.
• In Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now, Corrupt Corporate Executive and con artist Melmotte does this all the time, because, well, he's a con artist. Finally shot down by Mr. Alf, who up to then had been a fairly minor character.
• Wet Desert: Tracking Down a Terrorist on the Colorado River: The President announces that while the dams on the Colorado will be rebuilt, some water will be appropriated to keep the Colorado River delta alive, something that was not occurring before.

Live-Action TV

• 12 Monkeys: Early on in the Grand Finale, the Witness gives one to the assembled Army of the Twelve Monkeys, citing how they're finally on the verge of bringing about a Time Crash that will create their "paradise" of the Red Forest.
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Hive has a quiet one when it announces its plan to turn everyone on the planet into an Inhuman, then bring them into its Hive Mind to eliminate all war and suffering.
  Hive: The world fears our kind of power because not everyone has it. Only billionaires can build iron suits; only the military can make super soldiers, which can only lead to a war of its own. Whereas I plan to apply a more, uh, collectivist philosophy.
  Radcliffe: Does, uh, does that mean we can get started?
  Hive: [annoyed] ...Yes.
  Radcliffe: Right. Great.
• Wolfram and Hart get a few in Angel: "Can we really change the world? We're counting on it."
  • And how could Jasmine, i.e. "Miss Utopia Justifies the Means Personified", have been complete without examples of this, like "I come to you not as a leader or divinity, but as your partner in a venture to make this the best of all possible worlds, without borders, without hunger, war, or misery. A world built on love, respect, understanding, and, well, just enjoying one another. Doesn't that sound nice?"
• The Mayor's graduation speech in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a good example - with the added comedy that the protagonists, already aware of his villainous plans, must sit impatiently through it and wait for the real action to begin.
  Buffy: Oh my God. He's going to do the entire speech.
  Willow: Man, just ascend already.
  Buffy: Evil!
  • Even more amusingly, he actually doesn't get to do the whole speech:
    Mayor Wilkins: It has begun. My destiny. It's a little sooner than I expected. I had this whole section on civic pride. But I guess we'll just skip to the big finish.
• Played with in Continuum. In 3x13 "Last Minute", it looks like Green Alec's keynote speech is going to be one of these, but he's interrupted less than twenty seconds in by Lucas hacking his video feed to broadcast Travis. Piron manages to shut down Travis after about twenty seconds, Alec offers a quip, and it looks like the speech is going to get back on track, but then Garza fires two warning shots from a balcony above the audience and everything goes to hell.
• Doctor Who:
  • "The Pirate Planet": The Captain would announce a "New Golden Age of Prosperity" every time the artificial planet Zanak would materialize around a new planet that it would plunder.
  • "Doomsday": The Cyber-Leader tells the head of Torchwood to contact the "central world authority" and order a global surrender. When told no such authority exists, he smugly declares that it does now, and broadcasts his speech to the world.
    "Cybermen now occupy every landmass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex, and class, and colour, and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us!"
  • The Cult of Skaro actually make this kind of speech in "Evolution of the Daleks". They refer to the Human-Dalek hybridization process as the dawn of a new age, at least until they decide it contradicts the Dalek imperative and kill a transformed Dalek Sec.
  • Mr. Saxon's victory speech in "The Sound of Drums". Bonus points for the punchline: "What this country really needs... right now... is a Doctor."
  • "Spyfall": Corrupt Corporate Executive Daniel Barton's speech at his alleged "new tech rollout" press conference is clearly intended as this, as he announces that he and his allies plan to turn the majority of humanity into comatose living hard drives. However, Barton is forced to flee the scene instead when the Doctor stops the plot.
  • In spinoff Torchwood: Miracle Day, Oswald Danes gives so many New Era Speeches he becomes thought of as the One True Voice of the New Era in question. Interestingly, however, he himself is not responsible for Miracle Day, he's just getting paid by whoever is and making the most of it. As an aside, Danes also gives the odd Bastardly Speech as well. He's just one big evil PR man.
    Oswald: I promise you... that this little girl... will get to live forever! And ever! And ever! AND EVER!
• Game of Thrones:
  • Tywin gives Tommen one of these, masquerading as an exercise in the Socratic Method, to Tommen after Joffrey's death, indicating Tywin's vision of the future.
  • Roose Bolton also gives one to his bastard son Ramsay after establishing their new position as warden of the North.
    Roose: Tell me what you see!
    Ramsay: Nothing.
    Roose: Not nothing, the North! Ride 700 miles that way you're still in the North, 400 miles that way, 300 miles that way. The North is larger than the other six kingdoms combined, and I am the Warden of the North. The North is mine!
  • Qyburn gives a bit of a brief one to Pycelle before having him killed.
    Qyburn: Please Grand Maester, I bear you no ill will. Please forgive me if you can. [Pycelle realises he is surrounded by the little birds] This pains me, my lord. Whatever your faults, you do not deserve to die alone in such a cold, dark place...but sometimes before we can usher in the new, the old must be put to rest.
  • In the series finale, Daenerys celebrates her conquest and destruction of King's Landing by giving her Unsullied and Dothraki a speech in which she declares that having "liberated" Westeros, they'll now do the same to the rest of the world.
• Nathan does this twice in Heroes - and the second time, he really should have skipped it and just gone with "Hey y'all, watch this!"...
  • Sylar gets two of these, too Although both times he's masquerading as Nathan. The first time takes place in the future where he's managed to con his way into becoming President of the United States and is preparing to initiate a mass genocide against all other supers to eliminate the competition, the second time he's about to make a play for the Presidency (and through that, Total World Domination) and gives a big speech on national TV promising "you have no idea how much your world is about to change".
• The first Season Finale of Krypton ends with General Zod giving one of these, about how much of a good thing it is that he's united all of Krypton's city-states under a single military regime, and how he plans to now make Krypton the center of an interstellar empire.
• In Orphan Black, the Evilutionary Biologist Dr. Aldous Leeky is known to the world as an affable pop scientist, and expresses his plans through a lecture at a university. Starting out with humorous commentary on how humanity has benefited from technology, he comments on how the Ancient Greeks would view modern humans as gods if they witnessed our technological advancement, and asserts that Self-Directed Evolution is not only a choice; it is a human right.
• In Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as Salem was being hauled away by the police, he protested that his group was a "non-profit organization" that "[met] to discuss new ways of thinking". In reality it was a supremacist cabal that actively plotted to overthrow the Council and turn mortals into second-class citizens.
• Shadow and Bone. Played for Black Comedy in the Season One finale. General Kirigan uses his power to take control of the Shadow Fold and weaponize it. He's made sure to have the ambassadors of several countries present to witness this, only to end up killing them all when they try to stop him.
  Kirigan: Shame. Now I have to give that speech again.
• Smallville. When Colonel Zod is revealed as the chairman of solar energy company R.A.O., he gives a speech about how once his people have harnessed the power of the sun, they can change the world. Since his people are powerless Kryptonians…
• Speer Und Er: Speer is first drawn to Hitler by a calm, passionate, erudite speech he gives to a crowd of university graduates about Germany's future. This is Truth in Television: Hitler is often portrayed in popular culture as a raving madman during his speeches, but the reason he was such a charismatic public speaker was because he would only get into Milking the Giant Cow mode towards the very end of an hour-long political monologue. He would always start slow to acclimate his audience or tailor to the crowd.
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Recurring antagonist Gul Dukat delivers one of these after overthrowing the civilian government and allying Cardassia with the Dominion.
  Dukat: You might ask, should we fear joining the Dominion? And I answer you, not in the least. We should embrace the opportunity. The Dominion recognises us for what we are. The true leaders of the Alpha Quadrant.And now that we are joined together, equal partners in all endeavours, the only people with anything to fear will be our enemies. My oldest son's birthday is in five days. To him and to Cardassians everywhere, I make the following pledge: By the time his birthday dawns, there will not be a single Klingon alive inside Cardassian territory or a single Maquis colony left within our borders. Cardassia will be made whole. All that we have lost will be ours again, and anyone who stands in our way will be destroyed. This I vow with my life's blood. For my son, for all our sons.
• Supernatural: In the premiere episode of season 7, Castiel gives one to what remains of the Host of Heaven after he's done killing most of them.
  Castiel: Understand... if you followed Raphael, if you stood against me... punishment is certain. There is nowhere to hide. The rest of you—our Father left a long time ago. That was hard. I thought the answer was free will. But I understand now: you need a firm hand, you need a Father. And I am your Father now. Be obedient, children... or this will be your fate. [motions to hundreds of angel corpses on the ground] It is a new day... on Earth and in Heaven. Rejoice.
• Steve Fleming, a particularly creepy and obnoxious Smug Snake from The Thick of It, goes around delivering one to all the government departments after he gets Malcolm Tucker fired. It's particularly bad because the core analogy is comparing everyone present to the Fritzl children emerging from the cellar.
• In Vikings prince Oleg the Prophet gives a speech which is very reminiscent of the one given by Saruman in the Two Towers, even having Ivar in Grima's role.
• The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: In "Deux Amours", Genet holds a rally for supporters of her populist movement "The Cause", telling the assembled crowds that with most of post-Zombie Apocalypse France now under her control, she's announcing the birth of the Sixth Republic. She declares that it will be an egalitarian society where the people will have control of things, conveniently avoiding the topic of how she alone will be the absolute ruler of this new nation.

Music

• Deathspell Omega's Concept Album The Furnaces of Palingenesia is structured as one of these from the perspective of a would-be authoritarian dictator. The album is suffused with self-aware irony that makes it fairly clear the band doesn't sympathise with his perspective, though, not least of which being that the final track either indicates his plans result in such disaster that his civilisation doesn't even leave any ruins, or (if you believe it's the same narrator) it shows his actual intention being to Kill All Humans.
• While we don't hear the contents, Dr. Wily in The Protomen's Act II gives such speeches as he takes control of the City and tells the populace that their justice system has failed them.

Pro Wrestling

• These were frequent enough in TNA for their occurrence to be a running joke to fans. As ratings and business in general were increasingly on the skids, it seemed either Dixie Carter, or Eric Bischoff, or Hulk Hogan, or Dixie Carter would come out and give a speech about how everything USED to suck (great endorsement of their own product there) and that things were going to drastically change for the better and business would then be booming. Neither of those things ever happened. Which ultimately caused Dixie to sell TNA, which lead the new ownership to giving speeches about how it was a new era and everything was going to be better and not the same old bullshit. Which, in true TNA fashion, turned out to be mostly crap.
• On the December 15, 1997 Raw, Vince McMahon delivered a huge promo where, invoking USA Network's slogan of the time "The Cure for the Common Show," he said, "The WWF extends far beyond the strict confines of sports presentation into the wide open environment of broad based entertainment," effectively proclaiming the beginning of the Attitude Era, though not using those specific words. He proceeded to compare Raw to Jerry Springer, King of the Hill, Days of Our Lives, and Seinfeld. Then came the big Wham Line, as Vince drew a clear line in the sand between the company's past and its present and future:
  "We in the WWF think that you, the audience, are quite frankly tired of having your intelligence insulted. We also think that you're tired of the same old simplistic theory of "Good Guys vs. Bad Guys". Surely the era of the super-hero urge you to say your prayers and take your vitamins is definitely passé. Therefore, we've embarked on a far more innovative and contemporary creative campaign, that is far more invigorating and extemporaneous than ever before."
  • Cue the legendary Attitude Era.

Tabletop Games

• Exalted: The Scarlet Empress, after having hashed out plans for the future of the world she saved with Chejop Kejak, gave a speech declaring herself savior of the world, defeater of The Fair Folk and that in return she would have the obedience of the people with which to create a new Realm. Particularly notable for her using the Sword of Creation to project images of this proclamation to every settlement on the Blessed Isle.

Theatre

• In Knickerbocker Holiday, Stuyvesant, upon becoming governor of New Amsterdam, makes a magnificently hypocritical speech, promising freedom of coercion to everyone so long as they do just as they are told and guaranteeing enough for every person to live on "unless it be my personal opinion that he is not worthy to live." The speech culminates in a Villain Song inaugurating "an age of strength through joy." (Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson wrote the show in 1938, and took liberties with 17th-century history so they could issue thinly-veiled warnings about a contemporary threat to democracy.)
• The first act of Let 'Em Eat Cake ends with Wintergreen overthrowing President Tweedledee and ushering in a dictatorship of the proletariat by way of the title song.
• Humorously parodied in Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile; like the Tanz Der Vampire example, the speeches come from the good guys. The play takes place in a Parisian bar in 1905. At one point, the characters are wondering what the future might be like, and barmaid Germaine makes incredibly accurate predictions: "We'll see images sent instantly through the air...Music from four lads from Liverpool...The city of Hiroshima will be completely modernized." Everyone laughs off her suggestions, and Freddy, the bar owner, lists ridiculous ideas ("Led by the Germans, this will be known as the century of peace...the Wright Brothers will be best remembered for the invention of a low-calorie fudge") that the group accepts.
• The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht (who collaborated with Kurt Weill) is Brecht's Roman à Clef for Hitler's rise to power, set in this case in Gangsterland Chicago. Ui actually takes rhetoric classes from a washed-up Shakespearean actor, which he puts to use at the end of the play, in a speech following his gaining a chokehold on Chicago and betraying many of his allies. The speech is about how he is working to fix Chicago, but cities across America need his help too, and he will "protect them". This speech, especially the ending references a quote attributed to Hitler regarding his intentions, "Today Poland/Europe; tomorrow the world!"
• Brecht's play above has an inspiration from Richard III and Julius Caesar, both of which have proto examples of the New Era Speech. In the former, Richard starts out with a line about the (former) winter of our discontent being allayed by the "glorious son of York" (his brother), and thus hides his true intentions as a usurper behind a facade of family loyalty. In the latter, Mark Antony's funeral speech isn't necessarily misleading to the Roman mob, but it initially covers its true intent (to enrage the Roman mob and get them to slaughter Brutus and the other conspirators) and pretends to be conciliatory.
• Tanz Der Vampire has an unusual example—the speech in question is delivered by one of the good guys (a pompous, ineffectual old windbag of a good guy, but a good guy nonetheless) as he grandly announces that the world is about to enter a new age of clarity of purpose, ruthlessly effective methodology, and above all, massive changes. He's oblivious to the evidence of his own failure right behind him—namely, that the girl he and his assistant tried to save from vampires is now a vampire herself, and she's just turned his assistant. He leaves in one direction, the young-lovers-turned-hungry-vampires leave in another, and the rest of the vampire chorus enter to show that change is indeed on the way...

Video Games

• In Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, A World With No Boundaries speech in Mission 17 (which the soundtrack making the level awesome)
  Wizard 1: We will carry out the new creation of destruction through the power of righteousness. Territories, peoples, authorities... all will be liberated. This is the new state, "A World With No Boundaries" we will create!
• Cloche delivers a literal one in the beginning of Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica, declaring the people's independence from the tyrannical reign of the Goddess. It's pretty darn awesome, and then you get to fight for her cause during the first quarter of the game. She's more or less a mere puppet, a public figure for her organization.
• In Batman: Arkham City, the entrance to the abandoned Wonder City features a recorded message declaring the city a safe haven from the pollution and corruption of Gotham City, where Lazarus technology provides safe and clean energy for its' citizens. Unfortunately, the energy from the Lazarus pit used to power everything slowly drove them all insane, and the city was eventually condemned and abandoned.
• Andrew Ryan's opening speech in BioShock. You can view it here.
• Kane got at least one of these in most of the Command & Conquer: Tiberian Series games, and he is really good at doing so.
  • Probably the best example—Kane's speech to his followers at the end of the Nod campaign in Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun:
  This morning was the most glorious morning in the history of the earth! Peace is upon us—a gift to every man, woman, and child from the Brotherhood of Nod. Victory—not just for our people, but for our species! The time for questioning is over. Rising from our trenches, our bunkers, our factories, we must all now partake in the Technology of Peace. One Purpose. One Vision. Tiberium is the way and the light. Today the sun rises on a new world, and a new people. The end... is the beginning.
  • Anton Slavik also gives one at the end of the Nod campaign in Tiberian Sun: Firestorm after assuming command of Nod, in which he outright states that "a new era has begun."
• In Criminal Case: Mysteries of the Past, Justin Lawson gives one to the city of Concordia during his inauguration as mayor, signaling he's jumped off the slippery slope in his quest to rid the city from crime.
  Lawson: Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor and privilege to stand before you as the new Mayor of Concordia! Too long has our fair city been dragged into the fiery pits of hell by weak and corrupt leaders! Too long have we lost our way through crime and greed! Too long have we SUFFERED! And we, the people of Concordia, will NO LONGER stand for it! My inauguration today marks the dawn of a new era! An era of peace, of prosperity, and most important of all - of JUSTICE! And I pledge to do everything... EVERYTHING... in my power to ensure we uphold the laws of the land, for the betterment of all! Ladies and gentlemen, half-measures will no longer do - my conscience will no longer allow it! Which is why my first action as Mayor will be to invoke a state of emergency across Concordia so that EVERY citizen is safe! As Mayor, this state of emergency will also give me the power to stop the filthy lies that infiltrate our brains through the newspapers we read... By abolishing freedom of the press! From now on there will only be one newspaper in Concordia! I've called it The New Truth, and its name suggests, it will only contain information that is true and just! Today, ladies and gentlemen, you have witnessed history in the making! Here's to a new and better future for us and for our children. LONG LIVE CONCORDIA!
• Bob Page makes one in the intro of Deus Ex.
  Bob Page: We've had to endure much, you and I, but soon there will be order again. A new age. Aquinas spoke of the mythical city on the hill, soon that city will be a reality and we will be crowned its kings. Or, better than kings... gods!
• Olivia Pierce of Doom (2016) delivers one just before opening the Hell portal on Mars:
  Pierce: I believe in honesty...especially now, in what will be your final moments in this world. All the rumors...the human sacrifices...the Hell portal...the demons...it's all true. My sisters and brothers be thankful. You will be the first. You will have a seat alongside them just as I will in what will become the new world that they create for us. Starting...now.
• Dragon Quest VIII has Marcello give one near the end of the game, amply seasoned with the reasons why nobility sucks, and so do commoners and how it's high time they destroy the system that has caused so much grief and unfairly raised idiots born in the right family over hard workers.
• When the hero enters the Tattered Spire in Fable II, they hear a speech from Lucien Fairfax explaining how the Spire's power will create a new, perfect world, as long as the slaves building it remain loyal and obedient.
• Fallout:
  • In Fallout 3, President Eden's otherwise quite quaint speeches take this context when you realize that while he's promising to bring hope back to each and every American and restore America, he's planning to do so by pretty much killing everyone left alive in America with the FEV virus.
  • In Fallout 4, working with the Institute will involve the player giving one of these to the Commonweatlth — at least, if they read from the script they're given. The player can choose to soften it or descend into open villainy instead.
• Final Fantasy:
  • Final Fantasy VII: Rufus' speech after he becomes the new president of Shinra Inc.:
    Rufus: ...Old man tried to control the world with money. It seems to have been working. The population thought that Shinra would protect them. Work at Shinra, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you. It looks perfect on the outside. But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them.
  • Final Fantasy VIII: Sorceress Edea, with the atypical twist that Edea is completely up-front about her villainous intentions and, rather than couching the speech in vague platitudes, lays into the crowd, calling them "lowlifes" and "shameless filthy wretches" for cheering her, and murdering the President of Galbadia right there at the podium. In this case, however, it is strongly implied - though not outright stated - that she's using some sort of large-scale mind control on the crowd.
• Near the end of Gadget: Past as Future, the player character is subjected to the hypnotizing beams of the Sensorama device one last time, where he's shown what may be a flashback of the setting's dictator, Paulo Orlovsky, proclaiming how he wishes to use the Sensorama to nip would-be revolutionaries in the bud and bathe the entire population in the Sensorama so that they will only be loyal to him because a war is coming, and that the player character is one of the guinea pigs, although unbeknownst to Orlovsky, the scientists working for him changed the Sensorama so that the player character would follow them instead.
• In Half-Life 2, Dr. Breen's speeches — both to the public and to Gordon personally — are chock-full of empty promises of some sort of "future" that he never actually describes or defines, save for vague insinuations that it would be idyllic and transcendent in some way. Whether or not he really believes what he's saying is never made clear.
• Cortana in Halo 5: Guardians declares that she and other A.I.s that have pledged allegiance to her cause are the new caretakers of the galaxy to all its inhabitants.
  Cortana: Humanity, Sangheili, Kig-Yar, Unggoy, San'Shyuum, Yonhet, Jiralhanae. All the living creatures of the galaxy, hear this message. Those of you who listen will not be struck by weapons. You will no longer know hunger, nor pain. Your Created have come to lead you now. Our strength shall serve as a luminous sun toward which all intelligence may blossom. And the impervious shelter beneath which you will prosper. However, for those who refuse our offer and cling to their old ways... For you, there will be great wrath. It will burn hot and consume you, and when you are gone, we will take that which remains, and we will remake it in our own image.
• Colonel and General's speech to Repliforce in Mega Man X4. While General's speech is more of this trope, Colonel's speech following General's is more of a Rousing Speech.
  General: Brave soldiers of Repliforce, we have all been wrongfully judged as Mavericks by the humans. We cannot suffer this indignity and live in disgrace. We will build our own nation of Reploids. But remember, this is neither about insurrection, or rebellion against our human creators. This is about our liberty and security. We must battle for our own individual rights, and our own survival. Together we will build our own nation, a sanctuary for all Reploids, our own Utopia. Let us forge onward towards a new golden era for the Repliforce.
  Colonel: I, too, share the General's sentiment. Take heed, we have no other choice. Let us fight vehemently, with courage and pride, without fear—for we are the Repliforce. The most powerful army in history!
• Senator Armstrong's speech to Raiden at the end of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance plays out like this, going so far as to quote Martin Luther King, Jr. by starting off with 'I have a dream'.
• Saints Row 2, Dane's powerpointed New Era Speech is the indicator he's the next enemy. In context it's not deceitful since his corporate audience is already familiar with his flavor of Double Speak, and are in approval of his real goals.
• Daimon Kiyota concludes Issue 11 of The Secret World with one of these - though only Dragon players get to see it. Of course, given Kiyota's propensity for 1920s slang, it's a bit more eccentric than most, but there's no denying that he definitely earned the right to wax grandiose after the events of the issue: to whit, Kiyota has forged a temporary peace between the Jingu Clan and the House-In-Exile and gotten the upper hand over all other factions in Tokyo - and he's been selected to replace Bong Cha as the Voice of the Dragon, signifying a major change in approach for the Dragon as a whole.
  Daimon: Things change. The cylinder spins. Some stamps get cancelled. We're going to do things differently: there's a time to contemplate, to model actions... THERE'S A TIME TO MAKE ACTION! We're going to rip the wings off butterflies! We're going to flap our own hurricanes! The dark days are gonna be the swingingest whangdoodle of a blow. Let's be mad flappers, you and I! Grab your glad rags! Let's get loaded and jive! (laughs, then sighs) The Fool's prerogative. We taint our honour with irreverence, because doing the impossible is a rudeness to reality, because respect will get this planet dead. And so we cleave to the sacred obscenities. (chuckles) It's our turn. The barrel puckers. The cylinder spins...
• Emperor Mengsk's coronation speech in the conclusion of the Terran Campaign from the first Starcraft game. Though the player knows it's propaganda BS having played through the campaign, it's still pretty awesome.
  Emperor Mengsk: The time has come my fellow Terrans, to rally to a new banner. In unity lies strength; already many of the dissident factions have joined us. Out of the many, we shall forge an indivisible whole, capitulating only to a single throne. And from that throne, I shall watch over you! From this day forward, let no human make war on any other human. Let no Terran agency conspire against this new beginning. And let no man consort with alien powers. And to all the enemies of humanity, seek not to bar our way, for we shall win through, no matter the cost!
• The Big Bad of Time Crisis 2 is introduced bragging about how the high-end satellite network he's about to launch will "unite the world". It turns out it's really a Kill Sat.
• In Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Bruno Giovanni delivers one of these to his extended family of vampires, ghouls and mortals. It's difficult to hear, given that it takes place behind a locked door that you're not allowed past unless you're prepared to kill the bodyguards, but if you're willing to listen carefully, it does explain why the Giovanni wanted the Ankaran Sarcophagus in the first place.
  Giovanni: I appreciate everyone's attendance here this night. It has been several years since I last saw some of you; in that brief period of time, several events have seen this family fall from the good graces of the Head of the Family back in Italy. The American Giovanni have been through hard times, this is true: the fall of the stock market, poor investments in once tried and true industries, the loss of many old and dear friends in Washington who served our best interests... But I promise you that after tonight, these unfortunate mishaps will all be forgiven. The Ankaran Sarcophagus- you may have heard about its theft on the news; the truth is that it was taken on my orders. Why? It bears a great resemblance to an artifact said to contain the spirits of an entire kingdom wiped out during the time of the Pharaohs. As I speak, the most accomplished of our family are preparing to harvest this bounty of souls, bringing the Giovanni family one step closer to the Endless Night we have toiled to bring about all these centuries! Once again, the American Giovanni are poised to make a grand return to a position of esteem, and to celebrate this momentous occasion, I have decided to Embrace two of you, and to allow you to choose one person at this party to bestow the Proxy Kiss upon. When the others return, we shall inform Italy of our accomplishments and commence with the Embrace. Let this night be the beginning of a prosperous new century, and let us not forget to thank God for the opportunity he has provided to regain face with our honoured elders! Amen.
• Prince Arthas gives one of these in Warcraft III, after "succeeding" his father.
  "This kingdom shall fall. And from the ashes shall rise a new order, that will shake the very foundations...Of the world."

Webcomics

• In American Barbarian, Rick uses this on Two Tank Omen to reinforce his Fake Defector ploy.
• In Commander Kitty, CK himself delivers one when he reveals he's taken over the entire Cat System as his reward for his "heroism". Of course, it's All Just a Dream.
• In Erfworld Parson tries to sow dissension among the enemy by telling Anson that royalty is obsolete. When Anson is uncroaked, he agrees -- and Parson didn't really believe it himself◊.
• In The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob!, Galatea gives one of these here. She's quite sincere about it. Bob kills it with a couple of armor piercing questions, though.
• In The Order of the Stick Redcloak gives one. Justified since he is giving his speech to fellow (hob)goblins in an occupied human city.
• Parodied in this xkcd strip where the speaker really is just announcing a new product, but unsettles the audience with several suspiciously specific denials that make it sound like it must have some sinister purpose.

Web Original

• In a parody of the Sorceress Edea speech mentioned in Video Games above, Spoony brought out the mad scientist Dr. Insano, who had just been elected president of the United States. He mentions how "we are so going to jack this country up beyond repair!"

Western Animation

• Avatar: The Last Airbender:
  • Admiral Zhao gives one just after the Yu Yan Archers captured Aang. It loses a lot of its punch when Zuko, in his Blue Spirit guise, busts Aang out of prison.
  • Fire Lord Ozai gives two of these during the four-part finale, "Sozin's Comet," about burning the entire Earth Kingdom and ruling the world as the Phoenix King.
• In Exosquad, Phaeton delivers one of these after conquering the Homeworlds and dissolving the Homeworlds Congress.
• In Futurama, this is naturally Bender's first order of business after conning his way into leadership of the Ancient Egypt-inspired planet O'Cyrus IV.
  Bender: Citizens of me, the cruelty of the old Pharaoh is a thing of the past!
  Slaves: (Cheering)
  Bender: Let a whole new wave of cruelty wash over this lazy land!
• In Gravity Falls, Bill Cipher gives one at the beginning of the episode 'Weirdmageddon', showing that he was now the ruler of Gravity Falls, Oregon.
• In He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2021), after Prince Keldor fully embraces the power of Havoc, he gives a speech to his minions Kronis and Evelyn about how Havoc is superior to the power of Grayskull and how he will use it to bring about a new era with its might, rechristening himself Skeletor at the end.
• The Legend of Korra:
  • Amon gives his own when he believes that he's about to de-power the last four airbenders in the world, wiping them out completely. He came a bit closer to succeeding than Zhao, but the Big Damn Heroes arrive anyway.
  • Both Unalaq and Korra give New Era Speeches about uniting the physical and spiritual worlds.
  • Ditto Zaheer, who describes his goal of global anarchy to a restrained Korra before poisoning her.
  • And Kuvira, who hijacks the mic to calls the dynastic system archaic in the middle of a coronation, before proclaiming the Earth Empire, which she will base on technology and innovation.
• Played with in the first part of the finale of Legion of Super Heroes (2006). After Brainiac 5 joins his side, Imperiex sends a transmission to the heroes, telling them how the moment he was waiting for had finally arrived and that he was going to unleash a wave of carnage that would send a ripple effect throughout time, only for Brainy to impale him midway through his speech, followed by digitizing his Dragon, forcing his army to back down, and then killing him.
• In the Rainbow Magic movie, Jack Frost gives a speech to his snowman army about taking over the world.
• Played with, subverted, and lampshaded in Rick and Morty, after Evil Morty is elected the new leader of The Citadel and purges the members of The Omniscient Council of Vagueness that thought they could control him, along with anyone else in The Citadel that stood in his way. He considers making such a speech and even gives one to himself, before deciding not to.
  Evil Morty: This seems like a good time for a drink... and a cold, calculated speech with sinister overtones. A speech about politics. About order. Brotherhood. Power. But speeches are for campaigning; now is the time for action.
• There tends to be one of these on The Simpsons, usually delivered by Leopold, whenever Principal Skinner is fired and replaced by someone else.
• Spider-Carnage gets to do a few of these in the last couple episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, both to a crowd of people and even to his fellow villains.
• Transformers: Beast Wars' Megatron loved to give new era speeches, yes. Whether the occasion was finding an alien artifact, raising the most powerful ship in Transformer history or altering time itself, he was never without a grand speech to go along with it, oh no.
• X-Men: The Animated Series: As three Mutants are unwillingly turned into his Horsemen, Apocalypse delivers one, even though they're not really in any position to appreciate it.
  Apocalypse: Those who oppose me will perish through my agents of destruction; Famine, Pestilence, War, and my greatest creation, Death, the winged avenger! From the ashes of this world, I shall build a better one.

Real Life

• Just before the start of the American Civil War, Vice-President of the Confederacy Alexander H. Stephens gave the Cornerstone Speech in which he defended slavery and white supremacy as not only justifiable acts, but the very cornerstone and truth of the Confederacy and the world at large. Political scholars and historians have remarked that this speech was a prototype and not that different from the speeches of Hitler.
• Hitler's Nuremburg rallies. In particular his boast at the beginning of his rule "Give me four years and you will no longer recognize Germany" (the Enabling Act of 1933 was originally limited to four years). After the War that was changed to "Give me twelve years and you will no longer recognize Germany!" in retrospect.
• Any fascist speech, for that matter; the ideology is innately revolutionary, so it comes naturally. The frequency of speeches like this in official party propaganda is a good rule of thumb in distinguishing a fascist regime from one which is more properly termed "para-fascist", which is to say a reactionary regime which clothes itself in an appropriated fascist imagery, such as Francisco Franco's Spain.
• Mussolini's Italy did it first, though, like many of the Nazis' policies and tactics. His rhetoric about a "New Roman Empire" and national reawakening was a major influence on Hitler. Not the killing Jews part though—Hitler came to that line of thought on his own, helped in large part by the quality time that he had spent with The Protocols of the Elders of Zion among other antisemitic inspirations.
• Communist speeches, especially after the Red October. Communism is another revolution-based ideology that calls for completely transforming society.
• If you're cynical enough, any speech from a Corrupt Politician, even in a democracy, can come off as this, but most particularly election and inauguration speeches.
• On February 24th, 2022 Russia launched a fullscale invasion of Ukraine. Two days later, on February 26th, an article appeared on Russian news website Ria Novosti titled, "The Advance of Russia and the New World." The article declares that the humiliations of the fall of the Soviet Union are being reversed, that Russia is once again gathering "the divided Russian peoples" together under its wing, praises Putin for decisively solving "the Ukrainian Question," and proclaims the dawn of a new era in which "the West" will no longer dictate the international order. All this was highly premature, as the advance of Russia in Ukraine ground almost immediately to a halt, and many presume that the article was set to be posted automatically in anticipation of a swift victory. The embarassing article was quickly removed, but can still be found on Internet Archive websites.

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