Basic Trope: Someone (especially a scientist or other expert) is very surprised to discover something that goes against how they believed it works.
- Straight: Dr. Science finds out that aliens do exist, despite him strongly believing that they don't. He's shown to be very shocked by this discovery.
- Exaggerated: Dr. Science devoted his whole study to trying to prove that aliens don't exist. When he finds that they do exist, he drops to his knees and dramatically shouts to the sky, "NO!!! This Cannot Be!"
- Downplayed: Dr. Science had a good feeling that aliens may not exist, and is rather surprised to find out that they do.
- Justified:
- Scientific discoveries change quite often, and it can be a surprise when they do.
- Dr. Scientist is an expert, and he's hardly ever wrong about things, so it's understandable that he'd be surprised when he's wrong for a change.
- Inverted: The Cloud Cuckoolander Jane says that aliens are real. She ends up being right, and doesn't react with much other than "Huh, cool."
- Subverted: It turns out that the "aliens" were an elaborate prank put on by Dr. Science's colleagues because they're tired of him constantly preaching about how they don't exist.
- Double Subverted: After the prank is unearthed, it's revealed that aliens actually do exist, and Dr. Science is visibly surprised.
- Parodied: Dr. Science goes on a rant about how aliens don't exist while a bunch of aliens are walking around behind him. When told to turn around, he has a comically exaggerated reaction.
- Zig-Zagged: ???
- Averted: Dr. Science claims that aliens don't exist, and is never proven wrong.
- Enforced: As An Aesop on how even experts can be wrong.
- Lampshaded: ???
- Invoked: Dr. Science's friend Jane thoroughly believes that aliens are real, so she seeks out proof in order to get Dr. Science to change his mind.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: Dr. Science sees an alien, and decides it's just a weird dream he's having.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Implied: Dr. Science is heard telling Jane, "Well, you proved me wrong!", but it's ambiguous as to what she proved him wrong about.
- Deconstructed: Because he ended up being wrong, Dr. Science is upset, and wonders if he's really that good of a scientist after all.
- Reconstructed: Jane reminds him that everyone makes mistakes, and scientists are no exception; being wrong about a hypothesis is just as valid as a reaction as being right about it.
- Played for Laughs: Dr. Science just gets done telling Jane that there's no such thing as an alien... and then an alien casually comes up to them and asks what they're talking about.
- Played for Drama:
- Dr. Science has a Despair Event Horizon from this encounter, wondering if he's really as competent as a scientist if he messed up this badly.
- Dr. Science still wholeheartedly believes that aliens aren't real while an alien invasion is about to happen, and Jane must convince him to do something before it's too late.
- Played for Horror: Dr. Science still assures that aliens aren't real while an alien is kidnapping him, and planning on harming him.
Back to Break the Scientist... wait, I can make links to other tropes from just writing the title in CamelCase? I thought I had to copy and paste a link!
