Basic Trope: A character receives a higher position during action.
- Straight: Captain Smithers is shot. Colonel Smith promotes Lieutenant Smithson and puts him in charge of his company.
- Exaggerated: Colonel Smith makes Private Jones a major.
- Downplayed: Captain Smithers is shot, but it's not fatal. Colonel Smith has Lieutenant Smithson take charge for a while until Smithers is back on his feet.
- Justified: Someone has to do the job, and whoever's next in rank will probably be most qualified.
- Inverted: Lieutenant Smithson is shot, forcing Captain Smithers to do his job until he can find somebody else.
- Subverted: Captain Smithers is shot, but manages to keep going.
- Double Subverted: Until he collapses, at which point Colonel Smith has Lieutenant Smithson take charge.
- Parodied: Colonel Smith promotes Smithson... only for him to die seconds later. Then he promotes Sergeant Smyth... and he dies instantly as well. Eventually, Private Jones is promoted to commander as he's the only one left. And then he dies.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted: Nothing happens to Captain Smithers.
- Enforced: The writers want to promote Smithson, and decide to get rid of Smithers to do this.
- Lampshaded: "Lieutenant Smithson, I must tell you that Captain Smithers has been shot. Are you prepared to take over for him?"
- Invoked: Private Jones doesn't like or trust Captain Smithers, so he arranges for Smithers to be killed so that Lieutenant Smithson will be promoted in his place.
- Exploited: Lieutenant Smithson uses his new position to get perks that he couldn't otherwise.
- Defied: Captain Smithers is shot, but Colonel Smith doesn't trust Lieutenant Smithson for whatever reason, and instead brings in Lieutenant Jones from another company to take over.
- Discussed: "You realize, Lieutenant Smithson, that if something happens to Captain Smithers on this mission, you'll be taking him over for him."
- Conversed: "The chain of command exists for a reason. Any one of you must be able to assume the responsibilities of your superior should anything happen to him."
- Deconstructed: Captain Smithers is killed, and Lieutenant Smithson is promoted to replace him. Unfortunately, Smithson hasn't been fully trained to assume Smithers' duties.
- Reconstructed: Smithson proves to be very good at learning as he goes and becomes a worthy successor to Smithers.
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