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Retief: Difference between revisions
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The series consists of a large number of short stories and a few novels, and was inspired by Laumer's own experiences in the diplomatic corps in Burma, as well as the [[Cold War]] politics of the day.
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{{franchisetropes}}
* [[Alien Lunch]]: A common problem in the series is trying to cope with the alien equivalent of [[Foreign Queasine]] politely, without giving offense.
* [[Ambadassador]]: Retief himself (though his unorthodox methods prevent him from ever rising to the rank of actual ambassador).
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* [[Comically Missing the Point]]: Retief's superiors, often. One believed that a CDT member having a set of journals about pest control would mortally offend a race of arthropods, but saw nothing wrong with his own setting up of a world government run by a local tribe (that was universally hated by all the other tribes, for highly sensible reasons) on the grounds that they were well known to all. Oh, yes, they were well known; that was why they were hated.
* [[Corrupt Church]]: In "The Brass God", the Hoogans live under an absolute theocracy. The Pope's whim is law--and his whim involves things like demanding that the CDT donate one million credits to him, personally, and ordering Retief to be [[Human Sacrifice|tossed into a heated metal idol]], as well as arbitrarily changing the day of the week.
{{Quote|"It's ben zo long zinze anyone contradicted me," [the Pope] said mildly, "that I've vorkotten the bunishment." He waved two fingers in blessing. "You are apzolved, my zon," he said airily. "In vact, [["Get Out of Jail Free" Card|I apzolv you for the whole weekent. Have fun; it's on the house]]."}}
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Retief himself, along with many of the aliens.
* [[Defector From Decadence]]: One of Retief's superiors in one story is a Groaci.
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* [[Initiation Ceremony]]
* [[Kaiju]]: "Giant Killer" features a giant dinosaur called ''Crunderthush'', which the hapless Terran emissaries (sans Retief) mistakenly agreed to slay.
* [[
* [[Luke Nounverber]]: used throughout the series.
* [[Maximum Fun Chamber]]: Groaci Captain Thilf threatens his subordinates with being "pegged out in the pleasure pits" if he is allowed to die.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Ambassador Grossblunder, Miss [[Buxom Is Better|Braswell]], many more.
* [[Obstructive Bureaucrat]]: Everyone in the CDT except Retief and--sometimes--Magnan, plus the majority of the Groaci, and many others.
* [[Oh Crap]]: The mood that often accompanies the [[Initial Incident]] in a story.
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* [[Professional Butt-Kisser]]: The CDT is full of these. Pretty much everyone short of full Ambassador rank needs this as a basic survival skill. Retief's inability to master the skill is one of the reasons he finds promotions so hard to come by.
* [[Prop Recycling]]: Several elements of the Laumer's [[Bolo]] series appear, including the titular super tanks, Infinite Repeaters, and the Terran Concordiat. Of course, this begs the question as to whether or not Laumer intended to set up a [[Standard Sci Fi History|Future History]].
* [[Pointy-Haired Boss]]: Pretty much all of Retief's superiors in the CDT qualify, with the notable exception of Magnan, who rises to the level of near-competence once in a while.
** In some of the stories, Magnan isn't just "near" competence. For instance, calmly disarming a corrupt official who's just shot him in the chest (warned by Retief of what was going on, Magnan had the foresight to wear [[Bulletproof Vest|torso armor]]). After being [[Mistaken for Badass]] by one alien, Magnan uses the mere threat of his anger — "I MAY lose my temper" — to keep this alien from backshooting Retief. And see Psychic Powers below....
* [[Psychic Powers]]: One friendly alien '''taught''' Magnan to mentally [[Teleportation|teleport]]. He also learned from her to induce hallucinations in others, and used this to distract a superior who'd been chewing him out.
{{quote|"Mr. Magnan!" Retief commented admiringly. "You didn't tell me you'd learned to boggle."}}
* [[Reverse Cerebus Syndrome]]: The first two stories featuring Retief were serious in tone, lacking any humor. But by ''Protocol'', there was a shift into satire that the series is well known for.
* [[Retcon]]: In the original version of "Courier", Retief realizes the locals of a planet are all telepathic. In latter versions, the line is taken out. Despite this, the story flows better without it, as the telepathy had no build up and doesn't add to the tale.
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Retief's eyes widened. "You mean ''little'' Fifi...?"}}
* [[Space Cold War]]: Once the Groaci appear in the series, the analogies to the [[Cold War]] start coming fast and furious.
* [[Strange Syntax Speaker]]:
{{quote|"To remember me, perhaps, Retief? Shluh by name, formerly of the Groacian Planetary Police, once deeply wronged by you. Tonight, in the cells of a Groaci prison, to even at last the bitter score."}}
* [[Strongly Worded Letter]]: One of the CDT's favorite tactics. Much safer than doing anything (at least in theory).
* [[Worthless Yellow Rocks]]
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Literature]]
[[Category:Comic Literature]]
[[Category:Science Fiction Literature]]
[[Category:
▲[[Category:Literature]]
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