Rule Number One: Difference between revisions

"And the second?" Anderson asked, suspicious.

"You can always find a reason to kill someone." }}

{{quote|"People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool."}}

 

== [[Live Action TV]] ==

{{quote|First Rule of Acquisition: Once you have their money, you never give it back.

33rd Rule of Acquisition: It never hurts to suck up to the boss.

** Ensign Robin Lefler, who appeared in one episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', "The Game", had "Lefler's Laws", a list of rules she made up for herself. She still uses them when she becomes a main character in ''[[Star Trek: New Frontier]]''.

** The [[Alien Non-Interference Clause|Prime Directive]] is the Federation's Rule Number One.

{{quote|'''The Doctor:''' Do you fancy a quick trip around the twelve galaxies and then back to Perivale in time for tea?

'''Ace:''' Ace!

** Not that this rule isn't broken. On more than one occasion. By the same character.

* ''[[NCIS]]'': Gibbs' various rules, cited by the characters throughout the show. Recently revealed in a flashback to have been inspired by his future wife on the day they met. Kate and Ziva both requested that Gibbs write the rules down, only to be told that most of the rules are for day-to-day tasks. Rules in the forties however are reserved for emergencies.

* ''[[RoboCop]]: The Series'' had an episode featuring Murphy's old partner, a cop with a set of rules amounting to "no vigilantism". When said cop was brainwashed, Robo brought him back by making him say his rules. A minute later, he was [[Redemption Equals Death|killed with a rocket launcher]].

* In one of the most well-known ''[[M*A*S*H (television)|M*A*S*H]]'' episodes ("Sometimes You Hear the Bullet" - the show's first [[Wham! Episode]] and its [[Growing the Beard]] moment), Henry Blake tells Hawkeye:

{{quote|'''Col. Blake:''' "All I know is what they taught me at command school. There are certain rules about a war. And rule number one is young men die. And rule number two is, doctors can't change rule number one."}}

* In ''[[Red Dwarf]]'', Kryten would often quote the Space Corps Directives, with a number each time. Rimmer would try to do the same, but get the numbers wrong; for example, quoting Directive 34124, which Kryten informed him was "No officer with false teeth should attempt oral sex in zero gravity."

* ''[[Fight Club]]'' is parodied in the ''Robot Club'' episode of ''[[Spaced]]'':

'''Tim:''' Why aren't we allowed to smoke?

'''Mike:''' Shh, we're not allowed to talk about it. }}

* ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' gives us the faculty rules of the Philosophy Department of the University of Woolamaloo:

* In ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' episode "The Big House", Barney Fife lays down the law for two new inmates at the jail:

{{quote|'''Barney:''' "Now, here at the Rock we have two basic rules. Memorize them, so that you can say them in your sleep. The first rule is: Obey all rules. Secondly, do not write on the walls, as it takes a lot of work to erase writing off of walls."}}

** The same gag appears in ''[[Porridge]]'', only with the rules in the opposite order.

** According to Harry, that was the point of the whole endeavor, keeping Dexter alive; thus it's the first rule. {{spoiler|Of course, no one wants anyone, even oneself, to know that he's turned his adopted son into a gory weapon of his own vigilantism. Not that it's cut-and-dried.}}

* In ''[[The IT Crowd]]'', "the first rule of ''Street [[Countdown]]''... [[Subverted Trope|is that you really must try and tell as many people as possible about it]]. It's a rather fun game and the more people you tell about it the better."

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

{{quote|'''Don Weaso''': Rule number one: My way, or 'he's a dead mother(bleep)' way.}}

{{quote|'''Aria T'Loak''': Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule; Don't fuck with Aria.}}

 

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

{{quote|'''Genie:''' Rule number one: I can't kill anybody, so don't ask. Rule number two: I can't make anybody fall in love. Mwa! You little punim there. Rule number three: I can't bring people back from the dead. It's not a pretty picture. I don't like doing it!}}

* Phil from ''[[Hercules (1997 film)||Hercules]]'' has a whole list of rules for being a hero.