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Desk Jockey

385 statements
71 feature instances
56 referencing feature instances

Desk Jockey	type	FeatureClass
Desk Jockey	label	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey	page	DeskJockey
Desk Jockey	comment	A character in the military, police, or other action-oriented field who has been promoted to the rank of inaction or whose career path is oriented towards bureaucratic support of the boots on the ground. The character may only rarely be seen by the camera, since his or her job is Boring, but Practical: to make operations in the field run smoothly, rather than engage in flashy heroics. The Desk Jockey may be derided by other characters or viewers as an Obstructive Bureaucrat who is too far removed from the action to understand and accommodate the needs of the people he or she is supporting. They may catch a lot of flak for pinching pennies and not buying expensive, but much-needed, equipment for troops while forcing the ground-pounders to kowtow to Byzantine institutional regulations. Commonly found "piloting desks" in the cubicle farms behind the scenes of Action Series, since a serial of any significant length can afford to introduce these characters if a Lower-Deck Episode is necessary for budgetary concerns. If they get A Day in the Limelight, expect them to be made victim of the same kind of danger and violence that the rest of the cast face and either become the Badass Unintentional, the Action Survivor, or the Designated Victim, depending on the needs of the plot (and not necessarily their Backstory; even if they're a Retired Badass, they may be handed a Distress Ball anyway). Sometimes, they may be working here because a past injury or illness precludes them from serving at the front. Differs from Kicked Upstairs in that the character may actually have been a competent Action Hero in his/her youth but couldn't avoid getting promoted on considerable merit. Some heroes will do anything it takes to persuade their superiors not to promote them, as examples will show. Related tropes are Armchair Military (for when the Desk Jockey commands others from behind the desk), Dude, Where's My Respect?, Victory Is Boring, Let's Get Dangerous! (the Desk Jockey is a classic candidate for this trope), Four-Star Badass and Frontline General (for direct aversions), and Rank Scales with Asskicking or the more specific Badass Bureaucrat (for direct inversion). Has nothing to do with Driving a Desk. The Soul-Crushing Desk Job is the civilian equivalent. In Real Life military parlance, a Desk Jockey might be known also as an REMF "rear-echelon motherfucker", a "pogue" (etymology uncertain, though the usual story is that it comes from the Irish for "kiss my ass," but now backronymed to Person Other than Grunt), or a "fobbit" (someone who never leaves their Forward Operating Base). Among officers, it is common for officers to rotate between combat deployments and staff tours where they must become desk jockeys for a few years. In fact, the 1986 Goldwater Nichols Act requires any officer who wants to make General or Admiral to serve on at least one desk bound joint services staff assignment. Royal Air Force officers rotated from active flying duties to static commands on the ground ruefully describe their more sedentary role as "flying a desk".
Desk Jockey	fetched	2024-02-12T19:06:15Z
Desk Jockey	parsed	2024-02-12T19:06:16Z
Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to AuthorAppeal: Not an Item - FEATURE
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Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to CaptainVorpatrilsAlliance: Not an Item - UNKNOWN
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Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to KickedUpstairs: Not an Item - FEATURE
Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to MindOverMatter: Not an Item - FEATURE
Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to ObstructiveBureaucrat: Not an Item - FEATURE
Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to Ranger: Not an Item - FEATURE
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Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to ShootHimHeHasAWallet: Not an Item - FEATURE
Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to TheNeidermeyer: Not an Item - FEATURE
Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to TrainMan2010: Not an Item - UNKNOWN
Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to WarIsHell: Not an Item - FEATURE
Desk Jockey	processingComment	Dropped link to playercharacter: Not an Item - FEATURE
Desk Jockey	processingUnknown	CaptainVorpatrilsAlliance
Desk Jockey	processingUnknown	Train Man (2010)
Desk Jockey	processingUnknown	GoblinSlayer
Desk Jockey	processingUnknown	RedAlert3
Desk Jockey	isPartOf	DBTropes
Desk Jockey / int_122bf099	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_122bf099	comment	In Terry and the Pirates, Terry gets a speech from his commanding officer just after he gets his flight status which includes him stressing him treating the US Army's bureaucracy with respect.
Desk Jockey / int_122bf099	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_122bf099	featureConfidence	1.0
Terry and the Pirates (Comic Strip)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_122bf099
Desk Jockey / int_17e4dacc	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_17e4dacc	comment	In Forward the Foundation, one of the Emperor's gardeners gets promoted against his will to head gardener; he feels the promotion will take him away from his beloved gardening and make a desk jockey out of him (he's right). He assassinates the Emperor over it.
Desk Jockey / int_17e4dacc	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_17e4dacc	featureConfidence	1.0
Forward the Foundation	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_17e4dacc
Desk Jockey / int_235b57c7	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_235b57c7	comment	Eugenesis has Prowl, who actually likes being a desk jockey. It's all he ever wanted out of life, to crunch numbers and be a Hypercompetent Sidekick whoever was in charge. He regards being forced into a leadership position as being Kicked Upstairs, and slowly cracks up from the pressure. Eventually the situation gets bad enough that he's Driven to Suicide.
Desk Jockey / int_235b57c7	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_235b57c7	featureConfidence	1.0
Eugenesis / Fan Fic	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_235b57c7
Desk Jockey / int_247422c7	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_247422c7	comment	Honor Harrington: Honor Harrington is currently commanding Home Fleet, which stays home and doesn't go anywhere. If it wasnt for the ensuing Mesan surprise attack, that would take her out of the real action, which is why Henke and the Saganami group have been brought into the limelight; to take over from Honor as the "out there wuppin ass" group from Manticore. As of the more recent books, the closest thing Honor has to an opposite number in the Republic of Haven, Thomas Theisman, has risen to the positions of Chief of Naval Operations and Secretary of War, which firmly places him in the political battlefield rather than the literal battlefield. He makes an exception when he leads a fleet of Havenite warships to the Manticore system to help the Manticorans defend against a Mesan-instigated Solarian attack.
Desk Jockey / int_247422c7	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_247422c7	featureConfidence	1.0
Honor Harrington	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_247422c7
Desk Jockey / int_27777760	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_27777760	comment	Stark from Eureka is the administrator of Global Dynamics. When Henry tells him his brilliance is being wasted as a desk jockey, Stark points out that he's much more valuable where he is, being the person that makes their cutting edge research happen with as little interference as possible. Notably, when Stark is no longer in control of GD, there is a lot more interference from outside sources such as the Pentagon.
Desk Jockey / int_27777760	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_27777760	featureConfidence	1.0
Eureka	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_27777760
Desk Jockey / int_2a842e3a	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_2a842e3a	comment	The Doctor Who Expanded Universe short story "Doom's Day: Hour One" features Terri, who is well aware that being the booking clerk for a Murder, Inc. makes her the least important person in the organisation and has responded by perfecting the persona of a bored and apathetic receptionist.
Desk Jockey / int_2a842e3a	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_2a842e3a	featureConfidence	1.0
Doctor Who – Expanded Universe (Franchise)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_2a842e3a
Desk Jockey / int_2e3e7ac2	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_2e3e7ac2	comment	In Justice League Unlimited, General Eiling feels he has been reduced to this after Project Cadmus has been shut down.
Desk Jockey / int_2e3e7ac2	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_2e3e7ac2	featureConfidence	1.0
Justice League	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_2e3e7ac2
Desk Jockey / int_2ef7cb74	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_2ef7cb74	comment	Lyrical Nanoha: Hayate and Reinforce are mostly confined to desk jobs in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS. It's safer that way, since they both qualify for the Person of Mass Destruction trope (although while Hayate is the highest-ranked mage in the series, her power is only useful for bombardment and is almost useless in most fights). They seem to have returned to the battlefield in Magical Record Lyrical Nanoha Force but Hayate's first CMOA in that series went awry and she got stabbed in the process.
Desk Jockey / int_2ef7cb74	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_2ef7cb74	featureConfidence	1.0
Lyrical Nanoha (Franchise)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_2ef7cb74
Desk Jockey / int_30a5ebfd	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_30a5ebfd	comment	The Kages in Naruto are generally this, since they are responsible for running their villages. They do get a piece of the action every now and again, but they send others out on missions.
Desk Jockey / int_30a5ebfd	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_30a5ebfd	featureConfidence	1.0
Naruto (Manga)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_30a5ebfd
Desk Jockey / int_31060d84	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_31060d84	comment	In an episode of the time travel series 7 Days (1998) the protagonist Frank's ex-wife is engaged to a decorated Naval Intelligence Officer named Mike Cleary. Frank tells his ex that her new beau Cleary is in covert ops just like Frank himself was, and therefore, she won't get to see much of him. She retorts that Cleary isn't a Blood Knight like Frank - turns out Cleary intentionally asked to be a desk jockey so that he could spend more time with Frank's ex-wife and son.
Desk Jockey / int_31060d84	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_31060d84	featureConfidence	1.0
7 Days (1998)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_31060d84
Desk Jockey / int_36795c0f	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_36795c0f	comment	In Falling Down, Detective Prendergast took a desk job because his hysterical wife was afraid that he would get killed. He's treated with condescension and contempt by his chief and co-workers because of this (one of whom calls him a desk jockey).
Desk Jockey / int_36795c0f	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_36795c0f	featureConfidence	1.0
Falling Down	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_36795c0f
Desk Jockey / int_468bebb0	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_468bebb0	comment	When Captain Vimes of Discworld fame is promoted to Commander of The Ankh-Morpork City Watch he proceeds to spend much time and effort resisting this trope. Sgt. Colon on the other hand is usually seen at his desk. Especially when it's raining, cold or dangerous outside, which is almost always the case in Ankh-Morpork.
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Desk Jockey / int_468bebb0	featureConfidence	1.0
Discworld	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_468bebb0
Desk Jockey / int_47e486f8	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_47e486f8	comment	Heartbreak Ridge: In this Clint Eastwood flick, the Recon Marine platoon is under the supervision of a Major Powers who is an Annapolis grad, but spent a long time in Logistics before transferring over to the Infantry so he can check a box for qualification for command. He uses the Recon platoon as cannon fodder for the regular infantry to defeat during exercises, leaving the platoon jaded and embittered. When the platoon is deployed to Grenada for Operation Urgent Fury, Powers orders them to wait. The platoon disobeys him and actually assaults an important enemy position. When the Colonel in command of the Regiment arrives to find out what happened, he removes Powers from his command, calling him a â€œClusterfuck of an Infantry Officerâ€�.
Desk Jockey / int_47e486f8	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_47e486f8	featureConfidence	1.0
Heartbreak Ridge	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_47e486f8
Desk Jockey / int_53a0bd8b	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_53a0bd8b	comment	The Twilight Zone (1985): In "The Wall", Major Alex McAndrews agrees to risk his life and go through the Gate because he was recently told that he was too old to be a test pilot and hated the idea of being a desk jockey.
Desk Jockey / int_53a0bd8b	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_53a0bd8b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Twilight Zone (1985)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_53a0bd8b
Desk Jockey / int_53ccae27	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_53ccae27	comment	Irresponsible Captain Tylor: Becoming one of these was Justy Ueki Tylors initial wish when joining the military, and he actually got it by becoming a clerk for the Space Force pension department. At least until he accidently (?) caused a big embarrassment for the space force by saving a retired admiral from a couple of terrorists. Causing him to get Kicked Upstairs as the captain of his own ship and shipped off-world.
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Desk Jockey / int_53ccae27	featureConfidence	1.0
Irresponsible Captain Tylor	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_53ccae27
Desk Jockey / int_553051f	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_553051f	comment	Salaakk of the Green Lantern Corps handles the day-to-day operations while the Guardians of the Universe focuses on the big stuff. However, he has shown he can fight when the situation demands it.
Desk Jockey / int_553051f	featureApplicability	1.0
Desk Jockey / int_553051f	featureConfidence	1.0
Green Lantern (Comic Book)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_553051f
Desk Jockey / int_553df999	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_553df999	comment	Official Privilege: In this book by former navy destroyer skipper PT Deutermann, a desk jockey Navy Commander who is awaiting a ship's captain billet to open up, is tasked with assisting an NCIS investigation into an apparent accidental death on a mothballed ship. His NCIS partner is also a desk jockey, who doesn't have any field investigation experience. The book reveals the existence of an Executive Assistant cabal - an informal network of senior officer desk jockeys, who act as "fixers" for navy admirals.
Desk Jockey / int_553df999	featureApplicability	1.0
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Official Privilege	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_553df999
Desk Jockey / int_58173119	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_58173119	comment	Starting with Rainbow Six, John Clark bemoans his status as a desk jockey, despite acknowledging that he can't physically keep up with the special force troopers under his command (He's over fifty and literally old enough to be the father of said troopers, one of whom is his son-in-law).
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Rainbow Six	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_58173119
Desk Jockey / int_59801fd1	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_59801fd1	comment	This is referred to by Homicide Hunter. Although Kenda isn't this, he mentions that contrary to what TV depicts, even a detective will spend a lot of time at a desk doing paperwork—several episodes opened like this.
Desk Jockey / int_59801fd1	featureApplicability	1.0
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Homicide Hunter	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_59801fd1
Desk Jockey / int_59da62aa	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_59da62aa	comment	Fallout: New Vegas: There are a few desk jockeys in the New California Republic Army: Major Knight is likely the first you will encounter, as he oversees the inexistent traffic through the Mojave outpost, the first NCR base you are likely to visit. If you're a male courier with the Confirmed Bachelor perk he might become your favourite NPC, as with a bit of flirting he gives you free repairs. There's also Chief Hanlon, the aged head of the NCR Rangers. He was quite badass in his prime, but now works at Camp Golf coordinating intelligence. Colonel James Hsu at Camp McCarran, who was sidelined for not being as aggressive as Col. Moore and not having connections to President Kimball like General Oliver. Of all the brass you meet in the NCR he is the most level headed, though overwhelmed by just how much work his troops have cut out for them.
Desk Jockey / int_59da62aa	featureApplicability	1.0
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Fallout: New Vegas (Video Game)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_59da62aa
Desk Jockey / int_5b4f5fdc	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_5b4f5fdc	comment	Flight of the Intruder, The Intel officer, obviously, as his job doesn't involve flying, and it is pointed out that at least a few of the Duty Officers are aviators who were removed from flying status for one reason or another, temporarily or permanently as the case may be.
Desk Jockey / int_5b4f5fdc	featureApplicability	1.0
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Flight of the Intruder	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_5b4f5fdc
Desk Jockey / int_68dbf95a	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_68dbf95a	comment	McHale's Navy: Wallace Binghamton is a Navy Captain who spends most of his time at his desk trying to figure out how to bust McHale and his merry band of profiteers. In one episode, McHale was made a temporary Desk Jockey so Binghamton could show the Admiral on a surprise inspection exactly what McHale's crew was doing (holding a party on the main base.)
Desk Jockey / int_68dbf95a	featureApplicability	1.0
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McHale's Navy	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_68dbf95a
Desk Jockey / int_6a3fbb7c	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_6a3fbb7c	comment	Prowl from The Transformers: Robots in Disguise and The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye. As Springer puts it, he's high command. He's always been high command, even before there was an Optimus Prime or a Megatron or even a war. Prowl is a very negative portrayal of this trope, utterly unwilling to lift a finger to save captured troops, even famous and high-ranking ones like Kup or Fortress Maximus, but completely willing to throw men at a Super-Soldier to save classified data files (which might contain dirt on Prowl himself). He's one of the most unpopular Autobots alive, having managed to drive away or piss off anyone who'd ever give him a chance, even Optimus himself, not to mention the occasional life-partner. So far, the only beings who like him are the Constructicons.
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The Transformers: Robots in Disguise (Comic Book)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_6a3fbb7c
Desk Jockey / int_6e17a0d1	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_6e17a0d1	comment	Die Hard: In the original movie, John McClane and Sergeant Al Powell have a conversation that jokingly derides desk jockey cops, up until Powell reveals why he's now a desk jockey instead of patrolling the streets: because he made the horrible mistake of shooting a kid with a fake gun. He still proves he can get the job done when Karl comes back from the dead for one last shot at McClane. The second movie then shows that he's still in the desk job. Of course, it's better paying and safer than a beat cop job.
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Die Hard	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_6e17a0d1
Desk Jockey / int_70814599	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_70814599	comment	Stargate SG-1: SGC Generals spend much of their screen time at paper-laden desks. Colonel O'Neill achieves promotion to brigadier general so his actor Richard Dean Anderson could spend less time on camera and more with his family. On the other hand, in Teal'c's flashbacks as First Prime to Apophis, he averts this. The pattern seems to be that First Primes (like Teal'c) lead from the front, and desk work posts are filled by minor Goa'uld.
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Stargate SG-1	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_70814599
Desk Jockey / int_73d7930f	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_73d7930f	comment	Vice Admiral William Ross from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is just about the only exception to this trope, but only because he's in command of a Federation fleet during a full-blown war. Admiral Hanson is another exception, but that didn't turn out too well. At one point Ross is stuck behind a desk planning missions instead of leading them. During the Dominion's occupation of DS9, he also makes Sisko his adjutant, putting Dax in command of the Defiant while Sisko sits at a desk at Starbase 375. Sisko is clearly not happy to be taken off his ship, but the desk job gives him the opportunity to plan the mission to retake DS9.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_73d7930f
Desk Jockey / int_75149ccd	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_75149ccd	comment	In the X-Wing Series, Wedge Antilles resists being promoted to General because he wants to stay a pilot rather than get stuck behind a desk. He finally relents when he finds out that his underlings have started refusing their promotions for the same reasons, and he doesn't want to impede their careers (or bring about the total collapse of the New Republic's rank system). Also, he has a job coming on that requires him to pull rank. Thus, he needs rank to pull! Sure enough, said promotion eventually results in him being pulled out of the cockpit. They give him a Super Star Destroyer to command instead.
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X-Wing Series	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_75149ccd
Desk Jockey / int_761813a6	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_761813a6	comment	Band of Brothers notes this a few times: Pvt. Vest is seen delivering mail throughout the series. In episode 8 he requests the opportunity to join a dangerous patrol, which gives him the chance to learn truly that War Is Hell. Capt. Winters is eventually promoted to the point where he has a desk in episode 5. Several times he is tempted to get back into the action. At one point, Winters must be given a direct order NOT to join the action by Colonel Sink. Capt. Nixon, despite his three combat jumps, reveals in episode 9 that he had never fired his weapon in combat. For much of the series he is the intelligence officer. Second Lieutenant Jones joins Easy Company near the end of the war and desperately wants to get some combat experience. He eventually gets to participate in a night raid just before Easy Company is pulled from the line. And is subsequently promoted to First Lieutenant and given a desk position in Batallion. Captain Sobel also qualifies. Although he was in charge of Easy Company and trained them for two years, he never saw combat. When Easy Company went to combat, he was given a training role, then became a supply officer. Actually, Sobel was awarded a Combat Infantryman's Badge (given to soldiers who face enemy fire) and was wounded by an enemy machine gun in Normandy.
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Band of Brothers	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_761813a6
Desk Jockey / int_76e539c2	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_76e539c2	comment	Hayate and Reinforce are mostly confined to desk jobs in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS. It's safer that way, since they both qualify for the Person of Mass Destruction trope (although while Hayate is the highest-ranked mage in the series, her power is only useful for bombardment and is almost useless in most fights).
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Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_76e539c2
Desk Jockey / int_7988cb68	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_7988cb68	comment	Mass Effect: Ex-Spectre candidate Captain David Anderson is confined to a desk job at the beginning of the game, though you can make him the Human representative in the galaxy in the end. Which he laments in the second game. Shepard him- or herself subverts this trope pretty well: although executive officers on ships are usually relegated to, well, executive duties (i.e. paperwork), Shepard's background as a special ops soldier means that when shit needs to hit a fan, Shepard's the one for the job. This can sometimes be true in Real Life as well: effective special ops soldiers aren't denied promotions for excelling, so that the high-ranking officers in a special ops group are the ones to watch out for. Nyreen Kandros in the third game is an interesting (and tragic) example. She was a soldier in the regular turian military, but was a biotic whose powers developed relatively late in life. In the turian armed forces, biotics are segregated into special black-ops groups called "cabals", ostensibly due to centuries-old bad blood between biotic and non-biotic soldiers. However, since her biotic powers aren't strong enough to actually use in the field at the level the cabal demands, she winds up in a supporting role. Her disillusionment with the whole affair, combined with the lack of camaraderie in the cabal itself, eventually drives her to desert and light out to the Terminus Systems. Intel analyst Maya Brooks shows up in the third game's Citadel DLC, claiming to have uncovered a plot to kill Shepard. After getting shot during the initial firefight, she acts flustered and stammers a lot. She complains that she works a desk job, and isn't used to combat. When Shepard tells her to make a template of all the forms Brooks will need to fill out, reporting her injuries to the Alliance, she says that Shepard gets shot a little too much. It is all an act - Brooks is actually a disgruntled ex-Cerberus operative, who is the wire puller behind the attempt to kill Shepard.
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Mass Effect (Franchise)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_7988cb68
Desk Jockey / int_79ab0b3c	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_79ab0b3c	comment	The Tortall Universe has "desk knights" who hold administrative positions and have more or less retired from combat duties. The two shown in the series are extremely important- Sir Gareth the Younger of Naxen, the Prime Minister, and Sir Myles of Olau, the Realm's spymaster. Still, two young squires are shown to dread having a desk knight as their knight-master, because that would mean doing paperwork for four years instead of getting combat experience.
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Tortall Universe	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_79ab0b3c
Desk Jockey / int_7dc116eb	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_7dc116eb	comment	Kris Longknife: Much of the crew of the Wasp is there to avoid this trope. The captain is a retired rear admiral who didn't like being a desk pilot and got offered the job by Admiral Crossinshield. The ship's cook was a full admiral and the rest of the officers are an assortment of retired captains and admirals.
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Desk Jockey / int_7e4a4bd3	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_7e4a4bd3	comment	Rules of Engagement: After serving as a lieutenant in Vietnam and being wounded in action, Hayes Hodges stayed in the Marines and spent 28 years as a JAG officer, rising to the rank of colonel.
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Desk Jockey / int_8125b468	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_8125b468	comment	In older Batman comics, Commissioner Gordon's role usually amounted to this. Since Batman: Year One, though, it's been customary to give him a bigger slice of the fight-scenes.
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Batman (Franchise)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_8125b468
Desk Jockey / int_81692f99	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_81692f99	comment	Star Trek: Starfleet admirals are almost never seen in action. When James Kirk gets promoted to admiral, he hates being confined to a desk and does his level best to get either demoted back into action or kicked out. In general, if a situation arises requiring a fleet of ships working together, an Admiral seems more likely to appoint one of the Captains to be in the on-scene commander. Picard explicitly states that he will always refuse to be an Admiral, even though he's far more qualified than most Admirals, because he wants to avoid this. When he does eventually get promoted he becomes an ambassador, which still requires lots of travel and adventure while still fitting his role as a scholar and a diplomat. Vice Admiral William Ross from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is just about the only exception to this trope, but only because he's in command of a Federation fleet during a full-blown war. Admiral Hanson is another exception, but that didn't turn out too well. At one point Ross is stuck behind a desk planning missions instead of leading them. During the Dominion's occupation of DS9, he also makes Sisko his adjutant, putting Dax in command of the Defiant while Sisko sits at a desk at Starbase 375. Sisko is clearly not happy to be taken off his ship, but the desk job gives him the opportunity to plan the mission to retake DS9. In the TOS episode "The Deadly Years", Commodore Stocker is one of these. In fact, it's specifically mentioned he's never held a field command in his life. This causes trouble when he takes the conn and accidentally crosses the Romulan Neutral Zone. Crewman Mortimer Harren on Star Trek: Voyager is an example of this on the other end of the rank scale — he only joined Starfleet because he needed a year's experience in practical cosmological study to attend a specific scientific institute. Once he got stranded in the Delta Quadrant, he does everything he can to be given the least amount of work possible and refuses any sort of away mission.
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Desk Jockey / int_84ff882f	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_84ff882f	comment	Both Jack Spade and One Eyed Sam in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Both of them have army jackets with lots of pins on them, so John Slade assumes they have combat experience. Turns out they don't; the pins are for stuff like typing, surfing, and winning a darts tournament. Slade's pretty upset about it.
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Desk Jockey / int_8ba4613a	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_8ba4613a	comment	This is how Light Yagami spends most of his time across the arc of Death Note. He spends almost a year dealing with L, and six months dealing with Mello and Near, and in between he sits at a desk pretending to be L and misleading the Kira taskforce for five years. Even when the rest of them go off to blow shit up, Light's still at his desk. Victory Is Boring. Not counting his undercover investigation with Takada, the first time we see him get out is the final confrontation with Near. It doesn't go well.
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Death Note (Manga)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_8ba4613a
Desk Jockey / int_8c264362	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_8c264362	comment	Skyfall: Agent Eve (whose full name is revealed to be Moneypenny) eventually chooses to step down from MI6 field operations after shooting James Bond by mistake and becomes M's secretary (which she's always been canonically).
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Desk Jockey / int_8d814070	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_8d814070	comment	MAS*H: Father Mulcahy has a famous episode where a patient refuses to talk with him because he has no field experience since he was the camp chaplain. Mulcahy asks Col. Potter if he could spend some time on the front to fix that, but Potter refuses saying that no commander nowadays will tolerate having a soldier in the field who is forbidden by regulations to fight. Regardless, Mulcahy sneaks away anyway on an errand with Radar to the front and has a memorable experience having to perform an emergency tracheotomy under enemy fire with Hawkeye guiding him on the radio. As a result, the patient is impressed that the Padre had now just enough battle experience for any front line soldier to respect him. Another episode has Colonel Potter becoming afraid of being shipped back home to be a desk jockey. The job of company clerk, first held by Radar and later by Klinger, consists largely of handling paperwork and dealing with the military bureaucracy. Unlike many examples of the trope, the job is portrayed as being both difficult and absolutely vital - if the unit doesn't get supplies, they can't treat patients properly, and the clerks go to great lengths and get up to serious shenanigans to make sure they do get them.
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Desk Jockey / int_93d91380	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_93d91380	comment	Robert Tracy in Phffft!! spent WWII behind a desk because he was of much better use with contracts, since he's a lawyer. He happened to save the army $750, 000!
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Desk Jockey / int_9432814f	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_9432814f	comment	In Flight of the Intruder, the Duty Officers and the Intel Officer.
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Desk Jockey / int_99055407	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_99055407	comment	An episode of Family Matters uses the exact words. Richie and his class are visiting Carl's precinct on a field trip. Richie has talked up his cop uncle to his friends, who are less than impressed with Carl's function as an administrator (Carl had been promoted to Lieutenant by now). Carl later proves them wrong by talking down a petty thief who had grabbed a cop's gun and held him hostage. Besides getting the children and their teacher to safety, he doesn't even flinch.
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Desk Jockey / int_996edf24	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_996edf24	comment	Wonder Woman Vol 1: General Darnell, to whom Diana Prince acts as secretary and Steve Trevor answers, works from his desk and is only ever seen in the "field" once, where he was talking to other officers not participating in combat.
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Desk Jockey / int_9a7088bc	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_9a7088bc	comment	In the TOS episode "The Deadly Years", Commodore Stocker is one of these. In fact, it's specifically mentioned he's never held a field command in his life. This causes trouble when he takes the conn and accidentally crosses the Romulan Neutral Zone.
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Star Trek: The Original Series	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_9a7088bc
Desk Jockey / int_a495544e	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_a495544e	comment	In Disney's Buzz Lightyear of Star Command series, Commander Nebula constantly expresses his frustration that his rank forces him to do more paperwork than shooting. Worse yet, he has a flying desk that forces him back on it to do his work.
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Desk Jockey / int_a6658fee	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_a6658fee	comment	Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October is a heroic desk jockey that becomes a Badass Unintentional.
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The Hunt for Red October	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_a6658fee
Desk Jockey / int_a90d239a	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_a90d239a	comment	Ford Cruller from Psychonauts, despite being a Psychomaster (a very high-ranking position), is relegated to being the campus' Mission Control, janitor, ranger, cook, store owner, and jack-of-all-trades. This is because his duel with the powerful psychic villain Maligula shattered his mind, causing him to switch through different bumbling personalities. He can maintain his true Psychonaut persona only when he's exposed to Psitanium - and it's only temporary, with the exception of the gigantic piece of Psitanium contained in his sanctuary.
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Desk Jockey / int_afa87e53	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_afa87e53	comment	Most of the color commentators in the Backyard Sports series, with the exception of Vinnie the Gooch and Jack Fouler, were once players but are now confined to watching. Chuck Downfield is basically retired (as he has a charlie horse), but the others, with the exception of Earl Grey, are unlockable players.
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Desk Jockey / int_ba3d2748	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_ba3d2748	comment	Mr. Incredible in The Incredibles is forced into mundane work after excessive lawsuits obliges the government to set up a legal protection program for supers. He spends his free time listening to police scanners and indulging in small acts of illicit heroism until someone finally offers him a chance to go legit. His family was relocated several times because he got caught and in the story he's an insurance claims adjuster (in which he also tries being heroic, [not] telling an old lady how to avoid excessive bureaucracy).
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Desk Jockey / int_be492827	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_be492827	comment	In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, one character complains about having to stare at a computer screen by a checkpoint, saying that it would never happen to Samus. It should be mentioned that said character is rather dead when the player encounters her.
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Desk Jockey / int_bf1e7c24	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_bf1e7c24	comment	In First Blood, Col. Trautman gives this as the reason Rambo couldn't get in touch with him at his old posting of Fort Bragg.
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First Blood	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_bf1e7c24
Desk Jockey / int_c2e48301	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_c2e48301	comment	In The Hunt for Red October, Jack Ryan is a CIA analyst forced by circumstances into a field operation. This happens again in The Cardinal of the Kremlin and Clear and Present Danger ... and in Patriot Games, it's shown how an operation against him is what put him in the analyst's desk to start with.
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The Hunt for Red October	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_c2e48301
Desk Jockey / int_c35714d6	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_c35714d6	comment	Captain Darling in Blackadder Goes Forth is the personal secretary of General Melchett and also works as a logistics officer. He and Blackadder hate each others' guts, because Darling (in getting a desk job and thus escaping the trenches) has succeeded at what Blackadder is constantly trying to do. Until the final episode, where Melchett 'promotes' him to join Blackadder's unit for an attack.
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Blackadder	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_c35714d6
Desk Jockey / int_c9fecd11	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_c9fecd11	comment	The Bill used to delight in these. Several characters would almost always be seen inside the station: Chief Superintendent Brownlow - The officer in overall charge of the station. As Da Chief he would usually be busy with bureaucracy, appraisals and management briefings. It really was a special occasion if Brownlow was involved in a police operation. Brownlow was written out in 2000, to be replaced with a more 'modern image' Superintendent, who made his mark on the show by immediately becoming interested in on-foot policing and heavily involved in field operations Chief Inspector Conway - The senior manager for operations. Helped put into place whatever decisions were made by Ch Supt Brownlow. Conway was sometimes involved in actual policing but very rarely. As a trained negotiator, most of the time Conway would be seen outside of the station would be if there was a hostage situation. Conway was written out of the show in 2002 when the Crime Time Soap era of the show necessitated a major overhaul of the cast. The rank of Chief Inspector was never replaced as the show's writers felt that Chief Inspectors were too desk bound and didn't fit any suitable narrative role. Inspector Monroe - The officer responsible for actual operational activities and shift manager for the station. Monroe was actually an active officer for most of his tenure on the show (1990-2002), involved in numerous operations and being heavily involved with actual policing but towards the end of his time, he became more and more of a desk jockey. The reasoning for this was because of the show's descent into a Crime Time Soap; as the show started to revolve around the officers' private lives more, the show's writing seemingly eliminated almost every scene where an Inspector would be involved, with Constables and Sergeants nervously working to cover their dramas and indiscretions instead of an Inspector stepping in to resolve the situation. Monroe was eventually written out of the show at the same time as Ch Insp Conway when they Dropped a Bridge on Him. A new Inspector, Inspector Gold, was transferred in to replace him but with a very different personality to add a different dynamic to the now soap opera show. Averted with CID; by their very nature, Detectives were investigating numerous crimes simultaneously and although Detective Chief Inspector Meadows did have a lot of office-based episodes, he was frequently seen on the streets leading his team. Even Detective Superintendents with AMIP would be doing actual police work as the Senior Investigating Officers of murder enquiries. Very senior officers like Commanders and Deputy Assistant Commissioners rarely appeared on the show but were likewise nothing more than table props, usually of the Obstructive Bureaucrat type.
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Desk Jockey / int_cac20f89	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_cac20f89	comment	In ''JAG, the male lead Harmon Rabb is a former carrier based fighter pilot who became a military lawyer after being grounded for medical reasons. He is treated with the same derision by active carrier aviators, as they would treat any deskbound Staff Officer. However, Commander Lindsey stands out even among the JAG Corps as a desk jockey - he spent a lot of time in an administrative role shuffling papers instead of fighting cases in court. Lindsey is passed over for elevation to Captain for this reason.
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Desk Jockey / int_cbad9b62	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_cbad9b62	comment	Alex Cazerne in Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a logistics officer whose talents in organisation and management made him one of the core members of the Yang Fleet, and thus one of the main characters.
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Desk Jockey / int_cd899ed6	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_cd899ed6	comment	In the Grand Finale of The Shield, this is the core of the probation Vic is required to carry out. Much to his disgust ("I don't do desks!").
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Desk Jockey / int_d53b46c1	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_d53b46c1	comment	Allen in The Other Guys chose the most stable and dull job he could think of in the police force, 'forensic accounting', to try to avoid the 'craziness' of his old days as a pimp. It doesn't work.
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Desk Jockey / int_da52a723	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_da52a723	comment	Rivers of London: Fresh-out-of-training PC Peter Grant is dismayed to find that he is being given a desk job in the police force, however an encounter with a ghost (and ghost-hunting DCI Nightingale) gets him transferred to the police's supernatural crimes department. Played with in that his colleague WPC Lesley May, also fresh out of training, is posted to the glamorous homicide department, and ends up doing their data entry.
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Desk Jockey / int_dd246c83	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_dd246c83	comment	In Madam Secretary's pilot episode, George's suspicions about the death of preceding Secretary of State Vincent Marsh are initially dismissed as paranoia brought on by him having trouble adjusting to being stuck behind a desk after spending most of his career in fieldwork. He's completely correct, and is Killed to Uphold the Masquerade.
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Desk Jockey / int_df558159	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_df558159	comment	ARES:The Gods of War: Downplayed in that he's still in a field position, but due to John-117 getting a promotion to Commander after joining the Ark, he shown to be saddled with helping the existing Commander Aloysha Harris run the Outpost, including quite a bit of paperwork. Kelly actually ribs him over it.
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Desk Jockey / int_e694aadb	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_e694aadb	comment	Ciaphas Cain would love to be one of these. But his inflated reputation as the HERO OF THE IMPERIUM means he keeps being sent out to lead his troops on campaigns anyway much to his chagrin.
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Desk Jockey / int_e88d86c2	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_e88d86c2	comment	At the beginning of The Right Stuff both John Glenn and Alan Shepard are about to be turned into this. They are the best test pilots in the US Armed Forces but their expertise in aircraft design makes them also invaluable in desk roles, helped design the next generation of aircraft or spacecraft. The creation of NASA and the Mercury Project saves them from that fate.
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Desk Jockey / int_e936047a	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_e936047a	comment	A Veteran's Day episode of Hey Arnold! reveals that Gerald's father Martin served as one of these in Vietnam; apparently he was sick during basic training, so they only let him be a clerk.note This is very much not how it works in real life. They call it "basic" training for a reason: you have to complete it even to have a desk job in the army. Although, we're probably meant to assume that Martin didn't get sent home because it's The Vietnam War and they were short-handed. Gerald is disappointed at this, wishing his dad had a more exciting tour of duty, only to discover that he saved the life of a fellow soldier by administering emergency first aid while passing through a combat zone.
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Desk Jockey / int_ef076a36	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_ef076a36	comment	Crewman Mortimer Harren on Star Trek: Voyager is an example of this on the other end of the rank scale — he only joined Starfleet because he needed a year's experience in practical cosmological study to attend a specific scientific institute. Once he got stranded in the Delta Quadrant, he does everything he can to be given the least amount of work possible and refuses any sort of away mission.
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Desk Jockey / int_f186d60d	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_f186d60d	comment	Wet Desert: Tracking Down a Terrorist on the Colorado River: The Commissioner Roland is completely out of depth at the Hoover Dam crisis, being more used to politics and money than at crisis management.
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Desk Jockey / int_f22e6bb4	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_f22e6bb4	comment	Specialist Grimes in Black Hawk Down asks to participate in a mission. He complains that the only reason he's a desk jockey is because he knows how to type and that he was a veteran of Desert Storm and Panama, but in those operations, all he ever did was make coffee. When he does finally see action, of course, it is when the entire operation goes pear-shaped. He proves quite capable, though he he manages to both be a member of a Badass Army and an Action Survivor. It's the rare Action Survivor that starts the action carrying a grenade launcher. It's notable that he is an Army Ranger, though.
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Desk Jockey / int_f3ef0f86	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_f3ef0f86	comment	Artemis Fowl: Holly Short was initially going to turn down her promotion to Major because she didn't want to be taken out of the field. Just before she is about to officially turn down the position to Commander Root, he preemptively tells her about when he was on the verge of being promoted to Major and tried to turn it down, to which his Commander responded "this promotion isn't for you, it's for the People". Having convinced her to accept the job, he consoles her with the fact that Majors can occasionally assign minor missions to themselves. Root himself, of course. He does occasionally go out on missions of particular importance (such as locating a field officer captured by humans) or unofficial ones (Root was unwilling to command any of his officers to take part in a mission as repayment for Artemis), and insists on personally examining prospective recruits.
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Artemis Fowl	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_f3ef0f86
Desk Jockey / int_f599977e	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_f599977e	comment	Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown: Colonel McKinsey hopes to become one of these by hoarding all of the Spare Squadronâ€™s accomplishments to himself, to get as far away from the frontlines as possible. However, it ends up backfiring on him, because according to Osea High Command, his â€œaccomplishmentsâ€� means that heâ€™s the right man to lead the frontlines against Erusea.
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Desk Jockey / int_f8956ef3	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_f8956ef3	comment	Koenma in YuYu Hakusho spends most of his time as a bureaucrat for the Underworld, behind a desk. He does occasionally accompany the heroes, such as to the Dark Tournament or in the climax of the fight with Sensui, but doesn't do much himself.
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YuYu Hakusho (Manga)	hasFeature	Desk Jockey / int_f8956ef3
Desk Jockey / int_f953dbb1	type	Desk Jockey
Desk Jockey / int_f953dbb1	comment	They seem to have returned to the battlefield in Magical Record Lyrical Nanoha Force but Hayate's first CMOA in that series went awry and she got stabbed in the process.
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The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Desk Jockey	processingCategory2	I Need an Index by Monday
Desk Jockey	processingCategory2	Military and Warfare Tropes
Robotech / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Sgt. Rock (Comic Book) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Transformers Megaseries (Comic Book) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Wonder Woman (Charles Moulton) (Comic Book) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Terry and the Pirates (Comic Strip) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Eugenesis	seeAlso	Desk Jockey
ARES:The Gods of War (Fanfic) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Price of Flight (Fanfic) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Agent Carter / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Black Hawk Down / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
C.K. dezerterzy / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Demons of War / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Die Hard / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Falling Down / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Heartbreak Ridge / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Lone Survivor / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Memphis Belle / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Patton / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Phffft! / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Red Tails / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Rules of Engagement / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Americanization of Emily / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Hill / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Human Factor / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Hurt Locker / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Other Guys / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Peacemaker / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Dragnet (Franchise) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Forward the Foundation / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Modesty Blaise / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Rivers of London / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Starship Troopers / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Laundry Series	seeAlso	Desk Jockey
Wet Desert: Tracking Down a Terrorist on the Colorado River / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Catzalcoatl	seeAlso	Desk Jockey
ColonelBadAss	seeAlso	Desk Jockey
SAYER (Podcast) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Agent Carter / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Chicago P.D. / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
For All Mankind / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Masters of the Air / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Orange Is the New Black / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Raumpatrouille / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Bill / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Blacklist / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Fall / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Fall (2013) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Right Stuff / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
H.M.S. Pinafore (Theatre) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Backyard Sports (Video Game) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Police Quest 4: Open Season (Video Game) / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Incredibles / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey
The Incredibles / int_a32dcd7f	type	Desk Jockey

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