# Fiction where "the good guys" use chemical/biological weapons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2016, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268 "2016-09-30T03:49:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/1 "2016-09-30T03:49:40Z")
In modern fiction, as in modern warfare, there tends to be a kind of taboo against using Weapons of Mass Destruction. Because of legal proscriptions, fears of retaliation, or moral or ethical distress. Although, as with almost anything, there are exceptions. There are a number of fictional examples where nuclear weapons have been used by the “good guys” to save the day, or at least with justification. But the thing is, I’m having a hard time thinking of examples of _chemical or biological_ weapons being used in the same way. I had a couple, mentioned below, but that’s about it. So, I thought I’d outsource the question, and pick some other brains on the subject. To avoid overly cluttering the issue, the “rules” are: 1. The weapons had to have been used in a military context (i.e., not for an assassination or a murder). 2. The weapons weren’t stolen from and/or turned back against a bad guy who’d used or planned on using them first. 3. “Knock out gas” doesn’t count. 4. Uses by “anti-heroes,” even for arguably dubious causes, are fine. Right now, I can think of… •The Wild Geese (1978), a group of mercenary commandos use cyanide (both gas, and poisoned crossbow bolts (!) ) when taking down a remote African fort. Probably at the bare minimum of the “military operation” definition, though. • In the _League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_ comic, a bacteriological weapon is employed against invading Martians. •I _think_ I read that in one or more of Turtledove’s _Worldwar_ books, chemical weapons are employed against the alien Lizards, but I’m not certain. But, like I said, after that my tank runs dry. Can anyone else weigh in? ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/2 "2016-09-30T04:01:36Z")
One of the chapters in \*World War Z \*has the Russians (I think) use chemical weapons against groups of refugees as a ‘blunt object’ way of determining which ones had been infected with the zombie virus as a way to try to prevent the spread. Basically: kill 'em all and the ones that get back up are zombies - which you can then deal with. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/3 "2016-09-30T12:45:11Z")
In the Deep Space Nine episode [For the Uniform](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/For_the_Uniform_(episode)), Benjamin Sisko poisoned an entire planet and threatened to do the same to others. > [@](#): > > Sisko then proceeds with the same strategy the Maquis had been using, he prepares to launch biogenic weapons comprised of trilithium resin at a Maquis settlement, a reversal of Eddington’s weapon, the resin bomb would poison the atmosphere with a toxin that is deadly to Humans, but harmless to Cardassians. Sisko broadcasts a message revealing his intentions, but Eddington dismisses it as a Federation bluff. Sisko then orders the weapons fired, and Worf initially hesitates as he and the rest of the bridge crew are shocked that Sisko is following through with his threat. Sisko repeats his order, and Worf launches the weapons which do their job and poison the atmosphere, with Maquis transports scrambling to evacuate the settlement. Sisko announces that he plans to continue his campaign against all of the Maquis colonies in the DMZ, telling Eddington that when he attacked the Malinche the Maquis proved themselves to be an unacceptable threat to the Federation. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/4 "2016-09-30T13:43:48Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > I _think_ I read that in one or more of Turtledove’s _Worldwar_ books, chemical weapons are employed against the alien Lizards, but I’m not certain. Yes, the British use mustard gas against the lizard during the invasion of England. Subsequently the other human powers deploy gas. In Heinlein’s Starship Troopers the Mobile Infantry uses nerve gas on the bugs. They toss gas bombs down the holes that serve as entrances to the bug’s hive and then use high explosives to seal the hole. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/5 "2016-09-30T13:50:29Z")
No offense, but defining the Wild Geese as “good guys” makes the phrase meaningless. Perhaps you should just restate it as “protagonists”. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/6 "2016-09-30T14:28:59Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > In the Deep Space Nine episode [For the Uniform](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/For_the_Uniform_(episode)), Benjamin Sisko poisoned an entire planet and threatened to do the same to others. …then there was the time that Scotty tribbled the Klingons. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/7 "2016-09-30T14:48:15Z")
_spoilers for a 1977 novel_ Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven. Good guy survivors of an comet impact use mustard gas on the bad guy survivors. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/8 "2016-09-30T15:33:11Z")
In the mid-80s mini-series “V” and “V: The Final Battle” the good guys deploy a bacteriological weapon against the Visitors with great effect, driving them from the surface of Earth and forcing them to activate their Doomsday Device. Elizabeth breaks it. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/9 "2016-09-30T16:01:16Z")
The Tripods series - the heroes poison the alien’s water supplies. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/10 "2016-09-30T16:03:13Z")
It fails on the first requirement of military usage but I still feel compelled to mention the passive use of viral warfare in **H G Wells War of the Worlds.** TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/11 "2016-09-30T16:18:00Z")
You’d probably want a rule about using it against (nominally) human(-like) opponents. In **Aliens** , they mention using nerve gas on the xenomorphs but decide against it only because they don’t know if it’ll be effective against their alien physiology. Still, even if they had gone ahead with it, I doubt it’s what you’re looking for. After that idea, of course, they decide on just nuking the site from orbit. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/12 "2016-09-30T16:22:01Z")
_Tuff Voyaging,_ by George R.R. Martin. It’s about an enigmatic space trader who finds an abandoned biological warfare ship, and uses its considerable capabilities to help planets in trouble - often in ways they don’t foresee, or like. It’s a good book, and with much less sex & violence than you’d expect from Martin. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/13 "2016-09-30T16:26:52Z")
In Heinlein’s _The Puppet Masters,_ the protagonists use a plague to kill the mind-controlling Slugs. In the Lords of Dus series, peasants killed a dragon that had killed multiple champions and destroyed armies by the simple expedient of feeding it poisoned sheep. In the backstory of _Tuf Voyaging,_ humanity used biological warfare on a planetary scale against its enemies; thus the “seedship” which is an integral part of the plot. Tuf himself does so, including secretly seeding a warlike overpopulated planet with sterility-inducing plants. And the alien “mud pots” waged war against humans with their own biological weapons, since the humans in question kept eating them. EDIT: And beaten by just a few minutes… ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/14 "2016-10-03T12:41:07Z")
I am no authority on \*\*Star Trek \*\*but I vaguely recall they specifically created viruses (might be computer viruses) to infect the Borg. Not sure whether it was Picard, Janeway or both. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/15 "2016-10-03T13:08:04Z")
_King Kong_–the Ape was stopped with gas grenades, then captured alive. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/16 "2016-10-03T23:55:08Z")
In Dean Koontz’s _Lightning_, the good guys use some kind of chemical weapon on the bad guys. Further plot spoilers The bad guys are WWII-era Nazis with a time machine going forward to get knowledge/tech from the future to win the war. The good guys are a former WWII-era Nazi who realizes he was on the side of evil and a woman who he falls in love with (and makes multiple jumps forward to save her from terrible fates). At some point, he goes back to WWII with nerve gas to kill the other Nazis and destroy the time machine project. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/17 "2016-10-04T02:07:46Z")
Well in _Hitler, Rise of Evil_, the Allies used poison gas on the Germans, and you literally see Hitler get gassed. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/18 "2016-10-04T02:24:13Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > _King Kong_–the Ape was stopped with gas grenades, then captured alive. In Godzilla the Oxygen Destroyer was used to stop the big guy. It’s inventor was reluctant to allow the use of the weapon for fear of proliferation. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/19 "2016-10-04T10:42:09Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > _spoilers for a 1977 novel_ Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven. Good guy survivors of an comet impact use mustard gas on the bad guy survivors. In the book Ringworld and its sequels, it’s revealed that one of the main puppeteer characters is responsible for seeding the Ringworld with a biological agent that destroys superconductors, causing civilization to crash. And in the book Protector, the Brennan-monster uses a chemical agent (water) on the Martians and another human protector deliberately infects the planet Home with a virus that kills most of the inhabitants. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268/20 "2016-10-04T14:33:51Z")
In _Battlestar Galactica_, the heroes attempt to use a biological weapon against the Cylons, but that act is not itself portrayed as heroic, and one of them sabotages the attack, and is portrayed as heroic for doing so. At least, I think that’s the way it went down-- It’s been a while, so I might be misremembering. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiction-where-the-good-guys-use-chemical-biological-weapons/767268.md?page=2)