| abstract | - Still wet behind the ears and fresh out of boot camp, New Meat is exactly that. He may look like a soldier, but he lacks the combat experience to actually perform up to the fighting standard of The Squad. Generally young; some men may characterize him as a child. He's a bit loathed by the rest of the men because he constantly asks questions or makes mistakes that hinder their progress. Prone not to appreciate A Father to His Men's stern but necessary discipline. Some of the more seasoned members may even consider his rookie status a risk and petition the commander(s) to get rid of him. Usually, this is reconciled only by New Meat doing something notably competent or heroic in battle, after which he's accepted as "one of the guys". Then the next New Meat comes along. Otherwise, New Meat serves little function other than to get killed so that others can brood over his corpse about what a waste his death was -- "the kid never had a chance". The New Meat is also a writer's shortcut to introduce the characters of an already established team. Since they have been working together for so long, it is difficult to justify why they would talk about their past. The New Meat character is introduced so that they can tell him the backstory. Often portrayed as skinny or physically smaller than the rest of The Squad members to show he hasn't yet grown into the role of battle-hardened combat vet. Used as a variant of the Red Shirt and killed off when the writers need to provide extra motivation for The Squad to disobey orders, kill innocents or act in other ways out of the ordinary. Ironically, the New Meat may be on the short list of survivors when the writer decides to Kill'Em All, so their Older and Wiser self can welcome their own New Meat as a Book End to their story. See Ensign Newbie if the guy in question has a commission. May be Cannon Fodder if the higher-ups are sadistic or desperate. Also common in Police Procedural or other "action team" shows, where he/she will be a newcomer, fresh out of The Academy/recruitment. Examples of New Meat include:
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