United Nations in popular culture

Popular culture references to the United Nations have been made in several media, including film, books, video games, and others. In many instances, the United Nations (or a fictional agency thereof) will figure in a storyline. In the case of science fiction, for example, the humans are united under one government that is decended directly from the UN.

In Film

The United Nations is the setting for a mouse variation thereof called the Rescue Aid Society in the Disney movie "The Rescuers".

Also, in the Donald Duck cartoon, "Donald in Mathmagic Land", the United Nations building is used as an example of the usage of the mathematical golden rectangle in modern architecture.

Alfred Hitchcock, director of the 1958 film "North by Northwest", wanted to film in the UN but did not have permission. Shots were secretly done and recreated on a sound stage.

The 2005 film "The Interpreter" is the first, and to date only, feature to be filmed on location in the UN. It features Nicole Kidman as a UN interpreter who inadvertently overhears a plot to assassinate a fictional African dictator (the character appears to be based on Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe). Secretary General Kofi Annan commented on "The Interpreter" that "the intention was really to do something dignified, something that is honest and reflects the work that this Organisation does. And it is with that spirit that the producers and the directors approached their work, and I hope you will all agree they have done that."

The United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Force appeared in the "Godzilla" film series.

The movies based on the Left Behind series were not filmed at the UN, and in fact, stand-ins for the UN buildings in New York are unconvincing. In the first film, the thirteen provincial and territorial flags of Canada are visible as if they were UN member nations. The logo is also totally dissimilar to the UN logos.

In the movie "The Art of War," Wesley Snipes portrays an agent of a fictional UN espionage agency.

In "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," Admiral Nelson goes to the United Nations with his plan save the world from the burning Van Allen belt.

In Russell Doughten's end-times movie "A Thief In The Night," the UN adds another title to its new distinction as a one-world government. It is now called UNITE, or the United Nations Imperium of Total Emergency.

In the Animatrix short film "The Second Renaissance", the UN rejects the machine nation Zero-One's applications for membership. The rebuff sets off a war that would later end with the rout of the humans by the machine army. The UN headquarters is destroyed by a machine ambassador signing an armistice document.

Video and Computer Games

* A Model UN in the format of a Forum was used for role-playing in the online game , until a Cease-and-Desist letter from the actual United Nations caused it to be renamed.
*A fictional spec-ops unit named Ghosts featured in SEGA's light gun arcade game "Ghost Squad" is established under an organization funded by the UN named Multiple Operations Platform.
* United Nations Space Command in the "Halo" video game series
* United Nations Global Defense Initiative from the "Command & Conquer" game series
* United Nations Space Force in the "Zone of the Enders" video game series
* United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition in "Deus Ex"
* The United Nations can be built as a World Wonder in Sid Meier's "Civilization" series.
* United Nations Interstellar Colonisation Agency in Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
* In "", the protagonist Solid Snake's involvement in the story is at the request of the United Nations.
* In "Ace Combat Zero", the Assembly of Nations is an organization very similar to the real world UN.
* In "", a futuristic version of the UN exists, called the Neo United Nations (NUN), with Gabriel Clarkson as Secretary-General.
* In "Surveillance Kanshisha", the UN establishes a counter-terrorist unit called Shadow Sword in order to safeguard the Earth-Mars space travel route and the people using it from a mysterious terrorist group called Neo-Kleit.

Anime and Comics

* S.H.I.E.L.D., a planetary defense/intelligence service often depicted as UN-affiliated in the Marvel Universe line of comic books.
* Checkmate began filling a similar role in the DC Universe line of comic books in 2006.
* U.N.C.L.E., the fictional organisation featured in the television series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." was based in New York with an international staff, and has often been presumed to be at least UN-related, in spite of objections made by the series' production company on legal grounds.
* U.N. Spacy, a fictional military arm of the Earth U.N. Government (地球統合政府 "Chikyuu Tougou Seifu") from the Japanese anime series "Macross".
* The Gutsy Galaxy Guard (A.K.A. "GGG"; pronounced "Three-G"), a branch of the United Nations Earth Defense Force in "The King of Braves GaoGaiGar". (The Secretary General of the UN in this show's universe is identified by name and visage as the character Rose Approval)
* United Nations Special Agency NERV (usually shortened to NERV) in "Neon Genesis Evangelion" In Neon Genesis Evangelion the United Nations is extremely powerful, and has a very strong standing army (unlike in the real world, where UN Peacekeepers are small numbers of troops donated by countries).
* In the Wildstorm universe the UN, through its top-secret Special Security Council, has taken an active role in monitoring and dealing with posthumans and, to this end, formed both the superpowered Stormwatch and the largely unenhanced . The on-and-off leader Jackson King is often portrayed in the UN buildings in New York and when he walks out and forms The Monarchy the UN assign special agent Morro to monitor his activities.
* "FLAG", a documentary-style anime series from 2006, is about a fictional war in central Asia and the UN flag that is raised above the battlefield which may be the key to peace. UN peacekeepers involved in the anime are known as UNF (United Nations Forces) peacekeepers.
* UN peacekeepers had participated in the Central/South American wars and in the Second Korean War in "". However, they have white ballistic helmets instead of blue helmets.
* In "Mobile Suit Gundam 00", United Nations is providing a large-scale United Nations' Peacekeeping Army those formed by World Economic Union, Human Reform Alliance, and Advanced European Union, with bundling their respective armies, in order to defeat the Gundams, with their new mobile suit, GNX-603T GN-X. But later in 2312 A.D., United Nations has disbanded and replaced with the newly-formed Earth Sphere Federation, in charge to unite and bring up together all states as one real unity.

Novels and TV

* United Nations Anti-Crime Organisation in novels drafted by Alistair MacLean and written by various authors including Alastair MacNeill, John Denis, Simon Gandolfi and Hugh Miller
* United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) in "Doctor Who"
* United Nations International Critical Response and Tactical Team (UNICRATT) in the novel "Sahara" by "Clive Cussler"
* In the Seafort Saga by David Feintuch the United Nations is the government of Earth and its colonies, and exercises control through the United Nations Naval Service.
* The United Nations appears as the governing body of Earth in "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman, with its military arm being the United Nations Exploratory Force.
* In "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", network president Jordan McDeere purchases the rights to a television show entitled "Nations", to be set behind the scene in the United Nations.
*A secret anti-terrorist unit called EArth Guard LEague or EAGLE was established in Himitsu Sentai Goranger.
* One of the novels in the Choose Your Own Adventure book series is called UN Adventure, where the reader is a Model United Nations delegate that could be tasked to handle diplomatic assignments. One of them is verifying the existence of nuclear weapons inside the fictional former Soviet republic of Arkistan.
*The Amalgamated Regional Militia in the Known Space universe began as a UN agency, and by the time of the books has become the de facto government of Earth.
*In the original miniseries of the science-fiction show V, the UN Secretary-General (who is depicted as Swedish) makes first contact with the aliens known as the Visitors inside their transport, which landed on the UN headquarters' rooftop.
*The World Council takes the place of the UN in the Centurions.

Music

* In "Summertime Blues", Eddie Cochran sings "I'm gonna take my problem to the United Nations," appealing the decisions of a school-age boy's boss and parents that interfere with his summer social life.
*In Megadeth's 2007 album United Abominations, The United Nations is severely criticized and described as "a blot on the face of humanity." This is defended by several examples, including ambassadors using diplomatic immunity to live a tax-free life and commit crimes, the fact that the UN is never there when they are needed most, and that American and NATO forces end up doing the fighting instead of the UN. It is also expressed the opinion that "our so-called allies" are not pulling their share of the work and sometimes even work directly against the United States.This isn't the first time Megadeth portray UN in a negative manner, on the cover of their album Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? shows theirmascot Vic Rattlehead standing in front of the UN building after a devastating nuclear war, with a sign "For sale".
* In "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend they mention the United Nations: "Show your paintings at the United Nations"

References to fictional similar organizations

Similar-themed world or galactic bodies that model the UN in some way include:

* Allied Nations
** The movie Street Fighter has the AN invade Shadaloo City to oust the warlord M. Bison
** The Xbox/PS2 game emulates the UN in many ways. Their soldiers and insignia even sport similarities with real UN Peacekeepers.
* Democratic Order of Planets (DOOP) from "Futurama"
* Earth Sphere Unified Nation (ESUN) and other related organizations from the Gundam Universe
* Federated Territories, from "The Fifth Element". World government in 2263. It consists of Earth and its space-faring territories.
* The Galactic Republic from Star Wars movies and books.
* Global Community, from "Left Behind". In the "Left Behind" series of novels and films, the UN is renamed the Global Community by Nicolae Carpathia shortly after he was elected the new UN Secretary-General. The Global Community is meant to be the one world government prophecised in the "Holy Bible".
* League of Non-Aligned Worlds, Earth Alliance, and Interstellar Alliance from Babylon 5.
* One Nation Earth (aka O.N.E.), from the "Apocalypse" film series, and headed by Franco Macalousso. As with "Left Behind", O.N.E. is meant to be the one-world government as prophecised in the "Holy Bible".
* United Federation of Planets from Star Trek. Based on the United Nations.
* United Earth Oceans from seaQuest DSV
* United Powers League (UPL) and United Earth Directorate (UED) in StarCraft
* United World Organization was one of the Batman television series' renamings of real-world organizations; UWO's security council had only nine members, not eleven or fifteen
*The Federation is the successor to the UN in the anime "RahXephon".