In Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, both Allan Quartermain and Captain Nemo are brought out of retirement (and, in the case of Quartermain, opium addiction) to serve the British Empire.
Kind of an unconventional example, but I'd like to propose the SDF-1 from 'Macross'. After sitting quietly in a lake for a few years, it's launched one more time to repel an alien starship attack -- and where it was able to destroy an entire Zentraedi armada in the past, a single rotting husk of a spaceship is able to inflict massive damage upon it before being destroyed. (Fortunately they fix it later, in time for 'Macross Plus'.)
Not science fiction but rather history. They called this guy back, not once but twice to save the day.
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (519 BC – 430 BC?) was an ancient Roman political figure, serving as consul in 460 BC and Roman dictator in 458 BC and 439 BC.[1]
Ellen Ripley in Aliens. Sure, she wasn't so much "retired" as she was in stasis for 57 years and then "fired," but she did decide to go back to LV-426 to help destroy the aliens.
@Dr Emilio Lizardo: If you are wrong and I had to guess, I would say the fact that they even made an "old Picard" action figure is amazing. Images of it certainly need to be thrown out there from time to time. It's also possible it was easier to find than a good picture of old Picard from the episode (the internet is a funny place like that).
It's not SF, but my favorite version of this trope (which is just as common in Sports movies as Action movies) is Adam Carolla's proposed film "The Snapper."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKK2zCEkLNU
Edit: Sorry, can't get the html to work for some strange reason. But that's the link for the audio description.
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Everybody called back is an ALL TIME, CARD CARRYING BADASS HALL OF FAME member!
When the shit hits the fan, nobody wants to fuck around. You go get the best no matter where they are.
I mean this list could just be entitled "BAD MOTHER FUCKERS WE FOUND WE CAN'T SURVIVE WITHOUT".
And you forgot John Spartan. And John Rambo (the "syfy" link is the massive roids/hgh needed; chemistry is "syfy").
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The greatest hero of the age comes out of retirement for the last, greatest, most hopeless battle. Heroic fiction at its best.
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And "The Last Defender of Camelot" by Roger Zelazny. An ageless Lancelot returns for one last battle . . .
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Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (519 BC – 430 BC?) was an ancient Roman political figure, serving as consul in 460 BC and Roman dictator in 458 BC and 439 BC.[1]
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Cincinnati.
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BTW, thanks again for the edit button!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKK2zCEkLNU
Edit: Sorry, can't get the html to work for some strange reason. But that's the link for the audio description.