General Orlov
Encyclopedia
General Orlov is a fictional character
and major antagonist in the James Bond
film Octopussy
, played by Steven Berkoff
. At first the audience is led to believe that Orlov is the main antagonist
of the film. However, it is later revealed that his contact Kamal Khan
is the real villain. In the film, he states that the Soviet Army
divisions in East Germany are under his direct command, implying that he is commander-in-chief
of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
. He wears the rank insignia
of a lieutenant general
.
Orlov is a megalomania
cal Soviet General who believes that the Warsaw Pact
has a decisive advantage over NATO in conventional military strength that is being tossed away by its leaders in détente
. Rejecting their diplomacy, he advocates a massive military attack in Europe to seize dominance of the continent and call (what he thinks is) NATO's nuclear bluff. However, his proposal for a full-scale invasion of Europe is flatly rejected, with General Gogol
being the loudest voice, in part because NATO would respond with nuclear strikes
that would escalate the conflict to a global nuclear war
. Gogol also seems to hold Orlov in contempt, feeling that his thirst for power is dangerous.
To eliminate that objection, Orlov's plan involves the detonation of an atomic bomb at a circus performance inside a United States Air Force
base in West Germany
. The effects of the bomb would be indistinguishable from American atomic bombs, and the explosion would be assumed to be an accident (as a nuclear strike would trigger the Air Force's early warning systems), prompting nuclear disarmament throughout the West and the East. Under Orlov's reasoning, with the nuclear factor taken out of the equation, the superior numbers of the Soviets would then be able to defeat the West without threat of nuclear reprisal, or even resistance, from NATO.
Orlov's accomplice in this scheme is Kamal Khan
, an exile
d Afghan
prince involved in jewelry smuggling. He pays Khan by stealing priceless Fabergé egg
s from state depositories and replacing them with counterfeits. He gets Bond's attention when MI6
agent 009, who had been working undercover, is killed with one of the counterfeits in his possession in West Germany.
Bond eventually confronts Orlov and attempts to force him to stop the train carrying the bomb. When Russian troops intervene, Orlov escapes and pursues Bond to the border by car, and follows the route of the railway when Bond jumps from the car onto the train (he had positioned the wheels of a stolen car onto the tracks after its tyres were punctured).
Orlov finally catches up with the train but is killed when he tries to jump onto the back of the circus train crossing the border between East and West Germany and is gunned down by soldiers guarding the border. By this point, General Gogol had discovered Orlov's role in the jewelery smuggling. As Gogol calls him a disgrace, Orlov utters his last words: "Yes, but tomorrow, I shall be a Hero of the Soviet Union
," unaware that James Bond is about to foil the scheme.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and major antagonist in the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Octopussy
Octopussy
Octopussy is the thirteenth entry in the James Bond series, and the sixth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's title is taken from a short story in Ian Fleming's 1966 short story collection Octopussy and The Living Daylights...
, played by Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...
. At first the audience is led to believe that Orlov is the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the film. However, it is later revealed that his contact Kamal Khan
Kamal Khan
Kamal Khan is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film Octopussy. He is portrayed by Louis Jourdan.Khan is a suave exiled Afghan prince living in India in the Monsoon Palace. He has a penchant for fine food and liquor, priceless jewels, "hunting" humans, and atomic...
is the real villain. In the film, he states that the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
divisions in East Germany are under his direct command, implying that he is commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany , also known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany and the Western Group of Forces were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany....
. He wears the rank insignia
Military ranks of the Soviet Union
The military ranks of the Soviet Union were those introduced after the October Revolution of 1917. At that time the Imperial Russian Table of Ranks was abolished, as were the privileges of the pre-Soviet Russian nobility....
of a lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
.
Orlov is a megalomania
Megalomania
Megalomania is a psycho-pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, or omnipotence. 'Megalomania is characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation by persons of their powers and beliefs'...
cal Soviet General who believes that the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
has a decisive advantage over NATO in conventional military strength that is being tossed away by its leaders in détente
Détente
Détente is the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation. The term is often used in reference to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1970s, a thawing at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War...
. Rejecting their diplomacy, he advocates a massive military attack in Europe to seize dominance of the continent and call (what he thinks is) NATO's nuclear bluff. However, his proposal for a full-scale invasion of Europe is flatly rejected, with General Gogol
General Gogol
General Anatol Alexis Gogol is a fictional character in the James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, and The Living Daylights. In the films, he is the head of the KGB. In his final appearance in The Living Daylights, he has transferred from...
being the loudest voice, in part because NATO would respond with nuclear strikes
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
that would escalate the conflict to a global nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
. Gogol also seems to hold Orlov in contempt, feeling that his thirst for power is dangerous.
To eliminate that objection, Orlov's plan involves the detonation of an atomic bomb at a circus performance inside a United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
base in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. The effects of the bomb would be indistinguishable from American atomic bombs, and the explosion would be assumed to be an accident (as a nuclear strike would trigger the Air Force's early warning systems), prompting nuclear disarmament throughout the West and the East. Under Orlov's reasoning, with the nuclear factor taken out of the equation, the superior numbers of the Soviets would then be able to defeat the West without threat of nuclear reprisal, or even resistance, from NATO.
Orlov's accomplice in this scheme is Kamal Khan
Kamal Khan
Kamal Khan is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film Octopussy. He is portrayed by Louis Jourdan.Khan is a suave exiled Afghan prince living in India in the Monsoon Palace. He has a penchant for fine food and liquor, priceless jewels, "hunting" humans, and atomic...
, an exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
prince involved in jewelry smuggling. He pays Khan by stealing priceless Fabergé egg
Fabergé egg
A Fabergé egg is any one of the thousands of jeweled eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 to 1917. Most were miniature eggs that were popular gifts at Eastertide...
s from state depositories and replacing them with counterfeits. He gets Bond's attention when MI6
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
agent 009, who had been working undercover, is killed with one of the counterfeits in his possession in West Germany.
Bond eventually confronts Orlov and attempts to force him to stop the train carrying the bomb. When Russian troops intervene, Orlov escapes and pursues Bond to the border by car, and follows the route of the railway when Bond jumps from the car onto the train (he had positioned the wheels of a stolen car onto the tracks after its tyres were punctured).
Orlov finally catches up with the train but is killed when he tries to jump onto the back of the circus train crossing the border between East and West Germany and is gunned down by soldiers guarding the border. By this point, General Gogol had discovered Orlov's role in the jewelery smuggling. As Gogol calls him a disgrace, Orlov utters his last words: "Yes, but tomorrow, I shall be a Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
," unaware that James Bond is about to foil the scheme.