Gordon Tracy
Encyclopedia
Gordon Tracy is a fictional character from Gerry Anderson
's Supermarionation
television show Thunderbirds
and the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are GO
and Thunderbird 6
. The character also appeared in the live action movie Thunderbirds
.
Fourth son of Jeff Tracy
(instigator and financier behind International Rescue
), Gordon was named after astronaut
Leroy Gordon Cooper jr.
. Sources vary in the canon of the Thunderbirds series as to Gordon's age and birth date, but the FAB factfile states his birthday as February 14th 2043, making him 22, a year older than brother Alan. Gordon studied oceanography
whilst in the Submarine Service and served in the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (as featured in the preceding TV series Stingray
). A high-spirited prankster, often at the expense of his brothers, he also has a healthy respect for the sea and the dangers it poses, having spent a year on the seabed performing scientific research and having also survived a 400 knot hydrofoil
crash. Gordon is the pilot of Thunderbird 4, is keen on water-sports and is also a gifted swimmer, cited as being a former Olympic champion in the butterfly stroke
. He is also impulsive in his field such as in the episode, "Terror in New York," when TB4 is needed in the city, but the transport plane needed, TB2, is grounded for repairs. Instead, Gordon seriously proposes to pilot his scout craft all the way to the city in a trans-oceanic trip until he is convinced that idea is dangerous and impractical. He is notable as the only member of International Rescue to actually kill someone during the series, a terrorist in "Operation Crashdive" who he shot to death as he attempted to escape. Alan Tracy
shot and killed three hijackers in the film Thunderbird 6
.
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
's Supermarionation
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television show Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds (TV series)
Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
and the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are GO
Thunderbirds Are GO
Thunderbirds Are Go is a 1966 British science-fiction film based on Thunderbirds, a 1960s television series starring marionette puppets and featuring scale model effects in a filming process dubbed "Supermarionation"...
and Thunderbird 6
Thunderbird 6
Thunderbird 6 is a 1968 British science-fiction and adventure film written by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, directed by David Lane and produced by Century 21 Cinema...
. The character also appeared in the live action movie Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds (film)
Thunderbirds is a 2004 science-fiction adventure film loosely based upon the television series of the same name of the 1960s, directed by Jonathan Frakes....
.
Fourth son of Jeff Tracy
Jeff Tracy
Jeff Tracy is a fictional character from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Supermarionation television show Thunderbirds and the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are GO and Thunderbird 6. The voice for the character in these shows was supplied by Peter Dyneley. The character also appeared in the live...
(instigator and financier behind International Rescue
International Rescue
International Rescue can refer to*International Rescue Corps, the UK rescue organisation*A fictional rescue organization seen in Thunderbirds *The original name of UK indie band The June Brides*A hit 1989 song by Fuzzbox...
), Gordon was named after astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Leroy Gordon Cooper jr.
Gordon Cooper
Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. , also known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and NASA astronaut. Cooper was one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned space effort by the United States...
. Sources vary in the canon of the Thunderbirds series as to Gordon's age and birth date, but the FAB factfile states his birthday as February 14th 2043, making him 22, a year older than brother Alan. Gordon studied oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
whilst in the Submarine Service and served in the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (as featured in the preceding TV series Stingray
Stingray (TV series)
Stingray is a children's marionette television show, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by AP Films for ATV and ITC Entertainment from 1964–65. Its 39 half-hour episodes were originally screened on ITV in the UK and in syndication in the USA. The scriptwriters included Gerry and...
). A high-spirited prankster, often at the expense of his brothers, he also has a healthy respect for the sea and the dangers it poses, having spent a year on the seabed performing scientific research and having also survived a 400 knot hydrofoil
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
crash. Gordon is the pilot of Thunderbird 4, is keen on water-sports and is also a gifted swimmer, cited as being a former Olympic champion in the butterfly stroke
Butterfly stroke
The butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving simultaneously. The butterfly kick was developed separately, and is also known as the "dolphin kick"...
. He is also impulsive in his field such as in the episode, "Terror in New York," when TB4 is needed in the city, but the transport plane needed, TB2, is grounded for repairs. Instead, Gordon seriously proposes to pilot his scout craft all the way to the city in a trans-oceanic trip until he is convinced that idea is dangerous and impractical. He is notable as the only member of International Rescue to actually kill someone during the series, a terrorist in "Operation Crashdive" who he shot to death as he attempted to escape. Alan Tracy
Alan Tracy
Alan Tracy is a fictional character from Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation television show Thunderbirds and the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are GO and Thunderbird 6. The character also appeared in the 2004 live action movie Thunderbirds....
shot and killed three hijackers in the film Thunderbird 6
Thunderbird 6
Thunderbird 6 is a 1968 British science-fiction and adventure film written by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, directed by David Lane and produced by Century 21 Cinema...
.