Jack Deth
Encyclopedia
Jack Deth is the main character featured throughout the Trancers
films that were produced by Charles Band of Full Moon Entertainment from 1985–2002, with another film announced in 2011 for future release.
Trancers began as a nod to pulp detective novels, with similarities to cult sci-fi movies Blade Runner
and The Terminator
(the latter of which was released the previous year). In the series, time travel
is made possible using a drug or the pre-set co-ordinates of a time machine
, although parts 4 and 5 introduced other means of time travel between dimensions.
Jack Deth is a wisecracking police
detective
(or “trooper”) in Angel City (the future Los Angeles
) and is portrayed by Tim Thomerson
in five out of the six films, as well as having a cameo appearance
in the movie Evil Bong
. Zette Sullivan assumed the role for the sixth film.
Jack’s job is finding and “singeing” “Trancers”—the zombie like sub-humans, who obey the command of the powerful and (often psychic) villains in each of the six films. But only weak minded people can be easily tranced.
According to an interview that was conducted with Charles Band in 2010, Tim Thomerson is "on board" for a new Trancers movie. Although no further news has ever surfaced since that time.
for which he has only indirect involvement, via archive footage. Jack's daughter Josephine is the lead for this sequel. Footage of Thomerson's character is used near the beginning of the film and is taken from the sequels. A body double was used for scenes where Deth is seen lying on a table. Tim Thomerson is given special thanks in the end credits. For that film, Deth was played by Zette Sullivan.
The original Trancers was created by Empire Pictures, with help from Danny Bilson
. Trancers II was the first sequel under the Full Moon film banner, and was again produced and directed by Charles Band. Beginning with Trancers III, Charles Band was no longer the director. The fourth and fifth films were written by the comics writer, Peter David
. The fifth film references The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
. The fourth and fifth Trancers films also yield some similarities to Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
and Xena: Warrior Princess
, the latter of which featured Thomerson in a guest appearance. Trancers 4 and 5 were filmed in Romania
to coincide with the release of the third instalment of the Subspecies
saga.
Thomerson has a brief appearance as Jack Deth in Evil Bong, which features cameos by other Full Moon characters as well, including Jack Attack, The Gingerdead Man
, and Ivan Burroughs from Decadent Evil
. This appearance is not considered to be canon
, however. After a prolonged absence, Thomerson is hoping to return in a seventh Trancers film.
Main article: Trancers
Jack Deth is a cop who originally was from the 23rd Century
, circa 2247. He was married to a woman called Alice B. Stillwell, who was also his partner, until she was killed by zombie like enemies called "Trancers" after an operation went wrong. After seemingly killing his arch nemesis (Trancer guru and psychic
mastermind, Martin Whistler) on Mekon Seven, Jack briefly quit the force to go into retirement, when he was thrust into a new assignment by the council of Angel City, who wanted him to re-capture Whistler, who had escaped back to the year 1985 using some kind of drug induced time travel technique, with a plan to assassinate the ancestors of Angel City’s three ruling governors; Van Zandt, Ashe and Spencer.
Whistler already disposed of Van Zandt prior to the council recruiting Jack Deth, as explained by Spencer at the council HQ, after he played a holographic message Whistler had left as a warning. Jack then notices that Whistler's body is being preserved whilst he is in 1985 in the body of Detective Weisling. With no time to spare, Jack was giving an injection by his former girlfriend, the recently promoted engineer, Ruthie Raines. This sent Jack's consciousness back to the 1980s
era.
Upon arriving in the body of Philip Dethton in 1985, Jack meets Lena (Helen Hunt
) and Jack follows her to work, where she dresses as an elf and greets little kids with Santa Claus
. But when "Santa" sees Jack, it is then revealed that he is a Trancer and Jack struggles with him briefly, before shooting him dead with his .38 Special. When Jack and Lena leave, Jack convinces Lena to help him as he doesn't know his way around. Together, they fail to save Spencer's ancestor, Chris Levery, when Whistler found him first and tranced him (Jack dropped a photo of him in the mall, and it was picked up by one of Whistler's men, leading them on the trail). Jack and Lena were yet to track down the former baseball
pitcher, Hap Ashby, while concurrently having to contend with the Trancers that were following Whistler’s commands.
Jack was extracted from his mission by his supervisor McNulty when Ashe become frantic over the deaths of the other council members, but Ashe allowed Jack to continue when he explained how he was close to finding Ashby, her ancestor. Immediately after Jack returns to his ancestor's body, he spots Whistler on TV being interviewed and learns that Ashby is on Skid Row
.
Jack and Lena steal a couple of motor cycles from a punk who had bothered them earlier in a disco and they go to Skid Row where they track down Ashby and help him to escape from Whistler and his goons. Lena is shot by one of the tranced cops, enduring a minor injury, but manages to reunite with Jack and Ashby at their hideout. Jack is worried about losing Lena, as he explains how he lost his wife back home in Angel City.
Jack then lures Whistler from Skid Row to China Town, using Lena and Ashby as decoys, although at first Lena thinks Jack has sold them out in a phone call she overheard Jack making to Whistler. After saving Lena from being thrown off a roof by using another time freezer watch, Ashby throws trash from a skip at Whistler which hits him in the face, causing Whistler to go over the edge of the building. Ashby then throws a bottle at Whistler, which causes him to lose his grip, making him fall from the roof and into a fountain
. Jack quickly grabs Whistler, only to realize he has only one shot left of the drug that sends a time-traveler’s consciousness back to its present (“up the line”). By injecting police chief Weisling with the serum, Weisling was spared from death. Weisling would go on to father six children, as told by Whistler himself. Meanwhile, since Jack cannot return to Angel City, he must remain with Lena and Ashby in the past and as fortold by Whistler, Jack goes on to marry Lena prior to the events of Trancers II.
Pulse Pounders
A Trancers segment was originally planned for inclusion as part of an anthology film
titled Pulse Pounders. However, the movie was never completed due to budget restraints and the collapse of Empire Pictures. After this, Charles Band founded the Full Moon company, and the basis for that film was used in Trancers II, following 3 years of being in development hell
.
Los Angeles 1991-1992 / Angel City c. 2253
Main articles:
Trancers II
, Trancers III
Six years later, in the year 1991, Jack, Lena, and Ashby later came under threat from Whistler’s brother, Dr. E.D. Wardo (Trancers II
). Wardo had began trancing mental patients and homeless people using an addictive drug from the future called Scurbosa, which he was growing in a nearby greenhouse
using smuggled seeds. In order to stop Wardo, Jack and company were aided by Deth’s old supervisor McNulty (returning in the body of his ancestor, now a teenage girl) and Jack’s first wife, Alice Stillwell, who had been resurrected by altering the course of history, to try to help Jack stop Wardo’s Trancer farm, and while in the hospital, she escaped captivity, still trapped inside the body of her ancestor, who just happened to be a mental patient herself.
Alice's presence served a purpose: The council wanted Jack to return to Angel City, as a council seat awaited him. Alice was supposed to die after a couple of days once her job was complete, by being sent back after the mission objectives had been met (i.e the council was merely using her). However, as Jack's real body had calcified in the future, Jack could only return inside the body of his ancestor in the newly created TCL chamber. Otherwise, he would remain in Old California
for the rest of his life.
Trouble arose due to a jealous rivalry between Lena and Alice, as they both considered themselves to be his wife. After Lena was captured by Wardo’s men, Jack and Alice tracked Wardo down to his Scurbosa greenhouse and had to defend themselves against a lynch mob of Trancers. Jack killed Wardo by darting a pitchfork
into his chest before he could shoot Ashby, who had arrived in a firetruck with McNulty to help put out a fire. Alice was saved from her imminent death by being sent forward in time in her ancestor’s body, using the TCL chamber that was hidden in the barn at GreenWorld. McNulty also returned to the future, proclaiming Jack as being happy where he is.
Some time later, in 1992, Jack and Lena were on the verge of splitting up (Trancers III
) due to their failing marriage. Although Jack promised to amend their relationship, he was forcefully returned to the future by the android Shark before he could fulfil this.
In the future, the remaining council leader, Harris, and Alice have Jack go down the line to 2005 in order to end a Trancers scheme that was fully sponsored by the government. This caused Jack confusion as to how Lena was the one who obtained the details of this program. It was in the future that Jack was given his assignment—find and destroy the trancers at their source. Jack was once again able to stop the trancers and program director Col. Daddy Muthuh with help from Lena (now happily remarried as Lena Forrest and with a daughter), Shark, and R.J., who was a defected recruit. For a while, R,J. helps Jack, but she eventually succumbs to the Trancers steroid and is shot by Jack in a mercy killing when she is about to transform. Col. Daddy Muthuh tries to psychically make Jack shoot himself, but as his will is too strong, he quickly shoots Daddy Muthuh dead. Seemingly after that battle ended, the Trancers had been wiped out for good, but Jack and Shark were needed elsewhere.
Orpheus
Main articles:
Trancers 4: Jack of Swords
, Trancers 5: Sudden Deth
After Harris scolds Jack for allowing Shark to be destroyed during a mission, Jack was about to reconcile with Alice when he learned that Alice and Harris had began a relationship (Trancers 4: Jack of Swords
) while Jack and Alice were apart. Very angry over this, Jack leaves and is rubbed the wrong way by a woman in a bar called Lyla. Unable to remain out of work for any length of time, Jack returned to Harris’ lab, where Jack was assigned by Harris and (to Jack's surprise) his new supervisor Lyra to journey to Kansas
using the TCL chamber. During this assignment, a stowaway creature called a Solonoid caused Deth’s time machine
to make a crash landing on another planet
, which he later learned was called Orpheus.
On Orpheus, Jack gets caught up in a war between the surviving humans and the never-before-seen vampire
like Trancers called Nobles, as well as their fearsome leader, Lord Caliban. A prophet named Farr predicted Jack’s arrival in Orpheus.
Jack is injured trying to escape from these new bloodsuckers, and passes out in the woods. He is found by a kindly peasant, who nurses him back to health and then sends out a carrier pigeon
, alerting Caliban of his whereabouts and betraying Jack. The man is killed when the Trancers show up with Caliban, despite being loyal to Caliban, and Jack is captured after his time freezer watch fails to do its job, resulting in the Trancers humoring his predicament.
From then on, a woman Jack called Lyra (because she resembles her namesake from Jack’s own time) involuntarily served Jack, at the order of Caliban. Jack eventually escaped from Caliban’s castle with the help of the Trancer lord’s son, Prospero, and a rebel
group called the “Tunnel Rats”. Jack was able to foil the diabolical plans of Caliban, thanks in part to the deceased wizard Oberon, and Prospero (who had chosen to align himself with Jack, so he would not end up like his evil father). Unfortunately, one of Caliban's men uses an art work of Caliban to somehow bring him back. Caliban figured that Jack Deth would head for the Castle of Unrelenting Terror.
After learning of a talisman
that could allow the possessor to cross dimensional realms, Jack and Prospero journeyed to the Castle of Unrelenting Terror to obtain the Tiamond, so that Jack could return to Angel City (Trancers 5: Sudden Deth
). Prospero also saw this as an opportunity to distance himself from Shaleen, a female rebel who he was falling in love with. Prospero understood that he may have hurt her during an uncontrollable feed, and also due to this, Jack does not fully trust Prospero, even if he is now on the good side. This causes Prospero to become offended, as he explains to Jack his ruthless methods of killing Trancers causes Jack to be uncaring. After this argument, Jack allows Prospero to act as a guard during the night, while Jack rests up, perhaps proving that Jack has gained some trust in the very thing he has hunted all his life.
Jack and Prospero were unknowingly being followed by the returning Caliban, who disguised himself as a wild dog and saved them from a hostile refugee in the woods. Once inside the castle, Jack and Prospero were able to overcome all challenges that the castle threw at them, which included being tricked with fake food and female company, and yelling at some ghosts, causing them to simply back off, and Jack defeating his evil doppelganger
, which then ultimately awarded him with the Tiamond. Just then, Caliban returned and threw Jack and Prospero in two separate cages, locking them inside, before he escaped with the Tiamond, and due to its unique power, he could return to his castle.
Jack used his special switchblade to cut through the bars and they hurried back to Caliban’s castle on horseback. During the final showdown with Caliban, the Nobles and the Tunnel Rats, Jack was severely wounded by Caliban, leaving only a limited amount of time to get back to L.A. As many rebels and Trancers fought each other, Prospero faced and killed his father, allowing Jack just enough time to use the Tiamond to return to L.A., somehow bringing Prospero with him. Jack stepped out of the TCL chamber with Prospero and overheard Harris and Lyra talking about him, and they were surprised to discover that he was still alive. Prospero chose to stay in L.A. for a while, as he now felt ordinary, while Jack asked Lyra for a fresh start. Meanwhile, in Orpheus, the other Lyra realizes she is pregnant with Jack's child.
Los Angeles 2022
Main article:
Trancers 6
In the year 2022, Jack learned from Dr. Jennings that he fathered a daughter
called Josephine, after Jennings witnessed her being attacked by an unknown woman, while he was doing a routine check of the timebelt (Trancers 6
). Although Jack met the girl in 1991, he did not know they were related. As it turned out, Josephine was in danger because she saw a meteor
fall to the Earth, and her boss happened to be Mr. Castle, an alien Trancer who came to Earth inside the meteor. Castle's assistant Shauna Wilder is put in charge of recruiting new Trancers.
Jack inhabited Josphine’s body when the newest group of Trancers appeared in her time and began using the energy from the meteor to mass-produce the deadliest Trancers ever seen, in an attempt to take over the city, and ultimately, the world.
After dealing with a renegade Trancer at her place of employment, Josephine visits her friend Dr. Paul Malvern for help. They fend off an attack by Trancers, but end up being captured and forced to work for Miss Wilder, with Josephine narrowly managing to avoid being tranced with the meteor ray herself. Josephine just pretends to be a Trancer, so that this buys her more time.
Josephine and Dr. Malvern eventually turn the tables on Shauna Wilder and the Trancers, but Dr. Malvern is critically injured when Shauna plunges a knife
into his back. Shauna and Jo then begin to wrestler each other to the ground, reminiscent of Jenning's vision at the beginning of the movie. The scuffle ends with Jo gaining the upper hand. Jo then uses the meteor ray to behead Shauna, thus preventing her own death. Sadly, Dr. Malvern dies, reminding Jack Deth of the sacrifices that come with being a Trancer hunter.
Josephine returns to Castle's office, to see Castle is quickly destroying evidence using a paper shredder
. Just before he is revealed for what he really is, Mr. Castle warns Josephine that killing him would be pointless, as there are many more just like him in the universe controlling thousands. Yet Josephine shoots him anyway, exposing his true alien form.
With the Trancers having been wiped out again, Jack decided to remain in his daughter, in case the Trancers should come looking for her now that she's wanted by them. But as seen in the end sequence, the Trancer kid with an eye
missing survived, possibly indicating that a new threat could be looming.
Trancers 4-6 suggest that the Trancers are really aliens. The opening quote in the original Trancers also supports such a theory, as Jack fought Whistler on one of the rim planets.
China (?)
As announced in December 2010, Jack Deth will battle Trancers once again in Shanghai
, China
. No news has since surfaced.
possibly playing the main baddie. Charles Band eventually confirmed in December 2010 that Trancers 7: Deth in Shanghai is to be filmed in 2011, but there has not been an update about it since then.
In New Zealand
, a new DVD box set of the series was distributed as Future Cop I-VI. This compilation pack is essentially similar to the set released by Full Moon for ordering on their website.
released a series of comics based on their films, and did a short Trancers series, with similarities to the first two movies, such as the long second watch, Deth's encounter with Lena, the asylum from Trancers II, and Jack's love for vintage cars. Trancers t-shirts occasionally appear on eBay
, with foreign print VHS copies of Trancers also appearing. A figure of Jack Deth was originally planned, but never was released (it can however, be seen on Google
along with the unreleased Demonic Toys
branch of collectibles).
powered gun called a “Heater” in his own time, but uses a .38 Special
when he is sent to the 1980s
. He can identify a trancer by scanning them with a bracelet
(only seen in the futuristic opener of the first film). He is later given a wrist watch that can temporarily halt time, stretching one second to ten (although this appears to be inaccurate on-screen). This trick can allow for a quick getaway. This was referenced in The Matrix
.
His other supervisor “Lyra” (Stacie Randall
) later supplies him with a new gun
that can be powered naturally with sand, small rocks, etc. He also receives a new wrist watch that can still slow down time, but with unlimited use. However, this trick backfires on him in Orpheus because Orpheus uses magic.
The most important item he receives from Lyra is an ordinary looking switchblade
, that is designed so it can cut through just about anything. This saves his life on more than one occasion. Jack Deth is a fan of vintage cars, and is also a smoker, as Jack (as Josephine) receives a case which includes a pack of cigarettes.
Trancers 6 tries to be like the original Trancers, by only including the original movie's time freezer watch. Although including this is probably a plot hole
, as Trancers 6 ignores parts 4 and 5 completely, and therefore, it does not make sense to be using the old one.
Trancers
Trancers is a 1985 science fiction film. It was directed by Charles Band and stars Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt. It is the first film in a series of six: Trancers , and the direct-to-video releases; Trancers II , Trancers III , Trancers 4: Jack of Swords , Trancers 5: Sudden Deth and Trancers 6...
films that were produced by Charles Band of Full Moon Entertainment from 1985–2002, with another film announced in 2011 for future release.
Trancers began as a nod to pulp detective novels, with similarities to cult sci-fi movies Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
and The Terminator
The Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
(the latter of which was released the previous year). In the series, time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
is made possible using a drug or the pre-set co-ordinates of a time machine
Time Machine
A time machine is a fictional/hypothetical device used to achieve time travel. The term may also refer to:-Novels and films:* The Time Machine, an 1895 novel by H. G...
, although parts 4 and 5 introduced other means of time travel between dimensions.
Jack Deth is a wisecracking police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
(or “trooper”) in Angel City (the future Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
) and is portrayed by Tim Thomerson
Tim Thomerson
Joseph Timothy “Tim” Thomerson is an American actor and comedian.Thomerson is most famous for his role as Jack Deth in the Trancers film series and is renowned for his work in numerous low-budget movies and his comedic television roles.-Early life:Tim Thomerson was born in Coronado, California. He...
in five out of the six films, as well as having a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the movie Evil Bong
Evil Bong
Evil Bong is a 2006 horror/comedy film directed by Charles Band about a group of college stoners who smoke a bong unaware that the bong transports the smoker into a surreal world where strippers with teeth-like bras attack them. The ending features an extended cameo by Tommy Chong, of Cheech &...
. Zette Sullivan assumed the role for the sixth film.
Jack’s job is finding and “singeing” “Trancers”—the zombie like sub-humans, who obey the command of the powerful and (often psychic) villains in each of the six films. But only weak minded people can be easily tranced.
According to an interview that was conducted with Charles Band in 2010, Tim Thomerson is "on board" for a new Trancers movie. Although no further news has ever surfaced since that time.
Appearances
Jack Deth has appeared in every Trancers movie, except Trancers 6Trancers 6
Trancers 6 is a 2002 science fiction film starring Zette Sullivan, Jennifer Capo, Robert Donavan, Timothy Prindle, Jere Jon, Jennifer Cantrell, Ben Bar, James R. Hilton, Kyle O. Ingleman, Gregory Lee Kenyon and Douglas Smith. The film was directed by Jay Woelfel and produced by Johnnie J...
for which he has only indirect involvement, via archive footage. Jack's daughter Josephine is the lead for this sequel. Footage of Thomerson's character is used near the beginning of the film and is taken from the sequels. A body double was used for scenes where Deth is seen lying on a table. Tim Thomerson is given special thanks in the end credits. For that film, Deth was played by Zette Sullivan.
The original Trancers was created by Empire Pictures, with help from Danny Bilson
Danny Bilson
Daniel "Danny" Bilson is an American writer, director, and producer of movies, television, videogames, and comic books. With his writing partner Paul DeMeo, Danny Bilson wrote the movie The Rocketeer , the video game James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing , the television series The Sentinel ,...
. Trancers II was the first sequel under the Full Moon film banner, and was again produced and directed by Charles Band. Beginning with Trancers III, Charles Band was no longer the director. The fourth and fifth films were written by the comics writer, Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
. The fifth film references The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix is an animated feature film based on the Asterix comic book series. René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, the creators of the series, wrote the story and directed the film themselves; with co-direction by Pierre Watrin and the screenplay co-written by Pierre Tchernia, a...
. The fourth and fifth Trancers films also yield some similarities to Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a television series, filmed in New Zealand and the United States. It was produced from 1995, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles...
and Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
, the latter of which featured Thomerson in a guest appearance. Trancers 4 and 5 were filmed in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
to coincide with the release of the third instalment of the Subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
saga.
Thomerson has a brief appearance as Jack Deth in Evil Bong, which features cameos by other Full Moon characters as well, including Jack Attack, The Gingerdead Man
The Gingerdead Man
Gingerdead Man is a 2005 horror-comedy film starring Gary Busey. It is followed by Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust. The Gingerdead Man was released on DVD by Shoot Productions.-Plot:...
, and Ivan Burroughs from Decadent Evil
Decadent Evil
Decadent Evil , is a 2005 vampire film, produced and directed by Charles Band under his Wizard Entertainment banner] that year on June 25. The film was shot in and around Los Angeles, California.The films stars Phil Fondacaro, Debra Mayer, Jill Michelle, Daniel Lennox, Hazel Dean, and Raelyn...
. This appearance is not considered to be canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
, however. After a prolonged absence, Thomerson is hoping to return in a seventh Trancers film.
Films Timeline
Angel City 2247 / Los Angeles 1985Main article: Trancers
Trancers
Trancers is a 1985 science fiction film. It was directed by Charles Band and stars Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt. It is the first film in a series of six: Trancers , and the direct-to-video releases; Trancers II , Trancers III , Trancers 4: Jack of Swords , Trancers 5: Sudden Deth and Trancers 6...
Jack Deth is a cop who originally was from the 23rd Century
23rd century
The 23rd century is the century of the Christian Era or Common Era which, in the Gregorian calendar, begins on January 1, 2201 and ends on December 31, 2300.-List of the long total solar eclipses:* July 27, 2204: Solar eclipse, , of saros 139....
, circa 2247. He was married to a woman called Alice B. Stillwell, who was also his partner, until she was killed by zombie like enemies called "Trancers" after an operation went wrong. After seemingly killing his arch nemesis (Trancer guru and psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
mastermind, Martin Whistler) on Mekon Seven, Jack briefly quit the force to go into retirement, when he was thrust into a new assignment by the council of Angel City, who wanted him to re-capture Whistler, who had escaped back to the year 1985 using some kind of drug induced time travel technique, with a plan to assassinate the ancestors of Angel City’s three ruling governors; Van Zandt, Ashe and Spencer.
Whistler already disposed of Van Zandt prior to the council recruiting Jack Deth, as explained by Spencer at the council HQ, after he played a holographic message Whistler had left as a warning. Jack then notices that Whistler's body is being preserved whilst he is in 1985 in the body of Detective Weisling. With no time to spare, Jack was giving an injection by his former girlfriend, the recently promoted engineer, Ruthie Raines. This sent Jack's consciousness back to the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
era.
Upon arriving in the body of Philip Dethton in 1985, Jack meets Lena (Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...
) and Jack follows her to work, where she dresses as an elf and greets little kids with Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
. But when "Santa" sees Jack, it is then revealed that he is a Trancer and Jack struggles with him briefly, before shooting him dead with his .38 Special. When Jack and Lena leave, Jack convinces Lena to help him as he doesn't know his way around. Together, they fail to save Spencer's ancestor, Chris Levery, when Whistler found him first and tranced him (Jack dropped a photo of him in the mall, and it was picked up by one of Whistler's men, leading them on the trail). Jack and Lena were yet to track down the former baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher, Hap Ashby, while concurrently having to contend with the Trancers that were following Whistler’s commands.
Jack was extracted from his mission by his supervisor McNulty when Ashe become frantic over the deaths of the other council members, but Ashe allowed Jack to continue when he explained how he was close to finding Ashby, her ancestor. Immediately after Jack returns to his ancestor's body, he spots Whistler on TV being interviewed and learns that Ashby is on Skid Row
Skid row
A skid row or skid road is a run-down or dilapidated urban area with a large, impoverished population. The term originally referred literally to a path along which working men skidded logs. Its current sense appears to have originated in the Pacific Northwest...
.
Jack and Lena steal a couple of motor cycles from a punk who had bothered them earlier in a disco and they go to Skid Row where they track down Ashby and help him to escape from Whistler and his goons. Lena is shot by one of the tranced cops, enduring a minor injury, but manages to reunite with Jack and Ashby at their hideout. Jack is worried about losing Lena, as he explains how he lost his wife back home in Angel City.
Jack then lures Whistler from Skid Row to China Town, using Lena and Ashby as decoys, although at first Lena thinks Jack has sold them out in a phone call she overheard Jack making to Whistler. After saving Lena from being thrown off a roof by using another time freezer watch, Ashby throws trash from a skip at Whistler which hits him in the face, causing Whistler to go over the edge of the building. Ashby then throws a bottle at Whistler, which causes him to lose his grip, making him fall from the roof and into a fountain
Fountain
A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....
. Jack quickly grabs Whistler, only to realize he has only one shot left of the drug that sends a time-traveler’s consciousness back to its present (“up the line”). By injecting police chief Weisling with the serum, Weisling was spared from death. Weisling would go on to father six children, as told by Whistler himself. Meanwhile, since Jack cannot return to Angel City, he must remain with Lena and Ashby in the past and as fortold by Whistler, Jack goes on to marry Lena prior to the events of Trancers II.
Pulse Pounders
A Trancers segment was originally planned for inclusion as part of an anthology film
Anthology film
An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director...
titled Pulse Pounders. However, the movie was never completed due to budget restraints and the collapse of Empire Pictures. After this, Charles Band founded the Full Moon company, and the basis for that film was used in Trancers II, following 3 years of being in development hell
Development hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
.
Los Angeles 1991-1992 / Angel City c. 2253
Main articles:
Trancers II
Trancers II
Trancers II is a 1991 American action science fiction film directed by Charles Band. It is the sequel to Trancers starring Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt.The film has been released on DVD through the Trancers boxset or as a single DVD in Europe.-Plot:...
, Trancers III
Trancers III
Trancers III is the second sequel of the Trancers series and went straight-to-video in 1992.-Plot:Tagline: "The end of time is just beginning. Deth lives."...
Six years later, in the year 1991, Jack, Lena, and Ashby later came under threat from Whistler’s brother, Dr. E.D. Wardo (Trancers II
Trancers II
Trancers II is a 1991 American action science fiction film directed by Charles Band. It is the sequel to Trancers starring Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt.The film has been released on DVD through the Trancers boxset or as a single DVD in Europe.-Plot:...
). Wardo had began trancing mental patients and homeless people using an addictive drug from the future called Scurbosa, which he was growing in a nearby greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
using smuggled seeds. In order to stop Wardo, Jack and company were aided by Deth’s old supervisor McNulty (returning in the body of his ancestor, now a teenage girl) and Jack’s first wife, Alice Stillwell, who had been resurrected by altering the course of history, to try to help Jack stop Wardo’s Trancer farm, and while in the hospital, she escaped captivity, still trapped inside the body of her ancestor, who just happened to be a mental patient herself.
Alice's presence served a purpose: The council wanted Jack to return to Angel City, as a council seat awaited him. Alice was supposed to die after a couple of days once her job was complete, by being sent back after the mission objectives had been met (i.e the council was merely using her). However, as Jack's real body had calcified in the future, Jack could only return inside the body of his ancestor in the newly created TCL chamber. Otherwise, he would remain in Old California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for the rest of his life.
Trouble arose due to a jealous rivalry between Lena and Alice, as they both considered themselves to be his wife. After Lena was captured by Wardo’s men, Jack and Alice tracked Wardo down to his Scurbosa greenhouse and had to defend themselves against a lynch mob of Trancers. Jack killed Wardo by darting a pitchfork
Pitchfork
A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines used to lift and pitch loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, dung or other agricultural materials. Pitchforks typically have two or three tines...
into his chest before he could shoot Ashby, who had arrived in a firetruck with McNulty to help put out a fire. Alice was saved from her imminent death by being sent forward in time in her ancestor’s body, using the TCL chamber that was hidden in the barn at GreenWorld. McNulty also returned to the future, proclaiming Jack as being happy where he is.
Some time later, in 1992, Jack and Lena were on the verge of splitting up (Trancers III
Trancers III
Trancers III is the second sequel of the Trancers series and went straight-to-video in 1992.-Plot:Tagline: "The end of time is just beginning. Deth lives."...
) due to their failing marriage. Although Jack promised to amend their relationship, he was forcefully returned to the future by the android Shark before he could fulfil this.
In the future, the remaining council leader, Harris, and Alice have Jack go down the line to 2005 in order to end a Trancers scheme that was fully sponsored by the government. This caused Jack confusion as to how Lena was the one who obtained the details of this program. It was in the future that Jack was given his assignment—find and destroy the trancers at their source. Jack was once again able to stop the trancers and program director Col. Daddy Muthuh with help from Lena (now happily remarried as Lena Forrest and with a daughter), Shark, and R.J., who was a defected recruit. For a while, R,J. helps Jack, but she eventually succumbs to the Trancers steroid and is shot by Jack in a mercy killing when she is about to transform. Col. Daddy Muthuh tries to psychically make Jack shoot himself, but as his will is too strong, he quickly shoots Daddy Muthuh dead. Seemingly after that battle ended, the Trancers had been wiped out for good, but Jack and Shark were needed elsewhere.
Orpheus
Main articles:
Trancers 4: Jack of Swords
Trancers 4: Jack of Swords
Trancers 4: Jack of Swords is a 1994 sci-fi fantasy adventure film starring Tim Thomerson as Jack Deth. The film also features Stephen Macht and Stacie Randall...
, Trancers 5: Sudden Deth
Trancers 5: Sudden Deth
Trancers 5: Sudden Deth is a 1994 sci-fi fantasy adventure film written by Peter David and starring Tim Thomerson as the time traveling "trancer hunter" Jack Deth...
After Harris scolds Jack for allowing Shark to be destroyed during a mission, Jack was about to reconcile with Alice when he learned that Alice and Harris had began a relationship (Trancers 4: Jack of Swords
Trancers 4: Jack of Swords
Trancers 4: Jack of Swords is a 1994 sci-fi fantasy adventure film starring Tim Thomerson as Jack Deth. The film also features Stephen Macht and Stacie Randall...
) while Jack and Alice were apart. Very angry over this, Jack leaves and is rubbed the wrong way by a woman in a bar called Lyla. Unable to remain out of work for any length of time, Jack returned to Harris’ lab, where Jack was assigned by Harris and (to Jack's surprise) his new supervisor Lyra to journey to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
using the TCL chamber. During this assignment, a stowaway creature called a Solonoid caused Deth’s time machine
Time Machine
A time machine is a fictional/hypothetical device used to achieve time travel. The term may also refer to:-Novels and films:* The Time Machine, an 1895 novel by H. G...
to make a crash landing on another planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
, which he later learned was called Orpheus.
On Orpheus, Jack gets caught up in a war between the surviving humans and the never-before-seen vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
like Trancers called Nobles, as well as their fearsome leader, Lord Caliban. A prophet named Farr predicted Jack’s arrival in Orpheus.
Jack is injured trying to escape from these new bloodsuckers, and passes out in the woods. He is found by a kindly peasant, who nurses him back to health and then sends out a carrier pigeon
Carrier pigeon
A carrier pigeon is a homing pigeon that is used to carry messages. Using pigeons to carry messages is generally called "pigeon post". Most homing or racing type varieties are used to carry messages. There is no specific breed actually called "carrier pigeon"...
, alerting Caliban of his whereabouts and betraying Jack. The man is killed when the Trancers show up with Caliban, despite being loyal to Caliban, and Jack is captured after his time freezer watch fails to do its job, resulting in the Trancers humoring his predicament.
From then on, a woman Jack called Lyra (because she resembles her namesake from Jack’s own time) involuntarily served Jack, at the order of Caliban. Jack eventually escaped from Caliban’s castle with the help of the Trancer lord’s son, Prospero, and a rebel
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
group called the “Tunnel Rats”. Jack was able to foil the diabolical plans of Caliban, thanks in part to the deceased wizard Oberon, and Prospero (who had chosen to align himself with Jack, so he would not end up like his evil father). Unfortunately, one of Caliban's men uses an art work of Caliban to somehow bring him back. Caliban figured that Jack Deth would head for the Castle of Unrelenting Terror.
After learning of a talisman
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
that could allow the possessor to cross dimensional realms, Jack and Prospero journeyed to the Castle of Unrelenting Terror to obtain the Tiamond, so that Jack could return to Angel City (Trancers 5: Sudden Deth
Trancers 5: Sudden Deth
Trancers 5: Sudden Deth is a 1994 sci-fi fantasy adventure film written by Peter David and starring Tim Thomerson as the time traveling "trancer hunter" Jack Deth...
). Prospero also saw this as an opportunity to distance himself from Shaleen, a female rebel who he was falling in love with. Prospero understood that he may have hurt her during an uncontrollable feed, and also due to this, Jack does not fully trust Prospero, even if he is now on the good side. This causes Prospero to become offended, as he explains to Jack his ruthless methods of killing Trancers causes Jack to be uncaring. After this argument, Jack allows Prospero to act as a guard during the night, while Jack rests up, perhaps proving that Jack has gained some trust in the very thing he has hunted all his life.
Jack and Prospero were unknowingly being followed by the returning Caliban, who disguised himself as a wild dog and saved them from a hostile refugee in the woods. Once inside the castle, Jack and Prospero were able to overcome all challenges that the castle threw at them, which included being tricked with fake food and female company, and yelling at some ghosts, causing them to simply back off, and Jack defeating his evil doppelganger
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
, which then ultimately awarded him with the Tiamond. Just then, Caliban returned and threw Jack and Prospero in two separate cages, locking them inside, before he escaped with the Tiamond, and due to its unique power, he could return to his castle.
Jack used his special switchblade to cut through the bars and they hurried back to Caliban’s castle on horseback. During the final showdown with Caliban, the Nobles and the Tunnel Rats, Jack was severely wounded by Caliban, leaving only a limited amount of time to get back to L.A. As many rebels and Trancers fought each other, Prospero faced and killed his father, allowing Jack just enough time to use the Tiamond to return to L.A., somehow bringing Prospero with him. Jack stepped out of the TCL chamber with Prospero and overheard Harris and Lyra talking about him, and they were surprised to discover that he was still alive. Prospero chose to stay in L.A. for a while, as he now felt ordinary, while Jack asked Lyra for a fresh start. Meanwhile, in Orpheus, the other Lyra realizes she is pregnant with Jack's child.
Los Angeles 2022
Main article:
Trancers 6
Trancers 6
Trancers 6 is a 2002 science fiction film starring Zette Sullivan, Jennifer Capo, Robert Donavan, Timothy Prindle, Jere Jon, Jennifer Cantrell, Ben Bar, James R. Hilton, Kyle O. Ingleman, Gregory Lee Kenyon and Douglas Smith. The film was directed by Jay Woelfel and produced by Johnnie J...
In the year 2022, Jack learned from Dr. Jennings that he fathered a daughter
Daughter
A daughter is a female offspring; a girl, woman, or female animal in relation to her parents. The male equivalent is a son. Analogously the name is used on several areas to show relations between groups or elements.-Etymology:...
called Josephine, after Jennings witnessed her being attacked by an unknown woman, while he was doing a routine check of the timebelt (Trancers 6
Trancers 6
Trancers 6 is a 2002 science fiction film starring Zette Sullivan, Jennifer Capo, Robert Donavan, Timothy Prindle, Jere Jon, Jennifer Cantrell, Ben Bar, James R. Hilton, Kyle O. Ingleman, Gregory Lee Kenyon and Douglas Smith. The film was directed by Jay Woelfel and produced by Johnnie J...
). Although Jack met the girl in 1991, he did not know they were related. As it turned out, Josephine was in danger because she saw a meteor
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
fall to the Earth, and her boss happened to be Mr. Castle, an alien Trancer who came to Earth inside the meteor. Castle's assistant Shauna Wilder is put in charge of recruiting new Trancers.
Jack inhabited Josphine’s body when the newest group of Trancers appeared in her time and began using the energy from the meteor to mass-produce the deadliest Trancers ever seen, in an attempt to take over the city, and ultimately, the world.
After dealing with a renegade Trancer at her place of employment, Josephine visits her friend Dr. Paul Malvern for help. They fend off an attack by Trancers, but end up being captured and forced to work for Miss Wilder, with Josephine narrowly managing to avoid being tranced with the meteor ray herself. Josephine just pretends to be a Trancer, so that this buys her more time.
Josephine and Dr. Malvern eventually turn the tables on Shauna Wilder and the Trancers, but Dr. Malvern is critically injured when Shauna plunges a knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
into his back. Shauna and Jo then begin to wrestler each other to the ground, reminiscent of Jenning's vision at the beginning of the movie. The scuffle ends with Jo gaining the upper hand. Jo then uses the meteor ray to behead Shauna, thus preventing her own death. Sadly, Dr. Malvern dies, reminding Jack Deth of the sacrifices that come with being a Trancer hunter.
Josephine returns to Castle's office, to see Castle is quickly destroying evidence using a paper shredder
Paper shredder
A paper shredder is a mechanical device used to cut paper into chad, typically either strips or fine particles. Government organizations, businesses, and private individuals use shredders to destroy private, confidential, or otherwise sensitive documents...
. Just before he is revealed for what he really is, Mr. Castle warns Josephine that killing him would be pointless, as there are many more just like him in the universe controlling thousands. Yet Josephine shoots him anyway, exposing his true alien form.
With the Trancers having been wiped out again, Jack decided to remain in his daughter, in case the Trancers should come looking for her now that she's wanted by them. But as seen in the end sequence, the Trancer kid with an eye
Eye
Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
missing survived, possibly indicating that a new threat could be looming.
Trancers 4-6 suggest that the Trancers are really aliens. The opening quote in the original Trancers also supports such a theory, as Jack fought Whistler on one of the rim planets.
China (?)
As announced in December 2010, Jack Deth will battle Trancers once again in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. No news has since surfaced.
Future
In September 2009, news surfaced regarding a possible sequel with Tim Thomerson, said to take place in China with Bill MoseleyBill Moseley
William "Bill" Moseley is an American film actor and musician who has starred in a number of cult classic horror films, including House of 1000 Corpses, Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Devil's Rejects. His first big role was in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 as Chop Top...
possibly playing the main baddie. Charles Band eventually confirmed in December 2010 that Trancers 7: Deth in Shanghai is to be filmed in 2011, but there has not been an update about it since then.
In New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, a new DVD box set of the series was distributed as Future Cop I-VI. This compilation pack is essentially similar to the set released by Full Moon for ordering on their website.
Merchandise
At the height of Full Moon's popularity in the 1990s, Eternity ComicsEternity Comics
Eternity Comics was a California-based comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1994, first as an independent publisher, then as an imprint of Malibu Comics. Eternity published creator-owned comics of an offbeat, independent flavor, as well as some licensed properties...
released a series of comics based on their films, and did a short Trancers series, with similarities to the first two movies, such as the long second watch, Deth's encounter with Lena, the asylum from Trancers II, and Jack's love for vintage cars. Trancers t-shirts occasionally appear on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
, with foreign print VHS copies of Trancers also appearing. A figure of Jack Deth was originally planned, but never was released (it can however, be seen on Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
along with the unreleased Demonic Toys
Demonic Toys
Demonic Toys is a film produced by Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment and released in 1992. The film features small, killer toys similar to those seen in Puppet Master, a film which Band produced in 1989. Demonic Toys, like many other Full Moon releases, never had a theatrical release and went...
branch of collectibles).
Equipment
Jack Deth is equipped with a plasmaPlasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
powered gun called a “Heater” in his own time, but uses a .38 Special
.38 Special
The .38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some semi-automatic pistols and carbines also use this round...
when he is sent to the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
. He can identify a trancer by scanning them with a bracelet
Bracelet
A bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufactured from metal, leather, cloth, plastic or other materials and sometimes contain jewels, rocks, wood, and/or shells...
(only seen in the futuristic opener of the first film). He is later given a wrist watch that can temporarily halt time, stretching one second to ten (although this appears to be inaccurate on-screen). This trick can allow for a quick getaway. This was referenced in The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
.
His other supervisor “Lyra” (Stacie Randall
Stacie Randall
Stacie Randall is an American actress, best known for her roles in Puppet Master 4, Trancers 4 and 5, and Excessive Force 2: Force on Force. Her genres include Action, Science Fiction, Comedy, and Horror.-Actress:-External links:...
) later supplies him with a new gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
that can be powered naturally with sand, small rocks, etc. He also receives a new wrist watch that can still slow down time, but with unlimited use. However, this trick backfires on him in Orpheus because Orpheus uses magic.
The most important item he receives from Lyra is an ordinary looking switchblade
Switchblade
A switchblade is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade contained in the handle which is opened automatically by a spring when a button, lever, or switch on the handle or bolster is activated A switchblade (also known as an automatic knife, pushbutton knife, switch, Sprenger, Springer,...
, that is designed so it can cut through just about anything. This saves his life on more than one occasion. Jack Deth is a fan of vintage cars, and is also a smoker, as Jack (as Josephine) receives a case which includes a pack of cigarettes.
Trancers 6 tries to be like the original Trancers, by only including the original movie's time freezer watch. Although including this is probably a plot hole
Plot hole
A plot hole, or plothole, is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of relevant information regarding the plot...
, as Trancers 6 ignores parts 4 and 5 completely, and therefore, it does not make sense to be using the old one.