Captain Blue (Captain Scarlet)
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Captain Blue (born Adam Svenson) is a character in the British Supermarionation television series ''
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', often shortened to ''Captain Scarlet'', is a British science fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions for distributor I ...
'' (1967–68) and its computer-animated remake, ''
Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet ''Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet'' (more commonly ''New Captain Scarlet'' or ''NCS'') is a British computer generated action-adventure reboot of the 1967 Supermarionation series, ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons''. Both series were ...
'' (2005). He is a senior officer in the Spectrum Organisation, which is committed to defending Earth against the
Mysteron The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials and the antagonists in the 1960s British Supermarionation science-fiction television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' (1967–68) and its 2005 computer-animated remake, ''Ge ...
s, and is the best friend of Captain Scarlet.


Conception

Captain Blue was among the first characters to be conceived by series creator
Gerry Anderson Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist. He remains famous for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s produ ...
who, having determined that " Scarlet" would make for an unusual codename for the series' protagonist, resolved that his mission partner could be codenamed "Blue". Script editor Tony Barwick, who commented on what he perceived as the series' "quite formalised writing", wrote Blue as "the
foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...
, the
nice guy "Nice guy" is an informal term, commonly used with either a literal or a sarcastic meaning, for a man. In the literal sense, the term describes a man who is agreeable, gentle, compassionate, sensitive and vulnerable. The term is used both pos ...
" of ''Captain Scarlet''.Bentley 2001, p. 31. In a 1982 interview for '' Starlog'' magazine, Captain Blue voice actor
Ed Bishop George Victor Bishop (11 June 1932 – 8 June 2005), known professionally as Ed Bishop or sometimes Edward Bishop, was an American actor. He was known for playing Commander Ed Straker in ''UFO'', Captain Blue in ''Captain Scarlet and the Myste ...
described his casting by the Andersons: "There was an actor in the series named
Cy Grant Cyril Ewart Lionel "Cy" Grant (8 November 1919 – 13 February 2010) was a Guyanese actor, musician, writer, and poet. In the 1950s, he became the first black person to be featured regularly on television in Britain,Kurt Barling '' The Inde ...
oice_of_Lieutenant_Green.html" ;"title="Lieutenant_Green.html" ;"title="oice of Lieutenant Green">oice of Lieutenant Green">Lieutenant_Green.html" ;"title="oice of Lieutenant Green">oice of Lieutenant Green We happened to have the same agent and Sylvia Anderson had called to ask about him. The girl at the agency said, 'You people use a lot of Americans on your shows and we have this American actor.' Sylvia told her to send me along. It's just as simple as that." Gerry approved of what Bishop termed his "wall-to-wall corporate voice", judging it suitable for the role of a "smooth-talking co-star". Although Bishop believed that he was the template for Blue's likeness, the puppet sculptor, Terry Curtis, had in fact already made a rough modelling in his own image, and simply changed the hair colour from brown to blond at the direction of Sylvia Anderson (Bishop himself, like Curtis, was darker-haired).Bentley 2001, p. 17. The puppet's total cost was 500
guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...
, or £525. It has been suggested that Blue's blue-eyed and blond-haired appearance influenced that of Commander Ed Straker, Bishop's live-action role in the later Anderson series ''
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
''.


Appearance


''Captain Scarlet''

Blue, as depicted in the 1960s series, was born on 26 August 2035 to a
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
financier. After graduating from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, he embarked on a career as a pilot before joining Spectrum. Blue is courageous, hard-working and a natural leader, but also deferential to the commands of
Colonel White Colonel White is a character in the 1960s British Supermarionation television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' and its 2005 CGI remake, '' Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet''. In both series, he is the commander-in-chief of Spectr ...
. He regularly partners with Captain Scarlet on missions and, although his best friend is indestructible, frequently fears for his safety. For example, in the episode "
Winged Assassin "Winged Assassin" is the second episode of ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony B ...
", Blue attempts to prevent Scarlet from suicidally ramming the wheels of a Mysteronised airliner using a
Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle The Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle (or SPV) is a fictional pursuit and attack vehicle from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's science-fiction television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' (1967). Specifications The metallic-blue, tank-like SPV serves ...
(SPV). He serves as acting commanding officer of
Cloudbase Spectrum Cloudbase, often shortened to Cloudbase, is the fictional skyborne headquarters of the international security organisation Spectrum from Gerry Anderson's science-fiction television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' (1967–68). ...
during White's absence in " White as Snow", and stands in for Lieutenant Green as communications officer in "
Avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
". Blue occasionally disobeys commands out of his own curiosity. For example, in " Renegade Rocket", he refuses to leave a military base that is being targeted by its own missile, electing to remain behind with Scarlet in an attempt to find the self-destruct code, and in " Special Assignment", being unaware that Scarlet's discharge from Spectrum is in fact part of the Captain's undercover mission, leaves Cloudbase without authorisation to find and reason with his friend. Physically active, Blue regularly practises surfing, water-skiing and deep-sea harpoon fishing. A romance with Symphony Angel is suggested in some episodes: in "
Manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...
", Blue is distressed by Captain Black's abduction of Symphony and is anxious to venture into a nuclear power station to rescue her, while in "
Attack on Cloudbase "Attack on Cloudbase" is the 31st episode of ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions for ITC Enterta ...
", the two characters share a long gaze after Symphony experiences a disturbing nightmare about the base's destruction.


''New Captain Scarlet''

In the 2005 remake, Blue is still a brave Spectrum officer and loyal companion; however, he is of stronger build and speaks with a rougher accent. He prefers to confront situations swiftly and has fewer reservations about using violence against the Mysterons than he did previously. He appears to have a romantic interest in Serena Lewis (the female Lieutenant Green), but this is never explicitly described as a relationship.


Reception

James Stansfield of the entertainment website ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
'' describes Blue as Captain Scarlet's "trusty sidekick", adding that although the pair were equal in rank, Blue "was always the Robin to Scarlet's
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
". The character's subservience to Scarlet has been acknowledged by Bishop, who suggested that Blue "got a raw deal, because he was very heroic, you know. He was very close to Scarlet, and I pulled him out of some very sticky wickets". Cultural historian
Nicholas J. Cull Nicholas J. Cull (born 1964) is a historian and professor in the Master's in Public Diplomacy program at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. He was the founding director of this pro ...
comments that Blue's nationality, coupled with his status as a "strong supporting character", is representative of a general shift away from the predominantly American protagonists of earlier Anderson series, including '' Thunderbirds''.


References

Works cited * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blue, Captain American male characters in television Blue, Captain Fictional aviators Fictional characters from Boston Fictional Harvard University people
Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...
Male characters in animated series Television characters introduced in 1967 Television sidekicks