Tracy family
The Tracy family are the main characters in the 1960s British Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds and its adaptations, set in the 21st century.
Originating from the United States, the family live on Tracy Island in the South Pacific Ocean. Headed by Jeff, an industrialist and philanthropist, the Tracys run International Rescue, a search-and-rescue organisation operating on land and sea, in air and in space. They carry out their missions using a range of technologically advanced vehicles and equipment headed by a fleet of five craft called the Thunderbird machines, piloted by Jeff's sons.
First and second generations
Grandma Tracy
Grandma is the mother of Jeff and paternal grandmother of [|Scott], [|John], [|Virgil], [|Gordon] and [|Alan]. The character was originally voiced by Christine Finn and the puppet was sculpted by either John Blundall or Carolyn Turner.Grandma's chronology is unclear in that she does not move to Tracy Island until "Moveand You're Dead", despite being mentioned in "Sun Probe" and appearing in all four episodes filmed in between. In the original broadcast order, Grandma appears in even more episodes prior to "Moveand You're Dead". While the character was intended to debut in that episode, she was written into the preceding episodes after the series' runtime was doubled to 50 minutes by order of Lew Grade, forcing the writers to devise additional scenes and subplots to extend the episodes that had already been filmed.
Original depiction
Little is known about Grandma's past, and her real name is never mentioned on screen. The other characters, including her son Jeff, call her "Grandma". As a girl, she travelled on the London Underground with her own grandmother, a fact that would later prove useful for International Rescue. She was married to a Kansas wheat farmer but was widowed some time before the founding of International Rescue. She helped Jeff bring up his five sons after the death of his wife. During International Rescue's early days she lived alone near San Miguel, somewhere in the Western United States. However, she began to miss feeling useful, so decided to move to Tracy Island.After winning the Parola Sands Race, her youngest grandson Alan picks her up so she can move to Tracy Island. A racing competitor of Alan's takes revenge and Alan and Grandma find themselves having to stay motionless on a bridge spanning the San Miguel River due to a bomb that their enemy has placed under it – should either of them move, the bomb will detonate and the bridge will be destroyed. They are rescued by Alan's brothers.. Grandma then moves into the Tracy household.
As the family matriarch, Grandma keeps the Tracys together, offering wisdom and advice for them and others in the household, such as Alan's love Tin-Tin. It is Grandma who keeps Alan and Tin-Tin together when Tin-Tin's ex-boyfriend pays a visit. Along with Kyrano and Tin-Tin, Grandma takes care of domestic chores in the Tracy household, though she can sometimes be confused by technology – at one point mixing tracking bugs into a pie, but later being able to work a nuclear oven.
Though not an active member of International Rescue, Grandma still plays a role when needed. She helps her grandsons organise equipment that they need and it is she who comes up with a solution for a rescue at the Bank of England when everyone else is out of ideas. She also attends the filming of an edition of the Ned Cook Show in which the host thanks International Rescue for saving his life. Grandma has never visited a stately home but hopes to do so one day, especially after meeting Lady Penelope.
In adaptations
Grandma briefly appears in the film Thunderbird 6 but has no dialogue. She is absent from the 2004 live-action film.Grandma returns in the remake Thunderbirds Are Go, voiced by Sandra Dickinson. In the remake, she has a different personality: she has taken over the role of head of the family following Jeff's disappearance, is tougher than the puppet version, and is a poor cook. In series 2, her first name is revealed to be Sally. Carolyn Percy of the Wales Arts Review comments that the remake character's "loving but no-nonsense" personality is in contrast with the original puppet character, who was played as more of a "stereotypical sweet little old lady".
Jeff Tracy
Jeff is the leader of International Rescue and father of Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan. The character was originally voiced by Peter Dyneley.The son of a combine harvester driver on a Kansas wheat farm, Jeff joined the United States Air Force and reached the rank of colonel. Later, he transferred to the Space Agency to become an early lunar astronaut. He married Lucille, with whom he had five sons: Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan. Each was named after one of the Project Mercury astronauts: Scott Carpenter, John Glenn, Virgil Grissom, Gordon Cooper and Alan Shepard.
According to a 1993 tie-in comic strip, Lucille and Jeff's father, Grant Tracy, were both killed in an avalanche. In the 2008 novel by Joan Marie Verba, Lucy died after an avalanche swept her van off a cliff.
Jeff founded a civil engineering, construction and aerospace business that made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. He later became a philanthropist and founded International Rescue. As the family patriarch, Jeff spends most of his time on Tracy Island, remotely coordinating rescue missions.
2004 film
, who played the live-action version of Jeff, described the character as "a kind of teacher, this father figure who has to teach his sons, particularly his youngest son Alan, these basic lessons of ethics and integrity, about doing the right thing."Remake
In the remake Thunderbirds Are Go, Jeff vanished six years prior to the start of the series, for which the Hood is shown to be responsible. Scott, as the eldest of the brothers, appears to have assumed command of International Rescue in his father's place. The origins of International Rescue are gradually explained throughout the series. Originally, Jeff was the only member with one ship: the TV-21, an ultra-high-speed rocket that according to Brains' was faster than any of the Thunderbirds. Following the loss of the TV-21, the Thunderbirds were built.Jeff finally appears in series 3, initially in recordings in the two-part episode "Signals", which reveals that he was last seen trying to stop the Hood stealing the Zero-X spacecraft. When the Hood's actions nearly caused Zero-Xs engine to overload, potentially creating an extinction-level event, Jeff took the ship into space. There was an explosion and both Jeff and Zero-X were believed lost. However, at the end of the episode "SOS", Brains discovers that rescued robot Braman was not sending a distress call, but was actually acting as a relay to send the message to Earth, and finds a coded message within the distress call that could only have come from Jeff. After recovering the Hood's escape pod, Brains realises that the explosion was a shockwave created by the ship's faster-than-light drive, which propelled Jeff into deep space.
Working with former adversary The Mechanic, Brains builds the Zero-XL, a ship powered by the same engine as the Zero-X and capable of transporting all the Thunderbirds, allowing the Tracy brothers to follow the signal back to its source. At the end of "The Long ReachPart 1", Scott, while trying to make his way back to Thunderbird 1 after investigating the cave that was the source of the signal, almost falls into the reaches of space after two asteroids collide with each other. He is caught by an unseen figure who is revealed to be Jeff. In "The Long ReachPart 2", the Hood is defeated and Jeff is reunited with his sons.
Third generation
All five of Jeff's sons are introduced in the first episode, "Trapped in the Sky", and live with him on Tracy Island when off-duty and not aboard Thunderbird 5.Scott Tracy
Scott is Jeff's eldest son. He is the pilot of International Rescue's primary craft, the reconnaissance rocket plane Thunderbird 1. The puppet was voiced by Shane Rimmer and its facial features were based on those of Sean Connery.Educated at Yale and Oxford Universities, Scott was decorated for valour during his service with the United States Air Force before taking up his duties with International Rescue. As pilot of Thunderbird 1, he is usually first at the danger zone and acts as field commander during rescue operations. He also takes on secondary duties as co-pilot of Thunderbird 3, is an occasional relief occupant on Thunderbird 5, and leads the organisation from Tracy Island when his father is absent.
As the eldest brother, Scott usually assumes a leadership role during operations. Despite the secretive nature of their work, Scott will collaborate with officials from other organisations who request International Rescue's aid. Of the five brothers, it is Scott who keeps a cool head, and who is quick-thinking when the situation calls for it – particularly when he is at the receiving end of a gun or when the security of International Rescue is compromised.
In adaptations
In the 2004 film, Scott is played by Philip Winchester. According to Alex Pang's Thunderbirds: X-Ray Cross Sections, he is, like the original, the eldest brother at 24 years of age. He is said to have "graduated from Wharton Academy" with "record grades" that remain unmatched by his brothers, "a fact he constantly reminds them of".In the remake Thunderbirds Are Go, Scott is voiced by Rasmus Hardiker. He is still the eldest and most experienced brother and is bold and fearless in action. He is also the team leader. However, he also possesses a short temper, as shown whenever a member of his family is put at risk by human error.