Scott Tracy
Scott Tracy is the eldest son of Jeff Tracy. He is also the field commander of International Rescue and primary pilot of Thunderbird One. He lives on Tracy Island. Jeff was voiced by actor Shane Rimmer.
Here is a table of Canon Foundry facts about Scott Tracy:
From the TV Series and the Movies (Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6):
| The Canon Fact | The Source |
|---|---|
| Pilot of Thunderbird One. | Opening Credits of TV series |
| Scott plays chess. | With Gordon in the episode “ Trapped in the Sky” |
| Co-pilot of Thunderbird Three. | Seen in the episodes “Sun Probe” and “The Uninvited” |
| Scott is right-handed. | Scott shoots right-handed in the episode “The Uninvited” |
| He is enthusiastic about his grandma’s cooking. | He has three helpings of apple pie in the episode “ The Uninvited” and gets into trouble for helping himself to cake in the episode “ The Mighty Atom” |
| A few inches taller than Virgil when standing side by side with him. | Seen at the end of the episode “Move and You're Dead” |
| Scott plays pool. | With Virgil in the episode “Move and You're Dead” and with Virgil and Gordon in the episode “Operation Crash-Dive” |
| He sometimes wears a safety belt across his chest while piloting Thunderbird One. | He does in the episode “ Move and You’re Dead” but not in the episode “ The Uninvited” |
| Slightly taller than his father. | Seen in the episode “Brink of Disaster” |
| Has taken Thunderbird One to go 'on holiday.' | Seen in the episode “The Perils of Penelope” |
| Scott sometimes smokes cigarettes. | Seen in the episodes “Edge of Impact” and “Operation Crash-Dive” |
| Calls Jeff ‘Father’ to his face most of the time, though uses ‘Dad’ on occasion. | Seen in the episodes “Man from MI5” and “Martian Invasion” |
| Scott has a sense of humor; is tolerant of being the butt of jokes. | Plays along with children Tony & Bob at the end of the episode “Cry Wolf” |
| Assumes command of International Rescue when Jeff goes on holiday. | Seen in the episode “Atlantic Inferno” and also referenced in Olivier, Jenny (2001), Lady Penelope's Secrets . Carlton Books Limited. p. 83. |
| Scott is the eldest of Jeff's sons. | Virgil calls Scott the eldest in the episode “Atlantic Inferno” and also referenced in Olivier, Jenny (2001), Lady Penelope's Secrets . Carlton Books Limited. p. 82. |
| Scott has dark brown hair and dark blue eyes. | Multiple episodes |
| Scott is the field commander for International Rescue, as he is first on-scene in Thunderbird One and mans Mobile Control. | Multiple episodes and also referenced in Olivier, Jenny (2001), Lady Penelope's Secrets . Carlton Books Limited. p. 82. (contributed by Chris Davis) |
| Other Sources: | |
| SCOTT TRACY - Pilot of Thunderbird 1. Named after Malcolm Scott Carpenter. Age - 30. | Thunderbirds Information Sheet |
| Scott, born April 4th, age 30. | Thunderbirds Are Go Exhibitors' Campaign Book 1966; also in Thunderbird Six Press facts sheet, 1967 |
| 26 years old. Educated at Yale and Oxford. | (1966), Thunderbirds Annual. City Magazines Ltd. p. 10. ; Olivier, Jenny (2001), Lady Penelope's Secrets . Carlton Books Limited. p. 82. |
| John, Virgil and Gordon all call Scott 'big brother' | Theydon, John (1966), Ring of Fire. Titan. pp. 30-31. |
| Scott plays piano (Chopin when worried, jazz when relaxed.) | Theydon, John (1966), Thunderbirds . Titan. p. 23. |
| Physically powerful, with unending energy, he survives on very little sleep and is always a vital, light-hearted person. | (1966), Thunderbirds Annual. City Magazines Ltd. p. 10 |
| Much like his father in character. | (1966), Thunderbirds Annual. City Magazines Ltd. p. 10 |
| Enjoys a joke. | (1966), Thunderbirds Annual. City Magazines Ltd. p. 10 |
| Served in US Air Force where he was decorated for valor. | (1966), Thunderbirds Annual. City Magazines Ltd. p. 10 |
| Knowledgeable and quick to make up his mind. | (1966), Thunderbirds Annual. City Magazines Ltd. p. 10 |
| His writing is clear and well-spaced though smaller than his father’s indicating a tendency to be fussy over details. Thick, strong letters reveal firmness – once he makes up his mind to do something he is not easily deterred. | (1967), Lady Penelope Annual. |
| Bold and ambitious but extremely friendly and warm. | (1967), Lady Penelope Annual. |
| Reads a lot; mainly travel books and biographies. | (1967), Lady Penelope Annual. |
| Energetic and forceful, quick to grasp a situation. | (1967), Lady Penelope Annual. |
| Scott's birthday is 4th April 1996. | de Klerk, Theo, “Thunderbirds All Series Guide,” Supermarionation is Go #10, Spring 1984. |
| Scott's features were a look-alike for voice actor Shane Rimmer. | de Klerk, Theo, “Thunderbirds All Series Guide,” Supermarionation is Go #10, Spring 1984. |
| “By the time he was 26 he was ready to become lead man for IR.” | Peel, John (1986), The Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds Files, Volume One: International Rescue . Psi Fi Movie Press, Inc. p. 57. |
| Enjoys a joke and a movie with his brothers. | Peel, John (1986), The Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds Files, Volume One: International Rescue . Psi Fi Movie Press, Inc. p. 57. |
| Loves dancing, socializing and a night on the town. | Peel, John (1986), The Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds Files, Volume One: International Rescue . Psi Fi Movie Press, Inc. p. 57. |
| Date of birth 14th April 1996. Aged 30. | Marriott, John (1992), Thunderbirds Are Go! . Boxtree Limited. p. 18. |
| Named after astronaut Scott Malcolm Carpenter. | Marriott, John (1992), Thunderbirds Are Go! . Boxtree Limited. p. 18. |
| “A fusion of his father’s intellectual dazzle and gritty masculinity with a lightning brain, characterized by a curt, decisive speech pattern.” | Marriott, John (1992), Thunderbirds Are Go! . Boxtree Limited. p. 18. |
| He “radiates a tireless energy” and has “the confidence to make instant decisions.” “His untroubled nature never dents his determination to win through.” | Marriott, John (1992), Thunderbirds Are Go! . Boxtree Limited. p. 19. |
| Date of birth 14th April. Aged 30. | (1992), The Official Thunderbirds Annual . Grandreams, Ltd./ITC Entertainment Group. p. 22. ISBN 0-86227-953-4. |
| Scott did astronaut training at Tracy College, Kansas, then went on to join the U.S. Air Force. | Fennell, Alan, “Part 16 – Scott Tracy – Towards Manhood!,” Thunderbirds: The Comic #50, September 4 th – 17 th , 1993, Fleetway Editions, Ltd., ITC Entertainment Group, Ltd. p. 13. |
| Named after astronaut Scott Malcolm Carpenter. | Bentley, Chris (2000), The Complete Book of Thunderbirds . Carlton Books, Ltd.. p. 53. ISBN 1-84222-092-6. |
| “His complete lack of arrogance enables him to assist his brothers in even the most menial of tasks.” | Bentley, Chris (2000), The Complete Book of Thunderbirds . Carlton Books, Ltd.. p. 53. ISBN 1-84222-092-6. |
| Born 4th April 2039. | Bentley, Chris (2000), The Complete Book of Thunderbirds . Carlton Books, Ltd.. p. 52. ISBN 1-84222-092-6. and (2001), Thunderbirds Annual. |
| Occasionally mans Thunderbird Five. | Olivier, Jenny (2001), Lady Penelope's Secrets . Carlton Books Limited. p. 83. |
| Named after American astronaut Malcolm Scott Carpenter. | Fennell, Alan, Editor, August 20, 2066 (1966), “Personality – Scott Tracy,” TV Century 21 . p. 6. |
| Dark hair, brown (sic) eyes, 30 years old. | Fennell, Alan, Editor, August 20, 2066 (1966), “Personality – Scott Tracy,” TV Century 21 . p. 6. |
| Hobby: reading. | Fennell, Alan, Editor, August 20, 2066 (1966), “Personality – Scott Tracy,” TV Century 21 . p. 6. |
| Favorite food: steak. | Fennell, Alan, Editor, August 20, 2066 (1966), “Personality – Scott Tracy,” TV Century 21 . p. 6. |
| Will succeed his father as head of International Rescue. | Fennell, Alan, Editor, August 20, 2066 (1966), “Personality – Scott Tracy,” TV Century 21 . p. 6. |
| Calls Virgil ‘little brother.' | Multiple comics such as Fennell, Alan, Editor, November 4, 2067 (1967), TV Century 21 . #146 and Fennell, Alan, Editor, January 27, 2068 (1968) #158. . |
| Scott calling Virgil “Li'l brother” is out-of-character. (In other words, he wouldn't do that.) | Source: Shaqui le Vesconte's 1987 interview with Angus Allan, who was a script editor for the TV Century 21 comics during the 1960s. Quote: “"I ought to mention what we called 'spin-off' publications - mainly the 'specials', 'annuals' and 'extras' - but also the paperback books. Scripting/story writing for these was often handled by outsiders, through Alan Fennell. In this instance, a writer would be given a stack of TV Century 21 magazines to study, and would have to come up with an initial synopsis, several pages long, of what he intended to do. This would be initially passed by myself (or returned for alterations) and given the final okay by Alan Fennell. As always, with outside writers, there would be minor errors of style that had to be corrected, An example - in the case of a Thunderbirds complete written by Scott Goodall. A splendid technician, Goodall made the mistake of having Scott Tracy refer in dialogue to Gordon as "Li'l brother" - which was totally out of character and had to be corrected." “ |
| Scott is Jeff’s eldest son, fast-talking and quick-thinking. | ITC programme notes |
| Scott's middle name is unknown. | The only detail we have from all the sources is that the Tracy boys are ‘named after’ the Mercury Seven astronauts. This is ambiguous as to whether this means that both the astronaut’s first and surname were taken (e.g. Scott Carpenter Tracy) or just the first name (Scott Tracy) with some other middle name. We are never formally given any middle name for any of the boys or Jeff in canon sources. |
| The eldest of the five brothers. | Peel, John (1988) Supermarionation: the Magical World of Gerry Anderson . "The Tracys: Scott Tracy," Los Angeles, California; Schuster and Schuster |
| Frequently the most serious of the five brothers. | Peel, John (1988) Supermarionation: the Magical World of Gerry Anderson . "The Tracys: Scott Tracy," Los Angeles, California; Schuster and Schuster |
| "He studied at Yale University, then for a short while at Oxford. He then enrolled in the U.S. Air Force, as his father had done before him, and gained swift promotion and recognition for his flying ability and courage." | Peel, John (1988) Supermarionation: the Magical World of Gerry Anderson . "The Tracys: Scott Tracy," Los Angeles, California; Schuster and Schuster |
| Scott was 26 years old when he became "the lead man for International Rescue." | Peel, John (1988) Supermarionation: the Magical World of Gerry Anderson . "The Tracys: Scott Tracy," Los Angeles, California; Schuster and Schuster |
| In Jeff's absence, Scott becomes the head of operations. | Peel, John (1988) Supermarionation: the Magical World of Gerry Anderson . "The Tracys: Scott Tracy," Los Angeles, California; Schuster and Schuster |
| He is the reserve pilot for Thunderbird 3 on all space missions. | Peel, John (1988) Supermarionation: the Magical World of Gerry Anderson . "The Tracys: Scott Tracy," Los Angeles, California; Schuster and Schuster |
| "Scott's energy, enthusiasm and physical strength are often surprising, but he can relax and enjoy a joke and a movie with his brothers. He is never averse to a night out on the town! In fact, Scott loves dancing and socializing." | Peel, John (1988) Supermarionation: the Magical World of Gerry Anderson . "The Tracys: Scott Tracy," Los Angeles, California; Schuster and Schuster |
| Pilot of Thunderbird One, named after Malcolm Scott Carpenter. Age 30 | The Thunderbirds Information Sheet. This document provides definitive proof of the official birth order of the Tracy boys. It was mailed directly from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's office to fans who wrote in requesting information about International Rescue. The document we have (see menu to the left, "TB Info Sheet"): a picture of it was sent originally to Peter Singleton on April 4, 1966. It was signed by Una, Gerry Anderson's secretary, on his behalf. Pete Singleton shared it with Stephen La Riviere (TB 1965), who shared it with TICipedia webmistress Jaimi Sorrell on June 10, 2017 (and later publicly as well on the TB 1965 Facebook page). |
| Reply from 'Lady Penelope' to letter from reader says Scott is 30 | Dutch Source: TV2000 comic Nov 11th 1967 |
| Profile of Scott, age 30 | Dutch Source: Albert Heijn Margarine leaflets 1967 |
General Note on Middle Names: The only detail we have from all the sources is that the Tracy boys are ‘named after’ the Mercury Seven astronauts. This is ambiguous as to whether this means that both the astronaut’s first and surname were taken (e.g. Scott Carpenter Tracy) or just the first name (Scott Tracy). We are never given any canon middle name for any of the boys, so this is one of those cases where that is open to personal interpretation.