Authorized Personnel Only
Encyclopedia
Authorized Personnel Only (APO), is a fictional black ops unit within the Central Intelligence Agency
in the American TV series Alias
. It was formed at the beginning of Season 4
and is headquartered beneath the Los Angeles Subway system.
, who also gave the organization its name as an inside joke since the main entrance to APO's headquarters was behind a maintenance door in the Los Angeles
subway system marked "Authorized Personnel Only". Concerned that increased public scrutiny of the CIA and resulting red tape has impeded their ability to do their job, the CIA asked Sloane to set up the covert unit as one that is still governed by U.S.
laws, but unhampered by bureaucratic chain of command with no accountability except to themselves. Sloane was chosen because of his experience running SD-6, which successfully posed as a CIA black ops division for several years. All of its initial members were hand picked by Sloane, and in order to maintain APO's cover as a unit that officially doesn't exist, all members from previous seasons officially resign from the CIA under varying circumstances to work for APO.
Although headed by Sloane, APO ultimately answered to CIA Director Hayden Chase, and at the end of Season 4
, Sloane was removed from his post and replaced by Jack Bristow
, who remained in charge of APO into Season 5
. Sloane ultimately returned to APO as assistant director, although unknown to his colleagues he was now a mole
for Prophet Five, a criminal organization that also pretended to be the CIA in order to recruit. Sloane was allowed back into APO in order to use its resources to find a cure for Nadia Santos
, his daughter, after the events of the season 4 finale.
s are:
Nadia Santos
(Evergreen) later joined APO at her request. Marshall Flinkman
(Merlin) was recruited to serve as tech support. Eric Weiss
also became a member after crossing paths with Sydney and Vaughn during an APO mission.
In the 5th season, APO gained two new members following the apparent death
of Michael Vaughn, Eric Weiss
's transfer to Washington D.C. and Nadia's being hospitalized for her illness. Thomas Grace
(Sidewinder) was recruited from another division of the CIA, while Rachel Gibson (Oracle) was a former, unwitting agent of The Shed who thought she was working for the CIA while under Gordon Dean.
As the series approached its finale, numerous changes occurred in APO. Arvin Sloane
was removed as director and replaced by Jack Bristow
. As Sloane's endgame began to come to fruition, involving moles within the CIA itself, Bristow began to hide information from CIA oversight.
In the series finale, APO headquarters was destroyed by a large bomb planted in the subway by Julian Sark
, who was under orders from Sloane. APO and the subway was evacuated, but agent Thomas Grace died in the blast. (The episode revealed that APO headquarters was within a few blocks of Los Angeles City Hall, meaning that APO must be in the Civic Center Station).
The series ends with a "flash-forward" to several years into the future (roughly 2014). Marcus Dixon is referred to as "deputy director" but it is not indicated whether APO still exists in this future time.
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
in the American TV series Alias
Alias (TV series)
Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...
. It was formed at the beginning of Season 4
Alias episodes (Season 4)
The fourth season of the American drama/adventure television series Alias premiered January 5, 2005 on ABC and concluded May 25, 2005 and was released on DVD in region 1 on October 25, 2005...
and is headquartered beneath the Los Angeles Subway system.
History and background
Its first director was Arvin SloaneArvin Sloane
Arvin Sloane is a fictional character played by Ron Rifkin. He was the former director of SD-6 on the television series, Alias.-Background:...
, who also gave the organization its name as an inside joke since the main entrance to APO's headquarters was behind a maintenance door in the Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
subway system marked "Authorized Personnel Only". Concerned that increased public scrutiny of the CIA and resulting red tape has impeded their ability to do their job, the CIA asked Sloane to set up the covert unit as one that is still governed by U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
laws, but unhampered by bureaucratic chain of command with no accountability except to themselves. Sloane was chosen because of his experience running SD-6, which successfully posed as a CIA black ops division for several years. All of its initial members were hand picked by Sloane, and in order to maintain APO's cover as a unit that officially doesn't exist, all members from previous seasons officially resign from the CIA under varying circumstances to work for APO.
Although headed by Sloane, APO ultimately answered to CIA Director Hayden Chase, and at the end of Season 4
Alias episodes (Season 4)
The fourth season of the American drama/adventure television series Alias premiered January 5, 2005 on ABC and concluded May 25, 2005 and was released on DVD in region 1 on October 25, 2005...
, Sloane was removed from his post and replaced by Jack Bristow
Jack Bristow
Jonathan "Jack" Donahue Bristow, played by Victor Garber, is Sydney Bristow's father on the television series Alias. Jack is widely referred to as "Spy Daddy" in Alias fandom, and consistently ranks as one of the most popular characters on the show...
, who remained in charge of APO into Season 5
Alias episodes (Season 5)
The fifth and final season of the American drama/adventure television series Alias premiered September 29, 2005 on ABC and concluded May 22, 2006 and was released on DVD in region 1 on November 21, 2006. Guest stars in season five include Gina Torres....
. Sloane ultimately returned to APO as assistant director, although unknown to his colleagues he was now a mole
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
for Prophet Five, a criminal organization that also pretended to be the CIA in order to recruit. Sloane was allowed back into APO in order to use its resources to find a cure for Nadia Santos
Nadia Santos
Nadia Santos is a fictional character in the television series Alias, and a main character during the series' fourth season. She is played by Mía Maestro.-Biography:...
, his daughter, after the events of the season 4 finale.
Personnel
The first agents recruited and their new call signCall sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
s are:
- Jack BristowJack BristowJonathan "Jack" Donahue Bristow, played by Victor Garber, is Sydney Bristow's father on the television series Alias. Jack is widely referred to as "Spy Daddy" in Alias fandom, and consistently ranks as one of the most popular characters on the show...
- Raptor - Sydney BristowSydney BristowSydney Anne Bristow , played by Jennifer Garner, is the main character and protagonist on the television series Alias. She is an American woman with Russian-American family background who works as a spy for the CIA....
- Phoenix - Michael VaughnMichael VaughnMichael C. Vaughn is a fictional character on the television series Alias. Played by Michael Vartan, Vaughn is one of Sydney Bristow's co-workers and her ongoing love interest. He, like Sydney, is skilled in a variety of areas...
- Shotgun - Nadia SantosNadia SantosNadia Santos is a fictional character in the television series Alias, and a main character during the series' fourth season. She is played by Mía Maestro.-Biography:...
- Evergreen - Marshall FlinkmanMarshall FlinkmanMarshall J. Flinkman is a fictional character on the television series, Alias. Flinkman, portrayed by Kevin Weisman, is the tech geek at SD-6 and then later the CIA...
- Merlin - Marcus DixonMarcus Dixon (Alias)Marcus R. Dixon is a fictional character on the television series, Alias. He has been one of Sydney Bristow's coworkers and the CIA's Director of Joint Task Force. He is portrayed by Carl Lumbly.-Character biography:...
- Outrigger - Thomas GraceThomas Grace (Alias)Thomas Grace is a character on the spy-fi drama series, Alias, and is one of the main characters from the series' final season. He is portrayed by Balthazar Getty.The character was introduced in the second episode of the fifth season...
- Sidewinder - Rachel Gibson - Oracle
Nadia Santos
Nadia Santos
Nadia Santos is a fictional character in the television series Alias, and a main character during the series' fourth season. She is played by Mía Maestro.-Biography:...
(Evergreen) later joined APO at her request. Marshall Flinkman
Marshall Flinkman
Marshall J. Flinkman is a fictional character on the television series, Alias. Flinkman, portrayed by Kevin Weisman, is the tech geek at SD-6 and then later the CIA...
(Merlin) was recruited to serve as tech support. Eric Weiss
Eric Weiss
Eric Weiss is a fictional character, played by Greg Grunberg, from the television series Alias. He is one of Sydney Bristow's CIA co-workers....
also became a member after crossing paths with Sydney and Vaughn during an APO mission.
In the 5th season, APO gained two new members following the apparent death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
of Michael Vaughn, Eric Weiss
Eric Weiss
Eric Weiss is a fictional character, played by Greg Grunberg, from the television series Alias. He is one of Sydney Bristow's CIA co-workers....
's transfer to Washington D.C. and Nadia's being hospitalized for her illness. Thomas Grace
Thomas Grace (Alias)
Thomas Grace is a character on the spy-fi drama series, Alias, and is one of the main characters from the series' final season. He is portrayed by Balthazar Getty.The character was introduced in the second episode of the fifth season...
(Sidewinder) was recruited from another division of the CIA, while Rachel Gibson (Oracle) was a former, unwitting agent of The Shed who thought she was working for the CIA while under Gordon Dean.
As the series approached its finale, numerous changes occurred in APO. Arvin Sloane
Arvin Sloane
Arvin Sloane is a fictional character played by Ron Rifkin. He was the former director of SD-6 on the television series, Alias.-Background:...
was removed as director and replaced by Jack Bristow
Jack Bristow
Jonathan "Jack" Donahue Bristow, played by Victor Garber, is Sydney Bristow's father on the television series Alias. Jack is widely referred to as "Spy Daddy" in Alias fandom, and consistently ranks as one of the most popular characters on the show...
. As Sloane's endgame began to come to fruition, involving moles within the CIA itself, Bristow began to hide information from CIA oversight.
In the series finale, APO headquarters was destroyed by a large bomb planted in the subway by Julian Sark
Julian Sark
Julian Sark is a recurring fictional character portrayed by David Anders on the ABC television series Alias. The series follows Sydney Bristow, an operative working for an organization called SD-6 which she believes is a covert branch of the Central Intelligence Agency...
, who was under orders from Sloane. APO and the subway was evacuated, but agent Thomas Grace died in the blast. (The episode revealed that APO headquarters was within a few blocks of Los Angeles City Hall, meaning that APO must be in the Civic Center Station).
The series ends with a "flash-forward" to several years into the future (roughly 2014). Marcus Dixon is referred to as "deputy director" but it is not indicated whether APO still exists in this future time.