Colonel White
Encyclopedia
Colonel White is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
. He is the commander-in-Chief
of Spectrum, the security organisation dedicated to defending Earth
against the Mysteron
s from Mars
. He is also the commander
of Cloudbase
.
He is British
and his real name is Charles Grey (possibly named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
).
", "Special Assignment
" and "Flight to Atlantica
". His assistant is Lieutenant Green
. White is dedicated to his work and expects high levels of discipline from his agents. However, he has complete faith in their abilities.
series, White has a wife, Diana, and a daughter, Victoria, and has a residence on an estate in Gloucestershire
, England
.
He is a former Royal Marine and SIS
agent. He was recruited to the SIS from the Marines and reached the position of director. He subsequently moved on to the UN
Security Development Committee, which in turn created Spectrum. In contrast to his depiction in the original series, he is frequently seen away from his desk and to move around skybase, often pursuing an interest in chess
, fishing and fencing
.
debate for its use of the codenames "White" to designate the head of Spectrum, Colonel White, and "Black" in reference to the villainous Captain Black
. Gerry Anderson
defended his series against the accusations of racism and political incorrectness by reminding critics that Lieutenant Green
, Melody Angel and Harmony Angel are heroic characters despite being of either African or Asian descent.
Guyanese actor Cy Grant
, who voiced Green and saw the series as having positive multicultural value, has also noted the allegorical nature of Captain Scarlet. Christian symbolism is heavily implied, with Colonel White as God
, Captain Black as the Devil, Captain Scarlet
as Christ
, Cloudbase
as Heaven, and characters codenamed "the Angels", but Grant also mentions the idea of Lieutenant Green as an African trickster hero. On dualism, he suggests that, "the 'darkness
' of the Mysteron
s is most easily seen as the psychological rift—the struggle of 'good' and 'evil' — of the Western world
as personified by Colonel White and his team. Dark and light
are but aspects of each other. Incidentally, green is the colour of nature that can heal that rift."
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
. He is the commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of Spectrum, the security organisation dedicated to defending Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
against the Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s from Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
. He is also the commander
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
.
He is British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
and his real name is Charles Grey (possibly named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the...
).
Role
In the series, White spends much of his time at his circular desk in the Cloudbase control room. The only episodes in which he is seen to leave the base are "White as Snow", "Spectrum Strikes BackSpectrum Strikes Back
"Spectrum Strikes Back" is the ninth episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick and directed by Ken Turner....
", "Special Assignment
Special Assignment
"Special Assignment" is the tenth episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick and directed by Robert Lynn...
" and "Flight to Atlantica
Flight to Atlantica
"Flight to Atlantica" is the 30th episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick and directed by Leo Eaton....
". His assistant is Lieutenant Green
Lieutenant Green
Lieutenant Green is the assistant of Colonel White in the Supermarionation television series series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is of Trinidadian origin, and as well as being the only non-white male on Cloudbase, he is the only officer to hold the rank of lieutenant...
. White is dedicated to his work and expects high levels of discipline from his agents. However, he has complete faith in their abilities.
History
Very little of Colonel White's identity or biography is revealed in the original series. In the episode "White as Snow" he goes undercover and uses the alias Robert Snow, this being the only time he refers to any name other than his Spectrum codename in a televised episode.Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
In the 2005 remakeGerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet is a United Kingdom-produced computer-generated imagery action-adventure TV series which debuted in February 2005 as part of the Ministry of Mayhem on ITV....
series, White has a wife, Diana, and a daughter, Victoria, and has a residence on an estate in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
He is a former Royal Marine and SIS
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
agent. He was recruited to the SIS from the Marines and reached the position of director. He subsequently moved on to the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Development Committee, which in turn created Spectrum. In contrast to his depiction in the original series, he is frequently seen away from his desk and to move around skybase, often pursuing an interest in chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, fishing and fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
.
Reception
During its repeat run in the UK in 1993, Captain Scarlet became involved in the black-and-white dualismBlack-and-white dualism
The colors White and Black are widely used to depict opposites. Visually, white and black offer the highest possible contrast. In western culture, white and black traditionally symbolize the dichotomy of good and evil, metaphorically related to light and darkness and day and night.The dichotomy of...
debate for its use of the codenames "White" to designate the head of Spectrum, Colonel White, and "Black" in reference to the villainous Captain Black
Captain Black (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Black is the fictional nemesis of Captain Scarlet and recurring Mysteron agent in the 1960s British supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet...
. Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
defended his series against the accusations of racism and political incorrectness by reminding critics that Lieutenant Green
Lieutenant Green
Lieutenant Green is the assistant of Colonel White in the Supermarionation television series series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is of Trinidadian origin, and as well as being the only non-white male on Cloudbase, he is the only officer to hold the rank of lieutenant...
, Melody Angel and Harmony Angel are heroic characters despite being of either African or Asian descent.
Guyanese actor Cy Grant
Cy Grant
Cy Grant was a Guyanese actor, singer, writer and poet, who in the 1950s became the first black person to appear regularly on British television...
, who voiced Green and saw the series as having positive multicultural value, has also noted the allegorical nature of Captain Scarlet. Christian symbolism is heavily implied, with Colonel White as God
God in Christianity
In Christianity, God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe. God is believed by most Christians to be immanent , while others believe the plan of redemption show he will be immanent later...
, Captain Black as the Devil, Captain Scarlet
Captain Scarlet (character)
Captain Scarlet is the fictional main character in Gerry Anderson's British Supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet....
as Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
as Heaven, and characters codenamed "the Angels", but Grant also mentions the idea of Lieutenant Green as an African trickster hero. On dualism, he suggests that, "the 'darkness
Darkness
Darkness, in contrast with brightness, is a relative absence of visible light. It is the appearance of black in a color space. When light is not present, rod and cone cells within the eye are not stimulated. This lack of stimulation means photoreceptor cells are unable to distinguish color...
' of the Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s is most easily seen as the psychological rift—the struggle of 'good' and 'evil' — of the Western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
as personified by Colonel White and his team. Dark and light
Light (theology)
In theology, light or divine light is a term used to refer to an aspect of divine presence, specifically an unknown and mysterious ability of God, angels, or human beings to express themselves communicatively through spiritual means, rather than through physical capacities...
are but aspects of each other. Incidentally, green is the colour of nature that can heal that rift."