Doctor Charles Henry Moffett
Encyclopedia
Dr. Charles Henry Moffet is a fictional character in the TV series Airwolf
. He was played by actor David Hemmings
.
Moffet is a British scientist working for the American government He is a genius, but also a sociopath
. There are indications in the pilot episode that he has perhaps had run-ins with the American government in the past, but his abilities make him too enticing for the government to pass up. Working for a division of the CIA known as the F.I.R.M., Moffet then designs and builds the prototype supersonic attack helicopter known as Airwolf
, which carries a price tag of a billion dollars. During Airwolf's development, the project's chief test pilot is Vietnam
veteran Stringfellow Hawke
, the dark and Byronic star of the series. (Hawke and Moffet never meet on screen until their final showdown; although they must have known each other; any relationship they may have had during Airwolf's development is hidden within the back-story
.)
Upon Airwolf's completion, the F.I.R.M puts the aircraft—piloted by Moffet himself—through a live-fire exercise to demonstrate its abilities to William Dietz (Eugene Roche
), an important but skeptical U.S. senator
who believes the project to be too costly. Upon seeing what Airwolf can do, however, the impressed senator radios his congratulations to Moffet. But Moffet apparently holds a grudge against Dietz for an earlier run-in, and he proceeds to unleash Airwolf's weapons against the control center, killing Dietz, and wounding several F.I.R.M agents, including its senior official, Michael Coldsmith-Briggs III (code name: "Archangel"). Expressly said to have been blinded in one eye by the attack, Archangel also walks with a cane and a limp for the rest of the series, but the precise nature of this injury is not specified (although in one subsequent episode when he loses part of an ear, his right-hand woman, Marella (Deborah Pratt
), quips that they might need to clone him for spare parts, implying that he has used a prosthetic leg since this incident).
Moffet and his crew then fly Airwolf to Libya
. The Libyan government caters to Moffet's sadistic desires in exchange for Moffet's use of Airwolf to strike at Libya's enemies. ("There's nothing wrong with a little perversion, Mark," Moffet tells one of his crew at one point, "so long as you don't hurt yourself."). On one occasion Moffet even uses Airwolf to sink an American destroyer
with all hands. Discovering that an exotic dancing girl, Gabrielle Ademaur, is actually a F.I.R.M. agent assigned to locate him, Moffet abandons her in the desert to die. At the same time, Hawke and his friend Dominic Santini
have stolen Airwolf from its compound. When Hawke, who is romantically involved with Gabrielle, finds her only to have her die in his arms, he hunts down Moffet across the desert with Airwolf, killing the inventor with his own creation.
Moffet, however manages to return from beyond the grave. Before fleeing to Libya, he destroyed the plans to Airwolf, making the prototype—now in Hawke's hands—one of a kind, and thus forcing the F.I.R.M. to work with Hawke on the latter's terms in order to have use of the helicopter. Moffet also implanted a software logic bomb in Airwolf's computers; when a certain length of time went by without him entering a special code, the computer took over control of the helicopter and sent it on a spree of destruction before Hawke and Santini could erase the software (season 2's "Moffett's Ghost"--the name was incorrectly spelled by MCA's Universal Title department).
Although Moffet appears in only the pilot and (as a video recording in Airwolf's on-board computer) "Moffett's Ghost", his shadow hovers over the plot for the life of the series.
Airwolf
Airwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
. He was played by actor David Hemmings
David Hemmings
David Edward Leslie Hemmings was an English film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director and producer....
.
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
. There are indications in the pilot episode that he has perhaps had run-ins with the American government in the past, but his abilities make him too enticing for the government to pass up. Working for a division of the CIA known as the F.I.R.M., Moffet then designs and builds the prototype supersonic attack helicopter known as Airwolf
Airwolf (helicopter)
Airwolf is the helicopter from the 1980s American television series of the same name. The aircraft itself was a modified Bell 222 twin-engined light helicopter built by Bell Helicopter and owned by JetCopters Inc.-Bell 222:...
, which carries a price tag of a billion dollars. During Airwolf's development, the project's chief test pilot is Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran Stringfellow Hawke
Stringfellow Hawke
Stringfellow Hawke is a fictional character on the American action-adventure television series Airwolf . During the series' first three seasons, Hawke is its central character...
, the dark and Byronic star of the series. (Hawke and Moffet never meet on screen until their final showdown; although they must have known each other; any relationship they may have had during Airwolf's development is hidden within the back-story
Back-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
.)
Upon Airwolf's completion, the F.I.R.M puts the aircraft—piloted by Moffet himself—through a live-fire exercise to demonstrate its abilities to William Dietz (Eugene Roche
Eugene Roche
Eugene Harrison Roche was an American actor . He was the original "Ajax Man" in 1970s television commercials.-Personal life:...
), an important but skeptical U.S. senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
who believes the project to be too costly. Upon seeing what Airwolf can do, however, the impressed senator radios his congratulations to Moffet. But Moffet apparently holds a grudge against Dietz for an earlier run-in, and he proceeds to unleash Airwolf's weapons against the control center, killing Dietz, and wounding several F.I.R.M agents, including its senior official, Michael Coldsmith-Briggs III (code name: "Archangel"). Expressly said to have been blinded in one eye by the attack, Archangel also walks with a cane and a limp for the rest of the series, but the precise nature of this injury is not specified (although in one subsequent episode when he loses part of an ear, his right-hand woman, Marella (Deborah Pratt
Deborah Pratt
Deborah M. Pratt is an American actress, writer and television producer. She was a co-executive producer and a writer on the Quantum Leap TV series which was created by her then-husband, Donald Bellisario, and acted in television series including Quantum Leap, Magnum, P.I. and Airwolf...
), quips that they might need to clone him for spare parts, implying that he has used a prosthetic leg since this incident).
Moffet and his crew then fly Airwolf to Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. The Libyan government caters to Moffet's sadistic desires in exchange for Moffet's use of Airwolf to strike at Libya's enemies. ("There's nothing wrong with a little perversion, Mark," Moffet tells one of his crew at one point, "so long as you don't hurt yourself."). On one occasion Moffet even uses Airwolf to sink an American destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
with all hands. Discovering that an exotic dancing girl, Gabrielle Ademaur, is actually a F.I.R.M. agent assigned to locate him, Moffet abandons her in the desert to die. At the same time, Hawke and his friend Dominic Santini
Dominic Santini
Dominic Santini is a fictional character on the U.S. television series Airwolf, which ran from 1984 to 1987. Veteran actor Ernest Borgnine portrayed the character during the series' first three seasons....
have stolen Airwolf from its compound. When Hawke, who is romantically involved with Gabrielle, finds her only to have her die in his arms, he hunts down Moffet across the desert with Airwolf, killing the inventor with his own creation.
Moffet, however manages to return from beyond the grave. Before fleeing to Libya, he destroyed the plans to Airwolf, making the prototype—now in Hawke's hands—one of a kind, and thus forcing the F.I.R.M. to work with Hawke on the latter's terms in order to have use of the helicopter. Moffet also implanted a software logic bomb in Airwolf's computers; when a certain length of time went by without him entering a special code, the computer took over control of the helicopter and sent it on a spree of destruction before Hawke and Santini could erase the software (season 2's "Moffett's Ghost"--the name was incorrectly spelled by MCA's Universal Title department).
Although Moffet appears in only the pilot and (as a video recording in Airwolf's on-board computer) "Moffett's Ghost", his shadow hovers over the plot for the life of the series.