Hawk (birdman)
Encyclopedia
Hawk the birdman is a character from the second season of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
and the alien sidekick
to Buck Rogers
. He is portrayed in the television series by Thom Christopher
.
by humans, with Hawk as its sole survivor. They originally cohabited the Earth
with humans, but when the humans turned to hunting them, they fled to the stars. They stopped flying and eventually lost their wings, yet their avian instinct makes them skilled starfighter
pilots. Having seen his people killed by drunken humans, Hawk declares war on the entire human race, and takes to attacking any human spacecraft
he encounters. Because of this, Buck Rogers
is ordered to capture him. During a duel with Buck, Hawk's mate, Koori, is fatally injured and Buck helps Hawk get her to a healer. She dies, but Hawk is impressed by the fact that Buck offered assistance to an enemy. Having learned that not all humans are evil, Hawk joins the Earth
forces, and joins Buck on many subsequent adventures.
Hawk wears black, has a head full of feathers instead of hair, and speaks in an archaic and solemn fashion similar to the muppet Sam the Eagle
.
read books on bird mannerisms, visited the birds section of the American Museum of Natural History and observed real life hawks in the Central Park Zoo.
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
and the alien sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
to Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers
Anthony Rogers is a fictional character that first appeared in Armageddon 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories. A sequel, The Airlords of Han, was published in the March 1929 issue....
. He is portrayed in the television series by Thom Christopher
Thom Christopher
Thom Christopher is an American actor.He is best known for his portrayal of mob boss Carlo Hesser and Mortimer Bern on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live.Christopher has also had roles on soap operas such as Loving and Guiding Light...
.
Character
Hawk is the last of the Birdmen, who had been hunted to extinctionExtinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
by humans, with Hawk as its sole survivor. They originally cohabited the 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...
with humans, but when the humans turned to hunting them, they fled to the stars. They stopped flying and eventually lost their wings, yet their avian instinct makes them skilled starfighter
Starfighter
"Starfighter" is a science fiction term used to describe small, fast, usually one-manned craft designed for armed combat .The appearance and use of fictional starfighters is often modeled on fighter aircraft, with little regard for the actual physics of spaceflight...
pilots. Having seen his people killed by drunken humans, Hawk declares war on the entire human race, and takes to attacking any human spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
he encounters. Because of this, Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers
Anthony Rogers is a fictional character that first appeared in Armageddon 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories. A sequel, The Airlords of Han, was published in the March 1929 issue....
is ordered to capture him. During a duel with Buck, Hawk's mate, Koori, is fatally injured and Buck helps Hawk get her to a healer. She dies, but Hawk is impressed by the fact that Buck offered assistance to an enemy. Having learned that not all humans are evil, Hawk joins the 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...
forces, and joins Buck on many subsequent adventures.
Hawk wears black, has a head full of feathers instead of hair, and speaks in an archaic and solemn fashion similar to the muppet Sam the Eagle
Sam the Eagle
Sam the Eagle is a character from the syndicated television show The Muppet Show, performed by Frank Oz. The name "Sam" is possibly derived from Uncle Sam. The Bald Eagle is the official symbol of the United States, and Sam's patriotic spirit differentiates him from the rest of the Muppet cast, as...
.
Performance
To help develop the character of Hawk, Thom ChristopherThom Christopher
Thom Christopher is an American actor.He is best known for his portrayal of mob boss Carlo Hesser and Mortimer Bern on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live.Christopher has also had roles on soap operas such as Loving and Guiding Light...
read books on bird mannerisms, visited the birds section of the American Museum of Natural History and observed real life hawks in the Central Park Zoo.