Lieutenant Green
Encyclopedia
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. He is an expert in computer programming and electronics.
In the series, Green spends most of his time in the Cloudbase control room. He assists Colonel White in the execution of missions by accessing data and radio links at a large supercomputer
, which he operates from a movable chair. At White's command he can activate the control room's display screen or speak on the base's public address
system. Green rarely leaves Cloudbase, though he constantly mentions how he would like to meet Captain Black
face-to-face. Other Cloudbase personnel occupy his chair to assist Colonel White whenever the Lieutenant is absent.
Cy Grant
provided the voice of Lieutenant Green.
, Green (real name Serena Lewis) is now a 27-year-old female officer who speaks with an American accent. She remains confined to Skybase, but her desk is smaller and her computer is holographic
. She is knowledgeable about all aspects of Spectrum, and used to work for the United Nations
. She is attracted to Captain Blue
. At the end of one episode, she is offered a promotion to the rank of captain, but decides to remain a lieutenant.
debate for its use of the codenames "White" to designate the head of Spectrum, Colonel White
, and "Black" to designate the villainous Captain Black
. Gerry Anderson
defended the series against the accusations of racism and political incorrectness, reminding critics that the characters of Green, Melody Angel and Harmony Angel are heroic in spite of their respective African or Asian origins.
Grant, who voiced Green and perceived the series as having positive multicultural value, 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 mentioned the idea of Lieutenant Green being an African trickster hero. On dualism, he suggested 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."
Colonel White
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 Mysterons from Mars...
in the Supermarionation
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 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 of Trinidadian
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
origin, and as well as being the only non-white male on 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 the only officer to hold the rank of lieutenant. He is an expert in computer programming and electronics.
In the series, Green spends most of his time in the Cloudbase control room. He assists Colonel White in the execution of missions by accessing data and radio links at a large supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
, which he operates from a movable chair. At White's command he can activate the control room's display screen or speak on the base's public address
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
system. Green rarely leaves Cloudbase, though he constantly mentions how he would like to meet 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...
face-to-face. Other Cloudbase personnel occupy his chair to assist Colonel White whenever the Lieutenant is absent.
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...
provided the voice of Lieutenant Green.
Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
In the 2005 remake series, Gerry Anderson's New Captain ScarletGerry 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....
, Green (real name Serena Lewis) is now a 27-year-old female officer who speaks with an American accent. She remains confined to Skybase, but her desk is smaller and her computer is holographic
Holography
Holography is a technique that allows the light scattered from an object to be recorded and later reconstructed so that when an imaging system is placed in the reconstructed beam, an image of the object will be seen even when the object is no longer present...
. She is knowledgeable about all aspects of Spectrum, and used to work for the United Nations
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...
. She is attracted to Captain Blue
Captain Blue (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Blue is a character in the 1967 Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation and a close friend of Captain Scarlet....
. At the end of one episode, she is offered a promotion to the rank of captain, but decides to remain a lieutenant.
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
Colonel White
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 Mysterons from Mars...
, and "Black" to designate 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 the series against the accusations of racism and political incorrectness, reminding critics that the characters of Green, Melody Angel and Harmony Angel are heroic in spite of their respective African or Asian origins.
Grant, who voiced Green and perceived the series as having positive multicultural value, 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 mentioned the idea of Lieutenant Green being an African trickster hero. On dualism, he suggested that, "the 'darkness' 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."