Project Christmas
Encyclopedia
Project Christmas is a fictional black ops project from the television show Alias. Developed by the Central Intelligence Agency
and headed by Jack Bristow
in the 1970s, the project was designed to identify and train children as sleeper agent
s to become future spies
. The KGB
assigned Irina Derevko
to marry Jack in order to steal the plans of Project Christmas.
It was stated in the Alias season 2
episode The Indicator that "the best spies
have certain traits: proficiency with number
s, three dimensional thinking, creative problem solving. These abilities are all in evidence as early as five years old." Project Christmas was based upon this; an operation to train children to be American
spies.
Sydney Bristow
stumbles across the project in season 2 while on a mission to Budapest
to retrieve information on 16 "next-generation weapons" being developed by a loose alliance of criminal syndicates known as "The Triad."
The "weapons" turn out to be sixteen six year-old children seen assembling handgun
s while blindfolded. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Sydney learns from an "Agent Kerr" that the children were identified through a series of questions embedded in standardized test
s administered to every six year-old child in the European Union
. 28 children were identified that year and the 16 who Sydney saw were recruited through their parents under the false pretense of participating in a month-long achievement seminar.
After the month ended, the children's memories were altered so that they had no recollection of the training. Kerr advises Sydney that there were rumors that the KGB had been developing a similar program in the early 1980s but that they had never been confirmed. Shortly thereafter that man who was training the 16 children is identified as Valerie Kholokov, former head of the KGB's Psych Ops division. The CIA placed all the children under surveillance to intercede should the Triad ever contact them in the future.
In season 2, while on a mission to Buenos Aires
to recover Kholokov, Sydney encounters a block puzzle ("The Indicator") and instinctively solves it. She felt like she remembered it rather than solved it. Back in Los Angeles, Sydney has Agent Kerr hypnotically regress her back to the time she first saw the puzzle. She sees herself as a little girl at home, first solving the puzzle and then handling a handgun. Jack is with her. Sydney realized that Jack subjected her to Project Christmas, programming her to be a spy. Jack later states he trained Sydney once he had realized that his wife, Laura Bristow, had in fact been a member of the KGB.
Michael Vaughn
independently hires Will Tippin
to research Project Christmas after an asset in Moscow
sent Vaughn a copy of a test questionnaire administered to Soviet
children in the 1980s. Vaughn noted the similarity to I.Q.
tests administered to American children in the same timeframe and thought that the Soviets might have used the information stolen by Irina to identify and recruit American children. Will discovers that the questions were incorporated into tests that were administered in 1982 to some five million children. Vaughn passed Will's research to his superiors, who passed it along to the FBI. Will further identified a number of children who had gotten perfect scores on the tests and who had then attended a summer camp together, and realized that these children had been subjects. One of the children he identified was Allison Doren, who would later be subjected to Project Helix
and transformed into a double of Will's girlfriend Francie Calfo
.
During the two years between seasons 2 and 3, Sydney was undercover with The Covenant
. That organization attempted to brainwash her into becoming an assassin, but her Project Christmas conditioning made her impervious.
In the season 3 finale, Sydney discovers papers discussing a "project" headed up by Jack that began April 17, 1975, Sydney's birthday. Initially it seemed these papers would contain further revelations about Project Christmas and Jack and Sydney's roles in it, but by the start of season 4 it was revealed
that the papers referred to the CIA's authorizing Jack to assassinate Irina Derevko
.
In the series finale, a flash-forward shows Sydney and Vaughn's daughter Isabelle
assembling the indicator puzzle, suggesting that she shares her mother's potential. After completing it, Isabelle knocks over the puzzle and runs off, suggesting that Isabelle will have the freedom to choose her own path free from the interference and programming that shaped her mother's life.
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...
and headed 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...
in the 1970s, the project was designed to identify and train children as sleeper agent
Sleeper agent
A sleeper agent is a spy who is placed in a target country or organization, not to undertake an immediate mission, but rather to act as a potential asset if activated...
s to become future spies
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
. The KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
assigned Irina Derevko
Irina Derevko
Irina Derevko , is a fictional character on the television series Alias, and a main character during the second season of the series. Irina, played by Lena Olin, is the mother of the central character, Sydney Bristow.-Biography:...
to marry Jack in order to steal the plans of Project Christmas.
It was stated in the Alias season 2
Alias episodes (Season 2)
The second season of Alias premiered September 29, 2002 on ABC and concluded May 4, 2003 and was released on DVD in region 1 on December 2, 2003. Guest stars in season two include David Carradine, Ethan Hawke, Richard Lewis, Christian Slater, and Danny Trejo...
episode The Indicator that "the best spies
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
have certain traits: proficiency with number
Number
A number is a mathematical object used to count and measure. In mathematics, the definition of number has been extended over the years to include such numbers as zero, negative numbers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and complex numbers....
s, three dimensional thinking, creative problem solving. These abilities are all in evidence as early as five years old." Project Christmas was based upon this; an operation to train children to be American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
spies.
Sydney Bristow
Sydney Bristow
Sydney 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....
stumbles across the project in season 2 while on a mission to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
to retrieve information on 16 "next-generation weapons" being developed by a loose alliance of criminal syndicates known as "The Triad."
The "weapons" turn out to be sixteen six year-old children seen assembling handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
s while blindfolded. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Sydney learns from an "Agent Kerr" that the children were identified through a series of questions embedded in standardized test
Standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
s administered to every six year-old child in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. 28 children were identified that year and the 16 who Sydney saw were recruited through their parents under the false pretense of participating in a month-long achievement seminar.
After the month ended, the children's memories were altered so that they had no recollection of the training. Kerr advises Sydney that there were rumors that the KGB had been developing a similar program in the early 1980s but that they had never been confirmed. Shortly thereafter that man who was training the 16 children is identified as Valerie Kholokov, former head of the KGB's Psych Ops division. The CIA placed all the children under surveillance to intercede should the Triad ever contact them in the future.
In season 2, while on a mission to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
to recover Kholokov, Sydney encounters a block puzzle ("The Indicator") and instinctively solves it. She felt like she remembered it rather than solved it. Back in Los Angeles, Sydney has Agent Kerr hypnotically regress her back to the time she first saw the puzzle. She sees herself as a little girl at home, first solving the puzzle and then handling a handgun. Jack is with her. Sydney realized that Jack subjected her to Project Christmas, programming her to be a spy. Jack later states he trained Sydney once he had realized that his wife, Laura Bristow, had in fact been a member of the KGB.
Michael Vaughn
Michael Vaughn
Michael 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...
independently hires Will Tippin
Will Tippin
William "Will" D. Tippin is a fictional character, one of Sydney Bristow's friends on the television series Alias. He is portrayed by Bradley Cooper.-Character biography:...
to research Project Christmas after an asset in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
sent Vaughn a copy of a test questionnaire administered to Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
children in the 1980s. Vaughn noted the similarity to I.Q.
Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
tests administered to American children in the same timeframe and thought that the Soviets might have used the information stolen by Irina to identify and recruit American children. Will discovers that the questions were incorporated into tests that were administered in 1982 to some five million children. Vaughn passed Will's research to his superiors, who passed it along to the FBI. Will further identified a number of children who had gotten perfect scores on the tests and who had then attended a summer camp together, and realized that these children had been subjects. One of the children he identified was Allison Doren, who would later be subjected to Project Helix
Project Helix
Project Helix is the name of a fictional technology in the TV series Alias. The device is used to rewrite a person's DNA, effectively morphing them into a clone of the person from whom the replacement DNA was procured. The only way to detect a double is through a deliberate flaw built into the...
and transformed into a double of Will's girlfriend Francie Calfo
Francie Calfo
Francine "Francie" Calfo is a fictional character on the television series Alias, portrayed by Merrin Dungey. She is Sydney Bristow's close friend.-Biography:Francie was Sydney Bristow's best friend and roommate during the beginning of the series...
.
During the two years between seasons 2 and 3, Sydney was undercover with The Covenant
Covenant (Alias)
In the television series Alias, The Covenant is a large, powerful, and secretive intelligence/terrorist organization.The Covenant was a "loose affiliation of Russian nationalists" composed of retired KGB and former Central Committee members, all dedicated to the new world envisioned by Milo...
. That organization attempted to brainwash her into becoming an assassin, but her Project Christmas conditioning made her impervious.
In the season 3 finale, Sydney discovers papers discussing a "project" headed up by Jack that began April 17, 1975, Sydney's birthday. Initially it seemed these papers would contain further revelations about Project Christmas and Jack and Sydney's roles in it, but by the start of season 4 it was revealed
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
that the papers referred to the CIA's authorizing Jack to assassinate Irina Derevko
Irina Derevko
Irina Derevko , is a fictional character on the television series Alias, and a main character during the second season of the series. Irina, played by Lena Olin, is the mother of the central character, Sydney Bristow.-Biography:...
.
In the series finale, a flash-forward shows Sydney and Vaughn's daughter Isabelle
Isabelle Vaughn
Isabelle Bristow Vaughn is a fictional character from the ABC television series Alias. She is the daughter of Sydney Bristow and Michael Vaughn. The events surrounding her birth are a focal point of the final season of the series...
assembling the indicator puzzle, suggesting that she shares her mother's potential. After completing it, Isabelle knocks over the puzzle and runs off, suggesting that Isabelle will have the freedom to choose her own path free from the interference and programming that shaped her mother's life.