Sturgis Turner
Encyclopedia
Commander Peter Ulysses "Sturgis" Turner JAGC, USN (played by Scott Lawrence
) was a character in the JAG
TV series.
classmate of Harm
, and a great rival in the courts. He served on submarines before becoming a lawyer and is the son of a Baptist
Navy chaplain. Sturgis and Harm play hoops and fix cars together. He kept secret that Mac
let it slip to him "That she was in love with him," (him meaning Harm). He was also accused of incompetence in a case, only to be defended unsatisfactorily by Bud
, causing a rift between the two. Ironically, later on, there arise two separate situations in which each defends the other successfully - when Sturgis is accused of racism against North Korea
ns under arrest in a US submarine, and when Bud is accused of assault when he hits an agitated and argumentative history professor under the assumption that he was about to hit his brother, Mike. Also, Sturgis went through a bout of guilt in having played a part in getting Bud into shape enough to be assigned his tour of duty as JAG on a carrier
near Afghanistan
, which led to the accident whereby Bud lost a leg. Besides Bud, and Harm, Sturgis is the only other JAG character to note the similarities between Mac, and Harm's decased girlfriend Diane Schonke, as Sturgis attended the Naval Academy at the same time as Harm, and Diane.
He also earned a reputation for sticking to the rules, both in the courtroom as well as in investigations, to the point of being considered sanctimonious and priggish, especially by Harm. This pattern is also seen in his brief appointment as acting JAG between the leave of Rear Admiral Chegwidden and the arrival of Major General Gordon Cresswell
. This further annoys Harm, who continually berates him. This leads to great animosity between the friends, finally leading to a verbal confrontation between the two when Stugis recommends against him in an investigation on Harm's alleged shooting down of a plane carrying an Iraqi official. Showed curiosity and support for Harm and Mac's will they/won't they relationship. In the 2003 Christmas episode (Season 9, Episode 11 "A Merry Little Christmas") Turner met singer Varese Chestnut (portrayed by Erica Gimpel
), who he proceeded to date, although this seemed to only last a short while. Later in the season a What If episode (titled "What if...") showed how the lives of the main cast would have been had they made different decisions. The big change for Turner was that he was retired from the navy and was acting as his fiancée's manager, his fiancée being Varese Chestnut. In the series finale Turner and Varese decided to try and see what could be, with her moving to Georgetown
and subletting Mac's apartment from her since she was (apparently) moving to San Diego
.
It is unknown as to exactly why Sturgis left submarine service for a career in JAG, but what is known is that he can never return to submarine service again.
Scott Lawrence
Scott Lawrence is an American actor best known for his role as United States Naval JAG lawyer Cdr. Sturgis Turner on the CBS series JAG. Lawrence played the role from 2001 until 2005, when the series ended.-Career:...
) was a character in the JAG
JAG (TV series)
JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
TV series.
Biography
A good friend and former Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
classmate of Harm
Harmon Rabb
Captain Harmon 'Harm' Rabb, Jr., JAGC, USN, is a fictional and lead character in the American television series JAG....
, and a great rival in the courts. He served on submarines before becoming a lawyer and is the son of a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Navy chaplain. Sturgis and Harm play hoops and fix cars together. He kept secret that Mac
Sarah MacKenzie
Lieutenant Colonel Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie, JAGC, USMC is one of the main characters in the JAG TV series.In her first appearance on the show and for several seasons, she holds the rank of Major USMC, but is then promoted to Lieutenant...
let it slip to him "That she was in love with him," (him meaning Harm). He was also accused of incompetence in a case, only to be defended unsatisfactorily by Bud
Bud Roberts
Lieutenant Commander Bud J. Roberts, Jr. JAGC, USN is a character in the JAG TV series.-Story:Son of a retired Master Chief, Roberts joined the Navy, and as an Ensign was assigned to sea duty aboard the USS Seahawk as the Public Affairs officer under Captain Ross. It was during this role as the...
, causing a rift between the two. Ironically, later on, there arise two separate situations in which each defends the other successfully - when Sturgis is accused of racism against North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
ns under arrest in a US submarine, and when Bud is accused of assault when he hits an agitated and argumentative history professor under the assumption that he was about to hit his brother, Mike. Also, Sturgis went through a bout of guilt in having played a part in getting Bud into shape enough to be assigned his tour of duty as JAG on a carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
near Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, which led to the accident whereby Bud lost a leg. Besides Bud, and Harm, Sturgis is the only other JAG character to note the similarities between Mac, and Harm's decased girlfriend Diane Schonke, as Sturgis attended the Naval Academy at the same time as Harm, and Diane.
He also earned a reputation for sticking to the rules, both in the courtroom as well as in investigations, to the point of being considered sanctimonious and priggish, especially by Harm. This pattern is also seen in his brief appointment as acting JAG between the leave of Rear Admiral Chegwidden and the arrival of Major General Gordon Cresswell
Gordon Cresswell
Major General Gordon M. 'Biff' Cresswell, USMC was the last Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy on the fictional television series JAG. Major General Gordon Cresswell succeeded Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden upon his retirement in 2005.-Career:Like his predecessor, General Cresswell is...
. This further annoys Harm, who continually berates him. This leads to great animosity between the friends, finally leading to a verbal confrontation between the two when Stugis recommends against him in an investigation on Harm's alleged shooting down of a plane carrying an Iraqi official. Showed curiosity and support for Harm and Mac's will they/won't they relationship. In the 2003 Christmas episode (Season 9, Episode 11 "A Merry Little Christmas") Turner met singer Varese Chestnut (portrayed by Erica Gimpel
Erica Gimpel
Erica Fawn Gimpel , American television actress. She is best known for her roles on television shows Fame as Coco Hernandez and on Profiler as Angel Brown. She is also known for her major recurring roles on the television shows ER as Adele Newman and on Veronica Mars as Alicia Fennel...
), who he proceeded to date, although this seemed to only last a short while. Later in the season a What If episode (titled "What if...") showed how the lives of the main cast would have been had they made different decisions. The big change for Turner was that he was retired from the navy and was acting as his fiancée's manager, his fiancée being Varese Chestnut. In the series finale Turner and Varese decided to try and see what could be, with her moving to Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
and subletting Mac's apartment from her since she was (apparently) moving to San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
It is unknown as to exactly why Sturgis left submarine service for a career in JAG, but what is known is that he can never return to submarine service again.
Turner's Awards and Decorations
The list below contains all of Turner's known awards and decorations (current as of season 10). The names are given in order of precedence, according to SECNAVINST 1650.1F and the U.S. Navy Uniform Regulations (NAVPERS 1566.5G).| Bronze Star | Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal (United States) The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969... |
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| Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal | Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal | Navy Unit Commendation Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944... |
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| Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation | National Defense Service Medal National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower... |
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal is a military award of the United States military which was created by Executive Order 13289 of President George W. Bush on March 12, 2003... |
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| Humanitarian Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States armed forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under... |
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon | Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon | |||
- Turner was awarded the Bronze Star for destroying a Russian submarine that was carrying a "dirty nuke" warhead that had been fired onto a battle group containing an American Aircraft Carrier.