1LT Cooper Hawkes is a main character appearing in Season 1 of Space: Above and Beyond and the various tie-in books and comic books.
Biography[]
Cooper Hawkes is an In Vitro, a human gestated artificially in a controlled facility, one of thousands who have been created to become part of Earth's fighting force.[1] Although he had been treated and educated as all the other In Vitros, there was something different about him: he dared to question a Monitor during In Vitro indoctrination. It was an act that changed his life, for upon hearing that the Monitors considered him defective and that he was to be erased, Hawkes escaped the facility and plunged into the strange world of the outside.[2]
Living in the slums and on the streets of Philadelphia, he dodged authorities who would return him to the facility. He took on odd jobs, avoiding "Anti-Tank" hate gangs that seek out In Vitros for brutalization and other crimes. Experience had taught him that life is an ongoing series of fights and challenges.[3]
Alive for only six harsh years, Hawkes was arrested and brought before a judge who sentenced him to a term in the United States Marine Corps instead of incarcerating him. Initially, he refused to cooperate, delighting when training sessions ended in failure. He was almost finished with Officer Candidate School (OCS) and Accelerated Flight Training (AFT) when news of the Vesta and Tellus Colonies being destroyed by aliens was released and the Chig War began. Being thrown into actual combat taught him that cooperation means survival. Eventually, he discovered that his life has little meaning without his friends in the 58th Squadron.[4] He has an especially close relationship with his commander, because he is also an In Vitro and therefore understands what Hakes is going through.
Cooper matured into a disciplined sharp shooter and skilled pilot, call sign "Jack of Spades."
As a result of injuries sustained in combat, Cooper becomes addicted to "green meanies", a pain killer that is extremely addictive to In Vitoes.[5]
Military Awards[]
- Montgomery Star - for actions during the Battle of the Belt
Character Trivia[]
- Cooper Hawkes likes reading G.I. Geequed comic books.
Character Motivation[]
Cooper Hawkes was born a fully grown 18-year-old male, with none of the social and acquired knowledge of most young men. Complicated yet childlike, Hawkes desires to learn more about leading a "normal life" with humans and opens up in ways that often puts others ill at ease. While he will not admit it to his friends, he longs to belong as a member of a family. He even declines an early honorable discharge to remain with the only family he has ever known, the Wild Cards.[6]
Appearances[]
Space: Above and Beyond - Television Series | ||||||||||
Pilot (appears) • The Farthest Man from Home (appears) • The Dark Side of the Sun (appears) • Mutiny (appears) • Ray Butts (appears) • Eyes (appears) • The Enemy (appears) • Hostile Visit (appears) • Choice or Chance (appears) • Stay with the Dead (appears) • The River of Stars (appears) • Who Monitors the Birds? (appears) • Level of Necessity (appears) • Never No More (appears) • The Angriest Angel (appears) • Toy Soldiers (appears) • Dear Earth (appears) • Pearly (appears) • R&R (appears) • Stardust (appears) • Sugar Dirt (appears) • And If They Lay Us Down To Rest ... (appears) • ...Tell Our Moms We Done Our Best (appears) |
Space: Above and Beyond - Books | ||||||||||
Space: Above and Beyond (novel) (appears) • Demolition Winter (appears) • The Aliens Approach (appears) • Dark Side of the Sun (novel) (appears) • Mutiny (novel) (appears) • The Enemy (novel) (appears) |
Space: Above and Beyond - Comic Books | ||||||||||
Space: Above and Beyond (graphic novel) (appears) • Space: Above and Beyond 1 (appears) • Space: Above and Beyond 2 (appears) • Space: Above and Beyond 3 (appears) • Space: Above and Beyond - The Gauntlet 1 (appears) • Space: Above and Beyond - The Gauntlet 2 (appears) |