History Series / WalkerTexasRanger

* FromCamouflageToCriminal: A number of the show's villains have some sort of military background before turning to a life of crime. Mitch Bolton ("War Zone"), Stan Gorman ("The Soul of Winter"), Theodore [=McNeely=] ("6 Hours")... just to name a few. Out of all these villains, however, nobody deserves a more dishonorable mention than the ever-loathesome [=Victor LaRue.=]

* FromCamouflageToCriminal: A number of the show's villains have some sort of military background before turning to a life of crime. Mitch Bolton ("War Zone"), Stan Gorman ("The Soul of Winter"), Theodore [=McNeely=] ("6 Hours")... just to name a few.

** Played ridiculously straight in Season 9's "6 Hours" with 16½-year-old Heather Preston, who has been taken hostage by her [[BodyguardBetrayal traitorous bodyguard, McNeely,]] and placed in front of a shotgun set to go off [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin within that time]], not to mention [[MurderDotCom he planned to kill her on live TV]]. Walker finds [=McNeely's=] hideout, beats him up, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard and drags him in front of the gun just in time to protect Heather and make the former take the blast.]] Of a ''shotgun.'' True to form, only [=McNeely=] is killed, when in real life, the shot probably would not only have gone through him, but also Walker and Heather.

** In Season 9's "6 Hours", when Walker has to rescue 16½-year-old Heather Preston from being murdered on live TV by her traitorous [=bodyguard, McNeely, he finally finds his hideout and, at the literal last second before the timed shotgun could go off, uses him as a=] BulletproofHumanShield, protecting Heather and killing him before his own murder weapon.

** Played ridiculously straight in Season 9's "6 Hours" with 16-year-old Heather Preston, who has been taken hostage by her [[BodyguardBetrayal traitorous bodyguard, McNeely,]] and placed in front of a shotgun set to go off [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin within that time]], not to mention [[MurderDotCom he planned to kill her on live TV]]. Walker finds [=McNeely's=] hideout, beats him up, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard and drags him in front of the gun just in time to protect Heather and make the former take the blast.]] Of a ''shotgun.'' True to form, only [=McNeely=] is killed, when in real life, the shot probably would not only have gone through him, but also Walker and Heather.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In "A Father's Image," a mafia don who abuses his young son in order to "raise him into the family business" forces his son to climb to the top of a bookshelf ladder and orders him to jump, saying he'll catch him if he trusts him. When he jumped, the father immediately pulls away and lets his son painfully hit the floor. He then kicks his son to get him to get up before stating the "life lesson" is never to trust anybody. At the end of the episode once the Texas Rangers bust in and beat down the mooks, the mafia don loses his gun, which is picked up by his son. He immediately tries to get his son to give the gun to him, saying he can trust him. To his shock and anger, the son gives the gun to Walker, angrily shouting that he trusted his son and he betrayed it. The son simply called out that he trusted him, too, and look where that got him. The undercover ranger reminds the don that [[IronicEcho that was his own "life lesson" used against him]].

--> -- '''Theme Tune''', composed by Creator/CraigHuxley and Creator/TirkWilder; [[DoItYourselfThemeTune performed by Chuck Norris]]

** Trent Malloy, after an incident where he and another kid were fighting over a gun, resulting in that boy's death. As such, he wouldn't even use a gun during his time in the Army, preferring hand-to-hand combat any day. He said he wanted to help people since being honorably discharged, but would rather not become the new pastor of his church since his father's passing or join a law enforcement agency, where handling a gun is mandated; he opts instead to open a karate school, as well as become a private investigator. However, his dislike for guns proves to be his undoing in "Special Witness" when a federally-wanted assassin hired by a mob boss he was supposed to testify against stabs him to either kill him or keep him in the hospital long enough so he doesn't show up on the witness stand, and a Special Olympian he was escorting to running practice was the only witness to the attack. [[spoiler:Fortunately, he survives and pulls through in time for the trial, with Walker having arrested said assassin.]]

** Trent Malloy, after an incident where he and another kid were fighting over a gun, resulting in that boy's death. As such, he wouldn't even use a gun during his time in the Army, preferring hand-to-hand combat any day. This proves to be his undoing in "Special Witness" when a federally-wanted assassin hired by a mob boss he was supposed to testify against stabs him to either kill him or keep him in the hospital long enough so he doesn't show up on the witness stand, and a Special Olympian he was escorting to running practice was the only witness to the attack. [[spoiler:Fortunately, he survives and pulls through in time for the trial, with Walker having arrested said assassin.]]

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The [[DirtyCop dirty cops]] in the final season's "Deadly Situation" appear to the general public as dedicated officers working hard to crack down on drugs. In actuality, they attempt to frame a rookie officer, an aspiring Texas Ranger[[note]]who happens to be a descendant of legendary Texas Ranger Hayes Cooper, and therefore, a distant cousin of Walker's[[/note]], who was investigating corruption in the department on phony charges of stealing drug evidence and murdering his partner, [[spoiler:thanks to the fourth party involved in the operation, their lieutenant, tipping them off]].

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The [[DirtyCop dirty cops]] in the final season's "Deadly Situation" appear to the general public as dedicated officers working hard to crack down on drugs. In actuality, they attempt to frame a rookie officer, an aspiring Texas Ranger[[note]]who happens to be a descendant of legendary Texas Ranger Hayes Cooper, and therefore, a distant cousin of Walker's[[/note]], who was investigating corruption in the department on phony charges of stealing drug evidence and murdering his partner.

''Walker, Texas Ranger'' was a combination of martial arts, modern Western and [[PoliceProcedural Police]] and LawProcedural, starring Creator/ChuckNorris as the titular Texas Ranger, Cordell Walker. Based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the series covers numerous crimes Walker investigates all over the metro area, and from time to time, even all around the State of Texas and even outside of Texas, whether it be different states or outside the country, from {{Dirty Cop}}s to {{Corrupt Politician}}s to gangs to terrorists and the like. Other main characters include Cordell's best friend and partner, the tech-savvy James "Jimmy" Trivette (Creator/ClarenceGilyard), Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Alex Cahill (Creator/ShereeJWilson), who also serves as his love interest, and one of Walker's former partners, veteran Ranger-turned-restauranteur C.D. Parker (the late Creator/NobleWillingham). During the final two seasons, two rookie Texas Rangers Francis Gage (Creator/JudsonMills) and Sydney Cooke (Creator/NiaPeeples) joined the fray.

!!When you're in Texas, look behind you, 'cause that's where the Tropes are gonna be:

* ThirteenIsUnlucky: The Viper, a high-profile assassin, has already killed twelve high-status marks and was going for his thirteenth. Walker stops him before he could carry it out.

** In Season 7's "Lost Boys", Bobby Landrum, the best friend of Carlos' nephew Jesse Estrella, in a bout of panic, hides a gun his employer used to kill a cop in Jesse's dresser drawer, therefore framing him for the crime after his mother and Carlos found it. Bobby soon realized the ramifications of his actions when not only was Jesse arrested for a crime he didn't do, but Jesse's mother also gets kidnapped and held for ransom to blackmail Jesse to take the rap for it. Bobby comes forward and confesses after the fact.

** In Season 7's "Lost Boys", the best friend of Carlos' nephew Jesse Estrella, in a bout of panic, hides a gun his employer used to kill a cop in Jesse's room, therefore framing him for the crime after his mother and Carlos found it. The friend soon realized the ramifications of his actions when not only was Jesse arrested for a crime he didn't do, but Jesse's mother also gets kidnapped and held for ransom to blackmail Jesse to take the rap for it.

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* WifeBasherBasher: Walker and Trent in particular. Alex and her group of abused wives also became one when they were being stalked by an abusive husband of one of the group. Though he was stronger, they outnumbered him and eventually [[LaserGuidedKarma ganged up and beat him down]].

* DisappearedDad: The show loves this trope and it can and will overlap from time to time with MissingMom. Many of the victims Walker assists in cases are oftentimes dealt with this, but Walker himself serves as the strongest example, as does Gage, as both Rangers lost both their parents so young. Walker was 12 years old when his parents were murdered by a trio of white supremacists and would go on to hunt down one of the men who did it in Season 4's "Final Justice", [[spoiler:though not before [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim nearly letting him fall to his death]]]]. For Gage, meanwhile, he was 8 years old and his older sister, Julie, was 10 when their parents were killed in a car accident due to icy roads one Christmas as they were returning from a church social.

* MissingMom: The show loves this trope and it can and will overlap from time to time with DisappearedDad. Many of the victims Walker assists in cases are oftentimes dealt with this, but Walker himself serves as the strongest example, as does Gage, as both Rangers lost both their parents so young. Walker was 12 years old when his parents were murdered by a trio of white supremacists and would go on to hunt down one of the men who did it in Season 4's "Final Justice", [[spoiler:though not before [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim nearly letting him fall to his death]]]]. For Gage, meanwhile, he was 8 years old and his older sister, Julie, was 10 when their parents were killed in a car accident due to icy roads one Christmas as they were returning from a church social.

** In Season 6's "[[Recap/WalkerTexasRangerS6E17InGodsHands In God's Hands]]", when Trivette [[TurnInYourBadge is suspended without pay]] following the accidental shooting of [=six-year-old Danny McGee=] and goes through a HeroicBSOD, Danny's older brother, Ted buys a gun from an unlicensed seller to kill him, since he can't buy one from a real gun shop; [[ArtisticLicenseLaw obviously, the clerk knew he lied about his age]], [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety as State and Federal Law states one has to be at least 21 years old to buy a gun in Texas]]. When Walker finally [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre snaps Trivette out of his BSOD]] and the two revisit the scene of the crime to determine if Trivette did it or the bullet belonged to the VillainOfTheWeek, Kroeger, Ted plans to kill Trivette, to which the latter responds he will make one of the biggest mistakes of his life. This causes Ted to relent, especially when Trivette tells him that doctors operated on Danny and removed the bullet, and he is expected to recover. [[spoiler:In addition, Walker proves to Trivette and Ted that the bullet that hit Danny really did belong to Kroeger, having found Trivette's bullet lodged in a tree. Trivette is placed back on duty, and the two Rangers then finish the job by arresting Kroeger.]]

** In Season 6's "Test of Faith", a middle school student named Malcolm is too scared to report that a gang member killed his teacher, who was a former karate student of Walker's, at which point he buys a gun to protect himself if he runs into them again, also at which point Walker substitutes for the slain teacher during his investigation into the murder. [[spoiler:When Malcolm sees one prospective new member of the gang try to kill a fellow classmate who'd been helping out a lot to curb gang violence, he tries to stop that would-be gang member from shooting her, only for ''him'' to accidentally shoot her, having accidentally dropped his backpack with the gun in it! While the student joining the gang earns praise from the members when they think he did shoot her, Malcolm soon feels guilty of this mistake and tells Walker what really happened, tipping him off to the killers in the process. Needless to say, Malcolm was [[TearsOfRemorse in tears]] when he told the truth, to which Walker tells him that [[AnAesop carrying a gun is the problem and not the answer]]. Luckily, his classmate survives and has to undergo rehab, since the bullet hit her spinal column, and he gets off with community service and doesn't face any serious punishment.]]

** In Season 6's "Test of Faith", a student at a middle school is too scared to report that a gang member killed his teacher, who was a former karate student of Walker's, at which point he buys a gun to protect himself if he runs into them again, also at which point Walker substitutes for the slain teacher during his investigation into the murder. [[spoiler:When he sees one prospective new member of the gang try to kill a fellow classmate who'd been helping out a lot to curb gang violence, he tries to stop that would-be gang member from shooting her, only for ''him'' to accidentally shoot her, having accidentally dropped his backpack with the gun in it! He soon feels guilty of this mistake and tells Walker what really happened, tipping him off to the killers in the process. Luckily, his classmate survives and has to undergo rehab, since the bullet hit her spinal column, and he gets off with community service and doesn't face any serious punishment.]]

* UnluckyThirteen: The Viper, a high-profile assassin, has already killed twelve high-status marks and was going for his thirteenth. Walker stops him before he could carry it out.

** In Season 6's "Test of Faith", a student at a middle school is too scared to report that a gang member killed his teacher, who was a former karate student of Walker's, at which point he buys a gun to protect himself if he runs into them again, also at which point Walker substitutes for the slain teacher. [[spoiler:When he sees one prospective new member of the gang try to kill a fellow classmate who'd been helping out a lot to curb gang violence, he tries to stop that would-be gang member from shooting her, only for ''him'' to accidentally shoot her, having accidentally dropped his backpack with the gun in it! He soon feels guilty of this mistake and tells Walker what really happened, tipping him off to the killers in the process. Luckily, his classmate survives and has to undergo rehab, since the bullet hit her spinal column, and he gets off with community service and doesn't face any serious punishment.]]

** Trent Malloy, after an incident where and another kid were fighting over a gun, resulting in that boy's death. As such, he wouldn't even use a gun during his time in the Army, preferring hand-to-hand combat any day. This proves to be his undoing in "Special Witness" when a federally-wanted assassin hired by a mob boss he was supposed to testify against stabs him to either kill him or keep him in the hospital long enough so he doesn't show up on the witness stand, and a Special Olympian he was escorting to running practice was the only witness to the attack. [[spoiler:Fortunately, he survives and pulls through in time for the trial, with Walker having arrested said assassin.]]

** The Locos gang from "Jacob's Ladder" in Season 7.

** "Jacob's Ladder", also in Season 7, had a street gang threatening to burn down the houses of people in a neighborhood under their control after they witnessed one of their own kill a man who didn't want to join the gang so they don't testify against him, and it soon escalates to wanting to kill a ''firefighter'' (played by Creator/JohnSchneider) that responded to the emergency. [[spoiler:Luckily, after Walker and Trivette capture all of the gang members, it's not long before all the residents of the entire neighborhood decide to testify and put all of them away for good. Likewise, the firefighter the gang tried to murder survived his injuries.]]

** Trent Malloy, after an incident with a gun during his childhood, and he even won't even use them during his time in the Army. This proves to be his undoing in "Special Witness" when a federally-wanted assassin hired by a mob boss he was supposed to testify against stabs him to either kill him or keep him in the hospital long enough so he doesn't show up on the witness stand, and a Special Olympian he was escorting to running practice was the only witness to the attack. [[spoiler:Fortunately, he survives and pulls through in time for the trial, with Walker having arrested said assassin.]]

* DisappearedDad: The show loves this trope and it can and will overlap from time to time with MissingMom. Many of the victims Walker assists in cases are oftentimes dealt with this, but Walker himself serves as the strongest example, as does Gage, as both Rangers lost both their parents so young. Walker was 12 years old when his parents were murdered by a trio of white supremacists and would go on to hunt down one of the men who did it in Season 4's "Final Justice", [[spoiler:though not before nearly letting him fall to his death]]. For Gage, meanwhile, he was 8 years old and his older sister, Julie, was 10 when their parents were killed in a car accident due to icy roads one Christmas as they were returning from a church social.

* MissingMom: The show loves this trope and it can and will overlap from time to time with DisappearedDad. Many of the victims Walker assists in cases are oftentimes dealt with this, but Walker himself serves as the strongest example, as does Gage, as both Rangers lost both their parents so young. Walker was 12 years old when his parents were murdered by a trio of white supremacists and would go on to hunt down one of the men who did it in Season 4's "Final Justice", [[spoiler:though not before nearly letting him fall to his death]]. For Gage, meanwhile, he was 8 years old and his older sister, Julie, was 10 when their parents were killed in a car accident due to icy roads one Christmas as they were returning from a church social.

* DisappearedDad: The show loves this trope and it can and will overlap from time to time with MissingMom. Many of the victims Walker assists in cases are oftentimes dealt with this, but Walker himself serves as the strongest example, as does Gage, as both Rangers lost both their parents so young. Walker's parents were murdered by a trio of white supremacists and would go on to hunt down one of the men who did it in Season 4's "Final Justice", [[spoiler:though not before nearly letting him fall to his death]]. For Gage, meanwhile, his parents were killed in a car accident due to icy roads one Christmas as they were returning from a church social.

* MissingMom: The show loves this trope and it can and will overlap from time to time with DisappearedDad. Many of the victims Walker assists in cases are oftentimes dealt with this, but Walker himself serves as the strongest example, as does Gage, as both Rangers lost both their parents so young. Walker's parents were murdered by a trio of white supremacists and would go on to hunt down one of the men who did it in Season 4's "Final Justice", [[spoiler:though not before nearly letting him fall to his death]]. For Gage, meanwhile, his parents were killed in a car accident due to icy roads one Christmas as they were returning from a church social.