| 1 | This page is a listing of characters in ''Series/{{JAG}}''. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Technically, several of the main characters of SpinOff series ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' first appeared as guest roles on ''JAG'' in the two-part BackdoorPilot, "''Ice Queen''" and "''Meltdown''", in season 8. However, those characters are properly listed at the ''[[Characters/{{NCIS}} NCIS character page]]''. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | '''Warning: Major spoilers ahead!''' |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ---- |
| 8 | |
| 9 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 10 | |
| 11 | !Main cast |
| 12 | |
| 13 | [[folder:Harmon "Harm" Rabb, Jr.]] |
| 14 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_4729.png]] |
| 15 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 16 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/DavidJamesElliott |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The main character for the entire run of the series. An ex-fighter pilot turned lawyer for the Navy's Judge Advocate General's office who uses the same daring and tenacity in the courtoom that made him a "Top Gun" in the air. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | * AcePilot: When you've flown everything from a Stearman to a high-velocity spy plane, landed a C-130 on the deck of an aircraft carrier, and pushed a crippled F-14 by the tailhook with your own plane's canopy, you better be one of these. |
| 21 | * BadassInANiceSuit: But only when he's in dress uniform. When he has to represent a sailor in civilian divorce court not only is he out of his depth as a lawyer, he has to buy an off-the-rack suit and it shows. |
| 22 | * BigBrotherInstinct: Harm to his half-brother Sergei. |
| 23 | * BoundandGagged: Spends most of "Imposter" like this. |
| 24 | * BunnyEarsLawyer: He has a flair for dramatics and a tendency to stretch legal decorum to the limits, but there's probably no better advocate for you if you're facing court-martial. |
| 25 | -->'''Mac:''' ''Have you ever known the commander to do anything...'' |
| 26 | -->'''Bud:''' ''...Improper? No. Unconventional. Yes!'' |
| 27 | ** In "Ice Queen", Leroy Gibbs says that Rabb is the best prosecutor and defense counsel there is at JAG. |
| 28 | * CareerEndingInjury: Harm was originally a Naval Aviator, following in his father's footsteps, until he crashed his plane in a night landing on an aircraft carrier due to an undiagnosed vision problem. In order to stay in the Navy, he went to law school and became a judge advocate (military lawyer). |
| 29 | * ChekhovsSkill: In the PilotMovie, the fact that Harm is a former aviator who used to fly F-14 Tomcats [[spoiler:is what enables him to save the CAG at the end]]. |
| 30 | * CigarChomper: He is a fan of Cuban cigars and took advantage of a trip to Cuba in the first season to bring a sizeable supply back to the States. |
| 31 | * CommanderBadass |
| 32 | * CoolPlane: Owns a restored Stearman biplane like his grandfather trained on in WWII. Named it "Sarah", after his grandmother (not his partner). |
| 33 | * CrazyPrepared: When applying to be the guardian of Mattie in 9th season episode "A Merry Little Christmas" a social services worker comes and inspects Harm’s apartment. |
| 34 | -->'''Watley''': [reads book title]'The Adolescent Girl: A Study in Pathology', [reads another book title] 'Between 16 and Sex: Raising a Teenage Girl'. You seem to be prepared for the worst. |
| 35 | -->'''Rabb''': I'm a fighter pilot, Mr. Watley, we prepare for the worst, that way we cut down our surprises. |
| 36 | * DadTheVeteran: Harm's deceased father. |
| 37 | * DeadpanSnarker: |
| 38 | -->'''Mac [on the sex of a cow]:''' ''How do you know it's a her?'' |
| 39 | -->'''Harm:''' ''She's obstinent, immune to reason and totally in the way.'' |
| 40 | * DisappearedDad: Harm's father was shot down over Vietnam [[spoiler: on Christmas]] when he was a kid, and Harm's attempts to find him were a recurring subplot for the first three seasons. |
| 41 | * DoAnythingSoldier: Is there a Navy job that Harm can't perform? |
| 42 | ** [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] late in the series when Harm switches from flying F-14 Tomcats to F/A-18 Hornets as the F-14 was being phased out of active service with the Navy. |
| 43 | ** He's not a very good military judge - Admiral Chegwidden tells him his habit of making snap assessments of people and his emotional style of advocacy means he's not as objective as he needs to be to move from first chair to the bench. |
| 44 | * TheDreaded: According to Major Klein in "Boot", Harm has a reputation as a "Heavy Hitter". It seems that it is considered rare for Harm to be assigned to anything routine. |
| 45 | * EmbarrassingFirstName: Harmon Rabb, known as Harm to his friends. |
| 46 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: The resolution of the PilotMovie is where Harmon Rabb, Jr. is firmly established as the self-confident heroic figure that would remain throughout the rest of the series. [[spoiler:When Harm saves the CAG’s life in an F-14 Tomcat he gets redemption from the dishonor of having been forced to turn in his wings, despite the diagnosed night blindness, and proving that he’s still a capable aviator, just as his father once was. From the CAG's perspective, it's the son of the man he couldn't save who now saved him.]] |
| 47 | ** Also, contrast him with Lieutenant Pike when they both arrive aboard the ''Seahawk''. He effortlessly exits the helicopter, holding his cap in his hand. Pike is helped down by a deckhand, and her hat is promptly blown off of her head by jetwash, thus hinting at Harm's familiarity with carrier flight deck operations. |
| 48 | * FriendToAllChildren: Harm comes across as this. He befriends the 10 year old son of his girlfriend in season 3, and saves him from both murderous thugs and terrorists. In season 4, he goes after the murderer of a small girl on a Navy base and saves her twin sister from the same fate. And initially in that case he employed JackBauerInterrogationTechnique on a convicted child molester, who were innocent but provided useful info. And he finally becomes the guardian of an adolescent girl in season 9 with an alcoholic father. |
| 49 | * GenerationXerox: Harm’s dad just so happened to look in his prime exactly like his son latter does in his prime (save for the mustache and the deeper voice)… |
| 50 | * GeniusBruiser: Harmon Rabb is a lawyer that looks like a boxer and is, of course nicknamed 'Harm'. He's more liable to use the law to fight his battles than anything else, but failing that he's a trained Naval Aviator and qualified to fly fighter jets. |
| 51 | * GoodLookingPrivates: He was attending a party at the French Embassy (with most of the JAG Corps officers) when he was sent to the Adriatic on short notice. He arrives aboard the USS ''Seahawk'' in his dress whites and it is several scenes before he can get another uniform to change into. |
| 52 | * GutFeeling: Harm has an uncanny ability to judge whether a defendant is innocent or not before any evidence admissible in court is provided. |
| 53 | * HawaiianShirtedTourist: Such an outfit is worn by Harm in the beginning of "''Ares''", when he boards a plane from Okinawa heading back to the States, only to be recalled for more adventures to follow… |
| 54 | * HelloAttorney: |
| 55 | * TheHero, TheAce, and every other derivative of that. |
| 56 | * {{Hunk}} |
| 57 | * IWillFindYou: Harm's quest to find his father. |
| 58 | * IndyPloy: This seems to be the modus operandi of Harmon Rabb, regardless whether it is in a fistfight, in the cockpit, or in a courtroom. |
| 59 | * InnocentBlueEyes: |
| 60 | * ItsWhatIDo: When applying to be the guardian of Mattie in 9th season episode “A Merry Little Christmas” a social service worker comes and inspects Harm’s apartment. |
| 61 | -->'''Watley''': Do you have a firearm in the house? |
| 62 | -->'''Rabb''': Yes, sir. But it’s under lock and key. |
| 63 | -->'''Watley''': Do you ever have cause to employ it? |
| 64 | -->'''Rabb''': Once or twice in the line of duty. |
| 65 | -->'''Watley''': Aren’t you a lawyer, Commander Rabb? |
| 66 | -->'''Rabb''': I’m also a war veteran, a Naval officer and a qualified F-14 pilot. |
| 67 | * LongLostRelative: Harm spends a substantial portion of the show searching for his father, who went MIA during the Vietnam War. [[spoiler: His father escaped custody, and was later shot and killed, but not before meeting a Gypsy woman and fathering another son, Sergei.]] |
| 68 | * LoopholeAbuse: |
| 69 | ** In "''Ares''", Harm is told not to go to the bridge onboard the destroyer because the captain doesn’t want any JAG lawyers there during an exercise. However he goes there pretending that the message was ambiguous. |
| 70 | ** In the episode "''True Callings''" when Harm realizes he is better as a lawyer, he saved a sailor from the brig by pointing out the prosecuting attorney filed the wrong charges, such as "False Imprisonment," which is applicable only to police officers and the like instead of "Kidnapping," and pointed out how the other charge actually invalidates the prosecution's main witness against the sailor by another technicality. |
| 71 | * TheMcCoy: He relies on emotion and gut feelings almost as much as facts and evidence. |
| 72 | -->'''Mac [to Harm]:''' ''Look, you run on emotion. It's what makes you a good lawyer!'' |
| 73 | * MilitaryBrat: 3rd generation naval aviator. |
| 74 | * MirandaRights: Harm has his rights read to him twice, first by FBI Agents in "People v. Rabb", and Article 31 rights by Leroy Gibbs in "Ice Queen". |
| 75 | * NomDeGuerre: When he returns to flying duty, he is called "[[TeamDad Pappy]]", due to being older than most of the other pilots. Eventually, his squadron mates decide to change his callsign to "Hammer", after his father. |
| 76 | * RankUp: He starts the series as a full Lieutenant, gets promoted to Lt. Commander halfway through season 1. After he's cleared of a charge of "contemptuous words" in Season 5 he gets bumped up to full Commander, and at the end of the series [[FieldPromotion he's "frocked" as a Captain]] with the promotion being permanent if he takes a billet heading up JAG's European division. [[spoiler:When he returns in ''[[Series/NCISLosAngeles NCIS: Los Angeles]]'' he's a Captain and Executive Officer (XO) of an aircraft carrier.]] |
| 77 | * RecklessGunUsage: He once emptied the magazine of a sub-machine gun into the ceiling of a packed courtroom to disprove testimony that a Navy [=SEALs=] weapon jammed during an operation. [[DidntThinkThisThrough He subsequently had to pay to repair the bullet holes]] and would have been on the hook for an enormous repair bill several years later (water seeped into the building and caused structural damage) had Bud not found a way to bury it in the annual maintenance budget. |
| 78 | * SmokingIsCool: Harm used to smoke cigars until ”The Return of Jimmy Blackhorse” in the third season. |
| 79 | * TallDarkAndHandsome: |
| 80 | * TeamDad: When Harm [[TenMinuteRetirement goes back to flying Tomcats for a while]], ''he'' is considered this by the younger aviators. |
| 81 | * TenMinuteRetirement: Harm had his [[HandicappedBadass vision impairment fixed]] and went back to flying Tomcats for a short while, before his new commanding officer convinced him that he was too old to be competitive as an aviator against all the younger pilots, despite his skill, and that he would do the most good as a judge advocate. |
| 82 | ** [[spoiler: Is revealed to have undergone this again in ''[[Series/NCISLosAngeles NCIS: Los Angeles]]'', when Harm being recalled to combat leads to him breaking off his engagement with Mac.]] |
| 83 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: Anything vegetarian. |
| 84 | * TroubledBackstoryFlashback: In the pilot episode, we get to see the accident where Harm five years earlier crashed an F-14 on an aircraft carrier, which killed his [[GuyInBack RIO]], grounded him as an aviator and put him on a different career track as a lawyer. |
| 85 | * UltimateJobSecurity: Half the stunts he's pulled should have had him cashiered out of the Navy, or at least left him with very poor chances of promotion. |
| 86 | ** In "Mishap", he even says: ''I never let fear for career influence my actions''. Which is convenient, when you got the PowersThatBe on your side... |
| 87 | ** In the same episode Admiral Chegwidden mentions that he's received lots of complaints about Harm and his methods over the years. |
| 88 | ** The one time he resigned and it stuck, he got back into JAG only when a minor background character suddenly revealed she'd falsified her credentials and never passed the bar exam, which exacerbated the shortage of personnel, which meant that Admiral Chegwidden had to ask the Secretary of the Navy to reinstate Harm's commission... |
| 89 | * UnconventionalCourtroomTactics: Harm fired a loaded submachine gun into the courtroom ceiling during a trial to challenge the assertion that it malfunctioned during combat. [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten No one lets him forget about that either, particularly the judge presiding over the case.]] |
| 90 | -->'''Bud [on Harm]:''' ''He's like Michael Jordan in the courtroom''. |
| 91 | * UnresolvedSexualTension: Mac and Harm, for 9 seasons. [[spoiler: They get together, but break it off when Harm gets called back into combat and Mac finds an opportunity at the State Department, according to the tenth season finale of ''Series/NCISLosAngeles''.]] |
| 92 | * WackyAmericansHaveWackyNames: C'mon... |
| 93 | [[/folder]] |
| 94 | |
| 95 | [[folder:Caitlin "Kate" Pike]] |
| 96 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_45506.jpeg]] |
| 97 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 98 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/AndreaParker |
| 99 | The female lead in the pilot episode. Appeared a few times in season 1 and in one season 6 episode. |
| 100 | |
| 101 | * BrainyBrunette: Possesses some impressive computer skills, in contrast to Harm's better people skills. She is able to pull a favor from another officer on the ship because she tutored him in math at Havard. |
| 102 | * DemotedToExtra: Not even ''mentioned'' after Season 1 until her reappearance in Season 6. |
| 103 | * DudeWheresMyRespect: Crossing with StrawFeminist: She would prefer to be treated as a trained lawyer and an officer of the United States Navy, not as a woman to be ogled, pursued, or protected by others. |
| 104 | * ExecutiveMeddling: Creator/{{NBC}} did not want her (for reasons unknown) as the female lead in the series proper. |
| 105 | * GoodLookingPrivates: She arrives on the ''Seahawk'' in her dress whites, for the same reason as Harm. Unfortunately, she doesn't welcome all the attention this trope brings her. |
| 106 | * IvyLeagueForEveryOne: Graduate of Harvard Law School. |
| 107 | * PutOnABus: She is reassigned between the pilot movie and the first regular episode. |
| 108 | * StatuesqueStunner |
| 109 | * StrawFeminist: Caitlin Pike has signs of this in the pilot episode, somewhat justified because she's inexperienced with serving onboard ships and the downright macho attitude displayed by male crew members. |
| 110 | * TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: As she helpfully reminds [[spoiler: Lieutenant Carter]] when he calls her a bitch while she places him under arrest: It's Lieutenant Pike, not "this bitch".[[note]][[HypocriticalHumor ASSHOLE.]][[/note]] |
| 111 | * UnresolvedSexualTension: With Harm. When they're driving to the [=SeaTac=] Naval Base, Harm is evidently in quite the rush to see her again, which Austin notes. |
| 112 | [[/folder]] |
| 113 | |
| 114 | [[folder:Megan "Meg" Austin]] |
| 115 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_86001.jpeg]] |
| 116 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 117 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/TraceyNeedham |
| 118 | The female lead in season 1. Transferred out between seasons 1 and 2. |
| 119 | |
| 120 | * BootCampEpisode: "Boot" has Meg investigating Paris Island's female DI's in the most straightforward way. |
| 121 | * BoundAndGagged: In the episode "Brig Break". |
| 122 | * {{Claustrophobia}}: In the second episode ("Shadow"), Meg [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes complains about this]] when [[SubStory aboard a submarine]]. She is able to use this to her advantage when the villain shows a minor streak of TheDulcineaEffect, getting him to let his guard down when he tries to comfort her during her freak-out. |
| 123 | * CunningLinguist: Nowhere near the degree of [[{{Polyglot}} Mac]], Austin is fluent in Spanish, as befitting a well-educated Texan. |
| 124 | * DumbBlonde: Averted. She's a lawyer, a computer expert, and fluent in Spanish. |
| 125 | %%* EverythingIsBigInTexas |
| 126 | * PunishmentDetail: In "Boot", while undercover as a Marine private, she is assigned sanitary duty. |
| 127 | * PutOnABus: Lt. JG Meg Austin was present for most of the first season, but disappeared with little explanation at the start of the second. |
| 128 | * ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Apparently her father was friends with Lt. Colonel Oliver North (of the Iran-Contra scandal). Meg calls in a favor from "Uncle Ollie" once or twice when they need info they can't get through official channels. |
| 129 | * TheSquadette: In contrast to Lt. Pike, Lt. Austin seems to enjoy the macho military attitude a bit more, having been raised as a FarmersDaughter. |
| 130 | * StatuesqueStunner |
| 131 | * StereotypeFlip: A beautiful blonde who also happens to be a lawyer, professional computer hacker, and fluent in Spanish. More than once other characters (usually villains) will make dismissive comments about her, assuming her to be a DumbBlonde or a harmless DamselInDistress. |
| 132 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Despite being a perky blonde rather than a serious brunette, she is very tech-savvy and snarky, similar to Lieutenant Pike. |
| 133 | * TechnoWizard / MrFixit |
| 134 | * [[UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents Texan Drawl]] |
| 135 | [[/folder]] |
| 136 | |
| 137 | [[folder:Sarah "Mac" [=MacKenzie=]]] |
| 138 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_15390.jpeg]] |
| 139 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 140 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/CatherineBell |
| 141 | |
| 142 | Appeared as the female lead in seasons 2-10. A Major (later Lieutenant Colonel) in the United States Marine Corps, Mac works with Harm in investigating crimes but also often serves as opposing counsel to him in the courtroom. |
| 143 | |
| 144 | * AbusiveParents: Mac's father was a bit abusive, though she managed to forgive him on his deathbed. |
| 145 | * ActionGirl: She makes it abundantly clear she is a Marine who just happens to be a woman, rather than a woman Marine. That said, she doesn’t get into scrapes that often. |
| 146 | -->'''Mac [to Harm]:''' ''I'm just as macho as you.'' |
| 147 | * TheAlcoholic: Mac, formerly. Gets OffTheWagon after her [[RomanticFalseLead ex-boyfriend]] dies in her arms. She's also [[StalkerWithACrush being stalked]] by a DirtyCop. |
| 148 | * AllWomenLoveShoes: This trope is lampshaded in one conversation between [[UnresolvedSexualTension Harm and Mac]] in the third season episode "''Vanished''": |
| 149 | -->'''Mac''': In one way or another, we're all searching for something. |
| 150 | -->'''Harm''': Oh, yeah? What are you searching for? |
| 151 | -->'''Mac'''': What every woman wants: a great career, a good man ''and comfortable shoes, lots and lots of them''. |
| 152 | * BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Other than after a traffic accident in "The Four Percent Solution", Mac never sustains any visible injuries throughout the show. In a "A Tangled Webb" she was about to be subjected to ElectricTorture, but Harm saved her in the nick of time. |
| 153 | * BrainyBrunette: C'mon, a polyglot lawyer... |
| 154 | * CartwrightCurse: Rare female example. |
| 155 | -->'''Mac:''' ''I expected there to be death when I joined the Marines, but not when I joined JAG. It's like everybody around me keeps dying''. |
| 156 | * ColonelBadass: After she gets promoted between Seasons 4 and 5. |
| 157 | * CunningLinguist: Mac, as she speaks Russian, Japanese, Spanish, Farsi and German. |
| 158 | * DeadpanSnarker: When Harm is presumed to have drowned in "Cabin Pressure": |
| 159 | -->'''AJ:''' ''Colonel, the commander is too damn pig-headed to leave this world. He will find a way out.'' |
| 160 | -->'''Mac:''' ''Even if they offer him [[AcePilot wings]], sir?'' |
| 161 | * DirtyHarriet: Mac goes undercover in season 5 as a Chief Petty Officer trying infiltrate a Wicca group, including getting herself sky-clad. |
| 162 | * DrillSergeantNasty: Woe to the enlisted man who forgets that the beautiful woman in front of him is also a Marine ''and'' a senior officer. |
| 163 | -->'''Mac:''' ''(after some enlisted men on a sub play a joke to see her in her underwear)'' SNAP TO! |
| 164 | * FootDraggingDivorcee: Mac had an abusive husband who refused to sign the divorce papers. And then he wound up dead and Mac was tried for murder. |
| 165 | * GeniusBruiser: Mac also qualifies, though not surprisingly given that she's a Marine. |
| 166 | * HelloAttorney: |
| 167 | * LadyOfWar: She is a Marine officer, although she is never shown actually leading troops in combat. |
| 168 | -->'''Mac:''' ''I do have a tattoo, I'm a pretty good arm-wrestler and, although I don't like the term, I'm technically a Jarhead.'' |
| 169 | * LudicrousPrecision: In the first episode she appears in ("We The People"), we learn that despite not wearing a watch Mac can tell you what time it is, or how much time has elapsed, no matter what the situation is. She says that she's usually accurate to within 30 seconds, and when people ask her how she does it she just says "It's a Marine thing." |
| 170 | * TheMcCoy: [[spoiler: Though according to her in 2019, it wasn't enough to save her engagement with Harm.]] |
| 171 | * MilitaryBrat: Her father was an enlisted Marine. |
| 172 | * MissingMom: Mac's mother left when she was a kid. They eventually reunited, but it didn't go well. |
| 173 | * MsFanservice: Catherine Bell is a notably attractive woman, and the show took many opportunities to show off Mac both in uniform and in other attire, skivvies and swimwear included. |
| 174 | ** In "Yesterday’s Heroes", as part of the plan of busting a drug kingpin is having [[MsFanservice Mac]] approach his mooks in a [[WalkingSwimsuitScene two piece swimsuit]] to get DistractedByTheSexy. It works. |
| 175 | ** The entire beach segments in the two-parter "Boomerang" is really pointless, other than providing FanService... |
| 176 | ** In "JAG TV", Mac lands a publicly televised case which all of a sudden receives national attention. On an [[LenoDevice in-verse segment]] of ''Series/TheLateLateShow'' the then-host Craig Kilborn has this to say about Mac: |
| 177 | -->''Now, officially, she's a colonel in the Marines. But to me, she's a major babe''. |
| 178 | -->(Kilborn holds up picture of Mac in the bikini she wore in "Boomerang".) |
| 179 | -->''I think we now know why the Marines are first on the beach''. |
| 180 | ** Another example of obvious FanService is in "Critical Condition", where we get to see Mac in lingerie while getting changed into her Service C uniform. |
| 181 | ** In "Straits of Malacca", Mac wears a [[SpyCatsuit special forces-style wetsuit]] when boarding a cargo ship. |
| 182 | * OopsIForgotIWasMarried: Done with Mac. |
| 183 | * RealLifeWritesThePlot: Catherine Bell's pregnancy in late season 8, as her character temporarily served as judge to hide the fact. And later that season she follwed Clayton Webb on a secret mission to Paraguay posing as his pregnant wife... |
| 184 | * SemperFi: Is mostly portrayed, as part of the Marine persona, as TheStoic. |
| 185 | -->'''Mac:''' ''I'm a Marine, a devildog, we don't back down from anything!'' |
| 186 | ** However, at times such as in "Second Sights" when finding her estranged father on his deathbed at a hospice in a state of coma, and at the same time meeting her even more estranged self-centered white trash mom, she turns out to be NotSoStoic. But it turns out to be a ''DoubleSubversion'': after her father has passed away she tells her mother without any emotion that she never wants to see her again because it was she, not her father, who once abandoned her. |
| 187 | * StatuesqueStunner |
| 188 | * TenMinuteRetirement: Mac resigns her commission to work for her then-boyfriend's civilian law firm in "Impact", only to realize in the next episode "People v. Rabb", after having successfully defended Harm pro bono in court and got him acquitted on murder charges that she was far happier back at JAG. Turns out Admiral Chegwidden never actually processed her discharge papers, and she was allowed back on, albeit she spent the next few episodes back at JAG doing scut work as penance for leaving. |
| 189 | ** [[spoiler: Subverted in the tenth season finale of ''[[Series/NCISLosAngeles NCIS: Los Angeles]]''; Mac ''does'' stop carrying out major legal duties in the Marine Corps, but this time, works as their liaison with the State Department. This is part of why she and Harm break off their engagement.]] |
| 190 | * ThirdActStupidity |
| 191 | * UnresolvedSexualTension: Mac and Harm, for 9 seasons. [[spoiler: TRhey get together, but break it off when Harm gets called back into combat and Mac finds an opportunity at the State Department, according to the tenth season finale of ''Series/NCISLosAngeles''.]] |
| 192 | * YouAreInCommandNow: In "Guilt", Mac, as the senior officer present, leads the unexpected evacuation of the U.S. Consulate in East Timor. Ironic, given that the skipper of the Amphibious Assualt Carrier she was TDA on earlier in the episode remarked that: |
| 193 | -->'''Capt. Huddleston:''' I keep forgetting you're a non-combat officer. I guess the only land mines that you dodge are legal ones. |
| 194 | [[/folder]] |
| 195 | |
| 196 | [[folder:Budrick "Bud" Roberts, Jr.]] |
| 197 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_04191.jpeg]] |
| 198 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 199 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/PatrickLabyorteaux |
| 200 | |
| 201 | First seen in the PilotMovie as the public affairs officer aboard the USS Seahawk. Became a regular in season 2. Aside from Harm, he is the only other character to have appeared in all 10 seasons[[note]]although his appearances in Season 1 only amount to the pilot and the season finale[[/note]]. |
| 202 | |
| 203 | * AbusiveParents: His father was physically abusive to both him and his brother Mikey, and early on Bud sometimes worries that [[TurnOutLikeHisFather he'll be the same]] when he becomes a parent. |
| 204 | * AmusingInjuries: He [[ItMakesSenseInContext once received two simultaneous solid punches to the face]] that broke his jaw. He spent some time with his jaw wired shut and could only speak in [[TheUnintelligible unintelligible mumbles]] that only Mac could understand[[note]]this came about because Patrick Labyorteaux had really broken his jaw and the writers decided to include the injury instead of writing him out while he recovered[[/note]]. |
| 205 | * AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:He stepped on a landmine in Afghanistan. He had to fight hard to maintain full duty status.]] |
| 206 | * BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: In general, for every new child Bud and Harriet gets, the better everything gets for them. |
| 207 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: Don't let the innocent act fool you - Bud may not be a combat officer, but he can and will put you through a legal world of hurt if you deserve it. Goes double for when you go after Harriet or their kids. |
| 208 | * BigBrotherInstinct: Bud to Mikey. It was what finally got [[CallingTheOldManOut Bud to stand up to their father]] when Mikey showed up for Bud's wedding with a black eye. |
| 209 | * ChekhovsHobby: |
| 210 | ** Bud’s interest with the paranormal comes in handy at times, as in "Vanished" when they manage to locate a missing F-14 with the help of observations made by UFO enthusiasts. Also, a case of CharacterizationMarchesOn, as Bud by the time of “Psychic Warrior” has become more of a skeptic. |
| 211 | ** His liking science fiction shows comes to help him relate to a terrorist and get crucial information out of him without the terrorist knowing. He also gave the Admiral's girlfriend information on how the Original Series of Star Trek borrowed heavily from Shakespeare with some scripts, which she notes will allow her to reach more students now. |
| 212 | * DoingResearch: As one of the low men, he was usually tasked with this by whomever he was helping that episode. [[spoiler:He even helped Harm out of an insurance/accident scam.]] |
| 213 | * EmbarrassingFirstName: |
| 214 | * EnsignNewbie: Started out as Public Relations Officer on the ''Seahawk'', and pretty much fit the mold of an officer fresh out of school. Slowly broke out of this as he worked with Harm and Mac. |
| 215 | * GeniusDitz: Sharp lawyer, yep. But sometimes can't go 5 minutes without dropping something, losing something or sticking his foot in his mouth. |
| 216 | * HappilyMarried: Bud and Harriet. |
| 217 | * HeIsAllGrownUp: You'll notice that late into the run of the show, Bud's hair turns gray, most likely from stress on the job (both in-character and for the actor in real life). Around this time, the dopey aspects of his character start to vanish and he becomes a competent and accomplished lawyer. Then, sometime later on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', 14 seasons into its run and long after the end of ''JAG'', he has grown into a late middle-aged man and has earned the rank of Captain. |
| 218 | * HypercompetentSidekick: Bud had that role regulary in seasons 2-4, and on occassions afterwards when sitting second chair or likewise. |
| 219 | * TheIntern: Bud served as an assistant to Harm & Mac during seasons 2-4, before he graduated from law school and became a judge advocate (military lawyer) in his own right. |
| 220 | * LimitedAdvancementOpportunities: Zig-zagged. It becomes a plot point that as a JAG lawyer, his promotion opportunities are few and far between and that there's a good chance that he'll be forced to leave the Navy as a Lieutenant if he's passed over too many times. It's part of the reason he volunteers for sea duty, as it will improve his chances. Admiral Chegwidden uses the last of his clout within the Navy to promote Bud to Lieutenant Commander before retirement. |
| 221 | ** As of the beginning of Season 14 of ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', he's reached the rank of Captain. |
| 222 | * MilitaryBrat: Father was a senior NCO in the Navy. |
| 223 | * NonActionGuy: Despite being a trained military officer and passing certain guidelines and qualifications, he rarely gets into a scuffle himself. (A very good argument against that can be given due to him taking out his abusive father and slugging a guy he thought was gonna attack his brother.) |
| 224 | * NoodleIncident: Gets slugged by a pregnant stripper. |
| 225 | * ObfuscatingStupidity: One of Bud's tactics. Or as Mac puts it, his "Awwe-shucks" facade as a lawyer. He got a serial killer to confess on the stand by playing dumb and later stressed Harm out by asking him why the guy should believe Bud was incompetent at all. |
| 226 | * PluckyComicRelief: Bud had that role until season 4. |
| 227 | * PromotionToOpeningTitles: In season 2. |
| 228 | * RecurringCharacter: In season 1. |
| 229 | * TookALevelInBadass: He went from an Ensign working Public Affairs to Lieutenant Commander by series end, and through it became a very able lawyer, able to match wits and skills against Mac, Harm, and Sturgis. [[spoiler:In his final case of the series, and actual proper case overall, Bud ''beat'' Harm and Lt. Vukovic using the very evidence Harm discovered to try and clear his client's name.]] |
| 230 | * SiblingRivalry: Bud and Mikey Roberts, although only on rare occasions. |
| 231 | [[/folder]] |
| 232 | |
| 233 | [[folder:Albert Jethro "AJ" Chegwidden]] |
| 234 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_0096.jpeg]] |
| 235 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 236 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/JohnMJackson |
| 237 | A Rear Admiral (2 stars) who served as the Judge Advocate General of the Navy (Series/{{JAG}}) from 1996 to 2004. A Navy SEAL who served in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar with distinction, he transferred to surface warfare, and later on went to law school becoming a judge advocate. |
| 238 | |
| 239 | He first appeared as a recurring character in the latter half of season 1. Appeared as a regular in seasons 2 to 9. In 2013, Chegwidden reappeared, now as a civilian lawyer, in the season 10 finale of ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' ("Damned If You Do") as Gibbs' attorney. He later returned in 2017 in ''Series/{{NCISLosAngeles}}'' to provide aid to the team there. |
| 240 | |
| 241 | * AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: [[DeskJockey Rear Admiral]] A.J. Chegwidden, before he became lawyer, was a Navy SEAL who earned a Navy Cross in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, and he's had more than one occasion to showcase his credentials in badass...including one or two PapaWolf moments. And one incident involving an actual wolf... |
| 242 | * BearerOfBadNews: In “Critical Condition” Chegwidden has to tell Harriet that her husband stepped on a landmine in Afghanistan and is in critical condition. |
| 243 | * BenevolentBoss: While not above dressing down or chewing out his staff, he also utilizes LoopholeAbuse and MyRuleFuIsStrongerThanYours to keep his people out of serious trouble from those over him. |
| 244 | * BigNo: Admiral Chegwidden does formidable one in "Ghosts". |
| 245 | * BornInTheWrongCentury and HopelessWithTech: |
| 246 | -->'''Webb''': ''So you finaly decided to join the millenium and get computer literate.''\ |
| 247 | '''AJ''': ''No choice. SECNAV said I was the last flag officer to get online.'' |
| 248 | * TheChainsOfCommanding: Chegwidden has clearly has a difficult job as Judge Advocate General of the Navy, reconciling the often disparate interests of justice and policy-makers, not to many the many eccentric and unpredictable people under his command. |
| 249 | * CoolOldGuy: Navy SEAL, decorated Vietnam vet, top-flight lawyer, bare-knuckled brawler. Chegwidden's seen a lot, survived a lot, and can tell some pretty good stories. |
| 250 | -->'''AJ:''': ''VC tried to cut my head off with a machete: 39 stitches.'' |
| 251 | * DaChief |
| 252 | * DeadpanSnarker: |
| 253 | -->'''Gunnery Sergeant Valindez:''' ''I like challenges, sir!''\ |
| 254 | '''AJ:''' ''Well, gunny, that's what Napoleon said when he invaded Russia. I expect better results from you.'' |
| 255 | * DeathGlare: Chegwidden is a master of this trope. The fact that he's a former Navy SEAL reinforces the validity of this beyond any formal authority. |
| 256 | * EveryoneHasStandards: When he was President of the Captains Promotion Board, Commander Lindsey's name came up. When asked about his views on the man since he did serve at JAG, Chegwidden stated he would not willingly have the man on his staff again as he has no confidence in his ability and he breaks too many rules. The officer who asked, who had personally seen Harm bend and break rules, just stares. |
| 257 | * AFatherToHisMen: His "people" are his surrogate family. For all his acting like a "growling old salt" he will go to the mat for any of them. His last act as JAG was to basically demand that the Navy promote Bud despite his career-limiting injury. |
| 258 | -->'''AJ [to Bud's father]:''' Don't you hurt that boy.\ |
| 259 | '''Big Bud:''' No, sir.\ |
| 260 | '''AJ:''' Because if you do then you'll answer to me Master Chief. You don't want that. |
| 261 | -->and |
| 262 | -->'''Meredith [to AJ when talking about Harm & Mac]:''' You are not their father AJ. They're adults. |
| 263 | * HiddenHeartOfGold: Chegwidden often displays such characteristics, even though he has more gentle sides and genuinely cares for his staff. Even though he often hides behind military protocol and the authority that comes with being an admiral to distance himself from interpersonal relationships beyond the strictly professional, he deeply cares for the people that work under him. |
| 264 | * HonestAdvisor: Admiral Chegwidden is depicted this way in his onscreen dealings with the two [=SecNavs=] during his time in office. |
| 265 | * LimitedAdvancementOpportunities: The Judge Advocate General is a 2-star "terminal" appointment, meaning that this is the last billet in Chegwidden's long career before he's forced to retire. |
| 266 | * MyGreatestFailure: For Admiral Chegwidden it is not having been with his daughter Francesca (who grew up in Italy with her mother and stepfather), during her childhood and adolescence. |
| 267 | * OfficerAndAGentleman: He will always try to be polite to people, and if his bad mood is making him caustic to someone undeserving, he will apologize. |
| 268 | * OnlyKnownByInitials: Up until the [[GivenNameReveal season 4 episode]] "War Stories", none of the other main characters knew that the full name of their boss is Albert Jethro. |
| 269 | * OutrankingYourJob: Occasionally the writers would have Admiral Chegwidden taking care of business, such as acting as defense attorney, which ought to have been handled by a subordinate. |
| 270 | * PapaWolf: God help you if you threaten or hurt his daughter or anyone under his command. He'll even terrify his own people when they hurt each other. When Harm and Mic accidentally broke Bud's jaw with punches intended for each other, the Admiral threatened to horsewhip and keelhaul both of them. But because Bud was covering for them and claiming it was an accident [[LaserGuidedKarma he, with Mic's superior's permission, locked Mic and Harm in a room and told not to leave until they had inflicted the same level of harm onto each other as they did to Bud.]] |
| 271 | * PromotionToOpeningTitles: In season 2. |
| 272 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Most of the time. Sometimes when he's hit his limit over his people's eccentricities he'll go into a tirade. |
| 273 | * RecurringCharacter: In season 1. |
| 274 | * SirSwearsALot: He is a chronic potty mouth who drops a swear every few sentences or so. It's so bad that ''his own dog'' is literally named '''''Dammit.''''' The story behind that is he got a terrier that wouldn't obey him in any form until he lost his temper and yelled "Dammit!" at the dog, which got its attention, then became the ''only'' thing it responded to. |
| 275 | * TeamDad: Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden, the Judge Advocate General of the Navy (boss of the team) and a former Navy SEAL. |
| 276 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: Coffee, "Cup of Joe". Though by the time he appears in ''NCIS'' he's switched to tea. |
| 277 | * TranquilFury: This is the case whenever Admiral Chegwidden gets angry or really pissed-off. |
| 278 | * [[FourStarBadass Two Star Badass]]: Summed up in one memorable BadassBoast in Season 1. |
| 279 | -->'''AJ:''' My name is Admiral Chegwidden. I am the Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy. Before I leave this hangar, I will know the why and the how of Lieutenant Douglas Marion's death, or Commander Rabb, here, is gonna have your ass... and I'm gonna own your soul. |
| 280 | [[/folder]] |
| 281 | |
| 282 | [[folder:Peter Ulysses "Sturgis" Turner]] |
| 283 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_1458.jpeg]] |
| 284 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 285 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/ScottLawrence |
| 286 | |
| 287 | Appeared in seasons 7 to 10. Harm's former roommate at the Naval Academy and a submariner-turned-lawyer. The character became a regular cast member in the tenth season. |
| 288 | |
| 289 | * ADayInTheLimelight: Gets a few, usually when he's on or around submarines. |
| 290 | * DeadpanSnarker: |
| 291 | * MilitaryBrat: Father was a Navy Chaplain. |
| 292 | * MistakenForRacist: Sturgis is accused of racism against Koreans by a biased Lieutenant in Naval Intelligence. He gets cleared of the accusation, but the experience leaves him a little bitter and more cynical. |
| 293 | * PreachersKid: Type 1. |
| 294 | * PromotionToOpeningTitles: In season 10 |
| 295 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 296 | * RememberTheNewGuy: He and Harm went to the Academy together and were apparently quite close friends. |
| 297 | * SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: |
| 298 | * ThePerfectionist: |
| 299 | * TheSpock: Takes this role particularly when Harm or Mac are playing TheMcCoy, because he's much more straight-laced and by-the-book. |
| 300 | * TokenMinority: African-American. |
| 301 | * YouAreInCommandNow: Takes over as acting JAG between Admiral Chegwidden's retirement and General Cresswell's appointment. |
| 302 | [[/folder]] |
| 303 | |
| 304 | [[folder:Jennifer Coates]] |
| 305 | |
| 306 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_4125.jpeg]] |
| 307 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 308 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/ZoeMcLellan |
| 309 | |
| 310 | Petty Officer Jennifer Coates first appeared in season 7. She served as Bud's "Legalman" when he was assigned as the JAG offcer on the ''Seahawk'', then succeeded Jason Tiner as the yeoman/administrative assistant to the Judge Advocate General of the Navy from season 9-10. The character became a regular castmember in the last season. |
| 311 | |
| 312 | * ADayInTheLimelight: Occasionally got one. |
| 313 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: Was a bit of a delinquent and petty thief before joining up. This does come back to bite her when one of her friends from back then frames her for murder. |
| 314 | * FinishingEachOthersSentences: Jennifer Coates does this several times, after she replaced Tiner as the Admiral’s yeoman in season nine, and is a source of irritation to the Admiral. |
| 315 | -->'''Chegwidden''' Colonel would you please stop interrupting me, you're worse than Coates! |
| 316 | * MilitaryMaverick: A mild case. She's not as "squared away" as she should be, and her introduction consists of her being on her way to the brig for abandoning her post. She does learn to follow the rules...mostly. |
| 317 | * PluckyOfficeGirl: To some extent. |
| 318 | * PreachersKid: Type 2 |
| 319 | * PromotionToOpeningTitles: In season 10. |
| 320 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 321 | * StreetSmart: |
| 322 | [[/folder]] |
| 323 | |
| 324 | !Other JAG personnel |
| 325 | |
| 326 | [[folder:Harriet Beaumont Sims]] |
| 327 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_521.jpeg]] |
| 328 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 329 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/KarriTurner |
| 330 | |
| 331 | The wife of Bud Roberts, since "''Wedding Bell Blues''" in the third season. |
| 332 | |
| 333 | Appeared in seasons 2-10. |
| 334 | |
| 335 | * BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: In general, for every new child Bud and Harriet gets, the better everything gets for them. |
| 336 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: Bud and Harriet are the sweetest couple and good parents, but both go on the warpath if someone screws over their spouse. Notably, Harriet once punched out Lt. Singer when she tried to damage Bud's career out of spite. |
| 337 | * EnsignNewbie: Harriet took Bud's job as a public affairs officer on the ''USS Seahawk'' when Bud transferred to JAG, and was just as much a newbie as he was. |
| 338 | * FakeGuestStar: Karri Turner never received star billing despite regularly appearing on the show for 9 seasons. |
| 339 | * FreakOut: In "Nobody's Child", pregnant Harriet accidentally gets to see crime scene photos of the corpse of a brutally murdered girl and freaks out. A few episodes later in "The Adversaries" she sees the dead girls identical twin sister and gets flashbacks of the photos. |
| 340 | ** Lt. Singer uses this against her when she's a witness to a fatal assault aboard an airplane, exploiting her fear that the plane would crash and kill her and her unborn child to claim her memory of the events is unreliable. |
| 341 | * HappilyMarried: Bud and Harriet. |
| 342 | * LoopholeAbuse: Once Bud and Harriet start a relationship one of them should have been transferred as the military frowns on couples in the same chain of command. The Admiral, however, pulled a few strings to have Harriet "officially" assigned to the Inspector General's Office and then "loaned" to JAG on a semi-permanent basis. |
| 343 | * MamaBear: Threaten her kids and you will live to regret it. |
| 344 | * NonIdleRich: Harriet Sims, despite having been brought up in wealth, joined the Navy, works hard as an office manager at JAG and has at the end of the series 4 children with Bud Roberts. |
| 345 | * ProfessionalMaidenName: Following her marriage with Bud Roberts, Harriet continues to be referred to by her maiden name, Sims. It’s likely done for convenience (because there would otherwise be two lieutenants Roberts in the same workplace) and it’s unknown if she changed her legal name. |
| 346 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 347 | * SecretlyWealthy: Bud Roberts is at first shocked upon realizing that his then-fiancée Harriet Sims comes from a wealthy family, as shown by their BigFancyHouse and her father's multiple sports cars, when visiting her parents in Florida for the first time in "Yesterday’s Heroes". |
| 348 | -->'''Harriet:''' This is my parent's life, Bud. It's not mine. |
| 349 | [[/folder]] |
| 350 | |
| 351 | [[folder:Jason Tiner]] |
| 352 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_8752.jpeg]] |
| 353 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 354 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/ChuckCarrington |
| 355 | |
| 356 | Petty Officer Jason Tiner served as the yeoman/administrative assistent to the Judge Advocate General of the Navy from season 2-9. |
| 357 | |
| 358 | * ADayInTheLimelight: |
| 359 | * AscendedExtra: Tiner went from an extra to a minor character in his own right after a few seasons and, apart from the lead characters, appeared in the highest number of episodes. |
| 360 | * LivingProp: Petty Officer Jason Tiner slowly transitioned from this state to a character in his own right during seasons 2 to 5. |
| 361 | * LogicBomb: Suffers one in "Critical Condition" when Chegwidden tells him he gets to decide whether the Admiral should charge Mac or Harm with being AWOL when they both chose to stay with a wounded Bud (the Admiral only authorized one of them to stay). The Admiral gave Tiner the problem precisely because he knew Tiner would not be able to choose, thus allowing him to avoid the issue entirely. |
| 362 | * LovableNerd: |
| 363 | * MauveShirt: |
| 364 | * MistakenForGay: [[spoiler:He one day hung out with his brother, who was gay, and came out of a gay bar with him. He then was involved in a fight with Gunny as Gunny arrived with his Marine buddy, when Tiner's brother accidentally ran into the Marine. So, many suspected him of being gay, and thus going to be discharged from the military until the matter is cleaned up.]] |
| 365 | * NonActionGuy: |
| 366 | * PutOnABus: Leaves after graduating law school and being accepted into Officer Candidate School. |
| 367 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 368 | * SayMyName: Usually at full bellow by the Admiral - "TINER!" |
| 369 | [[/folder]] |
| 370 | |
| 371 | [[folder:Mic Brumby]] |
| 372 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_9726.jpeg]] |
| 373 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 374 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/TrevorGoddard |
| 375 | |
| 376 | Appeared in seasons 4-6, with a guest appearance in season 7. First appeared as an Royal Australian Navy exchange officer on duty in the United States for the first year, then went back to Australia and later came back to work as civilian attorney in Washington. Went back for good when his engagement with Mac broke up. |
| 377 | |
| 378 | * AmoralAttorney: Becomes one for a while when he resigns from the Royal Australian Navy and comes back as a civilian. He took cases where people were suing the Navy, which didn't sit well with anyone at the JAG office. |
| 379 | * AwesomeAussie: Averted, even though he talks just like Crocodile Dundee. |
| 380 | * FakeNationality: Englishman Trevor Goddard playing Australian Mic Brumby. Apparently Trevor Goddard made a career out of playing Australians. |
| 381 | * {{Hypocrite}}: He chastises the men of JAG for letting their attraction to Mac cloud their objectivity when she's charged with murder, yet he himself not only eventually falls in love with her, when he proposes, he admits that he did so [[LoveAtFirstSight the minute he saw her]]. ([[FridgeBrilliance which actually explains how he picked up on the other men's feelings so easily]]) |
| 382 | * JerkassHasAPoint: During Mac and Farrow's murder trial, he keeps trying to shift the blame onto her. When Harm, Bud, etc. blast him for this, he truthfully points out that they're all slightly in love with her and therefore unable to be objective. |
| 383 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 384 | * RomanticFalseLead: For Mac in seasons 5 & 6. |
| 385 | [[/folder]] |
| 386 | |
| 387 | [[folder:Victor "Gunny" Galindez]] |
| 388 | |
| 389 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_6939.jpeg]] |
| 390 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 391 | |
| 392 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/RandyVasquez |
| 393 | |
| 394 | Appeared in seasons 5-7, with guest appearances in seasons 8 and 9. A Marine Gunnery Sergeant who takes over as the head of the JAG office staff after he decides against retiring from the Corps. |
| 395 | |
| 396 | * ADayInTheLimelight: "Retreat, Hell" was one where Galindez had to protect a Korean War deserter he was transporting back to Washington for court-martial from a SmallTownTyrant sheriff who was trying to take away his family's land. |
| 397 | * CollateralDamage: Happened when he was a deputy sheriff in New Mexico, after his first enlistment. They were conducting a raid on a meth lab, and when the suspect reached for a weapon one of the rookie officers panicked and accidentally shot Galindez in the ass. He decided after that to go back into the Marines. |
| 398 | * PutOnABus: Asks for, and receives, a transfer back to front-line duty in Afghanistan. Shows up once or twice when Harm, Mac or Bud were "in country". |
| 399 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 400 | * ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Gave up a cushy private sector job when he decided he wasn't going to blame another Marine for a mishap actually caused by his future employer's prototype weapons system. |
| 401 | * SergeantRock: Both in the office and after he requests a transfer back to combat duty post-9/11. |
| 402 | * ServileSnarker: |
| 403 | * SemperFi: |
| 404 | * TokenMinority: Latino. |
| 405 | [[/folder]] |
| 406 | |
| 407 | [[folder:Loren Singer]] |
| 408 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_37924.jpeg]] |
| 409 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 410 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/NanciChambers |
| 411 | |
| 412 | Appeared in seasons 5-8. |
| 413 | |
| 414 | * AbusiveParents: It is implied on one occasion that this is how she became the nasty piece of work she is. AssholeVictim also applies here. |
| 415 | * AmoralAttorney: There are few lines she wouldn't cross to win a case and her coworkers know it. |
| 416 | * AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:So despicable that the showrunners killed her off just to set up a new show because they knew she wouldn't be missed and was disposable.]] |
| 417 | * BodyHorror: [[spoiler:Not only murdered, but left to rot in the woods, where she had her face eaten off and became unrecognizable... and had the remains of a murdered by proxy fetus inside her. And then a young Cub Scout shot an arrow into her by accident and found her when he went looking to retrieve it. The sight of her body traumatized him and made the scoutmaster vomit.]] |
| 418 | * BusCrash: [[spoiler:Murdered sometime before Season 8, Episode 20, "Ice Queen", the episode that also serves as the BackdoorPilot for ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', serving as their first on-screen murder investigation. And boy, is it a doozy.]] |
| 419 | * DrunkWithPower: In "''Tribunal''", when Admiral Chegwidden and most of the senior staff are away overseas Lieutenant Singer is designated as "Acting JAG". One of the first things she decides to do is to have a fire drill and to have Lieutenant Sims to review and update all internal administrative manuals. |
| 420 | * InformedJudaism: Subverted, as Singer only pretends to be Jewish in "The Promised Land" to badger a Marine deserter and convert who had joined the IDF. Her first chair Commander Turner calls the bluff by testing her knowledge of Judaism. |
| 421 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Singer had signs of this. [[spoiler:One instance is when Mac is about to lose a custody case to remove a child from her abusive, civilian, father. When he went to see his ex-wife and child on base where the mother was staying, he was told a blond JAG officer had taken them off base. He came charging into JAG Headquarters and nearly attacked Lt. Sims, believing she was said JAG. This provides more than enough evidence for Mac to win and when asked, Singer simply avoids a direct response.]] |
| 422 | * KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:She got into an illicit sexual affair and became pregnant, which led to her murder to avoid exposing the truth if she were to give birth. She was discarded in the woods and found by accident when a Cub Scout shot an arrow too far out into the forest and discovered it lodged in her corpse... which ''was missing a face.'']] |
| 423 | * ManipulativeBitch: She will gladly do anything short of actual criminal behavior to advance her Naval career. Even if it risks getting people disbarred (Mac), divorced (Bud), or humiliated (Bud, Harriet, Harm). |
| 424 | * ProfessionalButtKisser: [[spoiler:Is it any wonder she got close to Commander Lindsey?]] |
| 425 | * RealLifeRelative: Nanci Chambers is the real-life wife of David James Elliott. |
| 426 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 427 | * YouLookFamiliar: Chambers played an assassin in Season 2's "Washington Holiday". |
| 428 | [[/folder]] |
| 429 | |
| 430 | [[folder:Gordon "Biff" Cresswell]] |
| 431 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2023_08_13_at_110957_am.png]] |
| 432 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 433 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/DavidAndrews |
| 434 | |
| 435 | Appeared in season 10 only and replaced Chegwidden following his retirement. A Colonel in the Marine Corps who served as Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he was upon his appointment as Judge Advocate General of the Navy promoted to the rank of Major General (2 stars). |
| 436 | |
| 437 | * BaitAndSwitchTyrant: This is the initial perception of the new Judge Advocate General of the Navy, Major General Gordon Cresswell, in the tenth season of JAG from the perspective of the main characters. |
| 438 | * BenevolentBoss: |
| 439 | * CoolOldGuy: |
| 440 | * DaChief |
| 441 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: After an escapade with Coates being a juror while Harm and Mac defend and prosecute, respectively, leading to some unorthodox but good good work revealing the real culprit, and Bud helped Harm breaking a coded book the victim had after completing his other tasks, the General finds he can accept their eccentricities provided they keep up their level of work. |
| 442 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 443 | * SemperFi: |
| 444 | * [[FourStarBadass Two Star Badass]]: |
| 445 | [[/folder]] |
| 446 | |
| 447 | !Other recurring characters |
| 448 | |
| 449 | [[folder:Clayton Webb]] |
| 450 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2023_08_13_at_112729_am.png]] |
| 451 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 452 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/StevenCulp |
| 453 | |
| 454 | A shadowy and morally ambiguous UsefulNotes/{{CIA}} Officer who just happens to be around the cases that Harm and Mac pursue. Appeared in seasons 2-10. |
| 455 | |
| 456 | * BadassBureaucrat: He works his way into being this over the course of the show. |
| 457 | * BlatantLies: For a time, Webb insisted that he worked for the State Department, rather than the CIA, despite always turning up in the middle of various plots. Nobody, hero or villain, ever believed him for a second, but most of the time his claim would be accepted with a roll of the eyes and a grain of salt. |
| 458 | -->'''Webb:''' I am a Special Assistant to State. Sometimes. |
| 459 | * TheChessmaster: Clayton Webb. He is a good Chessmaster (both in the sense of being skillful and being on the good side), but he is cold and ruthless and has a streak of the KnightTemplar in him. However, he is incorruptible and occasionally surprises people with his softer side. In the later episodes he often goes into danger himself, giving him a good claim to being a BadassBookworm. |
| 460 | ** The one time he tried to manipulate Admiral Chegwidden, the Admiral busted Webb's nose for it. After that Webb treated the Admiral with nothing but the utmost respect. |
| 461 | * CombatPragmatist: Webb's practicality about covert warfare often shocks everyone else. The others sometimes act as his [[TheConscience conscience]]. |
| 462 | * DeadpanSnarker: His usual demeanor around the JAG cast. |
| 463 | * EnsembleDarkhorse: Webb grew to be quite popular for a Company man. |
| 464 | * FakingTheDead: Clayton Webb does this twice. |
| 465 | * GuileHero: Especially toward later episodes when he kind of TookALevelInBadass. |
| 466 | * InsufferableGenius: Well he's smart and he ''thinks'' he is a genius. |
| 467 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Webb has some of that in him. Often other characters think him a jerk until the end of the episode. |
| 468 | ** Often that is because he is being TheSpock and Harm is being TheMcCoy. However Webb has something of a cynical and [[DeadpanSnarker smart alecky]] personality as well. |
| 469 | * KnightInSourArmor: Webb is deeply cynical about his work, but nevertheless acts to further America's interests, and is a loyal patriot. |
| 470 | * ReassignedToAntarctica: Following his actions in "Need To Know" that revealed what happened to a submarine on a classified mission, the Agency reassigns him to Montevideo, Uruguay. |
| 471 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 472 | * RomanticFalseLead: For Mac in seasons 8 & 9. |
| 473 | * TheSpock |
| 474 | * TheSpymaster: CIA Officer Clayton Webb. |
| 475 | -->'''Webb:''' I have a hand in everything. |
| 476 | [[/folder]] |
| 477 | |
| 478 | [[folder:Alexander Nelson]] |
| 479 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_8361.png]] |
| 480 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 481 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/PaulCollins |
| 482 | |
| 483 | Appeared in seasons 3-8. The series' first Secretary of the Navy |
| 484 | |
| 485 | * DaChief: For the JAG. |
| 486 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 487 | * SleazyPolitician |
| 488 | * SmugSnake |
| 489 | [[/folder]] |
| 490 | |
| 491 | [[folder:Edward Sheffield]] |
| 492 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_4845.png]] |
| 493 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 494 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/DeanStockwell |
| 495 | |
| 496 | Appeared in seasons 7-10. The series' second Secretary of the Navy. Was before that a U.S. Senator from Virginia. |
| 497 | |
| 498 | * DaChief: For the JAG. |
| 499 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 500 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: |
| 501 | * SleazyPolitician: Though a bit less sleazy than his predecessor, Sheffield wasn't above back-room dealing (or being pressured by deals he cut to get his nomination as SECNAV confirmed). |
| 502 | * {{Transplant}}: The character first appeared in the short-lived U.S. Supreme Court series ''Series/FirstMonday'', produced by Creator/DonaldPBellisario. |
| 503 | [[/folder]] |
| 504 | |
| 505 | [[folder:"Big" Bud Roberts]] |
| 506 | ->''Played By''': Creator/JeffMacKay |
| 507 | |
| 508 | The father of Bud Roberts. Appeared in seasons 3-10. |
| 509 | |
| 510 | * AbusiveDad: Big Bud Roberts' idea of discipline was beating up his kids. He never quite comes to regret it, unfortunately. |
| 511 | * BookDumb |
| 512 | * DadTheVeteran: Retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer (non-commissioned officer). When he gets recalled to active duty post-9/11, he tries to get out of it until he realizes he'll be stateside doing traning rather than deployed. |
| 513 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: As crappy a dad as he is, Big Bud does find time to be with his sons at Christmas, attend his grandkids' christenings, [[spoiler: help defend Mikey in court, and eventually find the guts to support Bud in rehab following his injury in Afghanistan]]. |
| 514 | * LowerClassLout: Big Bud is to some extent a retirement aged example of this trope. |
| 515 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 516 | [[/folder]] |
| 517 | |
| 518 | [[folder:Michael "Mikey" or "Mike" Roberts]] |
| 519 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/MichaelBellisario |
| 520 | |
| 521 | Bud's younger brother. |
| 522 | |
| 523 | * GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: When Mikey visits the Roberts' home after Bud is injured, Harriet is ranting about all the things happening since the Admiral notified her. Mikey can see that Harriet is about to lose it, he snaps her out of it by saying he is tired from the trip and asking for a cup of black coffee. |
| 524 | * MilitaryAcademy: Mikey attends the United States Naval Academy in the later seasons. |
| 525 | * RealLifeRelative: Michael Bellisario is the son of {{Showrunner}} Creator/DonaldPBellisario. |
| 526 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 527 | * SiblingRivalry: Bud and Mikey Roberts of ''Series/{{JAG}}'', although only on rare occasions. |
| 528 | ** They did have a brief falling out when Mikey briefly lost track of baby A.J., which Bud blamed on Mikey being irresponsible. |
| 529 | * TookALevelInBadass: Mikey, Bud's little brother, grows enough of a backbone to stand up to his father by the beginning of season eight. |
| 530 | [[/folder]] |
| 531 | |
| 532 | [[folder:Thomas Boone]] |
| 533 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/TerryOQuinn |
| 534 | |
| 535 | Appeared in seasons 1-8. |
| 536 | |
| 537 | * AcePilot: Literal ace, from the Vietnam War. His EstablishingCharacterMoment from the pilot is getting into a dogfight with two Serbian MiGs and winning. |
| 538 | * CoolOldGuy: Undisputedly, and most of his pilots worship him as such. |
| 539 | * ConsummateProfessional: He may disagree with Navy policy (especially regarding women in combat roles such as fighter pilot), but he will not tolerate anyone under his command who lets their personal feelings affect carrying out their duties in a professional manner. |
| 540 | * DeadpanSnarker: Even when on trial, he can't help but be a smart-ass |
| 541 | -->'''Krennick''': Does the Crusader's profile look anything like that of a [=MiG=]? |
| 542 | -->'''Boone''': No it does not. |
| 543 | -->'''Krennick''': But that's what the pilot saw. He is in enemy airspace, and having encountered [=MiGs=] earlier in the day, his brain turned your Crusader into a [=MiG=]. |
| 544 | -->'''Boone''': He ''was'' an Air Force pilot. |
| 545 | * IntergenerationalFriendship: With his late wingman's son, Harm. |
| 546 | * MyGreatestFailure: He was Harm, Sr.'s wingman on the flight where "Hammer" was shot down. Boone tried to stay over his crash site until rescue arrived, but had to return to their carrier because he was low on fuel. He says he would do it all again the same way, but also says that he has to live with that decision for the rest of his life. |
| 547 | * NobleBigot: Thinks women have no place in combat and is very vocal about this opinion even to the women themselves. He still treats the ones under his command scrupulously fairly, and at one point goes off on someone he suspects of actually acting on the same bigoted sentiments. |
| 548 | * PrinciplesZealot: In "A Separate Peace" Harm defends Boone who is accused of [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar war crimes]] during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. While Boone doesn't plead guilty, he does nothing to defend himself or help the defense. It turns out that he is innocent but believes that no matter the cost he can never break a vow of silence once it's given. |
| 549 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's a hardass with uncompromising high standards of those under his command. But if you meet those standards he'll give you a fair shake. |
| 550 | * RecurringCharacter: Throughout the show. |
| 551 | * TellMeAboutMyFather: He served with Harmon Rabb Senior on the tour he was shot down and went [=MIA=] and occasionally tells his son Harm Jr. a story about his time with Harm Senior. |
| 552 | [[/folder]] |
| 553 | |
| 554 | [[folder:Roberta "Bobbie" Latham]] |
| 555 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/AnneMarieJohnson |
| 556 | |
| 557 | * IvyLeagueForEveryone: Graduated first in her class at Yale Law School. |
| 558 | * RecurringCharacter: |
| 559 | * StrawmanPolitical: Roberta "Bobbie" Latham, democratic congresswoman from Michigan is an arch-typical leftist liberal advocating of the advancement of women in the military for the sake of just doing it, is critical of excessive defense spending, claims to be a human rights activist, is a political oppurtunist in general, and a strong advocate of UN peacekeeping operations (even if the operation can't keep the peace in the first place.) |
| 560 | [[/folder]] |
| 561 | |
| 562 | [[folder:Elizabeth "Skates" Hawkes]] |
| 563 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/SibelGalindez |
| 564 | |
| 565 | * GuyInBack: A Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) by training and flew with Harm in many missions. |
| 566 | * PutOnABus: Not seen after late Season 7. |
| 567 | [[/folder]] |
| 568 | |
| 569 |
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