Hawkes' Vision


I have just finished watching the episode where Hawkes and Dale Dye are on the assination mission on an alien planet, and i have a few questions for the fan base.

First off, this has got to be one of thebest eopisodes i have ever watched in a sci-fi series, right up there withthe best episode ever on anything, well written and acted, and you get a real sense of lonliness for Hawkes due to the lack of dialogue in this episode.

Ok, here are my questions?

Hawkes' Vision: I would like to know wether that vision was somone whom he killed and was forced into the marien corps for, or was it a vision of "mother", as in viro's are not born through sexual activity, did he have a vision of a parental guardian, in that she protected him when he was most vulnerable like a parent would.

Birds? I get the whole thing about birds representing freedom through flight, but does this mean th ealiens also share respect and awe for these creatures, and if so, does that mean that the humans have one more thing in common. The way i see it, the more they have in common the harder it may be for the people to kill them, else why would a battle hardened marine chose to let them live and escape.

Would really appreciate anyones thoughts or ideas on these,

Thanks.

"Get in there you big furry oaf, i don't care what you smell"

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re: Hawkes' Vision

The figure that Hawkes saw and interacted with is "The Whore of Death", a concept taken from the William Manchester's "Goodbye, Darkness". It is an excellent book about Manchester's experiences in the Pacific Theatre of World War II.

And she wasn't actually protecting him. She was showing him how hopeless his situation was. She was trying to make him give up.

The figure is a sexual manifestation of death. She is seductive because she seeks to lure soldiers to their deaths, like a siren on dry land. Because Vansen is an object of desire to Hawkes, it is Shane's figure that is morphed into The Whore of Death for Cooper.

Fan History: Series creator Glen Morgan said that Kristen Cloke (Shane Vansen) was always complaining about being dirty and grungy and said that she wanted to wear a something nice for a change. When this episode was being written he told her, "Well, I've got some good news and I've got some bad news...." :)

There's also an old story that says when Dale Dye saw Kristen Cloke in her Whore of Death getup, he told her, "I've seen you. In Vietnam." *cue spooky music*

re:Birds

"does this mean the aliens also share respect and awe for these creatures, and if so, does that mean that the humans have one more thing in common. The way i see it, the more they have in common the harder it may be for the people to kill them, else why would a battle hardened marine chose to let them live and escape. "

Exactly!

When the humans in the SAAB universe call the Chigs "aliens" they mean it. Humans have no idea how the Chigs think, what they care about, or anything that makes them who they are. By finding a common link, a common desire, Hawkes begins to see the Chig footsoldiers as "people" instead of just the enemy.

This does lead to him hesitating to kill the Chig soldier he comes upon later and their exchange of tokens. It is also this empathy with the Chig soldier that leads to Hawkes' depression later after he kills it. He thinks that if he's no different than this Chig soldier, he's bound for the same end: death at the hands of the enemy. And since the situation is so dire, why not just give up and give in to The Whore of Death?

Luckily for him (and us!) fate intervenes in time.

I hope this answers your questions.

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*Fan History: Series creator Glen Morgan said that Kristen Cloke (Shane Vansen) was always complaining about being dirty and grungy and said that she wanted to wear a something nice for a change. *

I thought she complained about not getting a chance to wear a dress.

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I just watched this episode again last night, and must say I really didn't fully appreciate it the first time I saw it.

Now, I think it was way ahead of it's time - the extended periods of "silence" the lack of background music and the minimal dialog really forced you to pay attention to what the actors where doing, and they did a lot.

Like the episode of BtVS "Hush" this episode is worthy of attention - too bad Saab never got the attention it was due.


Deep down, I'm pretty superficial.

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Joss Whedon stated in an interview that this episode was his inspiration for "Hush."

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Interesting I didn't know that. "Hush" gets an Emmy nomination but "Who Monitors the Birds"...nada.

Have to admit "The Gentlemen" are without a doubt the creepiest scary dudes in the entire Buffy-verse. The scene where they float past the Giles' kitchen window and his visiting girl friend sees them, is one of the hardest to watch; still makes me jump.

I've always had nightmares about looking out a window at night, only to find something looking back in.


Deep down, I'm pretty superficial.

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What I want to know is whether Hawkes actually ever fulfilled his mission which was, remember, to kill a Chig commander.

Have to say thanks to the previous posters because I've watched this episode several times - it's my favourite - and I'd never recognised Kristen Cloke as the woman in his 'vision'.

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He and Dale Dye's character did the assassination, but got shot up during their escape and Hawkes ended up by himself.

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**SPOILER ALERT. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!**

There's an episode in the anime "Mobile Fighter G Gundam" where Neo America's Gundam Fighter, Chibodee Crocket, had flashbacks of being in a circus that was held up by terrorists dressed up as clowns.

When the main girl of the series, Rain Mikamura (Domon Kasshu's partner/mechanic/guardian/eventual lover) catches winds of this, she comforts Chibodee by *ironically* singing "America the Beautiful" in a lullaby rendition. After this, Chibodee eventually triumphs over his opponent, a fighter from Neo Portugal who is dressed up as a *you guessed it* clown.

I know: It's cheesy, but that's what the creator (Yasuhiro Imagawa) threw in.

I just figured I'd add this because of the episode's subtle similarity with "Who Monitors the Birds."

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