Gordon Tracy

Gordon Tracy was a member of International Rescue and the pilot of Thunderbird 4.

Biography
In an account dated to January 1965, Gordon went with Virgil in Thunderbird 2 when it was discovered that Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward had been kidnapped by a gang led by Carl and that they had a submarine standing by. Upon reaching the water, Virgil launched Thunderbird 4 and Gordon operated a soundscan to ascertain the position of the criminals' submarine, proceeding at full speed. Gordon then fired a paralyser at his target and began to drill into the craft. With mere seconds to go before the bomb at Lady Penelope's location was scheduled to explode, Gordon achieved penetration and fired a tranquiliser to incapacitate Carl, Ritter and the Third Man. After donning diving equipment, Gordon retrieved the plans to the nuclear device, which the gang had stolen, and they were eventually returned to MI5 agent Jimmy Bondson by Lady Penelope. (TV: The Man from MI.5) During the heat crisis of 2066, when Thunderbird 3 had crashed on Venus, Gordon was eager to help by using TB 4 to secure the cables that would winch the ship up to the surface from the bottom of a lake. His father, Jeff Tracy, told him that he knew how he felt but that the situation was deadly serious and they had to keep control of themselves. Before accompanying Virgil on the rescue mission with Thunderbird 2, Gordon checked the new anti-acid skin of Thunderbird 4, installed to protect against the corrosive sulphur lakes of Venus. During their journey, John on Thunderbird 5 informed them that a meteor shower blocked their current flight plan. Virgil eventually managed to steer clear of the obstacles but the modifications necessary for the ship to be space-worthy ensured it was not long before they were hit. They were thrown miles off course but eventually arrived on Venus and devised a plan of action with Scott and Brains. Gordon went down to the bottom of the lake in TB 4 to secure the cables but soon found himself swarmed by small lake-monsters. (COMIC: Solar Danger) Gordon was pictured in a report dated 26 November, which detailed his plight and stated that even a minute's delay could result in his doom. (PROSE: TB 4 Trapped!) He was correctly advised by Brains to raise the hull temperature of the ship and discard its atomic waste as the creatures liked neither heat nor radiation. He then exited TB 4 and carefully coupled the lines to TB 2, ready for Virgil to extract TB3 from beneath the surface, nudging the ship clear of the weeds. Gordon, Scott, and Alan helped to replenish TB 3's isotope stocks before, two days later, all four Thunderbirds on Venus set course for the base on Tracy Island. (COMIC: Solar Danger)

At one point soon after the polar ship Shackleton ran into trouble, the captain reported that there was not yet any sign of help from the International Rescue craft Thunderbird 4. (COMIC: The Road to Conflict)

On 12 August 2067, TV 21 reported that Gordon was entombed in his craft at the bottom of the Nicaraguan Canal, pinned there by the President cruise liner. This occurred soon after Gordon dived below the surface of the water to inspect the hull of the vessel which lay jammed across the canal. Top British metalurgists viewed Thunderbird 4s situation as a David and Goliath battle but TV 21s article also noted that the craft was reportedly strong enough to support the entire World Aquanaut Security Patrol fleet. (PROSE: TB 4 Trapped Under Liner)

Behind the scenes
Gordon Tracy originates from the television series Thunderbirds where he was played by David Graham in twenty-three episodes of the thirty-two episode run, as well as both films. This included The Man from MI.5 which was a crossover with the Doctor Who universe. Additionally, he was voiced by David Menkin in the remake series.