- Soldier of Fortune, Inc.
"Soldier of Fortune, Inc." (known by fans as simply "SOF") was a television show created by Dan Gordon which ran for two seasons, from 1997-1998. The show was about an elite team (composed of mostly former military personnel) who performed "unofficial" missions for the US Government.
During the first season, the show dealt with terrorists and drug lords, and often tackled issues such as patriotism and self-sacrifice.
For the second season, the show was renamed "Special Ops Force." Andrews and Sheppard left the show. Dennis Rodman and David Eigenberg replaced them, though their "hip" characters and new plots led many to abandon the show, leading to its cancellation.
The theme song was performed by
Trevor Rabin (of Yes fame). During the second season, avoice-over by Peter Graves (a "" alum who never appeared in this series) was added.Cast of characters
eason 1
* Brad Johnson - Major Matthew Quentin Shepherd (former U.S.
Army Special Forces ; counter-terrorism, special recon, unconventional warfare, infiltration, edged weapons)Maj. Shepherd grew in southern
California , the son of a United States Navy A-6 pilot who was MIA during theVietnam War . Shepherd would later graduate from The Citadel inCharleston, South Carolina . It was there that he excelled at various edge weapons ranging from Japanese short sword, to a sharpened deck of cards.After he graduated, he would receive a commission in the
United States Army , where he would qualify to be member of both theArmy Rangers and the Army's Special Forces. It was during this time that he became an expert in infiltration, and small team tactics. Later he would become an expert incounter-terrorism when he joined the eliteDelta Force . He would show signs of natural leadership and was promoted to the rank of Major.While on a peacekeeping mission in the former
Yugoslavia , Maj. Shepherd disobeyed a direct order and returned for an injured soldier under his command. This would be the first time he would deliver his code "We all go home, or we don't go home." Shortly after the rescue the soldier would die in Maj. Shepherd's arms, but Maj. Shepherd didn't feel that the mission was a waste because he got to return the body to the young man's family. After this incident, the Army nearly court-martialled Maj. Shepherd for disobeying a direct order; however, they instead accepted his resignation. Despite the discharge, he continued to have the respect of his fellow soldiers.Following his discharge he would be recruited by Xavier Trout, to go on one mission for the U.S. government inside
Iraq . Trout felt that the mission would offer the government plausible deniability because none of his team would be connected as active duty soldiers to an actual government. If captured Maj. Shepherd and his team would have been executed as spies, so Trout offered them one million dollars if they were successful. Maj. Shepherd then recruited six others for his mission, Benny Ray Riddle, Margo Vincent, Chance Walker, C.J. Yates, Gunter Hauer and Rico Valesquez. The team would complete the mission but not before the death of Hauer and the injuring of Valesquez. Instead of taking the million dollars, Maj. Shepherd would ask Trout give the money to Hauer's family and help pay for Valesquez's physical rehabilitation. He would submit a bill for their services and would continue to accept missions like the previous one for the government.As a cover, Maj. Shepherd would run a bar and grill called the Silver Star. The Silver Star, had a secret room in which Maj. Shepherd and his team would meet to plan missions, and store weapons, supplies and spare money.
*
Tim Abell - Staff Sergeant Benny Ray Riddle (former U.S. Marine; scout sniper, armorer)Benny Ray Riddle, enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps right out of high school. Because he was fromAlabama , he would receive his training at Parris Island. Upon the completion of training Benny Ray would be accepted into the eliteScout Sniper s, where he became a skilled marksman, Marine Force Reconnaissance, and expert in a variety offirearm s. Riddle would eventually be promoted toStaff Sergeant .While on a
United Nations peacekeeping mission SSgt. Riddle, would refuse a direct order from a UN officer. He believed that as an American, he should not take a direct order from a foreign officer. The Marine Corps would disagree, and he would be court-martialed and discharged from the Marines. When Maj. Shepherd recruited him, he was employed teaching target shooting at a privateshooting range .Benny Ray is divorced and has three children. One of which is a son named Billy, who he likes to have "man-to-man talks" while they are fishing. Riddle was none for not being very talkative, and was sometimes teased by his teammates as being a little bit obsessive. For example, he doesn't use any scented, detergents, soaps, or shampoo, on the theory that it might give away his position to the enemy.
Benny Ray is usually seen driving around in his beloved
Harley Davidson motorcycle . He also is a huge fan of country music. In the first season finale, C.J. and Chance were wondering what they would miss if they bought it on the mission. Benny Ray said he would miss his kids, even his ex-wife andShania Twain . "Not more than the kids, but more than the ex-wife."*
Melinda Clarke - Margo Vincent (former CIA GS-14; intelligence, cryptography, linguistics)Margo Vincent was born in
Bucharest ,Romania ; she would immigrate to the United States at age six, and would become anaturalized citizen . Margo developed a knack for learning languages and would eventually master six languages and become proficient in several others. Over the course of the series she demonstrated familiarity with Romanian, English, French, and someArabic . She was told on one occasion that her Portuguese was horrible. She was a good student and graduated high school early.Margo's skill with language and intelligence led to her being recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency, as an expert primarily in
Eastern Europe . At one point she was the CIA'SStation Chief forMoscow in theSoviet Union . One of her spies was compromised by aKGB counter-espionage expert, who seduced the agent's wife and sent photos of their affair to him and Margo. It is unclear if this was the reason why she would end up leaving the CIA, but apparently she was fired.After leaving the agency, she initially worked in
industrial espionage as a freelancer. This may have been where she developed underworld contacts for buying illegal arms. When Maj. Shepherd initially recruited her she was leaving for a potential job inFrance . However he convinced her to come work with him as an opportunity to make a difference, as his team'sintelligence officer .Although Chance was the second highest ranking military officer, usually Margo was shown acting as Maj. Shepherd's second in command. It is implied throughout the show that the two of them shared a mutual attraction. In one episode when Maj. Shepherd was in a coma, he dreamed that he told her that he loved her. On more than one mission she seemed a little more concerned about him than just as a colleague. However during the show's run their relationship never developed.
*Réal Andrews - Lt. Jason "Chance" Walker (former U.S. Army; aviation expert, close quarters combat specialist)Lt. Chance Walker is a skilled
martial artist ; which martial arts are never made clear but probably those originating inJapan . When he was in the Army, he was a member of the elite Special Operations Aviation Regiment also known as the Night Stalkers. He showed expertise in flying everything from a variety ofhelicopters ,turboprop planes and small passengerjets . He would leave the army due to a knee injury, however throughout the season he would show little signs of any complications from the injury. For example he still jumped out of planes, fought, and trekked through hard terrain.Chance was working as
track and field coach for ahigh school when Maj. Shepherd initially recruited him for the team's first mission. Maj. Shepherd says that he got his nickname of "Chance", because he never takes one. For example, he rolls his own parachute before missions.At the start of the second season it is stated that Chance and C.J. have moved to
Hawaii , and started a business.*
Mark Sheppard - Staff Sergeant Christopher "C.J." Yates (formerSAS ; demolitions, electronic surveillance)Christopher "C.J." Yates, was the son of a British soldier and an Irish mother. C.J. enlisted in the
British Army after finishing High School. At one point he served in atank unit as well as in the infantry. He would try out and after three tries, would get into the elite22nd Special Air Service or 22 SAS. Yates's specialty was explosives, however he would also be trained in electronic surveillance. There is some suggestion that he may have been trained of a member ofMI6 , but this was never confirmed during the series. Yates was also a skilled rock climber.On an SAS mission in
Libya C.J. was captured. During the experience he wastortured over an extended period of time. C.J. claimed that all he told them was useless info like, who was the greatest drummer of all time. However it has been implied that he may have told them more than that. The experience left him with a lifelong hatred of the Libyans. It was never made clear if this was the reason he left the army.Throughout the first season C.J. was used primarily for
comedic relief . Known for the occasional wisecrack, and having a slightly strange sense of humor, he was still a very capable soldier. When Maj. Shepherd first contacted him, he was working in construction making use of his demolition training. It is never made clear what business he and Chase went into when they left for Hawaii.*
David Selby - Xavier Trout (government liaison)Xavier Trout was a U. S. Army officer. In the series premiere, Maj. Shepherd addresses him as
Colonel Trout, then asks if its nowGeneral Trout. Trout says that he no longer has a rank, he is just a number on an office door. It is implied throughout the show that he now works for theNational Security Council , running covert operations for the government. It is never made clear as to whether or not Maj. Shepherd's team is his only responsibility or are there other covert teams he runs.Most other information about Trout is classified and very little is revealed about him throughout the series of the show. He did several tours in
Vietnam , first in the101st Airborne Division , then as a member of theArmy Rangers , and finally as aGreen Beret . Trout would later be one of the officers that helped startDelta Force . It was in this capacity as a training officer, that he would first meet Major Shepherd.Trout keeps himself in shape by running at least two miles every day. Trout is divorced from his first wife but currently happily married to his second wife. He and his second wife tried for a long time to have a child before they conceived a daughter, Alison. Alison Trout is a covert operative for the CIA, with a cover that she works for the
United States Department of State .eason 2
*
Dennis Rodman -Chief Warrant Officer Deacon "Deke" Reynolds (former U.S. Army; helicopter pilot, demolitions)Deacon Reynolds, entered the army after a judge gave him a choice between the military or
jail . During his time in the Army he initially served as a demolitions expert before he became a warrant officer and would transfer to aviation. Deke also served inOperation Desert Storm .Although Reynolds had chosen the army over jail, he never fit into the military culture. He would have several insubordination charges in his file, and eventually received a
court martial . At this time he would be recruited by Col. Earl Swanee to perform covert missions for the U.S. government. Swanee could be said to have a similar relationship to Deke that Trout would have with Shepherd's team. However, Deke was not much of team player and would spend most of his time working solo missions.After Col. Swanee's death , Trout asked the team (at this point consisting of only Shepherd, Vincent, and Riddle), to investigate the possibility that it was murder. At the funeral they would meet Deke, who arrived late and hugged Swanee's corpse. Deke agreed to help them find out who had killed his late mentor. When they had accomplished this, Deke, would continue to work with the team under Trout. However, he was never a full time member, usually showing up at the right moment when the team need his help. This was because in real life Dennis Rodman, was still playing
basketball with theChicago Bulls and could not always get time off to shoot for the show.*
David Eigenberg - Nick Delvecchio (former DEA Special Operations GS-13; escape artist)Nick Delvecchio grew in an
Italian-American neighborhood inNew York City . Delvecchio had a lifelong fascination withmagic trick s. He would become an expert at various forms ofsleight of hand ,lock picking andescape artist ry.Delvecchio would leave his neighborhood, and then girlfriend behind to pursue a career in the Justice Department's
Drug Enforcement Agency or the DEA. Leaving behind his girlfriend was one of his early regrets, but he felt it was necessary to pursue his career. During his tenure at the DEA he would specialize in undercover work.It was while he was working undercover that he would meet the team, Shepherd, Margo, and Benny Ray. They had no idea that Delvecchio was undercover thinking that he was actually a part of a drug runners gang. After they realized that they were all on the same side, they would work together to bring the dealer down. With this completed Delvecchio would join the team on a full time basis. Delvecchio lacked a military background, and was somewhat sensitive about the fact. For example he did not know that a
klick meantkilometers . However his knowledge of the drug trade would sometimes come in handy. He would replace CJ as the team's comic relief.Other Members
*
Billy Gallo - Ricardo "Rico" Valesquez (formerNavy SEAL ; underwater infiltration, combat medic, signals)Rico Valesquez was a former
Navy Corpsmen who would join the SEALs. Little is known about Petty officer Valesquez, on account that he was not a regular member of the team. When Major Shepherd first recruited him, he was no longer in the Navy but was working as an EMT inLos Angeles, California . After he got a victim to thehospital , he was seen praying for her using acrucifix . This implies that he was probably aRoman Catholic .Rico was injured in their first mission as a team, when he was shot in the arm. He would attend rehab and apparently would eventually get full use of his arm back. Rico would later be seen aiding Major Shepherd in his rehab after the Major was shot in both his legs. It is unclear as to whether or not, Rico was doing full time rehab or if he just came back to help Major Shepherd.
Rico would make another appearance to aid the team when Katrina Herrera would kidnap Benny Ray's son.
*
Brian Cousins - Lieutenant Gunter Hauer (formerGSG 9 ; demolitions, electrical engineering.)Gunter Hauer, was from
Germany , other than C.J., he was the only member of the team who was not an American. During the first mission he was seen portraying a UN inspector in Iraq. However, he died before they left Iraq, Shepard the one who carried him "home"; as such very little about him was ever explained. Shepard had some of the payment go to Hauer and his family.Although Hauer is suppose to be German, the actor who played him, Brian Cousins, was in fact born in
Portland, Maine .ponsors
Products of certain sponsors would be conspicuously mentioned and/or displayed throughout the show. Sponsors of the show would include
SIG-Sauer ,Ka-Bar ,SureFire ,Emerson Knives , andSoldier of Fortune Magazine .In the second season of the show, SIG-Sauer pistols (particularly two-tone SIG-Sauer .357s) would be in highly visible use by the team, and also verbally mentioned on many occasions. Margot would even be given a SIG P230/232 (sans serial number) for her birthday.
Matt (and other characters) would often be seen wearing a Ka-Bar fighting knife on their torso (Ka-Bar being another regular sponsor of the show).
In one episode, one character would state that he had a subscription to Soldier of Fortune Magazine.
External links
*imdb title|id=0118469|title=Soldier of Fortune, Inc.
* [http://www.tv.com/special-ops-force/show/1665/summary.html Special Ops Force TV.com]
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