Jeff Tracy
Jeff Tracy was the head operative of International Rescue.
Biography
He had Brains invent the invisible ray torch in order to determine whether Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, whom Jeff had met before, could hang onto it despite the efforts of both the Hood and the British Secret Service. After she succeeded, Jeff sent her a postcard cryptically alluding to his arrival as he and Brains went to London to inform Penelope that her services were wanted to run the British end of International Rescue. After explaining all at Creighton-Ward Manor, Jeff told her they had to get the Secret Service off her back. Parker drove the three of them to the office of the Secret Service Chief and inside, Penelope "accidentally" erased the incriminating file they had on her with the invisible ray torch. Jeff and Brains then returned to the Pacific by Fireflash with Lady Penelope and Parker seeing them off, excited at the prospect of being part of Thunderbirds. (COMIC: The Vanishing Ray)
Responding to a call from John on Thunderbird 5, Jeff sent Lady Penelope to Monte Carlo to meet with MI5 agent Jimmy Bondson about a matter which could have endangered the entire world, although he initially questioned why they were needed by the Secret Service, which had their own operators and methods. Jeff was in his office ready to receive an emergency code from Penelope when she contacted Tracy Island. Although held captive by Carl, she was able to communicate that she was in a boathouse with a bomb by using a device secreted in a mirror, of which she was allowed the luxury before her death. Jeff ordered the launch of Thunderbird 1, Thunderbird 2 and Thunderbird 4 to help rescue Penelope and locate her kidnappers. After Carl left to prepare for his escape with Bondson's stolen blueprints, Penelope was able to get closer to the transmitter to speak with Jeff directly. She told him that there was a submarine in the bay, which Jeff then passed on to Scott in TB 1. This information proved vital in the rescue of Penelope, the recovery of the plans, and the capture of the gang of criminals. (TV: The Man from MI.5)
During the heat crisis of 2066, he reported to the others on Tracy Island that the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco had collapsed because the girders were twisted by the extreme temperature. He informed Scott that Brains had gone up to Thunderbird 5 to investigate. On advice from Brains after presenting his findings, Jeff chose to liase with World President Nikita Bandranaik and the World Government to find a solution. He was eventually able to persuade Bandranaik to allow him to send Thunderbird 3 to examine the Sun on the condition the President was kept abreast of the situation. Jeff kept in constant contact with Alan during his days-long journey. After his return, Jeff viewed Brains' film and contacted the President immediately upon assessing that the Sun would produce a new satellite, putting the entire Solar System in danger. In this meeting, Bandranaik summarised that it meant the end of the world and approved Jeff's request for a planetomic missile to save Earth by destroying the waste matter before it could escape the Sun's gravity. (COMIC: Solar Danger) His orders to TB 3 — "Object of mission: to set course for the Sun, locate breakout of solid matter of planetary size, attack and destroy" — were quoted in a report dated 24 September. (PROSE: Operation Sunburst Begins!) Becoming increasingly worried for Alan and Brains on their mission to use the missile after losing contact with them for some time, Jeff asked John to trace the position of Thunderbird 3. He was successful and Jeff briefly radioed TB 3 to warn them of its collision course with Venus but it was too late as the duo had both been unconscious. In response, Jeff ordered that Thunderbird 1 be prepared for space, sending Scott on a rescue mission. He also sent Thunderbird 2 and Thunderbird 4, containing Virgil and Gordon, at a slightly later date. (COMIC: Solar Danger)
In June 2067, Jeff appealed to TV 21 to do all they could to combat the Hood's "stunning blow" after he was able to obtain photographs of Thunderbird 2 in its hangar on Tracy Island, which resulted in newspapers across the world bearing headlines which exposed secrets vital to maintain if International Rescue was to continue its work. TV 21 agreed to do this, bringing its readers the undercover story behind Operation Cover-Up, a move being implemented to disguise the IR headquarters. (PROSE: Steve Zodiac Alive!)
In September 2069, Jeff went to England on a fact-finding tour where he met with Lady Penelope. Described as a millionaire philanthropist, he was also reportedly among the VIP passengers aboard the Fireflash Mk II airliner for its maiden flight from London Airport to New York. Airport Commander Norman stated that the craft had left on schedule and had attained its cruising speed on Mach 7 within ten minutes of takeoff. (PROSE: Fireflash Mk II Bound for New York) The Fireflash was later hijacked but, using a signal from a tracking device in Jeff's luggage, Thunderbird 1 and Thunderbird 2 were able to follow and intercept it, eventually forcing it down just inside the Bereznik border. However, it was believed the hijacker had arranged a rendezvous at the border and so the Fireflash itself soon became "a fortress heavily defended by machine gun fire". If the demands of the hijackers, who were in cahoots with the Hood, were not met, it was suspected they planned to deliberately explode the atomic reactor aboard the aircraft. (PROSE: Stalemate!)
By one account, the wealthy American engineer, who secretly led an international rescue team with his five sons, eventually committed suicide after he was publicly discredited for revealing how the global military organisation had misused his technology. By this account, he was named Buck Sharon, and his family's team was called Global Response. (PROSE: The Indestructible Man)
Behind the scenes
Jeff Tracy originates from the television series Thunderbirds where he was played by Peter Dyneley in the entire run of thirty-two episodes, as well as the two films. Archive audio of Dyneley as Jeff from the opening titles was also used in the opening theme of the remake series Thunderbirds Are Go, in addition to during the episodes themselves as part of the launch sequences.
