Cameron Mitchell (Stargate)
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| Stargate character | |
 Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell |
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| Cameron Mitchell | |
|---|---|
| Race | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
| Birthplace | US, Earth |
| Known relatives | Unnamed grandmother, unnamed father |
| Television portrayer | Ben Browder |
| Key episodes | "Avalon Part 1" (first appearance) |
Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell (born 1970) is a fictional character on the science fiction television show Stargate SG-1, played by Ben Browder. His callsign is "Shaft", from camshaft, a pun on his first name.
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[edit] History
[edit] Life before the SGC
He is apparently from the American South, and hence has a slight Southern accent. He sometimes makes references to his Bible-thumping grandmother.
Mitchell's father was a test pilot for the Air Force until an accident cost him both legs. Mitchell would admit years later that seeing his dad without legs for the first time scared him. [1]
Cameron had a crisis of conscience several years before becoming a F-302 pilot. During a sortie (possibly in either Afghanistan or Iraq), Mitchell, piloting an F-16 Fighting Falcon, was given orders to fire upon a convoy of vehicles believed to be carrying enemy combatants. However, almost immediately after he dropped his payload he was ordered not to fire, because it was determined that the convoy was actually refugees fleeing to safety. Unfortunately, his bomb found its mark nonetheless. Even though he was absolved of any wrongdoing, having received direct orders to fire and assured to the validity of the target, he was still wracked with guilt and almost resigned.
Mitchell led the squadron of F-302 fighters in the battle against Anubis' forces in Antarctica at the end of Season 7. He was shot down and suffered damage to what was likely his spine, as he was told he would be unlikely to walk again. (It should be noted that Cameron's role in these events were not shown until Ben Browder joined the cast in season 9.) However, Mitchell pushed himself to his limits, and was able to walk again. He was then able to use his experience of enduring pain in his duel with the knight [2]. While still hospitalized he was awarded the Medal of Honor (However Mitchell is not seen wearing the ribbon or medal on his uniform). He was promised any assignment he wanted should he recover, and chose to take a place on SG-1. He read every one of their missions reports. In Season 9 Mitchell is assigned as SG-1's new commanding officer.
Upon making his entry at the SGC he is upset to learn that the rest of SG-1 has moved on. After several valiant tries he concludes he is "not gonna get the band together".
When Mitchell leads Dr. Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, and a reluctant Teal'c on a quest to gain knowledge and riches, they find an Ancient Communication Device, buried in an Arthurian tomb - complete with holo-Merlin.
Subsequently, when Daniel and Vala inadvertently alert the Ori - evil ascended beings - to the presence of humans in the Milky Way, Mitchell's prospects looked a little less dim. With such a dangerous new enemy both Daniel and Sam were eager to return to the front line. After a botched attempt to capture Ba'al, it became clear that Teal'c had fallen into disfavor with the Jaffa High Council. This binds him more strongly to the Tau'ri, ensuring both his return to the SGC's flagship team and Mitchell's satisfaction.
It is unknown whether the Chinese Mitchell used while Jackson was conversing with Chinese IOA delegate Dr. Chen Xiaoyi is indicative of an actual knowledge of Chinese or simply a word he picked up. The Phrase used ("Chur ni-duh") roughly translates as "Screw you".
[edit] Trivia
- In "Collateral Damage", Cameron claims he was about ten years old when the first space shuttle launch occurred. Columbia, the first shuttle, launched in 1981. This would make him around 36 years old (According to gateworld.net, in the season 10 episode "Bounty" it will be stated that he was in the class of '87), as well as when Carter and Jackson told the story of them travelling back to 1969, Cameron said that it had nothing to do with him since he was born a year later, and they responded by making a joke about Major General O' Neill is his father, which is very young for a Lieutenant Colonel, and about ten years younger than the actor who portrays him. This, in fact, makes Cameron so young that he would have had to have made each of his promotions not just "below-the-zone" but at the minimum time-in-grade as established by federal law (10 U.S.C.). However, some would argue that Mitchell's meritorious actions in Antarctica explain this fact.
- Cameron Mitchell was actually the name of a US actor, radio commentator and Broadway star, probably best known today for his role in the TV series The High Chaparral.
- Mitchell appears to have switched to using the carbine variant of the Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle as opposed to the FN P90 preferred by the other members of SG-1. While initially it appeared that the weapons switch would be temporary (the first episode in which this weapon was seen in the show, "Off the Grid", had the rest of SG-1 using Heckler & Koch MP7s), but when Mitchell showed up in later episodes wielding the G36, it became clear that Mitchell is the first character since Teal'c switched from his staff weapon to a P90 to favor any weapon other than a P90.
- Mitchell drives a black, 1965 Ford Mustang fastback in "Uninvited".
- In 200, Mitchel is joked to have been fathered by Gen. Jack O'Neil. The team makes the joke that it was the 60's and Jack has taken quite an interest in this insignificant boy.
[edit] References
- ^ "Collateral Damage." Stargate SG-1.
- ^ "Avalon." Stargate SG-1.
[edit] External links
- Character description from GateWorld. Visited May 14, 2006.
- Character biography from StargateWiki. Visited May 14, 2006.
- Shaft - The Cam Mitchell Fansite A german Cam Mitchell Fansite, with lots of Screencaps, Wallpapers, Icons and more.
| Regular Characters on Stargate SG-1 | Edit |
| Current: Cameron Mitchell | Samantha Carter | Daniel Jackson | Teal'c | Hank Landry | Vala Mal Doran
Former: Jack O'Neill | Jonas Quinn | George Hammond |
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