Hawk is a character in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. He was played by Thom Christopher.
About Hawk
Hawk and his wife Koori are members of the species Tangata manu. They come home from a trip, longing to be reunited with their family and friends, only to find them all murdered by the hands of humans. In reaction, Hawk vows to kill all humans who cross his path. He starts attacking human ships and outposts all around Throm, their home planet.
When the Searcher comes across a space freighter destroyed by Hawk, Buck Rogers is sent out to stop him. In an attempt to lure Hawk out of hiding, Buck abducts Koori from their home at the Valley of Eagles. This leads to a mighty dogfight between Hawk and Buck, in which Koori is accidentally injured. Hawk and Buck join forces to get her to help, but Koori dies nevertheless. Hawk is now the last of his race -- he has lost everyone he loved, and the pain of this will never leave him. ("Time of the Hawk")
Hawk is finally brought aboard Searcher to be judged by a Galactic Court. It is clear that the Court will sentence him to death. When Hawk refuses to speak before the court, Buck jumps to his defense. In a moving plea, he convinces the court that Hawk should be allowed to join the Searcher crew, instead of being sentenced. Hawk's mission can be the same as theirs: to search for others of his race. After some encouragement by his new friends, and helped by the thought of Koori, Hawk finally agrees to start a new life aboard Searcher.
Despite his violent past, Hawk quickly gains the trust of the Searcher crew. He is sent along on a mission which is crucial for galactic peace (Journey to Oasis). He is frequently on the bridge, handling the ship's controls, or performing other responsible duties. A special friendship develops between Hawk and Buck, both alone, "out of time, out of place". They strongly rely on each other, and Hawk often helps Buck out of a tight spot (Mark of the Saurian, The Golden Man). When Buck is accused of being responsible for the 20th Century's World War III (Testimony of a Traitor), Hawk risks another trial to help him prove his innocence.
Although Hawk is very much at ease with Buck, he tends to keep a polite distance from the rest of the crew. Nevertheless, in all his actions he shows a deep care not only for Buck, but also for Wilma and Dr. Goodfellow.
Ancestry
Hawk's Tangata manu ancestors originally came from Earth, where they used to live on what is now Easter Island. Easter Island has a bird-man cult, and numerous rock carvings of bird people have been found there. The bird people were thousands of years ahead of the human race. However, when humans finally started to spread across the earth, Hawk's ancestors were quickly wiped out, apart from a few who fled to the stars. These survivors were so afraid of "being different" that they never flew again and as a consequence lost their wings.
Hawk's Ship
Hawk's ship is shaped like a bird of prey with foldable wings and retractable talons. In "Time of the Hawk", Hawk uses his ship's claws to grab and destroy human spaceships, and he accidentally injures Koori with them in his fight against Buck. In "Testimony of a Traitor", Hawk uses them to stop a marine from pursuing Buck.
Gallery
