Changes: W. O. West

Latest revision as of 14:12, 17 April 2024

"Jackson, I'd like you to meet General West."

W. O. West was a Major General in the United States Air Force and the commander of Project Giza, also known as the Stargate Project. West was an Air Force pilot, having served in the Vietnam War and Gulf War, before assuming command of Project Giza, where he oversaw the 1996 reactivation of the Stargate and the Abydos Mission, which resulted in the start of the Tau'ri-Goa'uld War. In 1997, he retired and was succeeded by Major General George S. Hammond, who would reorganize Project Giza into Stargate Command.

Biography

Background information

Major General West commissioned as an Air Force officer and a pilot between 1964 and 1968 and served in the Vietnam War and Gulf War. West had prior experience with Colonel Jack O'Neill, who had gained his respect for his judgement and military expertise. Prior to 1996, West became the commander of Project Giza, also known as the Stargate Program, overseeing Dr. Catherine Langford's experiments with the Stargate. (Stargate)

1996

In 1996, he recalled Colonel Jack O'Neill to active duty to lead Project Giza's military component, which included the possibility of a one-way reconnaissance mission. After Dr. Daniel Jackson deciphered the Stargate's symbols, West authorized a test of the Gate, which succeeded in connecting to Abydos. He then authorized the Abydos Mission which was led by O'Neill's Abydos team, with the directive to perform reconnaissance and identify any threats to Earth. If any threats were identified, O'Neill was to detonate a Mark III nuclear warhead and destroy the Abydos Stargate. The mission resulted in the first battle of the Tau'ri-Goa'uld War and the death of the Goa'uld Supreme System Lord Ra. (Stargate)

Following the return of the Abydos team, the Earth's Stargate was shuttered and Project Giza was inactivated. In 1997, West retired from the Air Force as a Major General and was succeeded by Major General George S. Hammond, who would reorganize Project Giza into Stargate Command. (SG1: "Children of the Gods")

Equipment

This section requires expansion

Other equipment

Service Dress Uniform: To be added

Awards and decorations

Senior Pilot Badge
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal (two service stars)
Air Force Overseas Long Tour
Air Force Longevity Service Award (one silver and one bronze oakleaf cluster)
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Trivia

The book describes him as a "stern soldier about fifty years old" (putting his birthday around 1940) and states the following:

"Respected and feared by all who served under him, West was famous for three things: for always making the right decisions under pressure, for erupting into superhuman fits of rage when his orders were not executed exactly as he wished, and for being the best damn poker player in any branch of the armed forces."

―Stargate novelization p. 56^[src]

Leon Rippy, who played General West, is a character actor who appears in many movies by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. Rippy would later go on to appear in the TV series, "Leverage" alongside actor, Timothy Hutton.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 (Stargate)

Links and navigation

GateWorld's article on W. O. West in The Stargate Omnipedia
W. O. West article on Stargate SG-1 Solutions' The StargateWiki

Preceded by New Office	Commander of Project Giza –1997	Succeeded by George S. Hammond

[Stargate-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 (Stargate)

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{canon}}
 {{Infobox Character
 |name=W. O. West
+|image=W. O. West.png
-|image=[[File:West.jpg|250px]]<br />{{Caption|General West heading an important briefing.}}
-|race=[[Tau'ri]]
+|race=[[Tau'ri]]<ref name="Stargate">{{Cite}}</ref>
+|home planet=[[Earth]]<ref name="Stargate"/>
-|gender=Male
+|gender=Male<ref name="Stargate"/>
-|rank= Major General (Retired)
+|born=c. [[1940s]]<ref name="Stargate"/>
-|home planet=[[Earth]]
+|died=
-|allegiances=Unknown
+|rank={{Military Rank|MG}}<ref name="Stargate"/>
-|appearances=''[[Stargate (movie)|Stargate]]''
+|allegiances=*[[United States Air Force]]<ref name="Stargate"/>
+**[[Project Giza]]<ref name="Stargate"/>
+|appearances=''[[Stargate (movie)|Stargate]]''<br>''[[Stargate SG-1]]''<br>*"[[Children of the Gods, Part 1]]" {{m}}<br>*"[[The Torment of Tantalus]]" {{m}}
 |actor=[[Leon Rippy]]
 }}
+{{Quote|Jackson, I'd like you to meet General West.|[[Catherine Langford]]|Stargate}}
-'''W. O. West''' was a [[Major General]] in the [[United States Air Force]] and headed [[Project Giza]] (also known as the Stargate Project), the forerunner of [[Stargate Command]] at [[Cheyenne Mountain]].
+'''W. O. West''' was a [[Major General]] in the [[United States Air Force]] and the commander of [[Project Giza]], also known as the Stargate Project. West was an Air Force pilot, having served in the [[Vietnam War]] and [[Gulf War]], before assuming command of Project Giza, where he oversaw the [[1996]] reactivation of the [[Stargate]] and the [[Abydos Mission]], which resulted in the start of the [[Tau'ri-Goa'uld War]]. In [[1997]], he retired and was succeeded by [[Major General]] [[George S. Hammond]], who would reorganize Project Giza into [[Stargate Command]].
-Presumbly he retired and hence he was then replaced by George S Hammond.
 ==Biography==
 ===Background information===
+Major General West commissioned as an Air Force officer and a pilot between [[1964]] and [[1968]] and served in the [[Vietnam War]] and [[Gulf War]]. West had prior experience with [[Colonel]] [[Jack O'Neill]], who had gained his respect for his judgement and military expertise. Prior to [[1996]], West became the commander of [[Project Giza]], also known as the [[Stargate Program]], overseeing [[Dr.]] [[Catherine Langford]]'s experiments with the [[Stargate]]. {{Cite}}
-A [[United States Air Force]] officer with experience in the [[Vietnam War]] and Southeast Asia ([[Gulf War]]), Major General West wore the wings of a senior pilot and a rather uninformative rack of ribbons. He is a qualified expert with small arms and served six months in Vietnam.
-He has prior experience with [[Colonel]] [[Jack O'Neil]], trusting his judgment and his military expertise while having enough emotional distance from the man to select him for a [[suicide]] mission, despite O'Neill going through an emotionally difficult time considering how [[Charlie O'Neill|his son]] had just died. He knew O'Neill well enough to ask about [[Sara O'Neill|his wife]]. {{Cite}}
 ===1996===
+[[file:Project Giza.png|thumb|left|West in a Project Giza conference.]]
-West oversaw [[Dr.]] [[Catherine Langford]]'s experiments with the [[Stargate]] until selecting, recalling, and delegating [[Colonel]] [[Jack O'Neil]] as military commander when [[Dr.]] [[Daniel Jackson]] joined the team.
+In [[1996]], he recalled [[Colonel]] [[Jack O'Neill]] to active duty to lead Project Giza's military component, which included the possibility of a one-way reconnaissance mission. After [[Dr.]] [[Daniel Jackson]] deciphered the [[Stargate]]'s symbols, West authorized a test of the Gate, which succeeded in connecting to [[Abydos]]. He then authorized the [[Abydos Mission]] which was led by O'Neill's [[Abydos team]], with the directive to perform reconnaissance and identify any threats to [[Earth]]. If any threats were identified, O'Neill was to detonate a [[Mark III]] [[nuclear warhead]] and destroy the Abydos Stargate. The mission resulted in the first battle of the [[Tau'ri-Goa'uld War]] and the death of the [[Goa'uld]] [[Supreme System Lord]] [[Ra]]. {{Cite}}
+Following the return of the [[Abydos team]], the Earth's Stargate was shuttered and Project Giza was inactivated. In [[1997]], West retired from the Air Force as a Major General and was succeeded by [[Major General]] [[George S. Hammond]], who would reorganize Project Giza into [[Stargate Command]]. {{Cite|SG1|Children of the Gods}}
-Upon the successful connection of the [[Earth]] [[Stargate]] to [[Abydos]], West immediately militarized the program and locked out most of the civilian team previously under Langford. He then authorized the initial excursion to Abydos. {{Cite}}
+==Equipment==
-Sometime after the first activation of the Stargate, he presumably retired and was subsequently replaced by [[Major General]] [[George S. Hammond]], who later assumed control of the newly-formed [[Stargate Command]] in [[1997]]. {{Cite|SG1|Children of the Gods}}
+{{Expand}}
+===Other equipment===
+*'''[[Service Dress Uniform]]''': ''To be added''
-==Ribbons and Medals==
+==Awards and decorations==
-*[[wikipedia:United States Aviator Badge|Senior Pilot Wings]]
+*[[wikipedia:United States Aviator Badge|Senior Pilot Badge]]
 *[[wikipedia:Air Force Distinguished Service Medal|Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]]
-*[[wikipedia:Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]] (with one or more clusters)
+*[[wikipedia:Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]
 *[[wikipedia:Air Force Commendation Medal|Air Force Commendation Medal]]
 *[[wikipedia:Air Force Achievement Medal|Air Force Achievement Medal]]
@@ Line 35: / Line 41: @@
 *[[wikipedia:National Defense Service Medal|National Defense Service Medal]]
 *[[wikipedia:Vietnam Service Medal|Vietnam Service Medal]]
-*[[wikipedia:Southwest Asia Service Medal|Southwest Asia Service Medal]] (device?)
+*[[wikipedia:Southwest Asia Service Medal|Southwest Asia Service Medal]] (two service stars)
-*[[wikipedia:Overseas Service Ribbon|Air Force Overseas Short Tour]]
+*[[wikipedia:Overseas Service Ribbon|Air Force Overseas Long Tour]]
-*[[wikipedia:Air Force Longevity Service Award|Air Force Longevity Service Award]] (with 2 clusters of unknown type)
+*[[wikipedia:Air Force Longevity Service Award|Air Force Longevity Service Award]] (one silver and one bronze oakleaf cluster)
 *[[wikipedia:Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon|Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon]]
 *[[wikipedia:Air Force Training Ribbon|Air Force Training Ribbon]]
@@ Line 46: / Line 52: @@
 {{Quote|Respected and feared by all who served under him, West was famous for three things: for always making the right decisions under pressure, for erupting into superhuman fits of rage when his orders were not executed exactly as he wished, and for being the best damn poker player in any branch of the armed forces.|Stargate novelization p. 56|Stargate (novel)}}
 *[[Leon Rippy]], who played General West, is a character actor who appears in many movies by [[Dean Devlin]] and [[Roland Emmerich]]. Rippy would later go on to appear in the TV series, "Leverage" alongside actor, Timothy Hutton.
+==References==
+{{Reflist}}
+==Links and navigation==
+*{{GWomni|W.O._West|W. O. West}}
+*{{Solutionswiki|West|W. O. West}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:West, W. O.}}
@@ Line 52: / Line 65: @@
 {{succession box
 | title = Commander of [[Project Giza]]
-| years = [[1995]]&ndash;[[1997]]
+| years = &ndash;[[1997]]
 | before = New Office
 | after = [[George S. Hammond]]
 }}
 {{s-end}}
+[[de:W. O. West]]
+[[fr:W.O. West]]
 [[Category:Americans]]
 [[Category:United States Air Force personnel]]