The UGOI-ESF

News From the Circulation Desk

Abnormal Ammo: Their tanks can fire some interesting shells, including one that seems to comprise a huge glob of pink goo that can incapacitate and trap anyone it hits.
Action Heroes: Of course. It's the entire point.
Anti-Hero: The ESF don't seem to care an awful lot for the civilians they're supposed to be protecting, or about the amount of collateral damage their activities do to the city. And their interrogation techniques have to be seen to be believed.
Badass Crew: Oh yes. If each of them are a One-Man Army, then God help you if they are together.
Blood Brothers: Once you fight side by side with them, you are a brother (or sister) to them for life, even if you're not a part of the team.
Cast Speciation: Even if some of its members have individual gimmicks, the team has many of them with similar roles. Rahan and Walker share the expertise of hand-to-hand fighting, a field in which Bo also excels; most of them carry big guns, not limited to their official artilleryman; and, of course, most members could qualify as the big guy of a smaller team.
Combat Pragmatists: Using mooks as Human shields, drawing guns in hand to hand combat situations, improvising weapons from everyday objects, strikes to the groin...all par for the course with these guys.
Cool Old Guys: Bo was the youngest member in the most recent iteration of the group, and he still was 100 years old.
Cowboy Cop: Almost the whole cast. Is subverted a teensy bit by the fact that their Chief, who in other series would be yelling at them for causing collateral damage, is just as psychotic as his subordinates — perhaps even more so.
Destructive Saviour: Parodied to Hell and back.
Disproportionate Retribution: "But sir, we had to open fire on the protesters. They were throwing tin cans at my tank!"
Dysfunctional Family: To some degree. They may argue, disagree, and even fight (very occasionally), but they really do love each other.
Enhanced Interrogation Techniques: It is not torture, but an interrogation.
Hero Insurance
Hidden Depths: The entire team. Although none of them show much interest in retirement, it's clear that they're all devoted to each other, and despite their occupation, they all have moral boundaries.
Improbable Aiming Skills: They wouldn't be able to fight off hundreds of mooks if they all weren't damn good shots.
Invincible Heroes: With so much muscle and machine guns, it's hard not to be this.
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: The ESF's idea of a proper interrogation usually involves grenades. Then the rest of the squad starts throwing knives at the guy.
- Technically an aversion as they don't actually hurt the guy, they just illustrate that he's surrounded by psychotic cops who would rather he didn't speak as to cut their fun too short.
Knight Templar: The Tank Battalion.
Leitmotif: The tank cops have one.
Made of Iron: They suffer the occasional injury, but none of them are ever permanently debilitated.
More Dakka: Generally the entire philosophy of the Earth Special Forces.
No Kill Like Overkill: These people use tanks. On pickpockets.
- Bo wants authorization to deploy tactical nuclear weaponry to help curb the rising violent crime. Then again, this is a place where the cops drive giant Goddamn tanks around, and the crime rate is still going up.
Perp Sweating: The Tank Battalion's methods have to be seen to be believed.
Private Military Contractors: They're mercenaries.
Rabid Cop: Again, almost the whole cast, especially during chase scenes.
Rated M for Manly: Their entire lives revolve around mercenary work, and they're very good at what they do.
Stealth Experts: While they have no problem with going in loud, they all know how to get to their targets quietly when they need to.
Tank Goodness: Pretty much all tanks featured: The police tanks are big and some gigantic and have "trackballs" instead of wheels.
The Team:
- The Leader: Walker (top guy)
- The Lancer: —
- The Big Guy: — (best hand-to-hand fighter), (strongest and with the biggest guns), Bo (biggest and meanest)
- The Smart Guy: —, — (craziest but very skilled as well), — (the medic)
- The Heart: — (youngest and least jaded)
- The Chick: — (most down-to-earth, only woman in the team)
- The Team Benefactor: — (job organizer)
Took a Level in Kindness: Bo as the years went on. And arguably everyone else on the team to varying degrees. The Tank Battalion are a little more stable and sane in later years. They even show more concern for doing the right thing, for whatever that's worth.
Torture for Fun and Information: As stated above, their methods of interrogation come off more as a game for them and a way for the squad to relax than actually gain any information information.
Vitriolic Best Buds: They regularly insult and casually threaten to kill each another... But they're willing to die and kill for each other.
Weapon of Choice: While all of the Earth Special Forces use assault rifles and submachineguns as their primary weapons, each of them uses a particular signature weapon as well.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: You could make a case that the Tank Police are this. They truly show signs of caring for the city they protect and believe their actions honestly help against crime. They just do this by blowing a lot of stuff up.