“Top Gun” is an iconic movie, no doubt about it.
The action flick, which came out in 1986, was a blockbuster hit and has stayed popular ever since. The movie’s lexicon has permeated into our everyday language over the years. We tell others to “Cover me, Goose,” “You can be my wingman anytime,” or “Take me to bed or lose me forever.”
Related: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is amazing: Spoiler-free review
If you have ever been stationed in or have visited San Diego, you might have sung “Great Balls of Fire” at Kansas City Barbeque, sang “Danger Zone” as you watched jets fly around Miramar, or hummed “Take my Breath Away” as you hung out on a beach in Oceanside. The San Diego Padres have even tried several times to make “You’ve Lost that Loving Feelin’” their version of the Boston Red Sox’s “Sweet Caroline.”
One of the most iconic parts of the movie has to be the call signs.
Everyone loves call signs. They can be badass, cool, funny, and always give some glimmer of personality to a person in a military that tends to dissuade individuality. “Top Gun” had some amazing call signs. So let’s rank them from worst to first. We went off how awesome they sound, if they fit the character, and if they resonate with the audience.
Here we go!
14. “Charlie”
Played by Kelly McGillis, Charlie was based on a real-life civilian mathematician and maritime air superiority expert, Christine “Legs” Fox. Her character showcased the amount of data and analytical studies that went into perfecting the art of aerial warfare. But the call sign Charlie was pretty lazy (the character’s first name was Charlotte) and really didn’t add anything to her personality.
13. “Chipper”
Chipper is barely in the movie and is more of a seat filler. The lack of character doesn’t really give us much to wonder about his name. Doesn’t look very chipper to me.
12. “Merlin”
When you think of the name Merlin, you think of wizardry and magic. You would think that someone with that call sign would be doing some type of aviation wizardry. Instead, Merlin, played by Academy Award winner Tim Robbins, pretty much looks like he’s about to crap his pants most of the time. Merlin is more apt for Andy Dufresne in “The Shawshank Redemption” than it is for Robbins’ character in “Top Gun.”
11. “Slider”
“Slider, you stink.” Does it have to do with how he gets with the ladies? Or sliding in behind the enemy? Did he slide off a runway when in training and end up in the backseat as a result? Or was he a college baseball player that just had one pitch?
I don’t know why this name doesn’t sit well, but it just doesn’t.
10. “Cougar”
Maybe Cougar liked to go after older women, but he probably was named after a ferocious animal. Its not a bad call sign, but not that original. His character, who was losing his edge, didn’t help.
9. “Wolfman”
Wolfman should have been called Cowboy. He wore a cowboy hat in class, after all. But he had a personality that shone throughout the movie and came across like an old-school radio disc jockey, such as Wolfman Jack. So that pushes him up on the list.
8. “Stinger”
“Your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash!” Lines like that make it obvious why Stinger is, well, Stinger. His butt chewings would make him a great first sergeant, and when he speaks, he means business. “And if you screw up just this much, you’ll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog s**t out of Hong Kong!”
7. “Hollywood”
Hollywood looks good and acts the part. He’s got the shade and swagger and doesn’t seem to lose his cool. The name fits so much that after he is shot down and ends up ejecting and needed to be rescued out of the water, he still looks Hollywood-like.
6. “Sundown”
The call sign of Lt. (Junior Grade) Marcus Williams might have to do with the fact that when he flies in, the sun goes down and darkness arrives. The origin really doesn’t matter. It is simply an awesome name. The helmet is even more badass.
5. “Goose”
Goose normally would suck, but it fits its characters personality so well. A guy with a call sign Cobra wouldn’t be serenading women in bars, yelling “Great Balls of Fire” after getting in trouble, or taking Polaroids of MiGs while inverted. Anthony Edwards, the actor who played Goose, later gave insight on why writers came up with the name.
4. “Jester”
“You can run, kid, but you can’t hide.” Jester is probably the perfect name of an instructor. He is wily, knows all the tricks, and is keen to remind you of why you are the student while he is the teacher. He also will break the rules and then throw them back in your face when you break them. (He did go below the hard deck first…)
Jester was played by veteran actor Michael Ironside, whose own last name should be a call sign.
3. “Iceman”
“That’s right, Iceman.… I am dangerous.”
Everyone in the military fashions themselves to be the Iceman type. Cool, calm, collected … and cocky. You keep your cool under pressure and stick to your training and planning. Nothing gets under his skin, and he thrives at the hint of competition.
Iceman looks Maverick right in the face and tells him why he is dangerous but doesn’t go running to higher command. He takes it as a challenge and goes out and wins. The only time he starts to crack is when he’s taking on five MiGs by himself (and can you really blame him for that?)
2. “Viper”
Based on Vietnam veteran, Top Gun instructor, and technical adviser Rear Adm. Pete “Viper” Pettigrew (holy Harry Potter name), Viper is a badass based on a real-life badass.
Vipers might look slow and sluggish but will deliver a quick strike. In the same manner, Viper doesn’t go around yelling like Stinger or Jester. He is quiet, calm, and gives off the demeanor of tranquility… until he is in the air.
Then he makes short work of his pupils.
1. “Maverick”
Did you really think this name wasn’t going to be No. 1? Maverick has become synonymous with breaking the rules and flaunting the fact you’re doing it. It has been co-opted by politicians, someone you served with, and is among the most popular boy names in America.
The name fits the character perfectly.
Jester: His fitness report says it all. Flies by the seat of his pants. Completely unpredictable.
Viper: He got you, didn’t he?
Jester: [pauses] Yeah.
Maverick knows what it takes to get the job done and has the talent to do it. He also does what drives a lot of the military brass (and Iceman) crazy. He thinks outside the box.
Once he reconciles being a good wingman while still utilizing his talents, it is game over for the enemy MiGs. All we can do is enjoy the ride with the “oh crap” look that Merlin has.
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