February 2nd, 2008 - the day the living stopped for Lt. Philip Gerard.When an actor dies in the Trueniverse, it's not always a given that his most famous characters died as well. Some of them have already predeceased their portrayer; others may not even be born yet.
Even if they are never seen again, many TV characters can be considered as still being alive in Toobworld even if they are contemporaries of the late actor. But I think that when Barry Morse passed away on Saturday, Lt. Gerard died as well.
At least his dogged pursuit of 'The Fugitive' Dr. Richard Kimble across America finally led to the revelation of the real killer of Kimble's wife. A cop more obsessed with the case may not have cared to hear Kimble out at the end, despite the new evidence. But Gerard did the right thing and helped clear Kimble's name as well as save his life.
As for the character Morse created for 'Space:1999', it's unknown here at Toobworld Central as to whether or not Dr. Victor Bergman is still alive. First off, a splainin had to be found for that show since the events that launched the series never took place. The Moon never broke free of its orbit around the Earth back in 1999 in the TV Universe - we see it all the time in current TV shows.
So it was decided that the nuclear fuel dumps for the secret lunar colony still exploded (probably sparked by the use of lasers during a 1999 7-Up blipvert). Many of the scientists who living a covert life on the Moon at that time may have died - and Dr. Bergman may have been among them.
But in the mind of Commander Koenig, who was thrown into a coma by the devastation, Bergman and the others were still alive. Koenig was trapped in a coma-induced fantasy world in much the same way as a certain copper from Manchester.
If Bergman did survive that lunar catastrophe, he'd be about sixty-six today. And if he should live as long as Barry Morse, he'll be around in Toobworld for another 20 years at least.
I think it will be a VERY long time before Martian Chief Inspector Phobos passes away, as the humanoid Martians have quite extended lifespans (as seen with Exigius 12½ on 'My Favorite Martian'). Of course, it would depend on him being off-planet (Mars, that is) when the population was wiped out by the Martian Sentience seen in the final episode of 'Odyssey 5'. (It's likely that he was on Earth when that happened, probably conducting some kind of "Controlled Experiment" with fellow Martian Deimos.)
Fitzgerald Fortune was a Broadway critic; in age, he would have been a contemporary of Barry Morse. But I think he passed away quite some time ago, and probably by his own hand. This would
have happened sometime after he brought "A Piano In The House", as seen on 'The Twilight Zone'.Another resident of Toobworld who probably took his own life would be Peter Pell. Pell was a photographer who discovered the ability to disfigure his enemies by altering their photographs with some kind of solution. Unfortunately for him, he was subjected to that "Soft Focus" treatment as well when he spilled the solution all over his own photograph - which left him with a 'Way Out' horror of a face!
Alec Marlowe, code-named "The Tiger" when he was a member of the Allied Resistance group known as 'The Zoo Gang', would have been a contemporary of Barry Morse as well. However, he more than likely died back in the 70s while trying to right the wrongs committed by those outside the grasp of Justice in the Cote d'Azure. Sadly, I think all the members of the reunited 'Zoo Gang' have passed away by now.
Mr. Parminter used to work for US Intelligence as the liaison with secret agent Gene Bradley while 'The Adventurer' lived the high life around the world. (Their cover identities were that of a movie star and his agent. I don't think I have to tell you who was who.) Considering how dangerous their lifestyle was, I think it's likely that Mr. Parminter didn't get to enjoy retirement from the spy games.
It could be argued that Mr. Parminter might be the grandson or great-grandson of Wilton Parmenter and Jane Thrift (the family name going through some kind of alteration along the way).
Thanks for being there when you were needed, Mr. Morse.
SHOWS CITED:
'The Fugitive'
'Space: 1999'
'The Zoo Gang'
'The Adventurer'
'The Twilight Zone'
'The Outer Limits'
'Way Out'
'My Favorite Martian'
'Odyssey 5'
'F Troop'
'Life On Mars'
7-Up commercial
BCnU......
Toby OB
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