Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell)

Sam Fisher
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell character
File:Sam Fisher SCC.jpg Sam Fisher, as he appeared in Splinter Cell: Conviction
First game	Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

Samuel "Sam" Fisher is the protagonist of the Splinter Cell series of video games (developed by Ubisoft) and novels endorsed by Tom Clancy. His full name can be seen in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, the first game of the series, when he was using the computer in the V-22 Osprey to encrypt his call home. Fisher is voiced by veteran actor Michael Ironside in the video games.

Background

Sam Fisher was a member of Third Echelon, a top-secret sub-branch within the National Security Agency (NSA). He is 5 feet 10 inches (178 centimeters) tall, weighs 170 pounds (77 kilograms), and has brown (slightly greying) hair and green eyes . He was the first person to be recruited as a field operative of the "Splinter Cell" program for Third Echelon. Fisher is an expert in the art of stealth and concealment, in which he is trained in various techniques and tactics. He is also highly trained in the Israeli hand-to-hand combat system of Krav Maga. In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, he utilized the Center Axis Relock, a gun-fighting technique used in close quarters combat. He prefers to work alone in the field. When not on assignment or at Fort Meade, Fisher resided in a townhouse in Towson, Maryland.

Fisher was born on August 8, 1957 in Towson, Maryland. While not much is known about his early life, it is known that Fisher attended a military boarding school shortly after his parents died when he was a child. He later spent two years as a Political Science major. While Fisher was stationed at an U.S. Air Force Base in Germany during the 1980s, he met and later married Regan Burns in 1984. They had one daughter together, Sarah (born 31 May 1985). Fisher and Regan later divorced and she had Sarah's surname changed. Regan died from ovarian cancer sometime in 1999 and Sarah was "killed" by a "drunk driver" in September 2007. However, it was established that the death of his daughter was no accident. After learning this, Fisher attempts to uncover why his daughter was murdered, and what connections it has to Third Echelon, which has become bogged down with red tape to the point of ineffectiveness and corruption. It is soon revealed that Sarah is alive and was used as leverage to frame Sam for an unsuccessful coup against the U.S. President.

Sam's direct supervisor and handler was Colonel Irving Lambert, USA (Ret), who coordinated intelligence and objective updates with Fisher during his missions. In addition to being supported by Lambert, Sam was also accompanied and supported on operations by NSA employees Vernon 'Junior' Wilkes (deceased), Anna Grímsdóttir, Frances Coen and William Redding (introduced in Chaos Theory). One of his aides, Dermot Paul ("D.P.") Brunton (introduced in Pandora Tomorrow), became the head of SHADOWNET Operations, a black-ops group within Third Echelon which uses teams of operatives.

Fisher has conducted operations in Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, China, Iceland, Israel, East Timor, Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, North and South Korea, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Myanmar, Serbia, the Republic of Georgia, and France in order to complete his missions. He has also conducted operations inside the United States, places such as LAX International Airport in Los Angeles, California, New York City, New Orleans, Ellsworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas and the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

Ubisoft's lead character artist Martin Caya established in early interviews about the game that during his career Fisher had served in Afghanistan, where he had an experience in which he was forced to hide under dead bodies in order to avoid being killed. Caya also established that Fisher had served in East Germany and in "other Soviet satellite countries leading up to the collapse of the USSR."

Background (cont.)

The novel version of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell establishes that Sam hated his time in the CIA, and that he mostly had official cover (i.e. he was a "diplomatic aide"). The "Bank" mission in Chaos Theory established that Fisher served in Panama during Operation Just Cause when Redding states that he [Sam] was part of a CIA team that raided the same bank during the conflict searching for some of Manuel Noriega's drug money. The "Bank" mission also established that he served in Kuwait, where he said he spent the months leading up to the Gulf War "sleeping in a ditch on the road between Baghdad and Kuwait" shortly after the invasion ended in 1990. The end of the training mission in the first game of the series established that he saw action during the Gulf War in 1991 when Lambert tells Sam "I hope you don't mind I told him ['Junior' Wilkes] some of your stories from Kuwait". Wilkes makes a comment stating "I've heard crazy things about your work".

During a flashback in Splinter Cell: Conviction it was revealed that Sam served in Iraq as the leader of a four-man SEAL squad that was ambushed during a patrol in Al Diwaniyah. Two of his teammates were killed, and Sam was subsequently captured. However, Sam's teammate, Victor Coste (callsign "Husky"), who survived the ambush and was left for dead, fought his way through several Iraqi soldiers in order to reach Fisher, who was being tortured for information regrading their mission, and rescued him.

In the beginning of the second game, a conversation between Fisher and Douglas Shetland established Fisher had served with the Navy SEALs, and that he left the Navy in 1996 ("I haven't been Navy for a decade"). Its also been established in the original Splinter Cell in the interview with Sam found in the extra features that he was with both the Navy SEALs and Third Echelon, when he says "I've had the good fortune in my life to work with some really talented and professional people. U.S. Navy SEALs, the folks at Third Echelon. All real pros." The "Sam Fisher Interview" was an unofficial mission after the "Presidential Palace" level in Splinter Cell with Sam going undercover as Ubisoft's "technical advisor". Other than for anti-terrorist operations, which are the purview of SEAL Team Six (now known as DEVGRU), only SEAL Team 3 has a Area of Responsibility (AOR) in countries in Southwest Asia (i.e. Kuwait, Iraq, Iran and many others). According to his DD214 from the website for Double Agent, Sam rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander (O-4) during his time in the Navy, where he spent nearly three years (2 years, 11 months) as a intelligence analyst.

Personality

As a covert agent of the U.S. government, Fisher approaches his target objectives in a gruff, no-nonsense manner, but maintains a light-hearted relationship with his colleagues and even with his momentary hostages (even if he is going to kill them). Fisher has little patience for government bureaucracy or political maneuvering. A political realist, Fisher maintains a cynical, jaded and sarcastic sense of humor about the covert, illegal, and often morally ambiguous nature of his work. In Pandora Tomorrow, when Lambert informs Fisher that "Nobody knows whether he's (Norman Soth) a U.S. Agent or a terrorist" Fisher replies that "Those things aren't mutually exclusive."

At the same time, he is highly loyal and a staunch believer in the ideals his work ultimately protects. He is quickly angered by the casual slaughter of civilians or unarmed military personnel by his enemies.

In the original Splinter Cell, Fisher is a new member of Third Echelon, and thus his interactions with his commander Colonel Lambert are relatively straightforward and respectful. At the same time, Fisher does drop the occasional "smart" comment at particularly unusual or obtuse mission orders. For instance, during the final level in Pandora Tomorrow, Sam is in an elevator that shuts down when his enemies cut the power. Lambert informs him that the lights went out, and Sam retorts with a sarcastic, "Thanks, Lambert."

In Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Fisher is shown as rather ruthless towards his enemies, and he appears fairly disappointed when Lambert orders him to avoid enemy fatalities as part of his mission parameters. Frequently holding captured enemies at knife-point, his dialog with them is creative and highly intimidating, though often morbidly humorous to the audience. For example, in the "Penthouse" level in Chaos Theory, Fisher captures a guard and says: "Pick a number between 1 and 10". When the guard guesses, Fisher says: "Huh. Lucky guess. You get to live. Now tell me something useful or we'll play another round".

However it must be said that Sam is not a sadistic individual as he states in the Chaos Theory trailer "... I take the lives of a few to protect the lives of many. I commit acts of war to preserve the greater peace. I take no joy in killing, but make no mistake; I'll do what needs to be done. Because it's my job. It's my duty. My name is Sam Fisher, and I am a Splinter Cell." The last part of this sentence, where Sam refers to himself as a 'Splinter Cell', is regarded as part of an advertising campaign, as the term "Splinter Cell" refers to an elite covert unit consisting of lone field operatives who are supported by an entire team of technical specialists as they work together to accomplish their goals.

It is stated in the manual to Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory that Fisher's dark sense of humor during missions is his way of dealing with the tension that he feels during a stealth operation. The manual explains that Fisher is an extremely competent and experienced soldier and operative, he is also keenly aware of his own limitations and mortality, and thus he uses humor to help keep himself calm in the frequent dangerous situations he is often ordered into.

Throughout the games, Fisher attempts to uphold what he believes is "right". A notable instance occurs in Chaos Theory during the war in the South Korean capital of Seoul where Lambert instructs Fisher to leave the unconscious bodies of downed pilots at the scene of the crash, which Fisher is about to demolish via airstrike. While the game allows the player to demolish the site, he or she can first pick up the pilots and carry them to safety. Lambert tells Fisher to stop because it may compromise the mission, but Fisher continues anyway. Lambert then reminds him that his valiant actions can not be officially recognized and that he will not receive a medal, to which Fisher replies, "Medals don't help me sleep at night, Lambert."

Another instance is when Fisher is ordered to not tamper with the corpse of tortured computer engineer Bruce Morgenholt, whose body could not be extracted. The player may choose to cut down the ropes binding the corpse, causing Lambert to admonish Fisher who replies by saying, "Just because he's dead doesn't mean I have to leave him here hanging like a piece of meat ... You can spare thirty seconds for some simple dignity."

Occasionally, Fisher demonstrates complete contempt for the mission objectives to the point where the player may decide to not comply with all the parameters. In one instance in Pandora Tomorrow, Fisher is suddenly told to kill Dahlia Tal, a Shin Bet double agent with whom he had been working. If the player kills her Fisher angrily asks, "Tell me what I just did, Lambert", and "Killing unarmed women seems mighty close to terrorism." If the player does not, Lambert shouts at Fisher to which Fisher responds, "I'm going to need a little more warning to shoot unarmed women," and "You said jump, and I didn't ... And when I get back to the States, I'll go sit facing a corner in a cone hat." In either case, Fisher openly declares his moral disagreement with the order to shoot Tal.

Another time he shows contempt for the missions, is in the bath house level of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, when the player has the choice to shoot Shetland or not. The player can shoot Shetland, but if he holsters his weapon, then Shetland will attack, and Sam will be forced to kill him anyway. He holds loyalty in very high regards and maintained multiple times in the story that he felt Shetland was playing straight. "If Shetland's crooked I'll take him down myself", he mentions as the plot thickens. At the climax of Shetland's rogue-rant in the Japanese bathhouse he taunts Sam with lines like: "You've made yourself the instrument of a policy you don't believe in, Sam. Walk away", "Blood is thicker than water and you and I have bled a lot together. You're trading your honor for their agenda", and "You wouldn't shoot an old friend". Douglas' betrayal toward Sam by trying to shoot him despite having holstered his weapon makes Sam sarcastically remark that he "wouldn't shoot an old friend", as Sam is forced to stab him instead.

Another side of Fisher's personality is his occasional compassion for unlikely individuals. One example is in the first Splinter Cell game on the Kalinatek level. Sam can talk to a wounded mercenary who asks Fisher to carry him to the medical room. After he does so, the mercenary will talk with Fisher more before he dies.

Tactics

Skills

In addition to the SC-20K M.A.W.S. Rifle, 5-7 SC Pistol, and SC Protector knife, Sam uses several other weapons and gadgets such as the M67 Fragmentation Grenades, rapid-release smoke grenades, EMP grenades to disable surrounding electronics, stun grenades, a laser microphone (which was separate from the goggles in the first and second games, and the next generation version of the fourth), a fingerprint scanner, and a retinal scanner. Depending on whether or not he killed a certain target, Sam is able to carry a standard 9mm handgun on the prison level of the Xbox, Wii, PS2, and GameCube versions of Splinter Cell: Double Agent. Also in Double Agent, Sam uses a SC-303 less-lethal launcher, based on the FN 303 grenade launcher. It shoots rubber bullets and tranquillizer darts. In certain missions, he carries a syringe filled with adrenaline, which can bring someone back from the brink of death. He has been known to use a V-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor VTOL aircraft, for insertion and extraction in certain missions.

Weapons

Through the games, Fisher primarily uses two firearms, the 5-7 SC Pistol (in reality an FN Five-seveN) and SC-20K M.A.W.S. Assault Rifle (an FN F2000). In Chaos Theory, Fisher added a combat knife to his arsenal of weapons.

SC Protector Knife

Standard Military CQC Weapon

The player first got the chance to wield Fisher's knife in Chaos Theory. In the first novel, it is described as a USMC KA-BAR with a hilt covered in compressed leather of standard design. In the third novel, Sam uses a Fairbairn-Sykes dagger, given to him by Frank Bunch, a close friend of Sam's father. However, in Chaos Theory, some close-ups of the hilt suggest that it is custom made. The knife appears to be double-edged, with a blade roughly 5 inches long, and lacks any sort of guard. It has a central groove called a "fuller" in order to reduce weight, often mistakenly called a "blood groove". With the exception of its large size, the knife is very similar to the Gerber Guardian Back Up or an SOG Pentagon. In Splinter Cell: Double Agent, the knife looks very different resembling the Master of Defense Keating Hornet knife and is described as, quote:

"SC 'Protector' double-edged combat knife. Overall length 7 1/2 inches with a 3 and 3/8 inch, black oxidized high carbon stainless steel blade to prevent reflections and a black polymer rubber handle."

This description is contradicted by the knife's visual appearance in-game and in cutscenes. It appears much larger, with a silver, partially serrated blade that is roughly 5 inches long. It also appears to be single-edged, and may even be a folding knife as it has a thumb-stud near the spine and a visible liner-lock, though it is still carried opened in a sheath.

In the novel Conviction, Fisher uses the Gerber Guardian Back Up, carried in a sheath on his calf. Later in the novel, Fisher goes back to using his "favorite" knife, the Fairbairn-Sykes. At one point in the novel Fisher is said to use the serrated part of his knife. Seeing as the Gerber Guardian does not have a version with serrations, this could be seen as either a continuity error, or that there is a third, unknown, knife used.

Fisher carries his knife horizontally at the back of his belt, allowing him to draw it easily and quickly in either forward or reverse grips. When attacking with it, he always aims for the heart, throat, or axillary artery, and thus a single strike with the weapon always results in the immediate takedown of the target. In addition to being a deadly weapon, Fisher also makes use of it as a multipurpose tool in the field. He can use the knife to interrogate suspects, cut tent-fabric, chainlink fences, wires, and plastic sheeting, break locks, disable small machinery (such as gas powered generators), defuse bombs, pry hidden microphones from walls, and strip wires to tap into phone lines and camera feeds.

5-7 SC Pistol

Modified FN Five-seveN

The pistol in the game is a 20-round, semi-automatic Fabrique National Five-seveN handgun with an attached suppressor that uses proprietary 5.7mm ammunition.

The Five-seveN is touted by FN to be able to penetrate NATO kevlar vests and helmets, but this is only when firing the SS190 Duty Round, a high velocity, military-grade bullet designed to punch through armor. In the games, the pistol's ability to penetrate armor is limited, taking at least three to five shots to the torso to down a foe. This is likely due to the subsonic ammunition being used. These slower-moving rounds are used to quiet the report by eliminating the supersonic crack of a bullet traveling faster than the speed of sound. The suppressor reduces the report of the pistol further by slowly allowing gases from the barrel to expand and escape, resulting in a soft "pfft" noise.

The pistol is much quieter than the SC-20K. In Pandora Tomorrow, the pistol is equipped with a laser aiming module. In the series' third installment, Chaos Theory, the pistol is equipped with an Optically Channeled Potentiator (OCP) prototype, a device that can be used to temporarily disrupt electronic devices, such as light fixtures, gun turrets and security cameras. Oddly enough, as with the SC-20K, the spent shells were no longer visible in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory or Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

SC-20K M.A.W.S. Assault Rifle

Modified FN F2000 (and later, a FN F2000 Tactical)

This is a 30-round, selective fire 5.56x45mm NATO bullpup assault rifle with a suppressor, a 1.5x reflex sight or a 2/4/6x scope (in the first 2 games), and an underslung grenade launcher used to launch various less-than-lethal devices. It is a variation of the F2000 Assault Rifle. In the first novel, Sam Fisher also said that the SC-20K was his favorite weapon.

The SC-20K was modified for use in Chaos Theory. The fixed buttstock was replaced by a collapsible buttstock. Also, the 1.5x reflex sight replaced the stronger 6x full scope, but in compensation the SC-20K gained the ability to mount additional undermount modular configurations. It has been designed with a bullpup configuration, allowing for maximum power with a minimum weight and size. In the field, Fisher can carry a maximum of two undermount modules at once. The SC-20K was again modified for use in Double Agent. The F2000 design was retained, but the buttstock was greatly stripped down, along with the fore-end of the weapon. The scope was replaced with a Picatinny rail that later had a reflex sight attached to it. The modules were removed from the next-gen version of Double Agent, except for the launcher, and a shotgun shell (despite the fact that Sam does not put a shotgun module underneath).

The current gen version features all but the foregrip. The following is a list of details about the modules:

Launcher: A Splinter Cell's standard loadout (as seen in Splinter Cell and Pandora Tomorrow), the attached 40mm grenade launcher, is able to fire ring airfoil rounds, sticky shockers, sticky cameras, gas grenades, EMP ammunition and other such less-than-lethal devices. The ring airfoil round is a small ring that can knock out enemies silently. The drawback is its parabolic trajectory. The sticky shocker is an LTL device that shocks enemies into unconsciousness. They are launched at a flat trajectory and causes some noise. Sticky cameras are reusable devices that allow you to observe areas without being detected, or, in case of a head shot, can incapacitate an enemy. They can also make noises that can attract the enemy or can self-destruct which will release a non-lethal gas. The latest incarnation of the sticky camera can also create a small, lethal explosion. If enemies detect the sticky camera then they will open fire on it which will either release the gas or explode, depending on the version of the camera. The launcher can also launch grenades, including gas grenades that release a non-lethal gas that will knock out anybody in the vicinity of the gas.

Foregrip: A foregrip used to steady firing and counter the effects of recoil, resulting in far more accurate fire when shooting in fully automatic mode.

Shotgun: An undermount 12-gauge triple ought buckshot shotgun attachment. Useful for close quarters combat. Extremely lethal against enemy personnel, but also very loud. It was first introduced in Chaos Theory.

Sniper (prototype): Another undermount for the SC-20K is a sniper attachment that fires 20 mm kinetic energy propelled, high-heat sabot rounds (also known as APDS; Armour-piercing discarding sabot) that can penetrate most forms of armor and even can destroy small armoured machines such as (UAV's). The module also carries a full 4x scope and modified barrel, increasing range and accuracy, though it is rather loud and unwieldy. This weapon configuration can only be fired when the scope is used however.

In addition to the SC-20K Rifle, 5-7 SC Pistol, and SC Protector knife, Sam uses several other weapons and gadgets such as the M67 grenade, rapid-release smoke grenade, Electromagnetic bomb to disable surrounding electronics, stun grenades, a laser microphone (which was separate from the goggles in the first and second games, and the next generation version of the fourth), a fingerprint scanner, and a retinal scanner.

Clothing

Sam Fisher wearing the camouflage version of the stealth suit during a mission in Pandora Tomorrow.

Remaining unseen is a very important factor for Fisher on his missions, thus wearing the right clothing is necessary. He mostly wears the Mark V Tactical Operations Suit, a specialized wetsuit that fits tightly around his body (see bodysuit), making it almost impossible to hear it move. The fabric is interwoven with Kevlar, allowing it to stop bullets from long range. The cloth and equipment are black, but at times other versions of the suit will even appear to be a blue green color in very bright light. Though mostly wearing his signature black stealth suit, Fisher sometimes changes his suit to fit the appropriate conditions, such as jungle camouflage, a grey snowsuit in the Nadezdha Nuclear Plant mission in the first game, shorts with a short-sleeved shirt in hot environments, or multiple suit layers of a different color. Sam also has a pair of black combat boots, a weapons belt, a Nomex balaclava, and a radio on his back that emits light (only visible to the player). When extensive swimming will be required, Sam uses a compact rebreather.

In the novel Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Fisher explains that his suit contains a thermoregulation system to maintain its temperature, photosensitive threads that detect snipers' lasers, and bladders of water to keep him from becoming dehydrated, in addition to the features seen in the games.

Despite its utility, Fisher dislikes the suit's appearance. In the novel, he says, "My only beef with the uniform is that it's so tight fitting and neat that it makes me look like a comic book superhero. Even my special headpiece looks like a mask when I have the goggles down."

In the fifth installment, Conviction, Sam's clothing appears far more civilian than past games, possibly to avoid standing out in some situations.

Goggles

Fisher's green, three-lensed goggles have become one of the trademarks of the Splinter Cell series. While fans of the series regularly point out that they would give Fisher's position away, it was revealed in "The Real Sam Fisher blog" (Fisher's fictional web journal stating that he's merely the man the games are based on) that the goggles did not actually glow, and were simply portrayed that way on screen to provide visual interest and the location of the character in the dark. This is proven in the first multi-player outing of Pandora Tomorrow where ARGUS mercenaries viewing SHADOWNET devices similar to Fisher's will not notice any illumination. If the player were to look at Sam's reflection in mirrors or reflective surfaces during single player mode in Chaos Theory, he or she would notice that the glowing of all aforementioned gear is nonexistent. Fisher's glowing goggles, radio, and OPSAT merely show the current location of his head, body, and arms respectively in the darkness for the benefit of the player. The third vision mode is fluorescent which is only found in the Tom Clancy novels and not in the game. In the book this vision allows the user to see dust and if anything has been moved which aids Sam in finding hiding enemies.

In the first two games of the series, Fisher's goggles have both thermal and night vision capabilities. At the time, this would have required separate sets of goggles because of the complicated circuitry involved. However, game developers decided to combine them into one device, as switching goggles would have made gameplay very cumbersome. Current technology now allows goggles with both thermal and night visions to be available for the military, although the goggles featured in the games are still much more compact in size than their counterparts in reality. In Pandora Tomorrow, the goggles also have limited zoom capability. Starting with Chaos Theory, the goggles have an integrated laser microphone and a third view mode highlighting electromagnetic radiation emitted from nearby power lines, generators, and electrical equipment. Double Agent rewards players who complete side objectives with upgraded goggles that have "enhanced" night vision which shows the full color spectrum, making it seem less obvious that the player is using the night vision (with the exception of some blurring when moving).

It has since been confirmed that Sam's iconic green, trifocal goggles is included in the following game Splinter Cell: Conviction game, though a new white hot/black hot vision "sonar" mode will replace the old multi-chrome thermal imaging version of the previous games.

Development

Unlike most present-day video games, Splinter Cell uses motion capture technology for all of its NPCs' animations, but not Sam Fisher; a few of his more complicated moves, such as the split jump, are animated by hand. The creators felt this would give Sam a more "fluid" range of motion. The cooperative Third Echelon player agents (Agents One and Two in the co-op story mode of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory) are given the same direction as well.

Appearances

Films

• Splinter Cell (TBA)

Games

• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2002/03)
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Mission Pack (2003)
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (2004)
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Essentials (2006)
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent (2006)
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (2010)

Novels

• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2004) by David Michaels
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda (2005) by David Michaels
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Checkmate (2006) by David Michaels
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Fallout (2007) by David Michaels
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (2009) by David Michaels
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Endgame (2009) by David Michaels

Music

• Agent Sam Fisher - Conviction (2008)