Steve McGarrett (2010)

Steven J. McGarrett (portrayed by Alex O'Loughlin) is the main protagonist of he CBS series Hawaii Five-0 which is a re-make of the 1968-80 series of the same name.

McGarrett is the leader of the Five-0 Task Force stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is a former Navy SEAL (retired at the rank of Lieutenant Commander).

The eldest of two children, Steve McGarrett grew up with his younger sister, Mary, and his parents, his father, John and mother, Doris in Honolulu, Hawaii.

He was named after his grandfather, Steven McGarret, a navy ensign on the battleship USS Arizona, was killed on December 7, 1941 in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was killed when the Arizona was struck by a 1,700 pound armor-piercing bomb which ignited her forward magazine. 1,177 of her crew were killed and their bodies, along with Steven's, still lay inside the Arizona which has become a memorial for Pearl Harbor.

When Steve was fifteen or sixteen years old, his mother was killed by a drunk driver in a car accident (although it was later to be revealed as a homicide) but she survived revealing after Season 2 that she is Shelburne. This left his father John to raise his two children alone.

Unknown to them, their father was investigating the Yakuza and Hiro Noshimuri (which ultimately got their mother killed).

Fearing for Steve's and Mary's safety, John sent Steve and Mary separately to the mainland while both children remained unaware of what was really going on at the time.

After attending the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, graduating at the head of his class. Steve then joined the Navy SEALs, graduating at the head of his class (BUD/S 203), and served for six years (four years in Afghanistan) before transferring to the Naval Intelligence Corps. He had been pursuing terrorists Victor Hesse and Anton Hesse for five years. During this time, he learned to speak Mandarin Chinese.

He is friends with former SEAL Senior Chief Petty Officer now Special Agent Sam Hanna from NCIS: Los Angeles, and one can assume they were part of the same SEAL Team as they were both stationed in Coronado while on the service.

In the Pilot (episode), Steve was transporting a prisoner in Pohang, South Korea. Anton Hesse, who McGarrett had been tracking along with his brother Victor for over five years, is an international arms dealer. Hesse taunted Steve just as his cell phone rang and Steve looked to see the caller ID was his father John. He answered the phone to find Victor Hesse on the other end. Victor explained that Steve would release Anton and his father would live. John McGarrett asked to talk to his son and when Victor put the phone up to him, he told Steve, "Listen to me, Champ" and admited that he lied to him. He further stated that he loved him and then told Steve to do the right thing.

Victor hung up the phone and Anton looked at Steve as the first transport was blown up by a helicopter. Victor was actually using the call to track the transport by tacking Steve's cell phone. The helicopter shot at the second armed vehicle and then several armed men rappel from the helicopter. Steve and the other men held them off and Anton used the opportunity to duck away from Steve. Steve chased him and Anton reached for a gun, pointing it towards Steve, who shot him. Victor called Steve and asks what's happening.

Upon realizing that Anton was dead, Victor responded by shooting John dead in revenge, causing Steve to shout, "No!" in horror.

Steve landed in Honolulu on an Air Force transport to attend his father's funeral. As he was landing, a call came in to the flight crew for Steve, and it was the Governor. He met Governor Pat Jameson at Pearl Harbor. She wanted him to come back to the island and run a newly formed task force for her.

She explained that she would give him the authority and her full backing to do what is necessary to keep her island safe. Steve was not impressed and noted that she had this meeting at Pearl Harbor, where his grandfather was killed. He thinks that she was running for re-election and turns her down. She reminded him that she knew his father and wanted Victor to pay for his crimes. Steve explained that Victor already had an exit strategy and was laying low until he leaves. She gave him her card telling him to think about it.

After meeting the lead investigator, Detective Sergeant Danny Williams, Steve changed his mind and contacted Jameson, informing her that he'll take the job and once he's taken an oath, gains access to the entire investigation, informing Danny that the crime scene now belonged to Steve.

Despite bad blood brewing between the two of them which eventually culminate in Danny punching Steve after Steve had Danny in an armlock, Steve added Danny to the team, making him Steve's partner and also the second-in-command of the unnamed Task Force.

Steve's old friend, Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly and Chin's cousin, Officer Kono Kalakaua soon joined the force with the group later deciding to name themselves Hawaii Five-0.

As a result of joining the Hawaii Five-0 Task Force, Steve also joined the Reserves which means that while he can aid and participate in active investigations that the team usually handle, there's also the chance that Steve can be recalled to active duty or given orders to go on a new albeit classified mission for the Navy.

For a year or so, the team began cleaning up Hawaii, arresting various criminals with their actions eventually drawing the attention of crime boss, Wo Fat.

Upon learning that Governor Jameson was corrupt and in league with Wo Fat, Steve broke into her mansion to arrest her but was tasered and knocked unconscious by Wo Fat who then kills Jameson before framing Steve for the crime.

As a result, Steve was arrested and imprisoned while Hawaii Five-0 was disbanded due to Kono also being arrested and Chin rejoining HPD while Danny's position was left vacant.

A week after the events in Oia'i'o (episode), Steve was awaiting trial for Governor Jameson's death. He was attacked in the prison yard by Victor Hesse who stabbed him so badly that Steve needed to be brought to hospital for treatment.

During the transfer, Steve took the opportunity to escape and go on the run, arriving at a house that Dr. Max Bergman lives in where he fainted in the bathroom from blood loss.

Max arrived and found Steve before successfully bandaging Steve's injuries. Danny and Chin eventually arrived, Max having alerted them to the house.

After some work from the team with the help of Joe White, Steve's C.O, Steve was found innocent and the H50 team is officially reinstated.

He reacted with anger upon discovering that Kono was working for Captain Vince Fryer and once the team have brought Fryer's former partner to justice, Steve punched Fryer in revenge for Fryer using Kono as a bait.

During the year, Joe informed Steve of someone named "Shelburne" who Wo Fat supposedly feared. This had Steve digging into his father's past more deeply and after Joe told Steve that Joe is Shelburne, Steve was left shaken.

Steve eventually resolved to get answers for himself and headed to Japan to look for Joe prior to Ha'alele (episode). As a result of his absence, he left the team in Danny's hands, resulting in Danny becoming the temporary leader while Chin was the temporary second-in-command. (In real life, this was written in after Alex O'Loughlin who plays Steve went to rehab to get treatment for prescription pain medication due to a recent shoulder injury.)

Although he doesn't appear in Pa Make Loa (episode), Steve was mentioned during a talk with Chin and NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna concerning the supposed steak dinner that Steve apparently owns Sam while Chin also brings up the fact that Steve speaks very highly of Sam.

Steve officially returned in the Season 2 finale episode, Ua Hopu (episode) where he successfully tracked and captures Wo Fat before returning to Hawaii which results in him becoming the H50 leader again while Danny and Chin return to their original positions. At the end of the Season 2 finale episode, Ua Hala (episode), Joe brought Steve to a lone hut in Japan where Shelburne was meeting. Steve approached, knocked on the door and got a huge surprise when it's revealed that Shelburne was his supposedly dead mother.

Upon meeting his mother, Doris McGarrett for the first time in twenty years, Steve reacted angrily to the fact that Doris faked her death for the sake of her children and her husband, remarking that Wo Fat killed John McGarrett anyway.

In spite of this, Steve later brought his mother back to Hawaii but was forced to put her into protective custody after learning from Danny that Wo Fat had escaped prison.

In "Ina Paha", as a result of being given drugs, Steve found himself experiencing an alternate reality.

In that reality, due to John McGarrett not dying at the hands of Victor Hesse, Steve remained an active Navy SEAL due to the fact that the Hawaii Five-0 Task Force was never created as a result of John's death.

Presumably a few weeks or months after the assassination attempt against John McGarrett, Steve returned to Hawaii and met his father with the two having a reunion while Steve also meets Detective Danny Williams, the man who saved John's life. Both Steve and Danny later visited Victor Hesse with Steve being left shellshocked, even horrified at Danny's brutal interrogation methods.

The two later teamed up together and were successful in eliminating that reality's Wo Fat with Steve later departing Hawaii once again. In the aftermath of being tortured by Wo Fat, Steve eventually killed him and his teammates rescued him.

Awards and decorations
The following are the medals and service awards fictionally worn by Lieutenant Commander McGarrett.