| “ | You don't get me. No, you don't get me. You non-operators, you sit on the sidelines and you judge us in the field. You have no idea what it's like. The hard decisions we have to make every day going downrange, and the consequences that we have to live with forever. I'm speaking for anyone who's ever had to do this job. | „ |
| ~ Steve McGarrett |
Steven Jack McGarrett is the main protagonist of the CBS series Hawaii Five-0 which is a remake of the 1968-80 series of the same name.
Steve McGarrett is the leader of the Five-0 Task Force affiliated with Hawaii's Honolulu Police Department. He is a former SEAL and placed in the Navy Reserve at the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
He is portrayed by Alex O'Loughlin.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Steve was born in Hawaii on March 10, 1977 to John and Doris McGarrett, and had a happy childhood and enjoyed spending time in the garage watching his father repair his 1974 Mercury Marquis. A star quarterback, he attended Kukui High School when his mother Doris was murdered in a staged car accident in April 1992 when Steve was fifteen. This prompted his father John to send him and his little sister Mary away to the mainland for their own safety. Mary went to live with John's older sister Debora, and Steve was sent to the Army and Navy Academy in California for his junior and senior years. This led to a decade-long period of estrangement between John and his children, as Steve was in BUD/S in 2000. In Season 6 episode Ka Pohaku Kihi Pa'a/The Solid Cornerstone, Steve admitted that he deeply regretted not patching things up with his father when he had the chance to.
After returning to Hawaii, McGarrett moved into his childhood home on the beach, where his father still lived in after the break-up of their family. Although a haole, Steve is accepted as kama'aina as he was born and raised on Hawaii, respecting and embrace the local culture, and can even speak "bird" (Hawaiian Pidgin). Evidenced by his friendship with Mamo Kahike and the deference shown to him by Kapu leader, Kawika and Kamekona Tupuola, who affectionately call him "the big kahuna".
Military career[]
Steve is a third-generation Navy veteran and was named after his late grandfather, Ensign Steven McGarrett, who perished on the U.S.S. Arizona during the attacks on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
He graduated from the United States Naval Academy and went on to have a distinguished career. Governor Pat Jameson once outlined his resume: "Amphibious, five years Naval Intelligence, six years with the SEALs. Your superiors say that you are the best they have ever seen." Steve graduated from BUD/S Class 203 at the top of his class. His time in the military is largely unknown due to the highly classified nature of most of his missions. It was mentioned that he has been deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and North Korea, served on board the U.S.S. Enterprise, and stationed at Coronado at some point in his career and was known by the nickname "Smooth Dog".
Steve is multilingual and is mainly conversant in Asian languages; he understands Pashto (as he did several tours in Afghanistan), speaks and reads Mandarin fluently and knows conversational Korean and Japanese. Due to his background in special operations and intelligence, he is well-connected to high-ranking officials in the United States Navy and the Central Intelligence Agency, which he has used to his advantage on several occasions. Prior to his father's murder, he served on a black operation with his best friend, Freddie Hart, but the mission went south and Hart was killed; his body was not recovered for three years when Steve personally flew to North Korea to oversee the repatriation. A year later, he admits to Lou Grover that after Hart's death, the Navy "didn't feel the same" anymore and that he jumped at the chance to leave when Governor Jameson asked him to set up the task force.
Steve uses the same weapons he used as a SEAL including a SIG Sauer P226 Navy as his sidearm as well as the Heckler & Koch MP5K and MP7 sub-machine guns, and HK416 assault rifle.
Besides his father's vintage Marquis, Steve drives a blue Chevrolet Silverado. Its license plate registration number is F6-3958, which was also used by Jack Lord's character in the original series.
History[]
In the Pilot episode of the series, 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 admitted 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 asked 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 killed Jameson before framing Steve for the crime.
As a result, Steve was arrested and imprisoned while 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", 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 the episode "Pa Make Loa", 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" 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 shell-shocked, 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.
Relationships[]
Danny Williams[]
Steve's relationship with Danny Williams is one that has gone through many changes in the last five years.
In the beginning, Steve resented Danny for leading the investigation into his father's murder as Steve was the one who had knowledge and information into the one responsible for his father's death.
After their first confrontation at the crime scene that ended with Steve gaining control of the scene after making a call to Governor Pat Jameson and accepting her job offer, Danny attempted to move on, only for Steve to head back into his life again, announcing that as the head of the unnamed Task Force, he would make Danny his partner and second-in-command, a role Danny accepted albeit grudgingly.
Despite that, their relationship has warmed in recent years with both men expressing concern for each other while their behavior towards one another has caused many of the other characters to believe that they're married to each other although both men strongly deny this.
Fans have often regarded the relationship between Steve and Danny as either a bromance or of a romantic term with the term, McDanno being used.
Mary McGarrett[]
Steve's relationship with his estranged sister is one that is full of tension given that Mary has a habit of arriving and then fleeing Hawaii, but despite this, they both love each other very much.
Other friends[]
McGarrett is friends with former SEAL Senior Chief Petty Officer-turned Special Agent Osama "Sam" Hanna from NCIS: Los Angeles, as it can assume they were in the same SEAL team as they both stationed in Coronado while on duty.
He is also friends with Jack Dalton who was a member of Delta Force, Department of External Services, Central Intelligence Agency and The Phoenix Federation.
Awards and decorations[]
The following list is the awards and decorations worn by Lieutenant Commander Steven J. McGarrett.
Personal decorations
Unit Awards
Service Awards
Service and Training Awards
Foreign awards
Marksmanship Awards
Other Accouterments
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Personality[]
As a member of the Navy, Steve can be described as stiff or wooden with home often keeping his emotions in check. According to Chin Ho Kelly, Steve has "a laser focus embedded in his DNA." Mary also adds that Steve is like a ninja. Steve is a fearless, resourceful, and loyal man, as Pat Jameson, the murdered Governor entrusted Steve with establishing a task force.
Steve has also been complimented by Victor Hesse on one occasion. Steve is shown to have an intense hatred for Wo Fat, who was responsible for the murders of his parents. He is also shown to have a sense of honor, even though he would go to prison for "borrowing" ten million dollars that ultimately went up in flames in order to catch a criminal with Steve catching the criminal anyway.
Steve is also shown to go to drastic measures to get the job done: hanging a man thirty feet in the air on a roof, throwing another man in a shark cage and more; much to the anger of his partner, Detective Danny Williams who regularly berates Steve for doing so.
Steve is also shown to have not only medical knowledge, but knowledge about nature.
However, there's usually a softer, goofier and warmer side to him with his sister, Mary McGarrett, and Danny. Although Steve's partner Danny irritates and they often argue, Steve deeply cares about Danny, and the rest of Five-0.
Steve is willing to risk everything and anything to save those he cares for, as shown in Hana 'a'a Makehewa, and again in Ke Kinohi. He is also willing to go against protocol to stay behind and aid a friend who is in danger which is seen in Hana 'a'a Makehewa when he stays behind to talk to Chin who has a bomb collar around his neck.
Steve displays disgust towards fellow U.S. military personnel whom he feels have disgraced their uniforms by committing various crimes such as murder or robbery. He also displays a huge, almost overwhelming anger towards those who have abused or assaulted innocent children, often resorting to violence, forcing Danny and the others to stop him.
Despite the fact that he is no longer on full-time active duty, Steve's military background and SEAL training are still evident in his daily routine and habits; he still takes a "Navy shower", maintains a fitness regimen, keeps his house in impeccably condition and is sensitive to sound when asleep. His military mannerisms are also apparent in the way he approaches his cases and his ability to remain calm even when under intense pressure and frequently mocked by Danny for his lack of "human" touch.
Many characters, namely Danny, has repeatedly said Steve has control issues, which has led to his habit of driving other people's cars and faster-than-legal driving style. At one point, he tries to explain that he gets carsick if he doesn't drive, but is refuted by Danny as a terrible excuse. However, when his aunt Deb took control of his truck and drove it as reckless as he does, Steve is visibly distressed and on the verge of being sick.
Physical Appearance[]
Steve is just under 6'1 with brown hair and green eyes. He is extremely athletic, physically fit and agile, with an above average pain threshold from his time in the military.
Abilities[]
Due to his special forces training from his Navy SEAL background, Steve harbors a unique range of abilities that assist him in his daily life. He is also one of the most physical strongest members in the Five-0 Task Force.
- Expert Tracker - Steve is highly skilled in tracking in multitudes of terrain, as well as the knowledge in scouting safe to eat food and clean drinking water.
- Open Water Agility - Steve is a strong swimmer who is very comfortable and capable in the open waters.
- Expert Pilot - Steve has been seen flying a helicopter on multiple occasions, including helping Kamekona get his licence.
- Explosives knowledge - Steve is highly skilled in utilizing a number of explosive devices during his SEAL and Five-0 career.
- Physical Stamina and High Pain Tolerance - As a Navy SEAL, Steve is very fit and agile, capable of handling or withstanding more pain than what the average person could ultimately handle.
- Technologically - Steve is skilled at using most technology, even when foreign to him.
- Combat EMS Medical Training - Steve is also capable of treating severe injuries, including a collapsed lung and bullet wounds, as well as performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and triage.
- Expert Martial Artist - Steve is highly trained expert in close quarters and hand-to-hand combat and capable of incapacitating most of his opponents with relative ease.
- Weapons Mastery - As a top SEAL sniper, Steve is an exceptionally skilled marksman, second to Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly's cousin, Officer Kono Kalakaua, and is capable of firing a kill shot from a long distance with precise accuracy. He is extremely resourceful with the skill set, and mental know-how to turn normal items into weapons or use them for defense.
- Multilingual - In addition to his native English, Steve is fluent in Hawaiian, Mandarin and conversational in Pashto, Korean and Japanese, as well as understanding Berber language.
- Expert Interrogator - Steve is one of the sharpest and most efficient interrogators in H-50. He uses various strategies to gather information including intimidation, mental techniques, threatening and torture.
- Stealth Expert - According to his sister Mary, Steve can sneak behind his enemies and attack them by surprise.
- Intelligence Expert - Steve is trained in collecting military information or political value for his superiors or higher ups in the government for possible direct action.
Gallery[]
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Trivia[]
- Was a Navy SEAL. Steve had served for six years (four years in Afghanistan) before transferring to the Office of Naval Intelligence. He had been pursuing terrorists Victor and Anton Hesse for five years.
- Attended the U.S. Naval Academy, and graduated at the top of his class.
- Is a decorated war veteran. He has received numerous medals, including a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Navy Expert Rifleman award.
- Speaks multiple languages. During his time abroad, he learned to speak Mandarin, Japanese, fluent in Hawaiian, conversational in Korean and Arabic and can understand Berber language.
- Prior to the start of the series, Steve would have still been in North Korea with his Navy SEAL buddy Freddie Hart to bring back Anton Hesse.
- His father was investigating The Yakuza and Hiro Noshimuri, and his murder was ordered by Wo Fat.
- He had not talked to his sister for 10 years. He and his sister, Mary, had a troubled relationship after the death of their mother. They haven't even spoken for a decade.
- According to Steve's police report after being accused of killing Governor Patricia Jameson, he; Resisted Arrest, Assaulted a Police Officer, but did not injury any.
- Was sent to live in California when he was 15, and joined the service when he was 18, training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, where he met Joe White.
- Joe White served alongside John McGarrett, and later trained Steve.
- Led a SEAL team on a top secret mission code-named 'Strawberry Field'.
- Unlike Steve, Catherine Rollins and Billy Harrington both retired from the military, instead of joining the Reserves. However, Billy still received a military funeral.
- Danny and Steve have Emergency Contacts.
- Preferred cats over dogs.
- Used to play guitar until high school.
- Steve was not court-martialed after his escape from Afghanistan due to the fact that he and Catherine Rollins had entered the country as civilians without any intentions of using military equipment or information. However, after being attacked and Steve's capture, his military rank was discovered. Even after severe torture and the threat of death, he did not reveal any military secrets or information. The last part of his torture and execution was being recorded by camera, in which the military had gained access. Steve was rescued by his fellow Navy SEALs seconds before his own decapitation.
- He was named after his grandfather, Steven McGarrett who was a Navy Ensign on the battleship U.S.S. Arizona and was killed on December 7, 1941 in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
- His mom, Doris McGarrett faked her own death. She was also a former CIA agent, who went by the code-name Shelburne.
- Used to play guitar.
- Has two tattoos on each of his upper arms.
- Has received many injuries on the job including, being shot in the shoulder, a broken arm from a 20 foot fall, shot again in the leg, a fractured arm and rib plus a swollen eye and face in Afghanistan, and then shot again in the arm, chest and lower torso. He was then stabbed in the back months later after his liver transplant.
- Is a men's medium and has an 11 shoe size.
- Is very competitive and curious. He hates secrets kept from him, however, Steve has never spilled his own secrets, as he has never talked about any of his missions abroad.
- His common pistol is a SIG Sauer. This starts off with a SIG-Sauer P226 and SIG Sauer P226 E2 in Season 1 before changing to a SIG-Sauer P226 Navy with a Surefire X300 from Season 2 onwards.
- Kono Kalakaua is the only original cast member not to spend time in jail. Steve spent just over a week in Halawa Maximin. Chin Ho Kelly spent 8 hours in Halawa Maximin, and was arrested 2 years later. And Danny Williams spent a few days in a Colombian prison.
- Steve and Lynn Downey were set up on a blind date by Ellie Clayton.
- Danny and Steve have the same blood type, and now share a liver.
- Steve recently revealed he is single once more.
- Steve, Danny and Harry Langford were all given awards by Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II of England.