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"Today, today… at the edge of our hope, at the end of our time, we've chosen not only to believe in ourselves but in each other. Today, there’s not a man nor woman in here that shall stand alone. Not today. Today we face the monsters that are at our door and bring the fight to them! Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse!"
—Pentecost

Stacker Pentecost (December 30, 1985-Janurary 12, 2025) was the brother of Luna Pentecost, and the adoptive father of Mako Mori. He was a Marshal in the Pan Pacific Defense Corps[1] and oversaw operations in the Hong Kong Shatterdome until his death in 2025.[4]

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Stacker Pentecost was born December 30, 1985 to parents Obadel and Viviane Pentecost.[2] He is the brother of Luna Pentecost, and a relation of Duke Pentecost. At an undetermined point in time, both Stacker and Luna join the Royal Air Force.[4]

Tales from Year Zero[]

Stacker is in London when Trespasser attacks San Francisco. He tries to contact his sister, Luna, several times but to no avail. When she finally returns his call, she tells him she’s arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, preparing to help the US military to fight the creature attacking the city. The supposed “holiday” she had taken was a cover that allowed her to train new fighter pilots. Initially, Stacker assumes that she was recruited into helping the Americans, but she tells him she and their friend, Tamsin Sevier, volunteered.[1]

Baffled by her actions, Stacker asks her why and she reminds him of the alliance between the United Kingdom and the US during World War II. Knowing his sister, however, Stacker knows Luna wants a chance to “slay a dragon” and tells her to be careful.[1]

After his sister is killed in the fight with the Kaiju, Stacker dedicates himself to figuring out a way to destroy the Kaiju. The loss of Luna was a heavy blow to him emotionally; his sister was the only family member he had left considering they had lost their father almost nineteen years ago.[1]

Pan Pacific Defense Corps[]

As the PPDC is formed, he backs Jasper Schoenfeld and Caitlin Lightcap’s Jaeger Program. When he learns the Jaeger Program has hit a financial snag, he volunteers to be one of the first tests out Lightcap’s Pons System; however, he struggles to merely move the fingers of the prototype Jaeger. His efforts are enough that the PPDC funds the rest of the project.[1]

Once the Jaeger Program is officially sanctioned, Stacker's position as liaison for the Jaeger Program continues. However, in addition to his liaison position, Stacker also trains to become a pilot alongside his and Luna's friend, Tamsin Sevier. Stacker's career as a pilot lasts for two years, through 2015 to 2016. He ran nearly a dozen Jaeger missions during this time.[4]

Onibaba Attack[]

On May 15, 2016 the two are deployed in Tokyo to fight the Kaiju Onibaba. During combat Tamsin loses consciousness, leaving Stacker to kill the Kaiju on his own. The two manage to save the life of a young Mako Mori, who becomes a public icon for surviving the Kaiju’s rampage.[4]

Shortly thereafter, Stacker and Tamsin are issued papers explaining their retirement from active duty. Stacker believes Tamsin’s loss of consciousness was a fluke, but his friend reveals she’s been diagnosed with cancer from the exposure to Coyote’s nuclear reactor.[1]

Setting aside their retirement, Stacker asks what he can do for his friend. Tamsin asks him to move on with his life. However, Stacker is also diagnosed with terminal cancer.[2] He is told that if he ever pilots another Jaeger, the physical and mental stress would kill him.[4] Assigned to the Jaeger Academy, he chooses to teach future Rangers to pilot the Jaegers.[1]

Adopting Mako[]

Remembering the girl he and Tamsin saved in Tokyo, Stacker decides to adopt Mako, sympathizing with her loss of family.[1] Over the course of training pilot-hopefuls, Stacker and Mako bond. Her inquisitiveness in regards to the nature of the pilot's bond and training to become a Ranger are frequent subjects discussed. When she asks if she can become a Jaeger pilot, Stacker tells her "someday".[1]

When he learns of Yancy and Raleigh Becket’s gross misconduct over a Jaeger Fly named Naomi Sokolov, he warns them that the disregard for their bond would get them and the people depending on them killed. Their actions and his discussions with Mako remind him of his late sister and his ailing friend. Visiting Tamsin at the hospital, he introduces her to the girl they saved in Tokyo. His gesture of kindness brings his friend to tears and the three embrace.[1]

Tokyo Bay Attack[]

Four weeks after the Onibaba attack, the city of Tokyo is attacked again by Itak. July 5, 2016, Stacker is given the responsibility of giving Mark-1 pilots, Kaori and Duc Jessop the news that they would be retired following injuries sustained to their nervous system in their fight in Tacit Ronin against Itak in the Tokyo Bay, two weeks prior.[note 1][6]

Mako accompanies him when he visits Duc's hospital room, and he reports that they've been honorably discharged following their battle in bay and will be taken care of from hereon out. He chides an overexcited Mako when she interrupts their conversation, but Kaori indulges Mako and takes her aside, allowing Stacker to continue his conversation with Duc in private. Duc attempts to protest the decision, but Stacker makes it clear that the Defense Corps. is concerned about the survival of Tacit Ronin and won't allow it.[6]

When Ragnarok, a Category II Kaiju, emerges from the bay, Victory Alpha, Tokyo's only available defense, is destroyed. Pentecost protests when Kaori and Duc volunteer fight the Kaiju while reinforcements muster, and tries to warn them away from certain death. They persist, and fellow Marshal, Hikai, authorizes their launch.[6]

The Kaori and Duc die in the process of stopping Ragnarok. Stacker and Mako attend their funeral, Stacker eulogizes the the fallen pilots, commending their bravery and sacrifice. As the funeral comes to a close, Mako draws Stacker's attention to the red lotus blossoms on the Jessop's coffins.[7]

Training Mako[]

In 2021, Mako enters the Jaeger Academy.[8] Stacker personally oversees her training. Though she excels in all areas of the Academy, Stacker refuses to allow her a chance to become a pilot.

Anchorage Attack[]

In 2020, Stacker is overseeing operations at the Anchorage Shatterdome. He orders the Becket brothers to defend the city against the approaching category III Kaiju, Knifehead. When Yancy notices that a boat is still out in the storm nearest to the Kaiju, Pentecost orders that they ignore the boat and focus on the larger picture: protecting the city.[4]

Despite his orders, the Beckets use Gipsy Danger to rescue the boat at the expense of their advantage against Knifehead. Pentecost is unable to help the brothers as they are torn apart by the Kaiju. Though Gipsy Danger wins the fight at the expense of Yancy's life. Pentecost secures Knifehead for K-Science Lab's studies.[3] Unbeknownst to Stacker, Gipsy Danger's defeat heralds the beginning of the Jaeger Program's downfall in the Kaiju War.[4]

2020-2023[]

After Gipsy Danger's battle, the Mark-3 Jaeger is sent to Oblivion Bay, a Jaeger graveyard. Stacker would remove Gipsy Danger from Oblivion Bay and return the Jaeger to the Anchorage Shatterdome where the Mark III Restoration Project would commence under the supervision of his daughter, Mako.[4]

2024[]

Four years later, Stacker and Mako travel to Hawaii to visit the grave of Tamsin. Around that time he is approached by an older Naomi Sokolov, now a journalist. She's been sent to interview for a piece she’s writing on why humanity continues to fight the Kaiju. Though she misses him initially, she is invited to Hawaii by Stacker who gives her an account on his own experiences in the ongoing Kaiju War. When asked why humanity continued to fight, Stacker says he believes humanity “fights to win”.[1]

Pacific Rim[]

Preparing for the End[]

Anchorage Shatterdome Closure

Pentecost, Tendo Choi and Herc Hansen stand before the United Nations.

By 2025, the unprecedented number of attacks from the Kaiju in 2024 diminished the forces of the Jaeger Program. With no hope in the program, the United Nations begin to shut down all but one of the Shatterdomes and retire PPDC personnel. Stacker pleads with the United Nations representatives for more time to plan a final assault against the Breach with everything they have.

They deny his request and give him eight months of funding to finish the rest of his service in Hong Kong. Frustrated, Stacker decides to proceed with his plan without the UN's help and heads for the Anti-Kaiju Wall to find Raleigh, who disappeared four years earlier after his dismissal from the Jaeger Program following Knifehead's defeat.[4]

Stacker appeals to Raleigh, telling him that he believes everyone deserves a second chance and that he needs his skills as a pilot. Raleigh, however, is quick to reject the offer, unwilling to Drift with another Ranger after his brother's death. Putting it another way, Stacker demands to know whether or not Raleigh wants to die building the Wall or piloting a Jaeger. The question spurs Raleigh into action; he follows Stacker back to the Hong Kong Shatterdome where he is introduced to Mako.

On the elevator, Stacker, Mako and Raleigh join Newton Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb down to the lower level of the Shatterdome. Stacker informs Raleigh that Newton and Hermann are all that remain of their research division. Inside the Shatterdome, Stacker gives Raleigh a layout of what remains of their Rangers. The Kaidonovsky's, Sasha and Aleksis, provide him weapons he cannot procure from the UN; the Wei Tang Brothers (Cheung, Hu and Jin) continued defense of Hong Kong make them a valued asset in his fight; and the Hansens, Chuck and in particular, Herc, are trusted allies piloting the only Mark-5 Jaeger ever built, the Striker Eureka.[4]

When Raleigh asks why he was brought to the Shatterdome, Stacker tells him they plan to bomb the Breach; when Raleigh reminds him that previous attempts failed, he assures the pilot that he has a plan.

Keeping things Together[]

Makostacker

Mako wants the chance to pilot Gipsy Danger.

Eager to prove herself as a Ranger, Mako tries to appeal to her father, but Stacker is adamant about denying her the chance to pilot a Jaeger alongside Raleigh despite her skills. During the tryouts for Raleigh's pilot, Raleigh makes a stab at Stacker and Mako's pride when he suggests that Mako isn't up to challenging him.[4]

Stacker, initially willing to ignore Raleigh's goad and his daughter's eagerness to fight him, allows Mako to fight him. Mako proves herself in a evenly-matched fight against Raleigh, but Stacker denies her the chance when Raleigh chooses her as his pilot. When he and Herc convene with Hermann and Newton, Hermman speculates that the increase of Kaiju attacks will lead to breaches that will occur mere days or minutes apart from each other, ensuring the extinction of mankind.

Stacker, however, needs more than numbers in order to use a thermonuclear bomb as weapon. Newton tries to suggest that he Drift with a Kaiju brain. Stacker dismisses Newton's idea, believing it impossible and goes with the information that Hermann provides him.[4]

When he allows Mako to pilot with Raleigh, he decides to oversee their first Drift. The situation appears to be going well when he is interrupted by a panicked Hermman, who tells him Newton succeeded in Drifting with the Kaiju brain. Stacker leaves the LOCCENT Mission Control; a rattled Newton explains that the Kaiju are merely weapons that are being used to weaken the defenses of humanity and wipe them out.

Their masters are beings that colonize planets and attempted, but failed to do so on Earth during the Triassic era because of the atmosphere. The categories I through IV Kaiju were merely the vanguard and the next wave will finish what they began.

Accepting that the threat is greater than they realized, Stacker orders Newton to attempt the Drift again to find out more information. However, the scientists insisted that he would require a fresh kaiju brain in order to do so. Having not one on hand, Stacker gives Newton a card with UV branded symbol belonging to Hannibal Chau, a black market dealer with whom he's dealt with since the UN abandoned the Kaiju War. He tells him to find him in order to secure a fresh brain but sternly warned him to avoid trusting Chau.[4]

Raleigh vs Pentecost

Pentecost warns Raleigh Becket to back off.

When he returns to the LOCCENT, Mako has latched onto the memory of the Tokyo assault in 2016 and almost fires Gipsy Danger's canon inside the Shatterdome. Upset with the turn of events, Stacker again forbids Mako from piloting and convenes with the Hansens, the youngest of whom is angered by Mako's lack of control. Raleigh argues to know how Stacker feels about Mako because of the memory he glimpsed of him saving her from Onibaba.[4]

Stacker, however, makes it clear that Raleigh's presence is necessary only to the assault on the Breach and that his personal matters are none of his concern. Tendo Choi alerts Stacker and the rest of the Shatterdome of two category IV Kaiju signals, Otachi and Leatherback. Stacker sends the Cherno Alpha, Crimson Typhoon and Striker Eureka out to the Victoria Harbour to prevent the Kaiju from entering the city; however, he keeps Gipsy Danger grounded, unwilling to trust Mako and Raleigh. He orders Striker Eureka to defend the coastline, as it is still needed to attack the breach in the Pacific Ocean.

However, the fight falls to the favor of the Kaiju; Otachi besting both Crimson and Cherno. The latter is double teamed by Leatherback who attacks from behind and disables Striker with a EMP when it disregards Stacker's orders to remain out of the battle to help Cherno. Raleigh reminds Stacker that Gipsy Danger is analog and unaffected by the EMP that disabled the Shatterdome and Striker. Reluctantly, he lets Mako and Raleigh pilot Gipsy Danger to take on Leatherback and Otachi.

The two manage to kill both Kaiju, almost at the expense of their lives. When Gipsy plummets back down into the atmosphere after killing Otachi, Stacker advises they purge Gipsy's nuclear reactor to right themselves. The plan works and the two return to the Shatterdome. Stacker is impressed by their efforts and takes a moment to congratulate the Shatterdome's personnel before he realizes that he's bleeding from the nose.[4]

Destroying the Breach[]

Mako and Stacker

Pentecost and Mako share one last moment together.

Retreating, he orders the War Clock to be restarted and takes a moment to himself. Raleigh confronts him about his illness; Stacker recounts when he piloted Coyote Tango on his own after Tamsin passed out and how the exposure to the reactor retired him from piloting Jaegers permanently. He reveals that he called Raleigh back into the fight because he piloted Gipsy Danger on his own after Yancy was killed.

With only two Jaegers left and Herc injured from the fight with Leatherback, Stacker takes his place as Chuck's co-pilot. Standing before the Shatterdome personnel, he declares that the trust they have in each other will allow them to take the fight to the door of the Kaiju; and it is within them to "cancel the apocalypse" before it wipes them out.

As they prepare to head out, Chuck is uncertain how they'll work as partners. Stacker tells him he brings no memories or ego into the Drift with him, ensuring their bond will work without issue. Striker Eureka and Gipsy Danger are dropped off nearest to the Breach and proceed toward their target. As they approach they are warned by Newton and Hermann, who've drifted with the Baby Kaiju's brain, that they won't be able to use the bomb against the Breach because the Breach reads Kaiju DNA only.

Stacker Final Moment

Pentecost before he detonates the bomb.

The information comes as they are confronted by category IV Kaiju, Scunner and Raiju and moments before the arrival of Slattern; a category V Kaiju, and the largest Kaiju ever recorded. The two Kaiju separate Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka. Slattern attacks Striker Eureka, Stacker and Chuck barely hold their own, but are able to overpower it at the last second. Both Jaegers are damaged in the process of fighting the Category IV and V Kaiju; the damage sustained by Striker prevents it from deploying the bomb. Their fight with Slattern forces the Kaiju to call on the help of Scunner, who abandons its fight with Gipsy Danger.

Stacker urges Mako and Raleigh to make for the Breach and destroy the Kaiju with Gipsy Danger's nuclear reactor. Mako concedes with her father's wishes and tells him that she loves him.[note 2][9][4] As Scunner and Slattern converge, Stacker and Chuck arm the thermonuclear bomb, sacrificing themselves to try and kill the Kaiju. Their effort kills Scunner, but merely wounds Slattern.

Personality[]

Pentecost is haunted by the death of his father and sister, Luna. The illness and subsequent death of his co-pilot, Tamsin, leaves him burdened with the responsibility of protecting the world from the Kaiju and makes him responsible for Mako.[2][4] Although he believes she can pilot a Jaeger as well as anyone, his fear that her desire for revenge in the name of her family will consume her, prevents him from allowing her to pilot. Their relationship is built on mutual respect and understanding for one another, as Mako is the only family he has left.

A terminally ill man, Stacker puts on a strict facade to hide his fragility from the world; his appearance, tailored and without creases, reflect his need to maintain his strength before his comrades.[2] His demeanor as a soldier and former Ranger allows him to empathize with the responsibility of Jaeger pilots, but leaves little room for insubordination and ego.[4][10] Travis Beacham describes Pentecost as "badass Obi-Wan Kenobi type" with regrets in regards to the lives led by the people around him. Understanding that none of them can merely forget their duty to the world, he refrains from filling his comrades heads with wishes and fantasies of a better life. Stacker sees himself as the "fixed point" that keeps the remaining PPDC operatives focused on the goal of defeating the Kaiju.[2] Stacker commands great respect amongst his men as shown by their reactions to him choosing to pilot Striker Eureka himself and his rousing speech before Operation Pitfall.

Skills[]

Pentecost is one of the most skilled Jaeger pilots in the Pan Pacific Defense Corps and one of the only two Rangers in the organization's history to have successfully piloted a Jaeger alone, the other being Raleigh Becket. Although his exposure to Coyote Tango's nuclear reactor later led him to become sick with radiation poisoning, he is still able to effectively pilot the far more advanced Striker Eureka against the likes of Category IV and V Kaiju.

Stacker's mental and emotional control presumably allows him to Drift with others without problems, as he takes nothing into the Drift with him. He is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, utilizing his background in mixed martial arts to his advantage in combat against the Kaiju. Stacker, on account of being a former Ranger and stationed in a different countries around the world, is also able to understand and speak different languages.

Trivia[]

  • Guillermo del Toro modeled Stacker Pentecost after Colonel Shikishima from Akira.[11]
  • Del Toro offered Tom Cruise the role of Stacker Pentecost, however, the actor later declined due to "scheduling conflicts" with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and other projects. Guillermo eventually chose to cast Idris Elba instead.[12]
  • Idris Elba states he watched footage of politicians, Ridley Scott's Gladiator and Mel Gibson's Braveheart to prepare for the role of Stacker Pentecost.[13]
  • According to make up department head, Jordan Samuel, Stacker's burns are on the left side of his body, which implies that Tamsin was the dominant (right) pilot in Coyote Tango.[14]
  • In the featurette, Jaegers Echo Human Embrace, a scene omitted from the film reveals Stacker Pentecost checking his circuitry suit burns from piloting Coyote Tango with a device called the Serna Scanner.[15]
  • Mako's final words to Stacker Pentecost, when translated, are "Teacher, I love you."
  • When asked whether or not he would return for the sequel during a AMA on Reddit, Elba stated he was unsure because "[his] character died in the first one".[16][17] Earlier, in 2013, co-star Rinko Kikuchi teased at the possibility of Pentecost's return.[18]
  • In an omitted scene from Pacific Rim after the death of Otachi, Stacker Pentecost communicates that he's been in a situation similar to Raleigh and Mako's when Gipsy Danger plummets back into the atmosphere.[19] The same scene is featured in the novelization.[20]

Gallery[]

Pan Pacific Defense Corps Logo An image gallery is available for
Stacker Pentecost

External Links[]

Notes[]

  1. June 21st, 2016
  2. Travis Beacham: "Oh, man... What Mako says is — "Sensei, I love you."

References[]

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