Harriman Nelson - Character History

Character History

Nelson's naval record is never expressly stated; however it is known that he has extensive naval combat experience, both in submarines and in the surface fleet, and he's an extremely experienced aviator as well. It is known that he commanded USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the world's first nuclear powered submarine, at some point in the late 1950s, and that Lee Crane first met the Admiral when he served on that ship's crew. It is also known that he has served as an instructor at the United States Naval Academy on occasion, teaching marine biology and chemistry (see "Doomdsay," season one episode 19). He also spent a sabbatical teaching marine biology at at least one co-educational university (see "The Ghost of Moby Dick"). He has some background in Counterintelligence (Office of Naval Intelligence, or ONI), and evidently speaks fluent Russian as he is occasionally seen on assignment under cover in the Soviet Union. His credentials as a scientist and explorer are above repute, and although he is mentioned as being "Always controversial," he is held in generally high regard by the scientific and military communities, despite his mercurial temper, and is popular in the media, probably because of said temper.

Nelson retired from the active-duty Navy at some point prior to the beginning of the series (and the film), and formed the Nelson Institute of Marine Research, which is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. In this capacity, he designed and built the 400+ foot Seaview (USOS Seaview in the film, and later designated as SSRN Seaview in the TV series), which is the world's only privately-owned-and-operated Nuclear Submarine. Theodore Sturgeon wrote a novelization of the film Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, in which Seaview's bow windows are described as "... oversized hull plates which happen to be transparent." They are incredibly strong because they are made of "X-tempered herculite", a top secret process developed by Nelson. In the film, he stated his hope that the bow windows would afford "sights never before seen by Man, and by seeing, solve some of the mysteries of the deep." Marine research is intended to be the primary mission of USOS Seaview (for United States Oceanographic Survey, and in the motion picture, under the authority of the Bureau of Marine Exploration). However, she is listed as a Naval Reserve vessel, and is automatically drafted into active service as the US Navy deems necessary. As such, her crew is composed entirely of retired or reserve naval personnel.

Nelson has always felt it was his duty to be strictly apolitical, and refused to ever voice an opinion publicly on a political matter. In the second season, however, he was forced to take a different stance when he discovered that a leading candidate for Secretary of Defense was actually an enemy agent. Despite his apoliticism, Nelson is extremely close friends with fictional US President Henry Talbot MacNeil, and was counted as one of the president's poker buddies.

Nelson's religious beliefs are a subject of some debate. He is obviously a rational - if moody - intellect, and clearly believes in evolution; however, he has also memorized lengthy passages of the Bible, which he recites on occasion, and he seemed condescending towards a visiting Soviet dignitary's vocal atheism on at least one occasion. That said, despite his several paranormal experiences, Nelson appears, on balance, to be Deistic or else guardedly irreligious.

A closer look at the "text" - i.e. the actual episodes - suggests a decidedly Christian bent to the Admiral's complex personality. As noted above, Nelson frequently quotes Scripture, "Cradle of the Deep (1965)", "Jonah & the Whale (1965)". More examples tend to indicate the Admiral's familiarity with Scripture went beyond that of simply a well-read man. In "The Cyborg (1966)," he flashes a clearly disgusted look at a mad genius who had quoted Genesis 1:27 to glorify his own creative work (that being a race of synthetic "humanoids.") In both "Jonah & the Whale" and "The Terrible Toys (1967)," he suggests prayer to a Soviet scientist and Crane (respectively) on occasions of dire peril. In two burials at sea - one for a "People's Republic" officer in "The Exile" (1965) and another for ghostly U-Boat Captain Krueger in "The Phantom Strikes" (1966) - Nelson and his friend Captain Lee Crane refer to "the Resurrection" and their belief "those who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." It is certainly true, however, that Nelson's religious/Christian denomination - if he had one - was never mentioned in the television series.