Resistance (V) - Ham Tyler

Ham Tyler

Ham Tyler (better known in the Resistance as "The Fixer") was an CIA operative who, along with his longtime friend and associate; Chris Farber, went on special missions for the US Government. While on a mission in Viet Nam, during the war, Ham married a Eurasian woman and had a daughter with her. Towards the end of the war, Ham and Farber were sent on a mission, with his Superiors promising to evacuate his wife and child. While away, a bombing raid went wrong over the then capital Saigon, and likely lead to the deaths of his family. Ham was left devastated, and both he and Farber left the agency, becoming mercenaries-for-hire.

During the First Invasion, Ham and Farber tracked down the Los Angeles Resistance to their secret HQ. The men alert the rebels to an imminent raid, and help them evacuate. Ham then quickly asserts himself as a key figure in the Resistance, taking over much of tactical and combat-related aspects of the insurgency. He secures a new base for the rebels, supplies them with weapons and Teflon-coated (armor-piercing)ammo, and trains them to fight better. But his seemingly cutthroat tactics puts him at odds with Resistance leader Mike Donovan, whom Ham knew since Donovan's days as a camera reporter and nicknamed "Gooder" (short for "do-gooder") for his tendency of cover Ham's mercenary actions. Their mutual antipathy comes to a head when they disagree about when to distribute the newly made Red Dust toxin to the other Resistance groups; his fighting style, strength and loyalty earned Ham's respect. Ham coordinated the global dispersal of the Red Dust in conjunction with Mike's attack on the Mothership, leaving the Earth poisonous to the Visitors.

Despite his seeming ruthlessness and cynical views on the war and humanity, Ham is not blind to the 'human condition' and retains some interest in the larger picture. While he remains distant from those around him, he seems to hold some respect for Ruby Engles, promising to tell the elderly rebel about his past if they all survive their next mission. When Ruby dies during the mission, Ham silently takes her death to heart, evident in his eagerness to exact revenge against her killer (Daniel Bernstein) explaining that he plans to "kill him as many times as I can." Ham often takes the position of cold pragmatism, though when pushed (usually by Mike Donovan), Ham puts himself in danger for a number of 'humanitarian' causes that are of little strategic benefit. In an unusual display of human warmth, he even dresses up as Santa Claus to give gifts to orphaned children that he'd helped previously rescue.

One year after Liberation Day, Ham has started a high-tech security agency and is hired by Nathan Bates for $500,000 to capture Diana and assist in extracting Visitor technological information. While at Science Frontiers HQ, Bates looks at the captures Diana on TV and asks him what he would do with her, prompting Ham to dryly reply that he'd use her for "target practice." When Bates remarks that they could still get the universal cure to cancer, he says that Diana is the disease. He soon regrets his role in the capture, as it leads to Martin's death and Diana escaping to launch the Second Invasion of the Earth. Disgusted with Bates disregard for life, Ham leaves his employ all together to join the newly reformed Resistance.

He continued his friendship with Donovan and later becomes Kyle Bates's (Nathan's son) mentor, giving him the nickname "Ace". Along the way, he reunites with his old friend Chris Farber. When an unauthorized raid on a Visitor convoy goes bad, he's taken prisoner and brought to Diana, who sends him to Legation to undergo conversion. Using a new and improved conversion technique, visions of his missing wife and child with Donovan were used to turn him against Donovan. Charles began planting the trigger phrase as he upped the cycles. After his conversion was complete, he was taken to Bates to demonstrate the results of the process. He was then rescued by the resistance. Julie tried to help him cope with the traumatic experience, relating her own ordeal when she underwent conversion. During a prisoner transfer, the phrase was used. As Ham was preparing to shoot Donovan, Elizabeth caused a light pole to fall into him, causing him to shoot Nathan Bates instead.

In the (unaired) series finale, Ham and Farber returned to help Mike's Resistance group escape Visitor attack shuttles. Ham now currently works with the Resistance to find the "Anyx", an artifact that can defeat the Visitors.