Red Star (G.I. Joe)

:"For the Soviet symbol, see "Red star"."

Red Star is a fictional character from the line of toys, cartoons and comics. He is the leader of the Oktober Guard, the Soviet equivalent of the G.I. Joe Team, and successor to Col. Brekhov, the previous leader who died in action.

Biography

Red Star is the code name of Russian Naval Infantry Captain (0-6) Anatoly Fyodorovich Krimov. He was born in Odessa, Ukraine when the country was still part of the Soviet Union. He was exceptionally bright, and became the youngest chess master in Odessa at age seven. He even became a published Pushkin scholar and coach of the pistol team at the Dynamo Sports Club in Moscow.

When Red Star is introduced in the G.I. Joe comics series (the Marvel Comics run), he already holds the position of colonel. Red Star has an uncanny resemblance to his predecessor, he even shares Brekhov's habit of smoking cigars. Most fans took this as an in-joke on comic book writer Larry Hama's part. It is possible that the Red Star action figure was meant to have been Col. Brekhov but it was released years after the character died in the comics.

Animated Appearances

In the second G.I. Joe animated series produced by , Red Star is a part of the Joe Team. He retains the rank of captain and rather than being called Red Star by his Joe teammates, they all addressed him as "Captain Krimov". This may be attributed to the fact that by the time he was introduced, the Soviet Union has dissolved. He was usually portrayed as somewhat of a comic relief and more interested in American pop culture. He also commanded the G.I. Joe General vehicle.

He appeared in the following episodes:

* Episode 13 Cold Shoulder (Col. Krimov)
* Episode 15 General Confusion (Col. Krimov/Big Ben)
* Episode 17 That's Entertainment (Col. Krimov)

References

* [http://www.geocities.com/calvinnason/Oktober_Guard_Headquarters.html Oktober Guard HQ]
* [http://www.treasuresntoys.com/webcampoktoberguard.htm History of the October Guard]