Project Blackwing is an organisation in the television series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
Blackwing is a CIA division tasked with searching for, studying and dealing with anomalous entities.
History
Early history
In 1988[1] the American Central Intelligence Agency founded a special division, created and led by Scott Riggins as its Operations Chief, which was codenamed (Project) Blackwing. Blackwing's purpose was to seek, investigate, and collect beings with superhuman and paranormal perceptions and abilities (anomalous entities). Previously a government project with similar function had existed in Project Black Book.
In the following time, Blackwing found and collected a number of paranormal phenomena, totaling 42[2] subjects. 30 of these 42 subjects were brought in by Mr. Priest.[2]
The research and its results were found to be insufficent by the CIA. This went along with a possible closing down ("shutdown") and/or inmate escape ("breach"), resulting in a number of subjects leaving Blackwing's control.[3] This was possibly approximately around the year 2000, given as Dirk Gently's last contact with the project.[1]
By 2016, Project Blackwing had been downgraded and operated on a limited budget.[3]
Revival
In 2016, Blackwing had surveillance on Dirk Gently at the beginning of the Spring case, conducted by Riggins and the newly assigned Hugo Friedkin.[4]
At the same time, Project Blackwing was under review by a CIA oversight comitee lead by Wilson, who Riggins now answered to. Wilson tasked Riggins with retrieving the Blackwing subjects at large, of which there were over 30; if this failed she theatened the elimination of the subjects.[3]
Riggins, still accompanied by Friedkin, attemted to convince Dirk Gently[1], and the Rowdy 3[5] to return with him to Blackwing, but was unsuccessful.
A few days later, Riggins was replaced by Hugo Friedkin, who was believed by Wilson to be more proactive and agressive. Black was then fully reinstated and funded.[5][6]
Under Friedkin's command, the first actions were the cleanup of the Spring case and the Men of the Machine cult, as well as the attempted retrieval of the free former Blackwing subjects. The Spring case purge led to much property destruction and deaths, as all related material and people were either seized or removed.[6]
Under Friedkin
Blackwing managed to recapture Projects Icarus and three of Incubus, and took in Ken and Rapunzel, who were designated "Project Alpha". Marzanna and Vogel, as well as these subjects' associates (Todd, Farah, Amanda) managed to elude them and became fugitives. Project Moloch was retrieved. The subjects were held at the Project Blackwing facility. Unkown to Blackwing, Mona Wilder was present at the facility in her toy-shape.[7]
...[2]
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Incursion
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Personnel
Members, personnel and affiliated people:
- General Kinsey[3]
- Scott Riggins
- Hugo Friedkin
- Wilson (Jessica Wilson?)
- Lieutenant Assistent
- Mr. Priest
- Ken Adams
Blackwing subjects
Blackwing's subjects are a number of individuals with a range of paranormal abilities and connected phenomena (anomalous entities). Each subject is assigned a project name and a symbol; the names are usually a mythological reference, while the symbols are geometrical designs. The original project encompassed 42[2] subjects.
At Blackwing (under Friedkin), subjects wear overalls with a differently-colored band across the chest and arms and their project symbol on the left breast.
The project names and symbols were first seen on a screen during the CIA meeting in episode Lost & Found. (may contain errors)
- Project Incubus
- Project Abaddon
- Project Marzanna
- Project Succubus
- Project Athos
- Project Griffin
- Project Cain
- Project Herodias
- Project Aea
- Project Getus
- Project Orthrus
- Project Lamia
- Project Echidna
- Project Harpy
- Project Icarus
- Project Cerberus
- Project Cheron
- Project Brontes
- Project Baler (unconfirmed, circle with two lines through)
- Project Slaugh
- Project Carman
- Project Gog
- Project Python
- Project Satyr
- Project Banshee
- Project Bogle
- Project Mot
- Project Chiron
- Project Dullamann
- Project Wraith
- Project Miru
- Project Phoenix
- Project Golem
- Project Enyo
- Project Moloch
- Project Vesta
- Project Bel
- Project Valkyres
- Project Elli
- Project Modi
- Project Dagon
- Project Jofur (unconfirmed, circle with three vertical lines on left inside)
- Project Alpha
Behind the scenes
- Project Blackwing is sometimes spelled as Project Black Wing.
- The Blackwing project names seen onscreen in Ep 1.02 were cleaned up by fans and posted as an image[14].
- Season 1 contains seven people of four Blackwing subjects: Dirk Gently/Icarus, Bart Curlish/Marzanna, the four Rowdy 3/Incubus, and covertly Mona Wilder/Project Lamia[15].
- Inbetween seasons 1 and 2, the symbol chart was picked up by Max Landis on Twitter[16] with additional colored-in information, labeled "Season 2". Icarus, Incubus, and Marzanna were marked green (presumed to be season 1's featured projects; confirmed), Herodias, Lamia, Banshee, Bel were marked orange (were presumed to be in season 2, but changed during production), and Moloch marked blue.
- The mandala-like season 2 poster shows seven Blackwing symbols in its center: Projects Icarus, Incubus, Valkyres, Orthrus, Marzanna, Lamia, clockwise around Cheron. The i dot of the "Dirk" in the title contains the Project Moloch symbol.
- Project Blackwing was inspired by the Woodshead Hospital in The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.[17]
Appearances
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rogue Wall Enthusiasts
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Fans of Wet Circles
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lost & Found
- ↑ Horizons
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Very Erectus
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Two Sane Guys Doing Normal Things
- ↑ Space Rabbit
- ↑ Two Broken Fingers
- ↑ The House Within the House
- ↑ Girl Power
- ↑ Little Guy, Black Hair
- ↑ Trouble Is Bad
- ↑ Nice Jacket
- ↑ cleaned-up Blackwing symbols[1]
- ↑ Max Landis on Twitter, 25.12.2016, [3]
- ↑ Max Landis on Twitter, 28.08.2017 [4]