Icarus was a fictional orbital solar weapon constructed by former North Korean colonel and diamond magnate Gustav Graves. It appeared in EON Productions' 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day, largely as an homage to the Diamond Satellite constructed by Ernst Stavro Blofeld in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. Subsequently, the weapon system would later appear in the 2012 video-game 007 Legends.
History[]
Die Another Day (film)[]
Amid a storm of publicity, wealthy entrepreneur Gustav Graves unveiled the Icarus satellite to the world's press gathered in Iceland. He claimed that the satellite had been created with the intent of providing sunlight to areas of the world which lack it in order to promote agricultural development in cold climate countries. In reality, however, Graves was planning to use the satellite as a weapon to detonate mines placed along the Demilitarised Zone between North and South Korea. With a path carved through the demilitarised zone, the North - with his backing - would invade the South.
Unlike the Diamond Satellite from Diamonds Are Forever, this particular satellite utilises solar energy instead of laser technology; harnessing the power of the sun and focusing it on a given target.
When James Bond uncovered Graves' true intentions, Graves attempted to kill the British agent with Icarus as he fled the scene, laying waste to the ice-covered landscape, using his wrist mounted Icarus Controller to aim the weapon. However, Bond evaded its gigantic beam, and returned to Graves' ice palace in search of Jinx, who was being held hostage until Graves fired Icarus upon the site in hopes of drowning her. The ice palace was destroyed, but not before Bond rescued Jinx.
Graves then returned to his native North Korea where he planned to fire Icarus upon the American lines along the Demilitarized Zone. Fashioning a sophisticated Combat Suit fitted with a Remote Control to the satellite, Graves shot down an American missile launched to intercept Icarus, and then fired the weapon upon the minefield below. With no effective countermeasure, the American and South Korean forces had no choice but to retreat as Icarus approached the U.S. command bunker.
However, Icarus was finally deactivated when Bond and Jinx boarded Graves' jet and finally killed him, denying the North Korean military their advantage over the Allies and thwarting the invasion. It can be presumed that Icarus itself was destroyed soon after.
007 Legends[]
To be added
Gallery[]
.jpg "Icarus deploying in orbit (Die Another Day).jpg (175 KB)")
