James Bond Codename Theory: K.I.A.

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Ever since 1969, the James Bond series has been plagued by this theory. The “Codename Theory” is a theory even supported in the 1967 spoof of Casino Royale. That film isn’t seen as “real” by many fans. I thoroughly love it as a comedy; there’s no harm in a laugh and jab at Cold War tension. I’m getting off-track, though. This theory means that the name “James Bond,” and the number “007” are part of a codename, and given to that double-o agent. If an agent becomes 007, they are now named “James Bond” as well. This theory doesn’t hold up, and there’s plenty of evidence to prove this.

In 1969, Sean Connery was replaced by George Lazenby to play James Bond. In the beginning of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, George Lazenby saves a woman from assailants. When she runs away, she leaves behind her shoe; Bond then smirks, and says “this never happened to the other fella,” before looking at the camera, and this can go two ways. Leaving the shoe behind, Lazenby picks it up when he says his line, and this can be taken as a reference to the classic tale of Cinderella, especially because that’s the woman Bond fawns over during the film. Others took it as a sign that this is a new Bond, and not the same man we left in You Only Live Twice.

In this same movie, however, this theory starts to fall apart. When Bond returns to MI-6, he cleans out his desk, and finds effects from other films. Honey Ryder’s knife from Dr. No, Red Grant’s garrotte watch from From Russia With Love, and his respirator from Thunderball all come out of his desk. Why would he have these things if he wasn’t the same man? Q and MI-6 wouldn’t go out of their way to steal a woman’s knife; Bond probably got it as a memento from Ms. Ryder after their near-death experience at the hands of Dr. No at Crab Key.

The opening title sequence of the film also has plenty of imagery to past Bond adventures, as well as time passing. The most notable is when the sand in an hourglass is replaced with scenes of Dr. No and Goldfinger. Why would we care about the passage of time for a new man?

The Marriage Angle

As the film goes on, he meets with Blofeld, and supposedly for the first time, even though they met in the last film, but this is just credited as a writing error. After changing actors, the writers wanted On Her Majesty’s Secret Service to be as close as possible to the original novel by Ian Fleming. In the novel, Bond meets Blofeld for the first time, and gets married to a woman named Tracy. It was kept so close to the novel that it’s reported that George Lazenby had a copy of the book on set to reference. At the end of the film, Bond resigns from the service after he is married. His married life is short-lived, however. With Blofeld driving the car, Erma Bunt kills Tracy in a drive-by meant for Bond.

When Sean Connery returned for another film in 1971’s Diamonds are Forever, the film starts with him presumably hunting Blofeld, because Blofeld had a hand in Tracy’s death. We don’t see Connery’s face, but we hear his voice while he pummels leads, much like how they kept Lazenby in shadow during the opening of the prior film. Blofeld doesn’t return for ten years, and when he does, it’s just implied that the man is Blofeld.

Before Blofeld’s appearance in 1981, Tracy was referenced in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me. When Bond meets Agent XXX of the KGB, she runs down his dossier. She includes how he likes his drinks, his resume of how he handles situations, and his married life. “Married only once, wife killed-” when she’s cut off by Bond “that’s enough.” Blofeld’s return in 1981’s For Your Eyes Only comes in the form of the pre-titles sequence. After Bond places flowers on Tracy’s grave (showing her year of death is 1969,) he is told a helicopter is coming to pick him up. It’s quickly realized to be a trap by Blofeld. Bond quickly gets away, and flies the helicopter himself; he then finds Blofeld on a rooftop, and proceeds to kill him. If you haven’t seen the death, I’ll let you imagine what happens; it isn’t a gruesome propeller death, so keep thinking.

Bond being married is brought up by his friend Felix Leiter in 1989’s Licence to Kill. In my opinion, it’s still the most gruesome and intense film in the franchise, but that’s not what we’re talking about right now. In the start of the film, Bond attends Felix’s wedding, and after the reception, Felix’s wife, Della, tries throwing Bond the garter. He smiles and says “no, thank you,” and that’s when Della throws it at him anyway. Bond smiles softly before putting it in his pocket. When Della asks Felix if she did something wrong, he just softly responds, “he was married once, but that was a long time ago,” obviously a reference to twenty years prior.

Pierce Brosnan’s time as Bond still kept this continuity going. In 1995’s Goldeneye, Alec Trevelyan mocks Bond near the end of the film. When Bond decides to poke Alec and try to make fun of Alec’s motives, Alec fires back. “I might as well ask if all the vodka martinis ever silenced the screams of all the men you killed. Or if you found forgiveness in the arms of all those willing women, for the dead ones you failed to protect.” It’s reasonable to assume that more women than Tracy have had a target on their back for being with Bond, such as Aki’s death in You Only Live Twice; Aki was killed in a botched assassination attempt meant for Bond.

In 1999’s The World is Not Enough, Bond’s relationship with Elektra King is reminiscent of his time with Tracy. I say this because of her attitude, the way she dresses, and her story supposedly striking a chord with Bond. Her attitude towards Bond is very rigid; when she and Bond meet, she acts as though she wants nothing to do with MI-6, because they couldn’t protect her mother or father. She needed some convincing, like Tracy did. Her dress in Valentin’s casino was an elegant mesh, but instead of Tracy’s white dress, Elektra’s was red, and this was probably used as foreshadowing. The audience can also note that Tracy wore her hair up, and Elektra wore it down. Her story of escaping captivity is also a parallel to Tracy’s at the end of Secret Service. At the end of that film, Tracy tried seducing Blofeld, while keeping him at bay; this is the same tactic Elektra used. She openly tells Bond that she used her body to seduce the guards, and then killed them when their guard was lowered.

Orbis Non Sufficit: “The World Is Not Enough”

In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, James Bond’s coat of arms is shown to the audience. The audience hears “Orbis Non Suffict,” which translates from Latin to “the world is not enough.” Other than the 1999 movie being called The World Is Not Enough, Bond actually tells Elektra his family motto. When Bond has been captured, Elektra tells him she could’ve given him the world, to which he coldly replies, “the world is not enough.” Elektra says it’s a foolish sentiment, and Bond smirks, saying “family motto.”

It’s possible this connection was planned for the thirtieth anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but either way, it connects Pierce’s Bond at least back to George’s with little-to-no effort.

Bond’s Allies

Of course, we have to mention Felix Leiter, Bond’s contact in the CIA since 1962. Felix is a pop-up character in the series, often flipping between many actors when Bond needs help in the United States. We can also assume that Bond and Felix are genuine friends based on the way they talk to each other, and because Bond was Felix’s best man. In Dr. No, the two had mutual respect for each other; it turns into friendship and understanding throughout the films, too. In Goldfinger, Felix finds Bond getting a massage, and makes a quip; “I knew I’d find you in good hands,” to which Bond smiles and the two get down to business. This is how they’ll interact in Sean Connery’s movies. They have quips back and forth, enjoy each other’s company, and Felix’s actors are hit-or-miss levels of quality. In Live and Let Die, the two discuss lunch plans, and it isn’t just a business lunch; you get the feeling from how they talk that this is a bond between two genuine friends, like in Goldfinger.

While in Timothy Dalton’s run, Felix Leiter had his last runs in the series. He appeared in The Living Daylights spying in the Middle East. He catches Bond after the staged murder of a general, and the two “talk shop,” as Bond puts it. While it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a C.I.A. operative to want Bond’s attention, especially since Bond is a wanted man in this film; Felix doesn’t just arrest Bond and hand him over to the Russians. Felix has Bond trapped by two attractive women and brought to Felix’s hideout to explain himself. Licence to Kill is Felix’s last appearance in this canon. Felix is played by his actor from Live and Let Die, David Hedison. After Felix’s life is torn apart by a Colombian drug lord, Bond goes on a rampage. Felix is left missing limbs, and his wife has been murdered. Bond resigns from MI-6, and goes out by himself for Felix. Bond wouldn’t throw his years of service away for a man who just knows him by a codename.

After Felix’s departure from the series, Bond needed a new American ally. Cue Jack Wade! Wade is a stereotypical American (and I’m okay with that for some strange reason,) and he seems to be just a contact Bond is stuck with at first, much like Felix’s first appearance in Dr. No. He only appeared in two of Brosnan’s movies, but had a fun presence. He could be seen as the newer 90’s version of a grown man. He wore Hawaiian shirts with fishing hats, asked Bond about gardening, and had the military on standby, yes, but didn’t deploy them on time, and didn’t wear tactical gear when he was with them. When Bond arrives on an American airbase in Tomorrow Never Dies, Bond is wearing his commander uniform; Wade is wearing his usual clothes.

Bond looks Wade up and down, and shakes his head in a “no” way, while making a disgusted face. Bond was on the run with a forty-eight hour deadline to stop World War III, and he found time to stop; getting formally dressed. Wade’s dress can also been compared to the 90’s film Broken Arrow; when coming from a crisis, Christian Slater’s Riley Hale is wearing the same clothes he’d been wearing the whole film while on a military base. Bond is the classy man who’s always formal, while the newer age of men were more casual.

Moneypenny is another prominent ally. She has a crush on Bond, and even cried when he got married, or went missing. With how she composes herself around Bond, there’s no way she’s carrying a torch for any other agents, or at least we haven’t seen it. She wouldn’t just be attracted to everyone who held a codename, unless part of the requirements for 007 is “tall, dark, and handsome,” and that sounds more ridiculous than any villain’s plot in the films. This also clears Moneypenny of being a codename for M’s secretaries.

Q is also a staple in Bond’s life. Without Q’s gadgets, Bond “would’ve been dead long ago,” and the classic line “grow up, 007” is burned into fans everywhere. Now, Bond is incredibly immature when given new toys to play with, like a child. He doesn’t read the manual, can master whatever’s in his hands in seconds, and ruins most things. Most people in this position would be scared to use some of the equipment; a remote-control for your BMW? I’m certain that would be forgotten by most agents who received it, or they’d use it as a last resort, but Bond was so quick to whip out his phone and drive the car; he must’ve been excited to use it a real situation.

When Q retires in The World is Not Enough, Bond is visibly heartbroken. John Cleese steps in to take Desmond Llewlyn’s place, but this letter is an abbreviation for “Quartermaster,” so it makes sense that this is handed down. Bond refers to Cleese’s Q as “R,” and I’ll admit, I prefer that because he’s Q’s replacement, but Q had been with Bond since 1963.

Valentin Zukovsky is only in the 90’s films, but he shows Bond’s progression from the Cold War-era to modern day. Some of Valentin’s first lines poke fun at Bond being an old man; “do you still work for MI-6, or have you decided to join the twenty-first century? I hear the new M is a lady.” Valentin is an ex-KGB agent who has a history with Bond, and that’s because Bond shot him in the leg during the Cold War. Bond and Valentin share two movies. In Goldeneye, they reluctantly work together and help each other; Valentin’s mob business, and Bond’s investigation both grow. In the older films, Bond has worked with the KGB, but never an ex-KGB agent like Valentin. In The World is Not Enough, Valentin has a smile on his face when he sees Bond in his casino. It quickly fades when he sees Bond waving his gun around, but he sees Bond as a friend after the events of Goldeneye. This is a testament to Bond’s adaptability that he’s always had throughout the series, reminding us of times Bond’s charisma has been a great asset. Like when he worked with Anya Amasova in the 1970’s, or destroyed England’s A-TAC system so neither the East or West would have it in the 1980s.

The final ally to discuss is Bond’s boss, M. Played by different actors, and used as a code, M grew into a bigger role as the series went on. Under Bernard Lee, M was strict and Bond respected him out of rank. In his final film, Moonraker, Lee’s M is softer to Bond. He figures if Bond has a hunch, let him run with it, because Bond has never steered him wrong. We also grew to see M in the field more often under Lee, and this kept up with Robert Brown. With Robert Brown, Bond does meet him in the old office, but he’s known for appearing places, like in Florida when he wants to talk with Bond face-to-face in Licence to Kill. During Licence to Kill, M has agents hunt Bond, and when he’s on the run, he eventually gives up and invites Bond back after Bond successfully avenges Felix. Judi Dench’s M is something special for Bond.

It’s reasonable to assume after Bond resigns from MI-6 in 1989, he leaves active service for a few years, and this is backed up with Goldeneye‘s opening. The opening of Goldeneye is in 1986; this would be under Robert Brown’s M, and before the events of The Living Daylights. The first scene in 1995 has Bond completing his driving evaluation. After leaving the service in Licence to Kill, he would have to be re-evaluted to become 007 again, just like in Skyfall. He has a problem taking orders from Judi Dench’s M at the beginning, and she sees it. After some verbal sparring, the two grow respect for each other, and their relationship turns into a “mother and son” deal. He originally took orders without question because the other bosses were military men who climbed the rank, but this M seemed to be more of an “accountant” in Bond’s eyes at first.

What About Daniel Craig’s Bond?

Well, I’ll admit that’s tricky. But, his Bond is a complete reboot of the series. After Pierce Brosnan was let go from the role (a terrible shame if you ask me,) EON Productions finally had the rights to Casino Royale. This would’ve been their first chance to “properly” start Bond’s story with his origin story. Since 2006, we’ve had the new James Bond timeline, with new faces and old names.

This explains why Felix Leiter is back; Licence to Kill didn’t happen in this timeline. The new Blofeld would also need some explaining, of course. The last four movies have been establishing the James Bond from the 1960’s in modern day. Casino Royale had the heartbreak of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; Quantum of Solace had the vengeful Bond of Licence to Kill; Skyfall proved that Bond still had a place in the world, like Goldeneye, while laying the groundwork for the MI-6 regulars; finally, Spectre gave Bond his arch nemesis of the Connery-era.

All we can do now is see where No Time To Die takes us, whenever that comes out. We have the blueprint done up for a classic 007 adventure, but something tells me that’s not what we’re going to get.