Netflix dropped Steve Carell and Greg Daniel's Space Force in May, attracting fans itching for another workplace comedy. The show follows Mark Naird as the first ever general of the United States's sixth branch of the military: Space Force.
As a new general with a branch and team, General Naird is thrown through a loop of new issues every single day as he tries to create a functioning American town on the moon. To help him on his quest, his chief scientist is Dr. Adrian Mallory. Both men are dry and incredibly intelligent but outer space is a new territory for them. Working together has shown their brightest moments and downfalls, which has us wondering who the sitcom's hero really is: Dr. Adrian Mallory or General Naird?
GENERAL NAIRD: Space Force Is Nothing Without Him
In the pilot, General Naird thought he was being promoted to run the US Air Force but instead, the new four-starred general was given a new task: run the sixth branch of the US military, Space Force. The pay raise and change in occupation weren't exactly what General Naird was looking for, but it's clear he was the man for the job.
With intense precision and dedication, General Naird was the perfect person to launch this new branch of the military. Without General Naird and his relationship with Dr. Mallory, who knows if Space Force would be ahead of schedule like it is with him.
DR. MALLORY: He Helped Space Force Beat The Air Force
In the episode "Space Flag," Space Force is going head to head against the Air Force in a fictional combat situation. While General Naird prepares his troop for what to expect and how to use BB guns, Dr. Mallory prepares the ultimate uniforms perfect for battle.
Dr. Mallory is against the idea of astronauts having guns but goes along with the battle as General Naird's assistant. Once the teams are in combat, it's obvious Space Force was falling apart against Air Force. To save the day, Dr. Mallory showed up with technology that immobilized the Air Force. This allowed Space Force to take over and save the day.
GENERAL NAIRD: He Fought Against Orders To Get The Satellite Into Space Successfully
In the episode "The Launch," it's been a year since General Naird was promoted and he's now gearing up to launch a new satellite into space. Throughout the entire episode, Dr. Mallory fights him on the decision to send the satellite up prematurely. But as General Naird explained, they need to prove to other departments that Space Force is advancing in order to keep their funding.
No matter how hard Dr. Mallory tried to postpone the launch, General Naird followed his gut and went through with the launch anyway. The satellite entered space safely and solidified General Naird's position.
DR. MALLORY: He Wanted To Know The science Of Skinny Rocket Fuel
In the episode "Edison Jaymes," POTUS and Space Force are frustrated when India beats them to the punch technology-wise. To clean up their mess, Space Force is urged to join forces with tech guru Edison Jaymes.
Edison Jaymes claims to have a rocket fuel (that she dubbed Skinny Fuel) that's free of pollutants, lighter, and cheaper than normal fuel. If Skinny Fuel worked the way she claimed it does, it could be a game-changer for Space Force. As a scientist, Dr. Mallory knew her fuel was too good to be true and demanded to know the science behind it, and yet his questions were ignored. Without Dr. Mallory's little red flag that something was up (okay, and Tony kissing Eddison Jayme's assistant), Space Force could have made a deadly decision.
GENERAL NAIRD: Dr. Mallory Ruined The Interviews
In the episode "Conjuical Visit," Dr. Mallory is in charge of choosing technical professionals to enter space. General Naird would assist in the decision-making process but he had a conjugal visit scheduled with his wife.
After the interviews don't go the way Dr. Mallory had planned, he decides on choosing individuals who were readily available and easy to please. The problem was they had no prior experience and didn't have background checks, making them a hazard to Space Force's mission. This mess-up could easily ruin both their reputations and have General Naird fired.
DR. MALLORY: He's The Brains Behind The Four Year Moon Program
Dr. Mallory and General Naird are the names behind creating a permanent habitation on the moon. However, it's quite obvious that Dr. Mallory knows the ins and outs of what the base would need to survive in space, while General Naird is more familiar with following through with a mission.
Dr. Mallory keeps everything on schedule and spent years training for the exact job he has.
GENERAL NAIRD: He's A Neglectful Father
With his wife in jail, General Naird is essentially a single father. This is incredibly difficult for him since his job takes up his entire day. General Naird dedicated his life to the US Military and is more involved with the daily needs of Space Force than his daughter, Erin.
It was sweet to see General Naird dedicate his morning to helping Erin with her homework in one episode but besides that one moment, he's a no-show. It can't be easy on Erin with her mother in jail and her dad never home, but General Naird never takes the time to check in with his daughter to see how she is. He even left without her at the prison after his conjugal visit with his wife. As terrible as this parenting is, it does make for a darkly humorous sitcom premise.
DR. MALLORY: He Protected General Naird From General Grabaston
General Grabaston and General Naird didn't get along from the start. Dr. Mallory and General Naird also have had their fair share of differences but put it behind them to work as a team for the greater good of America. In the episode "Mark and Mallory go to Washington," Dr. Mallory is approached by General Grabaston about a possible under-the-table deal.
If the DC committee lost their trust in General Naird and fired him from his position with Space Force, General Grabaston would be next in line. General Grabaston basically tells Dr. Mallory that he would take him on as his lead scientist with more funding if he subtly goes against General Naird. Thankfully, Dr. Mallory stayed loyal to General Naird and continued their work together.
GENERAL NAIRD: He Realized China Was Up To Something
Not only was General Naird the one to realize China was already on the moon and fooling around with Space Force's satellite but he was also the one to realize they were up to something sneaky. In "It's Good to be Back on the Moon," Space Force successfully gets its astronauts into space and on the moon (even though they were warned by China to land somewhere else).
After speaking to China's general, he explained he won't move his base on the moon because of the amount of heavy equipment they have. But why did they bring such heavy equipment with them to the moon? Without General Naird, Space Force wouldn't have found out China was drilling on the moon for H-3.
DR. MALLORY: He Didn't Want War On The Moon
Things got heated at the end of episode nine when a Chinese moon cruiser ran over the American flag. With tensions high, the heads of each military branch got together to decide what to do next. Everyone was in agreement that they should attack the Chinese base for what they did to the American flag, but Dr. Mallory was left in the dark.
Why would scientists be thrown into a combative situation on the moon? Dr. Mallory was shocked when he found out the space shuttle already had guns on board and that General Naird was turning the moon into a war zone. Thankfully, the episode ended with Dr. Mallory getting inside General Naird's head and disabling the guns before harm was done.