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"When there's time to lean, there's time to clean!"

Sally "Grandma" Tracy is a character from the Thunderbirds Are Go! television series. She is Jeff Tracy's mother, the grandmother of his five sons, and also the adoptive grandmother of Kayo.

Personality and Traits[]

As the caregiver who practically brought up the current Tracy household after her son went missing, she might seem rather harmless, at first look - but in fact, she's a vital member of International Rescue, and is very supportive of the team. Grandma shows love and compassion towards all her grandsons, as well as Kayo (who sees her as a grandmother-figure).

While it is easy to pass her off as just another housewife type of character, she is in fact, a very capable and valuable member of International Rescue, with adequate training to handle rescue missions. Examples of such are her being seen taking over monitor duty when Thunderbird 5 went offline, accompanying and calming Virgil down on a rescue mission where his gear turned useless as a result of an EMF charge, and directing Scott on how to regain control of Thunderbird 1 when the craft spiraled out of control. Although in Grandma Tourismo, she needs help from John to secure Thunderbird 2 with the grapples she is able to fly Thunderbird 2 with ease to rescue Virgil and the trapped crew. She might not be as specialized as any of the other members of International Rescue, but the calm demeanor that comes with her age and experience, along with her technical know-how, nonetheless reinforce her practical value to the team.

Outside of missions, she is known for her love of cooking despite being terrible at it, and never seeming to improve despite her numerous attempts (and failures). Though Scott has mentioned to have a particular attachment to her chicken wings. While she acts oblivious of the fact and frequently has the Tracy brothers be her guinea pigs at tasting, she is actually well aware of her shortcomings. Her terrible hobby, as well as her tendency to make her grandchildren her victims, seems to have faded considerably, if not entirely, as time went on.

Duties[]

Sally Tracy is International Rescue's backup for command and dispatch, only assisting with rescues when everyone else is busy. Grandma has also been capable of co-piloting and piloting Thunderbird 2 (as shown in Unplugged and Grandma Tourismo). When John is busy with a rescue mission, Grandma tends to take over space monitor duty by taking control of Thunderbird 5's systems from Tracy Island. As well as her roles in the Thunderbirds, Grandma has also been able to pilot the Mole Pod, indicating a level of familiarity with the organization's modular auxiliary vehicles.

Appearances[]

Main article: /Missions

Grandma plays a minor role in most of the episodes she's in; but on two occasions, she's a great help.

Unplugged[]

Virgil and Grandma are meeting up with Lady Penelope in London when an EMF generator cuts the power to the entire city and anything over it (including Thunderbird 2). With Grandma's help, they both track down the source of the power disruption and put a stop to it.

Grandma Tourismo[]

Grandma Tracy and Virgil are getting some supplies for Tracy island, when two emergency calls come in, a crew of three are trapped under a rock slide and a shop merchant all of whom are stuck in a category 13 sandstorm. As Virgil cannot be in two places at once before he gets caught in the sandstorm next, Grandma Tracy rescues the shop merchant, and then has to rescue Virgil and the workers.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Her first name, Sally, is mentioned in Grandma Tourismo, when she tells Kate to call her by her name - to whom she also admits that she makes bad cookies.
  • Also in Grandma Tourismo, it's revealed that Grandma used to be a pilot before she met her husband, and taught her son, Jeff, to fly a single-engine aircraft.
  • She's a terrible cook. In Legacy, she acknowledged this to Brains - but on the condition it remained between them.
  • In Unplugged, she also mentioned Grandpa Tracy, her late husband, and gave Virgil his compass.
  • Grandma was one of two people who knew, from the beginning, of Kayo's familial relation with The Hood (Jeff was the other). Whether Jeff told her himself, or she was present when the fact was revealed to him, is not known.
  • In The Long Reach Part 2, she mentions that she used to be a doctor, but is now retired.

Foreign Names[]

  • Japanese: おばあちゃん (Obāchan)
  • Chinese: 崔西奶奶 (Cuīxī nǎinai)


International Rescue
Ir2015-logo

Primary Operatives:
Jeff TracyScott TracyVirgil TracyJohn TracyGordon TracyAlan TracyKayoBrainsMAXMr. Kyrano (retired) • Grandma Tracy

Field Agents:
Lady Penelope Creighton-WardAloysius ParkerCaptain Lee TaylorColonel Casey

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