Richard Burgi as Detective James Ellison in The Sentinel. Photo copyright of UPN.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Richard Burgi talks about his character of Detective James Ellison's onscreen relationships in The Sentinel.
In The Sentinel’s pilot episode Switchman, Detective James Ellison is on the trail of a serial bomber who is planning to blow up a lumber mill. While alone in the woods on a long stake-out the detective suddenly begins to suffer from symptoms that he attributes to mental stress. In fact, what he is experiencing are his burgeoning hyper-senses. When the Switchman succeeds in destroying his target Ellison blames himself and requests a leave of absence. Fortunately for him he meets anthropology graduate student Blair Sandburg (Garett Maggart), who offers the police officer an explanation for his recent feelings of uneasiness and disorientation. Ellison reluctantly agrees to let Sandburg observe him while on the job in exchange for helping him learn how to control his newfound powers.
“I think Ellison still has certain reservations about being seen in public with Sandburg,” jokes Burgi. “I remember when I was a teenager I met this guy who had either been in World War II or Vietnam. He had this tremendous energy about him and an attitude of, ‘Unless you’ve been there, unless you’ve been indoctrinated, trained and broken down, I’ve got nothing to say to you.’ I can recall feeling, I think, what Sandburg must feel towards Ellison sometimes, which is that maybe he should do the right thing which is cut his long hair, go to the police academy and develop a stomach disorder. Because they’re so opposite, though, the two of them compliment each other. At first Ellison has reservations about allowing Sandburg into his private domain yet he’s someone that Ellison needs at this point. However, the more they work together the more they come to realize just how much they count on each other.”
Ellison and Blair report to Captain Simon Banks (Bruce A. Young), a veteran police officer who likes nothing more than getting out from behind his desk and taking an active role in keeping Cascade safe. Initially Banks is very reluctant to make use of Ellison’s powers but he finds them to be an invaluable resource in tackling particularly difficult and bizarre cases.
“My character is more on par with Banks in that Ellison has a military background and he definitely understands rank as well as the role Banks plays as his superior officer,” explains Burgi. “The captain is a by-the-book type of guy but he has a big heart. Because of his ethnicity he’s worked twice as hard to get to where he is and perhaps holds his people accountable twice as much as other captains because of his high ethics and standards. He’s a valued individual and I mean this about Bruce Young the actor as well. He and Garett are two of my favourite people. They bring their characters to life with a wonderful blend of spontaneity, humour and compassion.”
Steve Eramo
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