Alec Trevelyan

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

On a mission working alongside Bond to blow up the Arkhangelsk chemical weapons facility in the Soviet Union, Trevelyan betrays MI6. During the operation, Trevelyan fakes his own execution with the help of the base's commander, Colonel Arkady Grigorovich Ourumov (Gottfried John). Bond manages to finish the mission and escapes unscathed by changing the sequence of detonation timers. This action unwittingly leads to Trevelyan being disfigured in the subsequent explosion. Later Bond admits to M (Judi Dench) that he feels responsible for Trevelyan's apparent death. Nine years later, Bond's pursuit of a stolen helicopter and investigation of an explosion leads him to Saint Petersburg, where he learns from gangster Valentin Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane) that the head of the crime syndicate responsible for the theft is a man operating under the name Janus. Later, when he finally meets Janus, Bond is shocked to discover the scarred Trevelyan. Trevelyan's scheme begins with the theft of the experimental, electromagnetically insulated Tiger helicopter from the French frigate La Fayette, using his two primary operatives, Ourumov, now a General in the Russian army and head of their Space Division, and Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen). With the helicopter, the two fly to the GoldenEye satellite facility in Severnaya, Siberia, where they murder the staff, steal the access keys for the GoldenEye weapons satellite, and program the satellite to destroy the facility to cover up the theft. The GoldenEye weapons satellite is actually two smaller disposable satellites named Petya and Mischa, which are armed with nuclear warheads that when detonated in the atmosphere create electromagnetic pulses capable of destroying any machinery with an electronic signal.

In Their Own Story

The rain-slicked streets of Severnaya. Bond watched Trevelyan's silhouette against the monitor glow. 'You're just a relic, James,' Trevelyan said, his voice flat. 'The Cold War is over. Time for a new world order.' He keyed a command, and the GoldenEye satellite began its spin-up sequence. 'You can't stop progress.' Bond's hand tightened on his Walther PPK. 'I can stop you.'

Reader's Guide

In the original *GoldenEye 007* video game (1997), Alec Trevelyan had no voiceovers, and thus no voice actor played him. He is based almost completely on his *GoldenEye* persona, including appearance and back-story. The 2010 enhanced remake of the original updates the story, setting it to 2010. With his original motivation of revenge for his parents' betrayal no longer practical given his age, Trevelyan's motives for betraying the United Kingdom are now his disgust at the current economic system; it is implied that he was actively involved in operations as Janus while still working with MI6 rather than starting Janus after his 'death'. His essential plan remains the same, however. His appearance has changed as well. His background includes having served in the Parachute Regiment prior to joining MI6. He is voiced by Elliot Cowan and also uses Cowan's likeness.

Did You Know?

• Sean Bean was considered for the role of James Bond when he auditioned for *GoldenEye*.
• Trevelyan was the only 00 Agent (other than Bond himself) to have a substantial role in a Bond film until Lashana Lynch's Nomi in 2021's *No Time to Die*.
• The GoldenEye weapons satellite is actually two smaller disposable satellites named Petya and Mischa.
• In the 2010 remake, Trevelyan's background includes having served in the Parachute Regiment prior to joining MI6.
• Trevelyan's father, ashamed to have lived after his family's betrayal, killed his wife and himself when Trevelyan was only six years old.