Elon Musk got all his best ideas from a 1960's puppet show
In the 1960s, one of the most popular TV programs on British television was a puppet show called Thunderbirds. Set between 2065 and 2067, it recounted the exploits of International Rescue, a set of anthropomorphic rocketships (aka ‘Thunderbirds’) that would fly around the world and save people in precarious situations.
When I was growing up it used to show in New Zealand at 6:30am on Saturdays. I watched it religiously. It made me dream of a world of rockets. It was a celebration of the 1960s optimism of using new technology for good.
In the show, International Rescue is funded and run by Jeff Tracy, an ex-astronaut billionaire who makes his fortune in civil engineering, construction, and aerospace. After his wife passes away, he single-handedly raises his five sons, eventually retiring to a private island somewhere in the Pacific to secretly run International Rescue.
T1
A hypersonic rocketship that can fly anywhere in the world within an hour.
T2
A heavy transport ship that transports smaller Thunderbirds
T3
A single-stage-to-orbit outer space rocket
T4
A rescue mini-submarine
T5
a satellite to track distress calls from around the world
They also had a few other vehicles that they used in rescues, including the Mole:
If you know anything about Elon's story, you'll know that there are a number of parallels to the above, namely:
| Jeff Tracy | Elon Musk | |
|---|---|---|
| Source of Billionaire Status | Aerospace, Construction | Aerospace, Cars/Energy, Internet |
| Number of sons | Five | Five |
| Vertical takeoff/landing rockets | Thunderbird 1 | Falcon 9/Heavy |
| Outerspace rocket | Thunderbird 3 | The BFR |
| Digging Machines | The 'Mole' | The Boring Company |
| Underwater rescues | Thunderbird 4 | The Thai rescue sub/The Lotus Sub |
| Surveillance Satellites | Thunderbird 5 | Starlink system |
I'm not suggesting that Elon Musk is modelling everything he does on a 1960s puppet icon, but I do know that there's a reasonably high probability that he watched Thunderbirds growing up. It showed in the 1970s (he was born in ‘71) in South Africa, redubbed into Afrikaans as Redding Internassional.
Does the show also provide some hints about what else we can see from him?
A tiny EVTOL rescue craft (as per the story in Thunderbird 6)
A heavy lift transporter craft that can transport large equipment quickly anywhere in the world in hours (cargo planes are *so* passé)
Him buying a Pacific Island like his fellow billionaire Larry Ellison for his secret lair.
Amalgamating all his coolest tech, coming up with a great theme song and calling it a preposterous name like ‘International Rescue’ then dispatching it around the world to save people.
It does also perhaps provide explanation as to why he provided Tesla batteries to help restore the power grid after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and provided the submarine to the Thai government as they tried to rescue the boys stuck in the cave.
Why does this matter?
It doesn't - it’s just one of those interesting cases of art foreshadowing life, and makes me wonder what the kids of today are watching him do it it in real life, inspired that they themselves might be able to do the same thing.