"Angels 30" is an episode of JAG that first aired on November 3, 1998. Directed by Tony Wharmby. Written by R Scott Gemmill.
Two F-14 Tomcats are seen intercepting and mixing it up with two Iraqi MiGs. When one of the Tomcats gets locked on and pleads for his wingman to get the bandit off his tail, the wingman gets a lock, but for some reason doesn't shoot. He instead collides with the MiG, forcing both aircrews to eject.
Lt. Commander Rabb and Major MacKenzie are sent to investigate. What seems like an Open-and-Shut Case of dereliction of duty becomes a little more complicated when the pilot interjects a belief in a "voice from God" telling him not to fire. Rabb convinces the CAG to let that pilot fly again, with Rabb flying wing. Mid-flight, they discover what may have been the root of the pilot's indecision. But this time, that pilot may not survive.
Tropes
- Embarrassing Nickname: A female RIO's callsign is "Go-Go". As in go-go dancer perhaps?
- Foreshadowing: Rabb's incredibly precise maneuver to nudge his wingman' plane to safety will be seen again next season.
- Improbable Piloting Skills: Rabb nudges his wingtip just close enough to his unconscious wingman' plane's wing, so that the lift force from both wings induces a roll. Rabb keeps it up until the plane rolls 45 degrees, disengages the level flight autopilot and begins a downward dive.
- It Was His Sled: It was his oxygen. A bad batch of liquefied oxygen due to worn out O-rings had caused the flight crew to suffer from hypoxia induced hallucinations.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Was the voice in the pilot's head a hallucination from bad oxygen? Or a voice of God telling him to spare the Iraqi pilot?
