Summary
The setting: “an elite school for the top one percent of [the Navy’s] pilots…to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world…The flyers call it: Top Gun.”
A montage of planes being flown and landing on a large aircraft carrier—USS Enterprise—in the middle of the Indian Ocean. An officer asks someone about who is still up in the air, and an assistant tells him, “Cougar and Merlin and Maverick and Goose.” The officer isn’t pleased to hear that Maverick and Goose are still in the air.
Maverick, Cougar, Merlin, and Goose continue flying their planes when they come across an unidentified aircraft. Maverick suggests that they go investigate, and when they do, they find that there are actually two planes. Onboard the ship, the officer instructs his men to launch an alert 5 aircraft if the pursuit above reaches 150 miles. Maverick intimidates one of the planes and it seems to be leaving the vicinity, when all of a sudden one of the unidentified planes gets Cougar’s plane on missile lock. Cougar asks the officer if he can fire on the rogue plane, but the officer instructs him, “Do not fire until fired upon.”
Goose and Maverick’s planes are above as they watch Cougar’s plane being pursued by the unknown enemy. Cougar gets more and more upset by the chase and asks Maverick to get the plane off his tail, but Maverick urges him to calm down and says he’s on his way. Trying to intimidate the plane pursuing Cougar, Maverick flies down directly above him and flips him the middle finger. The MiG plane flies away.
Cougar is rattled by the altercation with the MiG, and Maverick informs him they’re heading back to the ship. Cougar is hyperventilating and looks at a photo of his wife and child in the dashboard of the plane, unresponsive to the urgings of his fellow pilots. “Cougar we gotta land this thing, we are way low on gas, you understand me?” Merlin says to Cougar, who seems almost catatonic.
Maverick lands on the aircraft carrier, calling to Goose that Cougar is having a hard time. Just as he sets his wheels down on the ship, Maverick decides to take off again to investigate what’s going on with Cougar. The officer orders Maverick to land the plane, but Maverick doesn’t listen. Cougar is in shock, still staring at the photo of his wife, as Maverick helps him land his plane, flying beside him. Cougar’s plane swerves through the air towards the aircraft carrier and lands with a thud.
The scene shifts and we see Cougar going to speak with his superior, telling him that he wants to return to his wife and child (whom he has never even met). “I’m holding on too tight, I’ve lost the edge,” says Cougar, putting his badge down on the officer’s desk in a decision to leave the Navy. In the hall, Goose and Maverick watch Cougar leave.
The officer, Stinger, calls Goose and Maverick into his office, beginning, “you just did an incredibly brave thing." But he immediately starts berating him: "what you should have done was land your plane. You don’t own that plane, the taxpayers do. Son, your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash,” Stinger says, listing all of Maverick’s screw-ups. While it seems like Stinger is chastising the two men, it turns out that he’s sending them to train at Top Gun for five weeks. Cougar was number 1, Maverick number 2 to go, but now that Cougar has decided to resign, Maverick and Goose are going. Maverick and Goose are excited, and as they rush out of the officer, Stinger wishes them luck.
Miramar, California at Top Gun. We see Maverick riding a motorcycle on the airplane runway. The scene shifts into a classroom, where Maverick and other students listen to a teacher talking about Air Combat Maneuvering, otherwise known as Dogfighting. The teacher then introduces the class to the Commanding Officer at Top Gun, Mike Metcalf, aka Viper. Viper goes to the front of the room and tells the group that they are the top 1% of all naval aviators, and that they will be going through different combat sequences every day and attend classes to become even better.
As Viper lectures, Maverick notices another student, Ice, staring at him and smirking. Viper points out a wall of the best pilots over the years, an honor which gives one the privilege to come back to Top Gun and become an instructor. “You think your name’s gonna be on that plaque?” asks Viper, and Maverick says aloud, “Yes sir.” Viper responds, “That’s pretty arrogant, considering the company you’re in,” before adding, “I like that in a pilot.” Viper continues his lecture, “Gentlemen, this school is about combat. There are no points for second place.” As Maverick leaves, the student who was smirking at him says, “The plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies’ room.” Coming to Maverick’s defense is Goose, who laughs sarcastically.
The scene shifts to a bar where dance music plays. Goose and Maverick come in in their uniforms and are clearly on the prowl. The guy who made fun of Maverick is there talking to a girl, and Goose identifies him as “Iceman,” the best pilot at Top Gun. Iceman comes over and introduces himself, telling Maverick that he and Cougar “were like brothers in flight school.” Iceman then says, “He was a good man,” to which Maverick retorts, “Still is a good man.” Grinning, Iceman asks Maverick if he’s figured out who the best pilot is, but Maverick says he’ll figure it out on his own. Another pilot, Slider, comments on the fact that Maverick got a spot at Top Gun and managed such a complex maneuver with the MiG. He says, “Some pilots wait their whole career just to see a MiG up close.” As Slider and Iceman leave, Goose says mockingly to Maverick, “They were abused children.”
Maverick bets Goose $20 that he will have sex that evening. Just then, Maverick notices a beautiful woman post up at the bar.
Analysis
The film establishes itself as an action movie early on. As it opens, we are oriented on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Our protagonist Maverick and his best friend Goose are naval pilots with a playful and reckless streak. The start of the film takes place mostly in the air, and we get our bearings with the narrative film in a suspenseful action sequence. By beginning the film this way, director Tony Scott sets the viewer down in the middle of the action-packed world of the Navy, where the stakes and thrills are always high.
Maverick, our protagonist, is perfectly suited to the quick and reckless world of naval aviation. As we learn in the first sequence, he got his nickname because he has a rebellious and reckless streak, but also a tendency to come out on top. As various people point out, he is arrogant and does not follow commands, but this arrogance is part what makes him brave, and what makes him such an exceptional pilot. It is arrogant of Maverick to buck the command of his superior, but in doing so he helped his shell-shocked friend, Cougar, safely land his plane. Stinger is angry about Maverick's insubordination, but he also respects it. In spite of his annoyance with Maverick’s disobedience, Stinger is proud to send Maverick to Top Gun. This sentiment is echoed by Viper at Top Gun, who responds to Maverick’s assertion that he is the best pilot in school, “That’s pretty arrogant, considering the company you’re in,” before adding, “I like that in a pilot.” In the world of naval aviation, arrogance can be a virtue.
Indeed, as Viper says in class, in the world of combat, being the best at your job is something to strive for, and being the best is often aided by a certain amount of self-regard. He tells the men, “This school is about combat. There’s no points for second place.” Because they are training in the area of combat and fighting, coming in “second place” can mean death, so the stakes are high. Thus, Maverick’s arrogance and desire to be the best is an asset in naval terms, because it means he is going to be better equipped to help and save others in the line of duty.
Contrasting with Maverick is his best friend and joined-at-the-hip companion, Goose. Where Maverick is serious and competent, Goose is humorous and tries not to take anything too seriously. The friends are well-matched, complementing one another and looking out for one another through the transition into being students at Top Gun. Maverick looks out for Goose, even though Goose isn’t as good of a pilot as him, and Goose defends Maverick against big wigs at Top Gun who want to put him in his place. In a film about naval aviation and masculine posturing, Goose offers some much-needed lightness and comic relief.
It is also not long until we meet Maverick’s main nemesis, and the antagonist of the film, Iceman. Iceman is the reigning king of Top Gun, the best pilot in the school, and a smug hotshot who feels immediately threatened by Maverick’s own arrogance. In many ways, he is not only Maverick’s enemy, but also his foil, reflecting Maverick’s skill but not his qualities. Where Maverick is somewhat more reckless and benevolent, Iceman is—as his name suggests—icy and perfect in his demeanor. His iciness is represented by his spiky blonde hair and crisp attitude, and where Maverick’s arrogance feels boyish and endearing, Iceman’s arrogance is more detached and bullying. It is clear from the way the two pilots interact that their acquaintance will not be the smoothest.
