OP-CENTER

Full Name:	Paul Hood, Director
Nationality:	American
Organization:	Op-Center
Occupation	Agency

Creator:	Jeff Rovin, Tom Clancy, Steve Pieczenik
Time Span:	1995 - 2023

ABOUT THE SERIES

Op-Center is an agency of American Intelligence.

Tom Clancy, With his name guaranteed to attract readers after the phenomenal success of his Jack Ryan series, joined with a fellow writer, Steve Pieczenik, to create another book series dealing with international events. This new storyline was intended to be more than just books, however. To maximize earnings potential, it also included television.

In 1995, not only was the first book released but also a four-hour, two-part miniseries on NBC. It was certainly considered for a regular weekly series but in the end the two-parter was the lone entry. It starred Harry Hamlin as the lead character and had the highly skilled Wilford Brimley and Rod Steiger, and the always delightful Kim Cattrall. According to some sources, the screenplay itself was drafted by Mr. Clancy who had been less than happy with previous filmed versions of his books.

Though a television series did not come out of the mini-series, the published works continued long after the television movie disappeared. Mr. Clancy's participation, however, grew quite small as the crafting of the plots was left to Mr. Pieczenik and the writing was done by Jeff Rovin. In fact, a lawsuit filed in July of 2003 by the former wife of Mr. Clancy and the recipient in the divorce settlement of 25% interest in the series challenged Mr. Clancy's involvement. It was claimed that Mr. Clancy, fearing the sales of the series were hurting his Ryan series, was trying to close the enterprise down. The battle continues as of this writing.

The premise behind the movie and the books is a bit different. In the movie, Op-Center was an obsolete government agency being dismantled until a crisis saves it. In the books, it is vital, thriving bureau tasked with handling international incidents, especially terror related.

In both, the head of the agency is Paul Hood, a man whose pedigree is quite long, starting with a successful stint as an investment banker, changing to a position as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and ending as a popular mayor of Los Angeles. After a short time in early retirement, he responded when the President asked his help running Op-Center.

Helping Hood run Op-Center are a small but important cadre of supporting characters but Hood remains the primary force behind the agency and behind the books about it.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	22
First Appearance:	1995
Last Appearance:	2023


1			Op-Center Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 1995 While the movie of the same name dealt with stolen Russian missiles falling into the hands of Middle Eastern terrorists, the first book revolves around a crisis on the Korean Peninsula as a bomb rips apart a South Korean celebration. The blame seems to fall on the North Koreans and both sides head to war as Hood struggles to find who was truly to blame.

2			Mirror Image Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 1995 The Mirror Image is a Russian agency created along the same lines as Hood's Op-Center but when Hood looks into actions inside the former Soviet Union that threaten its tenuous stability, it seems the culprits are those running the rival bureau while seeking a return to the Cold War.

3			Games Of State Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 1996 For many years after the fall of Nazi Germany, neo-Nazi groups have sprung up in that land, made headlines, and then disappeared. Now, however, new groups are reaching out beyond the borders and striking throughout Europe with the goal of taking control to turn against the U.S.

4			Acts Of War Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 1997 Continuing the process of establishing Regional Op-Centers, like the one set up in Germany, Hood is in Greece to create one there when Kurdish rebels strike against Turkey in an opening barrage to start another war throughout the Middle East, this time Kurds against Arab.

5			Balance Of Power Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 1998 The nation of Spain seems destined for another horrific civil war as internal turmoil bubbles hotter and hotter. Turning to the U.S. for help, the Spanish government hopes that the experts from Op-Center can isolate those truly behind all the latest bombings.

6			State Of Siege Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 1999 Paul Hood has already cleared out his desk as he decides to spend more time with his family. Just as he is set to leave, a rogue group of former UN peacekeepers decide to get retirement funds by taking hostage the UN building. To make things worse for Hood, his daughter in among the captives.

7			Divide And Conquer Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2000 The shadow group inside the State Department that have been stirring up matters between Iran and Azerbaijan are not content with the profits they are reaping from that hot spot. Now they are seeking to get rid of their own President by making him believe he has become mentally unbalanced.

8			Line Of Control Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2001 The military arm of Op-Center, called Striker, is sent in to capture an Islamic cleric who is stirring up the Moslems in India towards an overthrow of the government. As they operate, however, the team is caught inside a flare-up of border tensions between India and Pakistan. Making matters worse, there is a double agent amidst them.

9			Mission Of Honor Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2002 In the nation of Botswana, militiamen have grabbed a Catholic priest and issued the order that all Catholic missionaries must leave that country immediately. A cry from the Vatican to Op-Center for help. Its military arm, Striker, is out of action making Op-Center reinvent itself.

10			Sea Of Fire Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2002 Op-Center is asked by the Australian government to check into nuclear waste dumping in the South Pacific but it quickly learns it is more a case of selling the waste to terrorists.

11			Call To Treason Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2003 A friend to the head of Op-Center is asked to be on the ticket with a Senator running for President but the Senator has a very shady past.

12			War Of Eagles Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2004 Now under the control of the Pentagon, Op-Center must investigate an explosion onboard a Chinese freighter even as it tries to divine its own future.

13			Out Of The Ashes Written by Dick Couch, George Galdorisi Copyright: 2014 When a Saudi prince unleashes a plot to take control of the oil market by tricking the US into attacking Syria, the President decides to bring back Op-Center as a means of stopping the trouble.

14			Into The Fire Written by Dick Couch, George Galdorisi Copyright: 2015 Relations with North Korea had gone even further south than normal and a US destroyer's crew is in danger of being captured. Op-Center is asked to help out.

15			Scorched Earth Written by George Galdorisi Copyright: 2016 The killing of the ISIS leader's son in a US bombing raid throws the man into a rage and he mounts a series of attack on US soil that Op-Center must counter.

16			Dark Zone Written by Jeff Rovin, George Galdorisi Copyright: 2017 The Ukraine ambassador to the US asks an old friend for help in fighting Russian aggression against her country. Hours later she is murdered. Op-Center is brought in to find who did it and what can be done to slow the Russians down.

17			For Honor Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2018 Two nuclear warheads from the Cuban Missile Crisis era, said to have been moved to Siberia, are now to be secretly transported via ship to Iran. Op-Center learns of the transfer and knows it must be stopped.

18			Sting Of The Wasp Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2019 "After an intelligence failure at Op-Center results in a major terrorist attack, director Chase Williams radically transforms the agency into a ground-breaking mobile strike force. It’s a beautiful day in Manhattan as excited tourists board the floating Air & Space Museum on the USS Intrepid—until a horrible explosion rips across the flight deck, showering the body parts of innocent people everywhere. The perpetrator is none other than Captain Ahmed Salehi, an Iranian mastermind whose last terrorism plot was foiled at the last minute by Op-Center."

19			God Of War Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2020 "The passengers and crew on an Airbus en route to Australia suddenly begin coughing up blood and hemorrhaging violently as the plane plunges to the ground. A luxury yacht in the South Indian Sea blows up, and a lone woman escapes the contagion that has inexplicably killed everyone else on the boat. A helicopter whose occupants have been stricken by an unknown illness crashes into a bridge in South Africa, killing motorists and pedestrians. The world is facing a devastating bio-terror event, and a game of brinksmanship gets underway as the major powers jockey for position: China sends a naval flotilla to seek the source of the plague and find a way to weaponize it, while Russia maneuvers quietly on the sidelines to seize the deadly prize in its quest to regain an empire. Back in Washington D.C., Chase Williams and his top-secret Black Wasp special ops team must find out who is behind these deadly attacks before war is unleashed—and millions of innocent lives are lost."

20			The Black Order Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2021 "They are known as the Black Order. Self-proclaimed patriots and survivalists, they refuse to surrender their values and beliefs to the left-leaning cultural and progressive forces threatening their nation. Military veterans and high-tech specialists, they’ve begun a savage war which includes public assassinations of politicians and celebrities and high-profile bombings, striking without warning or mercy. The Black Order wants nothing less than complete capitulation by the US government, giving them free rein to make their ideologies the law of the land."

21			Call Of Duty Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2022 "When the launch of their powerful new hypersonic missile ends in destruction, the Chinese government needs someone to blame. Was it a failure of engineering, or sabotage? The chief engineer on the project, Dr. Yang Dàyóu, is targeted as the scapegoat and arrested—unable to help his family as they are hunted down by the military. Op-Center’s Lt. Grace Lee is sent to China on a solo reconnaissance mission, but when she sees an opportunity to free the imprisoned scientist, she seizes it. With Lt. Lee on the run and the Chinese military at her heels, Director Chase Williams sends the rest of Op-Center to Mongolia as an extraction team."

22			Fallout Written by Jeff Rovin Copyright: 2023 "After successfully extricating one of Beijing’s top scientists from captivity and escorting him to America, the Black Wasp commandos find themselves targeted by Chinese assassins. The killers are not only highly trained but invisible, launching tactical strikes from multiple embassies in Washington, D.C. The Chinese squad has also infiltrated American intelligence and is aware of every move Black Wasp makes. Complicating matters, the new president of the United States seems willing to let Op Center take the fall for the mission that precipitated the crisis."

MOVIES

Number of Movies:	1
First Appearance:	1995
Last Appearance:	1995

A made-for-tv movie that was a pilot for a series that never materialized is the lone entrant.


1			OP Center Director: Lewis Teague Writers: Steve Sohmer, Tom Clancy, Steve Pieczenik Actors: Harry Hamlin as Paul Hood, Patrick Bauchau as Kurt, Kabir Bedi as Abdul, Tom Bresnahan as Matt Stoll Released: 1995 On his first day on the job at a new agency meant to take on international crises, Paul Hood is faced with stolen Russian nuclear missiles being in the hands of terrorists.

MY COMMENTS

It is a shame that those who read and enjoy the Op-Center adventures, and they are many, naturally place their accolades at the foot of Tom Clancy since it is his name that is printed as large as the title of the books. Unfortunately, the books are written by Jeff Rovin, a writer of considerable skill but inadequate credit.

I enjoyed the Op-Center books and truly understand that without Clancy's name, they probably would have not come to be. I just like to see the right people getting the appreciation.

GRADE

My Grade: B-

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