Top Gun turns 40

Cougar, however, is badly shaken by the encounter—so much so that he freezes up and can’t land his plane. So Maverick defies orders to land immediately (they are low on fuel) and flies back to Cougar to lead him safely back to the carrier. That earns Maverick a reprimand and establishes him as a cocky, arrogant rule-breaker with a fierce loyalty to his fellow pilots. Despite this, because Cougar has “lost the edge” and quits his commission, Maverick and Goose get to take his place at the titular Top Gun. As for Charlie, the character started out as an aerobics instructor in the earliest script drafts and was then changed from a fellow officer to a civilian contractor/astrophysicist at the Navy’s request—otherwise, her romance with Maverick would count as fraternization. (The character was inspired by mathematician Christine “Legs” Fox, a civilian specialist in tactical development for aircraft carrier defense at Miramar.) But while it might not be fraternization—and the film takes pains to show Charlie giving a brutally objective assessment of Maverick’s piloting despite their involvement—sleeping with a student is certainly unprofessional and would probably have gotten her fired in real life. So this is a very dated Hollywood depiction of a female career scientist. Equally dated is the famous bar scene where Maverick, Goose, and several other drunken officers serenade Charlie—not yet introduced as their instructor—with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” because they’ve made a bet that Maverick can seduce her. It’s supposed to be charming, but the scene plays more aggressively in 2026, particularly when Maverick literally follows Charlie to the ladies’ room, leers at her, and suggests that they could do it right there on the sink. She shoots him down, and he deserves it. The scene was even problematic 35 years ago—the US Department of Defense Office of Inspector General cited Top Gun’s influence as a contributing factor in the 1991 Tailhook scandal. Top Gun also has its fair share of technical errors and Navy protocol violations, despite the best efforts of technical advisor Rear Admiral Pete “Viper” Pettigrew—depicted by Tom Skerritt in the film as CDR Mike “Viper” Metcalf. But one expects that in a Hollywood blockbuster. If you want verisimilitude, I highly recommend the National Geographic documentary series, Top Guns: The Next Generation. Much like C.S.I. did for forensics and The X-Files‘ Dana Scully did for the FBI, Top Gun (and Top Gun: Maverick) are still the best recruitment tools the US Navy could hope for, on the strength of that glorious aerial footage alone. Just be prepared to do the actual hard work if the films inspire you to become a fighter pilot.