How Goose Really Got His Call Sign In Top Gun

Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) is Pete “Maverick” Mitchell’s (Tom Crusie) Radar Intercept Officer and best friend in the movie Top Gun, but what is the origin story behind his famous call sign?  The character won’t be returning for Maverick, the sequel to the 1986 classic directed by Tony Scott, but fans of the original will get to see Goose’s son, Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), all grown up. Goose will undoubtedly be at the forefront of Maverick’s mind as he trains Goose’s son — and revisiting the character raises the question of how he got his famous moniker.

In addition to being a talented pilot, Maverick is a screw up who has a problem with authority. He and Goose provide comic relief in the first part of the original film as the twosome are tight despite Maverick’s proclivity for getting into trouble and dragging Goose along with him. Amidst all the high-flying action in Top Gun, Maverick must overcome grief and guilt over the loss of his best friend who dies after a training exercise goes wrong.

In an interview with EW, Anthony Edwards divulges the story behind his character’s call sign in the 1986 movie. “Goose was a guy who in real life was in an accident with an airplane where they lost an engine, and he called out the wrong engine being out, so they fired off the other engine,” he said. “And so as a result, the plane went into the water, and so he got the name Goose for having messed up. Silly Goose is what it was.” This offers some insight into Stinger’s comment to Goose about him being “lucky to be here.” After disobeying orders to save fellow pilot Cougar, Maverick gets chewed out by Stinger, who establishes that Maverick is talented but troubled, and Goose’s call sign is indicative of him being a screw up as well.

There are undoubtedly some interesting stories behind the call signs of the other pilots in the movie, which include Jester, Viper, Slider, Hollywood, Merlin, and Sundown. It’s obvious where the inspiration for Maverick comes from given Tom Cruise’s character’s rebellious, independent-minded personality. The only pilot in the program whose call sign is explained is Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, Maverick’s nemesis and biggest competition. Goose tells Maverick, “That’s the way he flies. Ice cold. No mistakes.” When Iceman and Goose greet each other, Iceman refers to Edward’s character as “Mother Goose,” which seems like a clue to how Goose got his nickname, but the real story has nothing to do with nursery rhymes.

Naval pilots don’t get to pick their names. One of the flight school’s real-life instructors, Mel “Rattler” Holmes, got his after encountering a nest of snakes during a golf match. Call signs are more likely to reflect a personality characteristic or a mistake than have anything to do with a pilot’s skill or style. Maverick‘s next generation of ace pilots’ call signs includes Phoenix, Hangman, Payback, and Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw: a fitting tribute to Goose.

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