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Tommy Lasalle is a Deputy of Defiance. He served for many years under Garret Clancy, but soon finds himself working for Joshua Nolan, the new Lawkeeper after Clancy's death. He clashes with Nolan, but his loyalty still lies with the town of Defiance, the mayor and his fellow Deputies.

Background (TV)[]

Tommy was born in 2024[1] in a Votan prisoner of war camp. When the camp was liberated by the EMC, Tommy and his mother bounced from one military base to another, never staying for long. His mother contracted an alien disease and died when he was just seven years old.[2]

Tommy arrived in Defiance an orphan, bearing the scars of his painful upbringing. Before arriving in Defiance, he was involved in a bad history of gangs, drugs, and violence. That changed when Garret Clancy saw something in him and gave him a chance that changed his future outlook. He was approximately 15 years old when he became a deputy working on the disappearance of Hunter Bell.

His bright optimism – and sharp survival skills – make him a good man to have in your corner.

Season 1[]

After Johua and Irisa Nolan are rescued from saberwolves outside Defiance, Tommy is stationed beside Nolan's hospital bed. Tommy handcuffs Nolan to the bed, but when Clancy sees this, he instantly realizes that this is waste of time because Nolan is a member of the Defiant Few, one of the soldiers who helped end the Pale Wars. Nolan proves Clancy right by easily getting out of the cuffs.

When Garret is killed, Tommy volunteers to take over the investigation into Luke McCawley's murder, but Rafe McCawley tells Tommy that he has neither the skills nor the balls for the job. Nolan, an experienced ark hunter, volunteers for the job, but Amanda doesn't quite trust him yet, so she tells Tommy to lock Irisa up until Nolan proves himself. While Nolan is hunting the killer, Tommy guards Irisa, and asks her about her relationship with Nolan. She informs him that Nolan did something she couldn't do for herself. He murdered her parents.

Later in the pilot episode, Tommy kills a Volge attempting to kill Irisa.

Throughout season 1, Nolan and Tommy continue to clash over their differences in lawkeeping styles. While Nolan often makes law keeping decisions based on what he thinks is the morally right thing to do, Tommy wants to follow the law as written.

Tommy also begins a relationship with Nolan’s daughter, Irisa. At first, Irisa is clearly not looking for a serious relationship. She hooks up with him in the Lawkeeper’s office, but later tells him that she doesn’t date. Eventually, she begins to grow fond of Tommy. She holds his hand while they attend a wedding, and Tommy even wants to marry her.

As the season draws to a close, Irisa surrenders herself to the Earth Republic, and Tommy helps Nolan rescue her, but this isn’t the only struggle Irisa is facing. The progress in their relationship is all halted when she offers herself to the Kaziri in exchange for saving Nolan’s life. Irisa then disappears, and Tommy has no idea what happened to her.

Post Season 1[]

Tommy finds Nolan hiding beneath a staircase as the Earth Republic surrounds the town. Neither Tommy or Nolan know why the E-Rep is invading, but Tommy has heard rumors that while they were rescuing Irisa, Datak won then election and sold the town out. This is exactly what Nolan predicted would happen if Amanda lost the election, so he's not surprised. He apologizes to Tommy because he needs to take off to find Irisa and will have to leave him behind with the E-Rep. Tommy understands that Nolan has to do this for Irisa. He even gives Nolan a wad of cash to find and protect Irisa.

Before Nolan leaves, Tommy tells Nolan he's going to miss him. Nolan chuckles, they share a smile, and then Nolan picks up his things and heads out of Defiance in search of Irisa.

Season 2[]

With Irisa absent from Defiance for months, Tommy begins dating the head of propaganda for the Earth Republic, Jessica "Berlin" Rainer. Irisa soon returns to Defiance, causing tension in his relationship with Berlin. Tommy learns something strange and dangerous is going on in Irisa’s life, and he wants to help her with it, but also wants to keep Berlin away from it. Berlin offers to join Tommy in helping Irisa, but when Tommy refuses to tell Berlin what’s going on, she breaks up with him.

After tension between Nolan and Tommy reaches its peak, Tommy quits his job as deputy and goes to work as a corporal for the Earth Republic. This does nothing to ease the tension with Nolan, who despises the Earth Republic. They do have one thing in common: Irisa. When they learn Irisa is possessed by the Kaziri, they go on a rescue mission and finally talk about their differences rather than fight with each other. Nolan concedes that while Tommy’s strict belief in the law rubs him the wrong way, both their viewpoints have merit. Nolan welcomes Tommy to take his job back as deputy. Unfortunately, Irisa kills Tommy while under the Kaziri’s control before he can leave the Earth Republic and take up Nolan’s offer.

Relationships[]

Garret Clancy was Tommy's mentor and likely the most influential person in Tommy's life. He gave Tommy a job and changed his life forever.

Tommy starts a romance with Irisa Nolan in season 1. Although they sleep together relatively early in season 1, Irisa is not ready for anything serious. Having grown up in the badlands, she has no interest in a long term relationship. Tommy, on the other hand, is interested in a very serious relationship. He even wants to marry her. As season one continues, they grow closer, bonding over books, but at the end of season 1, Irisa sacrifices herself to save her father. After being possessed by the Kaziri (the cost of saving her father), Irisa and Tommy's relationship is never the same. Tommy attempts to get through to Irisa, but she ultimately kills him while under the Kaziri's control.

In season 2, after Irisa disappears for several months, Tommy starts a relationship with Berlin. She is, in many ways, Irisa's opposite. Berlin is an Earth Republic soldier who wants a stable job and relationship. She wants to keep people safe, and follow the Earth Republic's rules. While in a relationship with Berlin, Tommy spends a lot of time with Irisa, but does not tell Berlin why. She ultimately breaks up with Tommy because of this. After Irisa kills Tommy, Berlin feels vindicated in her distrust of Irisa as she grieves his death.

Tommy has a rocky relationship with Irisa's father and his boss, Joshua Nolan. Tommy believes in following the rules of the law to seek justice fairly while Nolan lives by a more personal moral code founded on doing the right thing, regardless of the law. They come to respect each other by the end of season 1, but after the Earth Republic takes control of Defiance, their relationship is tested once again. The Earth Republic is a fascist government with far different ideals than the ones Defiance was founded on, and Nolan refuses to cooperate with them. This frustrates Tommy, and they clash. After Tommy grows tired of Nolan's attitude, he joins the Earth Republic, putting an even greater strain on their relationship. They fight, but in the end, Nolan admits that both their ways of thinking have merit, and they make up, once again learning to respect each other.

References[]

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