Maurice Vidrine
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General Maurice Vidrine is the current commander of Air Force Space Command.
History
Maurice Vidrine has a long history with the Stargate Program. As a Lieutenant General he commanded the Fourteenth Air Force, working closely with NORAD and Stargate Command on missions involving space-launched hardware. In 2000 he oversaw the test flight of the X-301 Interceptor, which likely would have operated as part of the Fourteenth Air Force had it proven successful. (SG1: "Tangent")
By 2003, Vidrine had been promoted to four-star General and officer-in-command of Air Force Space Command, the major command responsible for Stargate Command and its related operations. The development of the BC-303 Battlecruiser was a priority for Vidrine, who approved a series of offworld mining operations to acquire the Naquadah necessary in their construction. (SG1: "Enemy Mine")
When Jonathan J. O'Neill was promoted to the Office of Homeworld Security, General Vidrine was his direct superior, although O'Neill also at times answered to the President and Joint Chiefs directly. This dynamic was further complicated by the creation of the International Oversight Advisory, which provided Homeworld Security and Stargate Command with funding and oversight from outside the United States Air Force. Seeking approval through Air Force Space Command was still considered proper protocol for Homeworld Security in most matters, and Vidrine was still one of the key senior officers included in high-level briefings, particularly during the Ori Crusade. (SGR: "The Arrow")
When Daniel Jackson was given a vision by Shifu of a possible future where he gained the genetic knowledge of the Goa'uld, Vidrine had become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs within a year. This was not necessarily a realistic expectation, and is likely the result of Jackson not knowing enough about the military chain of command to have known a more appropriate candidate. (SG1: "Absolute Power")
Behind the Scenes
Maurice Vidrine was portrayed by Stephen Williams in 3 episodes of Stargate SG-1. He may be familiar as Mr. X in The X-Files, or as Rufus Turner in Supernatural.
Vidrine's role within the Air Force is never explained. As a four-star General during his second appearance, he is likely either the Commander of the Air Force Space Command (assumed here), or the Commander of the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM): a unified combatant command that combines the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps activities in and around North America. Typically, the Commander, USNORTHCOM is also the Commander of NORAD, which until 2006 was the primary (real world) occupant of Cheyenne Mountain. Both of these options are based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, so the distinction is largely immaterial: Vidrine would be the General next door either way. However, because of his earlier appearance as a three-star Lieutenant General, it seems sensible to assume that he has been within Air Force Space Command the whole time — Commander of the Fourteenth Air Force (based at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California), which was responsible for space launches and satellite operation, seems like a reasonable guess.
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