Russell Casse

Russell Casse
Russell and Miguel Casse
Biographical Information
Status	Deceased
Nationality	American
Family Information
Children	Miguel Casse, Alicia Casse, Troy Casse
Portrayal
Played by	Randy Quaid
First apparence	Independence Day

Russell Casse is a crop duster and Vietnam War pilot who sacrificed himself to destroy a City Destroyer during The Battle of Area 51.

Biography

Russell served as a pilot in the Vietnam War in the 1960s and early 1970s. Around 1986, Russell claimed that he was abducted by aliens. According to his testimony, they conducted several experiments on him that led to trauma and leading to his beliefs that they are planning to kill humanity. This earned Russell mockery from his peers and consternation from his family. When his wife got sick, he could not give her enough attention, because he was searching for clues about his abduction. This led to her death, and to Russell's drinking problem. He and his children live in a camper, and he worked as a crop duster. 

By the advent of the aliens' arrival in 1996, Russell was arrested for papered city hall with leaflets from his crop duster in an desperate attempt to warn people that the aliens are a threat. However, Russell was soon released as authorities are focused on more pressing matters in light of the aliens. After the aliens began their attack, Russell rejoined his family. They soon joined a group of refugees and come across Captain Steven Hiller with a subdued injured alien. Guided by Captain Hiller, the Casse family and the refugees traveled to Area 51.

Russell later volunteered in President Whitmore's counterstrike on the aliens. During the attack on Area 51, Russell was integral in destroying the alien City Destroyer for piloting the only available fighter with a missile to destroy the Destroyer's main weapon. However, the missile was jammed. Russell then made a fateful decision by flying his jet directly into the weapon in a kamikaze attack. Before making his sacrifice, Russell sends a heartfelt request to ground control, which is also heard by his estranged son Miguel, to "Tell my children...I love them very much."

Gallery

Behind the Scenes

• In the origin ending of Independence Day, Russell was disallowed to fly. However, he arrives at the end of the battle flying his crop duster (which he has been towing behind his motor home) with a missile strapped to its wing and flying it into the City Destroyer's weapon. Roland Emmerich admitted that this implied that Russell flew into the battle planning to commit suicide since he could not launch the missile from his plane and therefore scrapped it in favor of having Russell making the decision to sacrifice himself after he was in the air helping the cause. This alternate scene was added in the laserdisc special edition.