"Armageddon" it Right? Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Bruce Willis headlined the cast of "Armageddon" (1998) as Harry S. Stamper, the veteran oil driller and team leader of the deep-core drillers that are recruited by NASA. Their job? Use their skills to drill into the asteroid deep enough to implant a nuclear bomb that will destroy the asteroid (or at least divert it) before it strikes the planet. His team is comprised of seven men:

- A.J. Frost (Ben Affleck) - Harry's protégé and (coincidentally) romantically involved with Harry's daughter.
- Charles "Chick" Chappel (Will Patton) - Driller, Harry's loyal right hand man and best friend.
- "Rockhound" (Steve Buscemi) - Geologist, expert in rock composition and drilling strategy.
- Jayotis "Bear" Kurleenbear (Michael Clarke Duncan) - Driller, heavy equipment operator.
- Oscar Choice (Owen Wilson) - Geologist, rock analysis and field operations.
- Max Lennert (Ken Hudson Campbell) - Driller and technician, equipment handling.
- Freddie Noonan (Clark Heathcliff Brolly) - Driller, support crew.

Of course, none of the above are qualified to fly the two space shuttles (Freedom and Independence), so the other members of the mission are astronauts or air force personnel, under the leadership of Colonel Willie Sharp (Mission Commander). The two crews are:

Space Shuttle Freedom
- Col. Willie Sharp (William Fichtner) - Pilot, shuttle operations, nuclear protocols enforcement.
- 1st Lt. Jennifer Watts (Jessica Steen) - Co-pilot, navigation and systems operations.
- Sgt. Gruber (Grayson McCouch) - Munitions specialist.

Space Shuttle Independence
- Col. L. Davis (Marshall R. Teague) - Pilot, shuttle operations.
- Capt. S. Tucker (Anthony Guidera) - Co-pilot, navigation and systems operations.
- Lt. Halsey (Greg Collins) - Munitions specialist.
- Cosmonaut Lev Andropov - Russian engineer aboard the Mir Space Station, who joins the crew mid-mission.

The other names mentioned in the collection remained on planet Earth:

NASA Ground Support
- Director Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) - NASA Administration / Mission Director.
- Flight Director Clark (Chris Ellis) - Manages shuttle launch and mission logistics.
- Dr. Ronald Quincy (Jason Isaacs) - NASA scientist, nuclear physicist.
- Gen. Kimsey (Keith David) - U.S. Military liaison, oversight of nuclear protocols.

Family (and NASA)
- Grace Stamper (Liv Tyler) - Harry's daughter (and A.J.'s girlfriend), NASA liaison.
- Denise Chappel (Judith Hoag) - Chick's wife, NASA communications officer.

Of course, in the end, the mission is ultimately successful, after a lot of tension and conflict between the NASA / military members and the drilling team as decisions are made with the changing situation. But this success came at a price, as six members of the mission die in the process, including Harry, who sacrifices himself to ensure the damaged nuclear bomb is detonated (manually).

"Armageddon" did very well at the box office, grossing $553.7 million worldwide, which was the best of any film that year (1998). Domestically, however, "Saving Private Ryan" fared a bit better, edging out "Armageddon" for top spot in the U.S.