Joe Stonetree

Character
Name:	Joe Stonetree
Occupation:	police officer
Relationships:
Fandom:	Forever Knight
Other:	commands the 27th Precinct Capt. Joe Stonetree (from "Dead Air")
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Capt. Joe Stonetree is a fictional character that appeared in the first season of the television series, Forever Knight. The part was played by Gary Farmer. Stonetree is a twenty-year veteran on the Metropolitan Police Force in Toronto, currently commanding the 27th Precinct. Working under his supervision are Nick Knight (the protagonist of the show) and his partner, Don Schanke.

Character Evolution

A large, imposing man, with a thoughtful habit of speech, Stonetree gives the initial impression of being uncommonly easy going for a man with his rank on the force. However, in the series premiere he overrides the wishes of both Knight and Schanke, requiring them to partner up in order to solve a tricky, high-profile murder case. In fact, his easy style conceals a firm grip on his command.

Stonetree is not unaffected by the politics of policing, whether he has to provide protection for a controversial rock musician (in "Dying for Fame") or cooperate with a television reality show (in "Unreality TV"). Usually, he will not allow this to interfere with the job of real police work. However, when a case affects those he trusts (as in "Dead Issue"), he is not above putting pressure on his subordinates to find an uncontroversial interpretation of the case. Nevertheless, if the evidence is clear, he will not sanction a cover-up.

Character History

Stonetree was provided with little backstory. He clearly belongs to one of the First Nations; but this did not figure into any of the episodes, and no details were given as to his status or origin. We do not know anything about his family background.

Fan Response

Early fans immediately liked Stonetree as Nick's boss. However, the character clearly played a supporting role in the show; and, when it was proposed that fans affiliate themselves into factions associated with their favourite characters, Stonetree was the only featured role initially left out. He is generally included in fan fiction based on Season One, but only in the same supporting role he had in the show.

Stonetree-focused Factions

Although none of the original factions was affiliated with Stonetree, between the first two seasons, fans began to consider the possibility of adding to the roster of factions by creating them for supporting characters. It was suggested that an affiliation for Stonetree should be called the Scorpions. This references a folk tale that he recounts to Schanke in the series premiere, "Dark Knight":

Stonetree: "They say that if you kill a scorpion, you should be sure to never burn it."
Schanke: (interrupts) "They smell real bad when they're fried, eh?"
Stonetree: "If you burn the scorpion, then all the other scorpions from miles around will come, and...."
Schanke: (interrupts again) "No, no, don't tell me. You get scorpions all over you, right? Yeech. But that's not really true, is it?"
Stonetree: (shrugs) "Course not. It's just a legend. Like vampires."

However, although Stonetree was a moderately popular supporting character, the faction never really materialized.

By Season Three, when a wide range of faction names were being suggested, a new name was put forward for a Stonetree-oriented faction, "Stonetree-ites". However, by that time, Stonetree was no longer Nick's boss on the show. New fans were unfamiliar with the character, and remained so until the show was cancelled and went into reruns. Few fans therefore declared themselves members. Nevertheless, "Stonetree-ites" is the name usually encountered on FAQ lists of faction names.

In recent years, the name "Scorpions" has once again come to be used to refer to a Stonetree-oriented affiliation. Amy R. uses this as the faction name when referring to Stonetree fans on her LiveJournal blog, "What's New on Bright Knight" (for example, see this entry). Also, one fan who does consider her primary affiliation to be with the Scorpions has taken the user name "LastScorpion" on LiveJournal.

Fan Fiction

When Stonetree appears in fan fiction, it is usually as a supporting character in scenes set at the police station during Season One. However, in the following stories, he plays a more prominent role:

• "Stones, Fjords and Umbrellas"[1] by Natmerc
• "The New Guy"[2] by Greer Watson
• "A Stonetree Christmas Eve"[3] by Veronica McKnight