In *Skyfall* (2012), the connections between the main characters are rooted in their shared history within MI6, personal background from childhood, or their introduction during the film's opening mission.
### **1. James Bond and M (Judi Dench)**
They have a long-standing, strictly professional yet deeply personal relationship within **MI6**.
* **Context:** Bond is a veteran "00" field agent under M's command.
* **Specific Detail:** Their relationship is described as maternal; M admits she recruits "orphans" because they make the best agents. She knows the most intimate details of Bond’s past, including the location of his childhood home, **Skyfall**, and the tragedy of his parents' death. Despite her willingness to "sacrifice" him for the mission (ordering Eve to take the shot), Bond remains fiercely loyal to her.
### **2. M and Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem)**
Their history predates the movie and is the driving force of the plot.
* **Context:** They knew each other from **MI6 Station H in Hong Kong** during the late 1980s and 1990s.
* **Specific Detail:** Silva (whose real name was **Tiago Rodriguez**) was M’s "favorite" agent when she was the Head of Station H. In 1997, M betrayed him by handing him over to the Chinese government in exchange for six other agents and a peaceful handover of the territory. Silva survived a failed cyanide suicide attempt that left him disfigured and spent years planning his revenge against the woman he refers to as "Mommy."
### **3. James Bond and Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris)**
They are introduced as **colleagues in the field** at the start of the film.
* **Context:** They are paired together for a mission in **Istanbul** to recover a stolen hard drive.
* **Specific Detail:** At the beginning of the film, Eve is a field agent. Bond and Eve have a flirtatious professional rapport, but she is the one who accidentally shoots him during a chase on a moving train. By the end of the film, she retires from field work to become the secretary for the new M, formally introducing herself to Bond as "Eve Moneypenny."
### **4. James Bond and Kincade (Albert Finney)**
This is the only main connection that predates Bond’s career in espionage.
* **Context:** They know each other from the **Skyfall estate in Scotland**.
* **Specific Detail:** Kincade is the long-time **gamekeeper** of the Bond family estate. He knew James as a young boy and was present when Bond’s parents died. When Bond returns to Skyfall with M to hide from Silva, Kincade is the only person there to greet them, representing Bond's "old world" roots.
### **5. James Bond and Raoul Silva**
* **Context:** They **do not know each other** prior to the events of the film.
* **Specific Detail:** They meet for the first time on Silva's abandoned island. Silva views Bond as a "mirror image" of himself—another "rat" caught in M’s traps. He tries to bond with 007 over their shared mistreatment by M, though Bond rejects the comparison.
### **6. James Bond, Q, and Gareth Mallory**
* **Q (Ben Whishaw):** Bond and the "new" Q meet for the first time at the **National Gallery** in London. Q is introduced as a younger, more tech-focused Quartermaster, and their relationship starts with mutual skepticism.
* **Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes):** Mallory is the **Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee**. He and Bond meet after Bond’s "resurrection." Mallory initially views Bond as a relic of the past who is no longer fit for duty, though he eventually earns Bond’s respect during the shootout at the public inquiry.