Jessie Bannon

General Information

Card Stats and Summary

Hair: Red
Eyes: Green
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 101 lbs.

Jessie Bannon is Race Bannon's daughter by Estella Velasquez, and a good friend of Hadji Singh, Jonny Quest, and Dr. Benton Quest. She accompanies the Quest family on many of their adventures, providing another voice of intelligence in addition to Hadji's eastern approach and Jonny's impulsive resourcefulness. She identifies with Dr. Quest more than her father, and is eager to analyze new information and help in the course of Dr. Quest's phenomenology investigations. She's revealed in Thoughtscape to be very ambitious at heart, hoping to improve humanity through her dedicated effort and research. Her father often calls her by the nickname "panchita". The Dark Horse comic series includes a different origin for Jessie's mother in issues five and seven; she's an unnamed acquaintance of Race who died years ago, and Jessie went on an adventure to find treasure with the Quest team before revealing her identity as Race's daughter.

Peter Lawrence Writer's Bible

Jessie

Jessie is the same age as Jonny but often seems more mature. Like Jonny, she has had to take responsibility for herself and handles herself well in most situations.

As Race's daughter, she is fit and athletic but she is not Superwoman in training. She cannot, even with all Race's tuition in the martial arts, overpower an adult. She is a girl, not a woman.

She will not seem to be as strong, physically, as Jonny but she is just as tough. She is smarter, too, and more thoughtful; more academic and certainly more in tune with Hadji.

To Race's great joy, Jessie shows a strong interest in Dr Quest's work and she often has a better grasp of the academic and the theoretical than Jonny. So, just as Jonny likes to hang out with Race -- the man of action -- Jessie likes to spend time with Dr Quest. She shares his consuming interest in archaeology, physics and the paranormal.

The very real differences between Jonny and Jessie make for interesting crossplay and tensions -- but these two kids really like each other. They may fall out. They may have spats -- but they are good friends and, just around the corner, they may become more than that.

Glenn Leopold Writer's Bible

JESSIE

is slightly older (14) than Jonny, and often seems much more mature. Like Jonny, she has had to take responsibility for herself and handles herself well in most situations.

As Race's daughter, she is fit and athletic but she is not Superwoman in training. She cannot, even with all Race's tuition in the martial arts, overpower an adult. In fact she's a bit of a disappointment in that regard...though Race would never let on to her. Jonny is his prize pupil in the physical fitness department.

Let's face it. Jessie is more of an egghead. And Race can be overprotective when it comes to his daughter.

But though Jessie is not as strong, physically, as Jonny, she is just as tough. She's smarter, too, and more thoughtful; more academic and, to Jonny's chagrin, certainly more in tune with Hadji. Why does Hadji always seem to side with Jessie? Maybe because she's prettier than Jonny.

Like Hadji, Jessie has a strong interest in Dr. Quest's work and she often has a better grasp of the academic and the theoretical than Jonny. So, just as Jonny likes to hang out with Race - the man of action - Jessie likes to spend time with Dr. Quest. She shares his consuming interest in archaeology, physics and the paranormal. Race may be a touch envious of Jessie's relationship with Benton. Call it fatherly jealousy. But Race is also extremely proud that his daughter can hold her own with a genius like Dr. Quest.

The very real differences between Jessie and Jonny should make for interesting crossplay and tensions. These two kids really like each other, but they fall out like friends often do. Maybe some day, the two will become more than friends. Maybe Jessie really prefers Hadji's company. Sometimes Jonny thinks so.

Most of the time, Jessie lives [with] Race at the Quest Compound. She has a mother, Race's ex-wife, ESTELLA VELASQUEZ, an architect who lives in South America (Columbia to be exact). Estella is rarely featured in a NEW JONNY QUEST episode, but when she is, she must have a strong, relevant role.

Nickname Origin

A mailing list post by LesliWeird attempted to explain 'panchita':

Carlos Alberto Rodriguez Guttierez (gawd I'm jealous! I only have two
names!) aka Carlos once told us that he had done some research and it's
a colloquialism used mostly further south (he was in Chiapas at the time
I believe, so that would make it South or Central America) meaning
"little one", and something that parents say to their children.

The other thoery was that it was a diminutive feminized form of Pancho,
which is a very common name for a sidekick (as in Sancho Pancho, and I
think the sidekick for Butch Cassidy (although I may have my cowboys
crossed)). Pancho -> Panchito -> Panchita.

Quotes

Season One

Escape to Questworld

Jessie - "I wish Jeremiah Surd were alive."
Jonny - "Why, Jess?"
Jessie - "So I could kill him!

Ndovu's Last Journey

Hadji - "Old Ndovu just strolled on by."
Jessie - "I guess that proves he's smarter than we are."

Assault on Questworld

Jonny - "Whoa, something's not right."
Jessie - "Not right? It looks downright evil!"

~

Lorenzo - "So tell me chiquita, where's your little friend?"
Jonny - "Right behind you, chiquita, with your little friend's gun cocked, safety off, and ready to rock."
Jessie - "Gracias."
Jonny - "See, I'm not too hot on guns."
Lorenzo - "You little punk!"
Jessie - "I, on the other hand, don't have a problem with them. It's all a matter of how you use them, isn't it?"

Ezekiel Rage

Jessie - "Looks like the cavalry has arrived...late, as usual."

The Alchemist

Jonny - "There she is!"
Jessie - "You can tell it's a 'she' from this distance. You must have telescopic eyesight."

Trouble on the Colorado

Jessie - "How'd you know that? You must have noticed how the rotor flattened all the brush. Then you saw the tracks the landing gear made, and you figured it had to be a helicopter, right?"
Indian - "Actually, I saw a big Chinook skirting the north rim just before we found you three."
Jessie - "Oh."

The Secret of the Moai

Hadji - "Similar to those found in chiroptera and cetaceans!"
Jonny - "That's bats and whales to you, Jess!"
Jessie - "Oh really? Duh!!"

Expedition to Khumbu

Jessie - "I'm okay, dad...kinda."

~

Jonny - "Careful, Jess!'
Jessie - "I never understand why people say that; it's like, what!? Am I stupid enough to take an impossible risk?"
Hadji - "But indeed, you are taking an impossible risk!"

Ice Will Burn

Yagor - "Are you, or are you not the firebringer?"
Jessie - "Not unless you're the tsar of Russia."
Yagor - "See!! I have the power to make demons speak the truth!"

~

Jessie - "If you believe in anything—anything at all—pray that the fuel lines aren't still frozen."

To Bardo and Back

Jessie - "You know my dad. He'd rather go trying than not try at all."

Season Two

Bloodlines

Hadji - "Yes, it's true. There has been sadness in the past. But I want the future of Bangalore to be a happy one!"
Hadji - "Power in Bangalore shall no longer be a male prerogative!"
Jessie - "Right on, Sultan!"

The Dark Mountain