Symbols and Tropes
Dog Tags
Top Gun is a move about Navy pilots. Naturally, there are gonna be dog tags. We're not referring to the actual dog tags you might get at a place like Petsmart, but these necklaces that all military...
Maverick's Motorcycle
Maverick likes to live dangerously. He likes fast jets, chasing girls into their bathrooms, and… motorcycles. Of course. Maverick's motorcycle shows up throughout the film, and it's sort of like...
Navy Swag
Bomber jackets with patches, aviators, flight suits, toy jets—Top Gun has all of these things and more. Like the dog tags, all this other stuff is meant to evoke Navy culture—to give the viewer...
Sweat
Everybody is always sweating in Top Gun. Always. Okay, so during the volleyball scene they probably were using sun tan lotion or oil, and sometimes the boys have just got done showering, but you co...