This Is Ron Swanson's Secret Obsession In Parks And Recreation
NBC's beloved sitcom "Parks and Recreation" had a lot to contribute to pop culture throughout its six years on the air. It made the otherwise ordinary day of October 13 into Treat Yo' Self day, made fans across the globe fall in love with a miniature horse named Li'l Sebastian, and launched the career of "The Tomorrow War" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" star Chris Pratt. However, arguably its most famous and popular creation came in the form of the longtime Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department head, Ronald Ulysses Swanson (Nick Offerman).
For all seven seasons of "Parks and Recreation," Ron Swanson is a key player — typically begrudgingly overseeing the energetic and motivated Leslie Knope's (Amy Poehler) latest community efforts. Though he never delves too deeply into his past, nor does he reveal a lot by way of personal information, he's never one to hide his rather simple passions. Swanson loves fine cuts of meat, hunting, fishing, firearms, and, as a card-carrying libertarian, ensuring the government stays out of his personal affairs as much as possible. Not to mention, he's quite the talented saxophone player under his Duke Silver stage name.
A commonality among these examples is that they're all often discussed or depicted on "Parks and Recreation" at great length, even becoming entwined in the plots of certain episodes. However, the show has dropped hints that Ron Swanson may have another, secret hobby that borders on obsession. Here's what it is and when it has been not-so-subtly pointed out.
Ron Swanson's hidden love for military aviation
A central component of Ron Swanson's personality is his United States patriotism. From the American flag on his desk to his disinterest in visiting anywhere outside of the USA, he's never one to hide his love for his country. He's also not one to keep his vast knowledge of history to himself either, sprinkling important historical quotes and anecdotes into his daily conversation and decorating his office with all kinds of significant artifacts. It's made especially evident he has a soft spot for the history of military aviation.
Screen Rant points out a handful of clues that cue us in on Ron's aviation fascination. First off, he has an image of a crashed World War 1 fighter jet near his desk and another of a World War 2 Spitfire close by. Additionally, the Season 4 episode "The Trial of Leslie Knope" sees him voice his interest in buying a small wooden model of a B-25 Mitchell aircraft. He clearly bought it for himself too, telling that to April (Aubrey Plaza) point-blank, quelling her suspicions that he was getting it for her. To further drive home his passion, her interrupting him when he was in the process of buying it actually made him visibly mad.
Ron Swanson's love for military aviation doesn't get time to flourish on "Parks and Recreation," but it's certainly not hidden from the audience. Perhaps if the program follows in the footsteps of so many others and returns for another season down the road, we'll get to learn more.