Smokers

**The Church of Eternal Growth** (as they refer to themselves) also known as **The Smokers** (as they are more widely regarded) are one of the largest and most malevolent factions of Waterworld.

The Smokers are led by The Deacon in both spiritual and religious matters, and they reside on *The Deez*, a ruined oil tanker.

## Description

The Smokers are a group of industrialized pirates in Waterworld that are known to launch "crusades" on settlements for glory and supplies. The Smokers are named after the fact that they are notorious for being heavy smokers, as well as that their engine-based fleet of watercraft often produce a smokey haze when moving.

The Smokers are based on an oil tanker known as the *Deez*, formerly known as the *Exxon Valdez*, the ExxonMobil oil tanker responsible for the infamous 1989 oil spill off the coast of Alaska. The Smokers possess a large yet diminishing amount of crude oil, which they use to power their fleet of watercraft as well as other supplies including cigarettes, alcohol, and canned meat.

The Smokers are the only known faction in Waterworld to possess a working land vehicle, a 1961 Lincoln Continental named the "Deaconmobile" as it is the main source of transportation for the Deacon. The Smokers operate a large fleet of watercraft which they use during their raids including a hellfire gunboat named after the quad-mounted machine gun place at the front of the ship, a refuelling barge which is used as both a refuelling point for the other watercraft and a command post for the Deacon, and numerous amounts of jet skis and other ships. The Smokers also operate a functioning airplane they call the sky-boat. The sky-boat is shown to be a heavily modified Helio H-295 Super Courier which has converted into a seaplane armed with a M1917 Browning machine gun.

The Smokers also have a vast arsenal of firearms in their possession. These firearms are often cobbled together with different pieces, often using the receivers of modern firearms, such as the MP5 or M16 as a base. The Smokers are also shown to recycle their ammunition as suggested with Smokers sweeping up the shells of discharged bullets into buckets for later use.

The Smokers appear to be somewhat religious in nature, with its so-called religion based of the finding and industrialization of Dryland, which they believe is to be their destiny. They also appear to hold former *Exxon Valdez* Captain Joseph Hazelwood in high spiritual regard, with the Deacon referring to him as a saint and other Smokers bringing offerings to his portrait to bring good luck.

## History

The history of the smokers is unclear. Given that they reside aboard the husk of the *Deez* and worship her former captain "Saint Joe", it probable that the the core of the faction developed from pre-deluge tanker crewmen and oil workers. They likely began to raid atolls out of neccessity, and bolstered their ranks with equally desperate conscripts and captives. Over time, this raiding became not only an act of survival, but ingrained into their very culture and religion.

## Galleries

### Smoker craft and miscellaneous

A motorised Smoker attack armada against the rising sun*The Deez*, the lair of the SmokersSky BoatSmoker attack squad on jet skisSmoker Refueler BargeThe Deacon on his refuelling barge with signal boysThe Smoker Hellfire GunboatThe Smoker Battering RamSmoker cargo, including smeat and Black Death cigarettesHanding out Black Death cigarettes from the DeaconmobileSmokers scrambling for handouts of 'smeat' potted meat and 'black death' cigarettes
### Smoker individuals

The religious and military leader of the Smokers, the Deacon, addresses the amassed Smokers on *The Deez*The Deacon with a pack of Black Death cigarettesThe Deacon with bottle of Jack Daniels in handThe NordThe Smoker leadership with Enola captive (forefront). From left-to-right: the Nord (lieutenant), the Smoker Bookkeeper, the Deacon, and the Smoker DoctorThe Deacon with the Smoker BookkeeperThe Smoker DoctorThe Smoker PilotThe Smoker Plane Gunner (Ed)Smoker Hellfire GunnerThe Smoker Depth GaugeThree smokers on motorised jet skis lie in wait of drifters
## Trivia

* Smokers refer to each other as 'cousins'.
* Very few Smokers appear to have names. There are a few exceptions, for example a small boy who the Deacon refers to as Toby, the Hellfire Gunner who may be named Chuck or Charles, and the plane gunner who is named as "Ed" in a deleted scene reinstated for the extended cut. However most Smokers appear to be named after their role or function in smoker society e.g. Deacon, Doctor, Bookkeep, Depth Gauge. In the case of the Nord, the Deacon's lieutenant, he is instead named after his physical characteristics.
	+ It is of course possible that smokers do have names in a traditional sense, but these names are never revealed or referred to in the film or novelisation.
* The game *Waterworld: The Quest for Dryland* reveals that the smokers are a much larger faction than depicted in the film. In addition to *The Deez*, the smokers also maintain a number of atoll-like settlements, perhaps the spoils of former conquests which they didn't sink. They even maintain a former offshore oil platform, as seen in level 17, which may explain where the smokers obtain new supplies of go-juice. However the 'canon' of the game is a matter of debate, and it appears to be set in a separate/alternate timeline to the film.

*to be completed*

### Concept artwork

Smoker concept artworkSmoker jet ski concept artwork'Wave Ripper'

### Production stills

Helicopter dropping stuntmen into the set during the filming of the smoker attack on Oasis Atoll
## References

1. ↑ Mentioned by the Deacon when he talks to Enola in the extended edition of the film. Also mentioned in the novelisation