| “ | Well, unless someone makes a claim for it, I figure it's lost property. | ” |
– Ziggy (Regarding Cundalini's Severed Hand) | ||
Ziggy was a local sheriff whose jurisdiction encompassed May Swaisey's farm. located somewhere along Highway 9, Sector 26. He was portrayed by Jerry Day in Mad Max.
Biography[]
Ziggy is part of the Main Force Patrol. We know this because he wears the black leathers and drives a Ford Falcon cruiser painted like the MFP. However, Ziggy has a dual-position as the local Sheriff for the region in which May Swaisey's farm resides.
Mad Max[]
After the Rockatanskys arrive at May's farm they discover Cundalini's severed hand. He was one of Toecutter's biker gang who was harassing Jessie and Sprog earlier.
They contact the local sheriff who turns out to be Ziggy. Ziggy is rather cavalier about the whole episode, really not very ambitious to investigate the incident, and not very concerned that there might be more trouble. In fact, he makes light of the situation by saying, "Well, unless someone makes a claim for it, I figure it's lost property." His attitude didn't come across as "uncaring" or "callous," but rather as an attempt to keep everyone calm.
Original Script[]
In the original script there was no character named "Ziggy." Instead, there was the character of "The Dark One" -- Max's cruiser partner who had a gruesome accident as described by Goose in Fat Nancy's diner. The Dark One's name is even on Max's Pursuit vehicle.
After Jessie discovered Cundalini's hand still attached to the car, Max and Jessie would've met up with "The Dark One" on May Swaisey's farm. "The Dark One" would've been wearing a plastic nose, most likely from the aftermath of the accident Goose was describing earlier. "The Dark One" originally was to handle the Cundalini's hand situation over the phone just like in the movie. However, at a certain point during production, George Miller made the wise decision to cut the character of "The Dark One" from the movie. All references to "The Dark One" were cut from Goose's story and when Max arrived at May Swaisey's farm, he met up with a character called "Ziggy," essentially, "The Dark One" re-named.
After Jessie runs back from the beach, Max tells May Swaisey to call "The Dark One" regardless, and that is the only clear reference to the existence of "The Dark One" in Mad Max. This would mean that Ziggy and "The Dark One" are two different characters, but in the original script, they were both one and the same.