[15] McGarrett returns to Hawaii to bury his father and is asked by Governor Jameson to set up a task force with "full immunity and means" to investigate and capture criminals such as the Hesse brothers.
He then recruits Newark PD transfer, Detective Sergeant Danny "Danno" Williams, his father's former trainee Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly and recent HPD Academy graduate Officer Kono Kalakaua.
[21][22][23] As such, he was not antagonized as much as Danny was by the locals' prejudice and teasing during the first several seasons, evidenced by his friendship with Mamo and the deference shown to him even by Kapu leader Kawika and Kamekona, who affectionately calls McGarrett "the big kahuna".
[citation needed] Based on McGarrett's flashbacks and statements from other characters, he had a happy childhood and enjoyed spending time in the garage watching his father fix the antique 1974 Mercury Marquis.
[20] He was a high school sophomore when his mother Doris[13] was presumed to be killed in a car accident in April 1992,[24] prompting John to send Steve and his younger sister Mary away to the mainland for their own safety.
With the surfacing of crime lord Wo Fat and the theft of John's mysterious tool box after Steve's return to Hawaii, the truth behind Doris' "death" is gradually revealed; while the siblings reunite with their mother, they are still suspicious of her and consider Aunt Deb to be their maternal figure.
[26] A star quarterback, he attended the fictional Kukui High School before being sent to the Army and Navy Academy in California for his junior and senior years after the death of his mother.
[citation needed] In the season 6 episode "Ka Pohaku Kihi Pa'a / The Solid Cornerstone", Steve admitted that he deeply regretted not patching things up with his father when he had the chance to.
[29] His time in the military is largely unknown or vague due to the highly classified nature of most of his missions, but it was mentioned that he has been deployed to Afghanistan,[30] Iraq and North Korea, served on board the USS Enterprise,[31] was stationed at Coronado at some point in his career[32] and was known by the nickname "Smooth Dog".
[26] In season 4, he admits to Lou Grover that after Hart's death, the Navy "didn't feel the same" anymore and that he jumped at the chance to leave when Governor Jameson asked him to set up the task force.
[20] In "No Ke Ali'i' Wahine A Me Ka Aina", Steve and Danny, along with an MI-6 officer (Chris Vance) are awarded the George Cross by Queen Elizabeth II for stopping a terrorist attack against Europe.
[36] Despite the fact that he is no longer on full-time active duty, McGarrett's military background and SEAL training are still evident in his daily routine and habits; he still takes a "Navy shower", keeps his house impeccably neat and tidy, maintains a fitness regimen and is extremely sensitive to sound even when asleep.
His military mannerisms are also apparent in the way he approaches his cases, some of the lingo he uses and his ability to remain calm even when under intense pressure,[12] and he is frequently mocked by Danny for his lack of "human" touch.
[citation needed] McGarrett was in a long-term on-and-off relationship with Catherine Rollins (Michelle Borth), a rekindled old flame introduced early in season 1.
[44][45] Despite his ongoing relationship with Lynn, in the season seven premiere McGarrett confesses to a fellow police officer he meets in a hospital chapel that he "met the right woman but couldn't hold on to her".
Although used to working in a team environment, he is usually a "lone wolf" who is extremely self-reliant and has difficulty relying on others for emotional support, which was a source of concern for his Aunt Deb.