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There's no denying that Casablanca is an all time classic film! It's timeless, snappy and clever with some of the greatest performances ever put to film. It's also unfortunately more timely than ever today in a world that's once again figuring out how to fight fascists.
The Wing Commander connection was pretty easy this time around: here's Casablanca's legendary final line compared to Minx's in Special Operations 2!
Sully is shocked to find out that movie club is going on in here.
Nov
…CountvonSchnaps is back with even more thrilling takes on classic Wing Commander ships! This time they've updated the A-14 Raptor from Wing Commander I and the F-107 Lance (aka Dragon) from Wing Commander IV in their distinctive, wonderful style. Check 'em out!
Wing Commander I - A14 Raptor (DeviantArt)
As a request made for Shoguneagle depicting a lesser known Wing Commander fighter the A14 Raptor heavy fighter.
Armed with 2x Neutron Cannons, 2x Mass Driver guns and up to 6 hardpoints the Raptor was the mainstay for Confederation Space Forces during the early to middle part of the Terran-Kilrathi War.
After the war many of the fighters were sold to Landreich and even to the civilian market.
A fun design, which I rarely have seen so tried to stay close to the main layout and feel of the designs but making it a bit more in line of previous designs.Wing Commander IV: F107 Lance (DeviantArt)
Another Wing
Nov
This is a reminder that we have another fun #Wingnut movie night planned on Discord this evening! The ongoing theme will be movies that are referenced by Wing Commander in some way. Tonight's film is Zulu (1964) and you can find details on why we're watching it in the announcement post here. The movie will start at 7 PM PST/10 PM EST but feel free to drop by and hang any time!
Nov
…Zulu was a more interesting film than we expected; certainly closer to Lawrence of Arabia than The Dambusters. The production values are spectacular, the story isn't a familiar one to Americans in 2025 and the acting is great. It's a big, bold movie that suffers less because it's a boring war movie and more because it's about the sort of war we no longer find familiar. Wing Commander movie club member bob was the person that found the Zulu reference in Action Stations in the first place and he noted that it's one of his favorite movies. We asked him if he wanted to say a few words about the film... and here they are!:
It's fitting that the line "because we're here" was the impetus to watch Zulu: it sums up the entirety of the film. William Forstchen may have reused it but the contexts could not have been more different. The pilots in Action Stations are fighting for not only their own lives but those
Nov
…Hard? Cor! Is a techno dance commune which performed a Tribal Rainforest Chip-Shop Alkali Soul set which incorporates local cultures. It was fronted by singer Wok-Eyes, who is known for his laid back, disinterested personality. The band has been described as "techno wizards" and "calcium-challenged bleep gods" and their music as "electic." They became popular with young people around 2790; fans called themselves the "Universe crew". They signed a three-album deal with Zak Skintight's Startled Productions that year. Wok-eyes commented "yeah, it's alright I suppose. Zak's a nice bloke, and we'll get to go to some really good parties. Can I go now?"
Also in 2790, Hard? Cor! hosted a series of three-day "be ins" on planets around the Tri-System including Janus IV which offered music, dancing, ethnic education and spiritual exploration. These were very popular among Hard? Cor!'s young audience but they
Dec
Many of you have watched Crossfire evolve from a simple Freelancer extension into a massive, story-rich, visually enhanced universe. Others are only just beginning to explore its new systems, factions, mysteries, and challenges. No matter where you are in that journey, your support has shaped the mod into what it is today.
Nov
Last year we reported that Apple's new app store rules had finally opened up an entire world of emulation to iPhones and iPads, including access to great classics like Wing Commander/SM1 on the SNES and Prophecy on the Game Boy Advance. Programs like the Delta emulator have only gotten better, and new apps like ArcEmu have arrived on the scene. One particular noteworthy feature of the ArcEmu is that it has an Apple Watch interface! This means you can now play your favorite Game Boy games on your wrist. I wouldn't necessarily say this is the best way to play, but in my testing here, it's surprising decent and very impressive that they managed to fit the controls into the tiny screen. There's an easy video tutorial below on how to get it started, or you can find more info here. The program is $2, but that's well worth it for the novelty alone.
Nov
…Today is Thanksgiving in the United States and so the Wing Commander CIC team would like to wish everyone a happy holiday. Thanksgiving is a time to stop and remember what we're grateful for and in these trying times, that is more and more the love and support of the Wing Commander community. Whether you're posting to the forums or watching movies with us on Discord or chatting back and forth on social media, our old group is still a bright light in my life. Thank you all!
Of course, a big part of Thanksgiving is... Pilgrims! With that in mind, we're reprinting the Confederation Handbook's history of the Pilgrim War, complete with the original illustrations. Did you know that the Pilgrims (or should we say McDanielites?) had this much backstory?
| query "pilgrim war, history" media=encyc, level=UNCLASSIFIED sort=bestmatch | return=1
(Excerpts from The Student's Encyclopedia, 123rd Edition, HarperCollins,
Dec
…
Here's a great story from Privateer 2: The Darkening screenwriter Diane Duane. She posted the entry below as a reply on her Tumblr back in 2013 in response to a social media post about a man being obnoxious about women that play video games. If you aren't familiar with Diane Duane's incredible body of work, she's written for properties ranging from Star Trek (extensively!) to Marvel, Doctor Who, My Little Pony, Gargoyles, X-COM, seaQuest DSV and many others... all in addition to her own original properties like the ongoing Young Wizards. There's a good bet you have something she worked on in your collection right now! Her story has a timeless message and it manages to share some interesting behind-the-screens trivia about our favorite Privateer sequel:
I had to do this once with Privateer II: The Darkening. It gained a bit when he said "I bet you didn't play it through, I bet somebody just told you
Dec
…One year has passed since the destruction of Titan Cocijo in the Sol system brought the Second Thargoid War to an end.
The conflict cost tens of billions of lives and reshaped political, military, and economic priorities across every major civilisation. In the time since, stations and settlements once abandoned due to caustic damage have been successfully restored.
Trade routes have reopened, industries restarted, and newly colonised systems have seen communities flourish far from the scars of the war.
In Sol, visitors gathered at a beacon positioned near the wreckage site of Cocijo, a reminder of both the triumph and the sacrifice that ended the Thargoid advance.
Many still struggle with loss, while others have taken the opportunity to begin again by rebuilding and supporting colonisation efforts to expand humanity across the stars.
But the peace gained at such cost has proven fragile.
In
Dec
…It turns out we didn't have to wait very long for CountvonSchnaps next awesome take on a classic Wing Commander ship design! They're back with the F-104 Bearcat fighter from Wing Commander IV, one of the game's most delightful secrets (you can only fly the Bearcat if you complete a particular optional mission in the Speradon series). As with the Count's previous ship reworks, it's pretty nice:
Wing Commander IV: F104 Bearcat (DeviantArt)
Another design made for Shoguneagle showcasing my take of the F104 Bearcat.
A heavy fighter design it was intended, and created, as a pure aerospace fighter and is, in contrast to many of the other Confederation designs not a multirole unit. It did not see any action during the Terran Kilrathi War but did see active combat service during the Union of Border worlds Calamity.
Armed with 4x light tachyon cannons and 4x2 hardpoints it packs a punch and in combination with its
Dec
This is a reminder that we have another fun #Wingnut movie night planned on Discord this evening! The ongoing theme will be movies that are referenced by Wing Commander in some way. Tonight's film is It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and you can find details on why we're watching it in the announcement post here. The movie will start at 7 PM PST/10 PM EST but feel free to drop by and hang any time!
And don't forget our fifth Wing Commander Cartoon party is early tomorrow!
Dec
…One year has passed since the destruction of Titan Cocijo in the Sol system brought the Second Thargoid War to an end.
The conflict cost tens of billions of lives and reshaped political, military, and economic priorities across every major civilisation. In the time since, stations and settlements once abandoned due to caustic damage have been successfully restored.
Trade routes have reopened, industries restarted, and newly colonised systems have seen communities flourish far from the scars of the war.
In Sol, visitors gathered at a beacon positioned near the wreckage site of Cocijo, a reminder of both the triumph and the sacrifice that ended the Thargoid advance.
Many still struggle with loss, while others have taken the opportunity to begin again by rebuilding and supporting colonisation efforts to expand humanity across the stars.
But the peace gained at such cost has proven fragile.
In
Dec
Display MoreThis week's analysis of the influence held by key figures in the enclave has arrived, courtesy of Conrad Sterling of Vox Galactica.
His latest survey of system populations suggests the following five powers enjoy the largest sphere of influence:
Rank 1: A. Lavigny-Duval - 7 Systems
Rank 2: Aisling Duval - 6 Systems
Rank 3: Pranav Antal - 5 Systems
Rank 4: Nakato Kaine - 4 Systems
Rank 5: Yuri Grom - 3 Systems
Zemina Torval has lost her foothold in the enclave and is now eliminated from contention for control of the region. The remaining powers fight to cling on to their current systems as the battle continues.
Dec
Here's a neat piece of ephemera: it's a gaudy advertisement that ran in the October 2008 issue of play3, a German PlayStation magazine promoting phone downloads. This was back when you could add things like ringtones, themes, backgrounds, games and other content to your pre-smart phones by sending a text message to purchase or rent it. And in this case, if you look past all the pornography, you'll find that the people at HandySMS were offering Wing Commander ringtones, both the overture from the movie and the Cobalt 60 Prophecy song! Did anyone ever use this service? It would be great to find these files today!
Dec
…Everyone loves Back to the Future! And the Wing Commander movie club is largely a subset of everyone. I was personally not sure how I would feel after it was so over-exposed in mid-2010s geek culture... but you can't help but smile when you're actually watching it. It's so beautifully structured and ceaselessly entertaining, the run time feels like nothing at all. I'd go so far as to say it's a better movie on its own than with the rest of the trilogy that was added later.
Now let's talk Wing Commander! Here's the very last shot of the movie where the Delorean switches to flight mode and shoots off into the future... and the Privateer animation that it inspired. Note that this was originally not a come on for Back to the Future but a final joke to end the movie. Crazy what it has since become!
We also have a full resolution clip available here for future car wheel historians.
And here's the great Biff
Dec
This is a reminder that we have another fun #Wingnut event happening on Discord this morning! Join us at noon EST/9 AM PST for a fun filled morning of television... that all connect to Wing Commander somehow! This time around we've got two not-so-classic Disney live action films from the mid 1990s… that both feature Wing Commander appearances! You can find details on the shows included as well as how to watch along with us in the announcement post here. Be sure to download the episodes so they're ready to play with the group!
