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At long last: the original sources for all four alternate German Wing Commander novel covers! Baen didn't own the Sam Yeates' cover paintings for Wing Commander III and IV so they couldn't license them to the German publisher directly. So instead they used 'slush' art that they already had the rights to reprint starting with Heart of the Tiger!

The Stars at War is by David Weber and Steve White. No author names on the front though?

I was curious about that too; it turns out its an pen-and-paper game sourcebook based on the novel!

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More_Boom_Boom recently unearthed this Christmas card from his sister. It dates back a few years to when he was building a Star Citizen computer, but his sister didn't know all those details. Nevertheless, if he's anything like me, all of his family and friends are well aware of his affection for Wing Commander. I'm very impressed by the attention to detail here. It's a pretty recognizable Hornet cockpit targeting a Dralthi. What a great sister!

She had the right idea. Just a couple decades off.

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Classic PC game publisher MicroProse is making a return. The company was a major force in the '80s and '90s with series like Civilization, X-COM and Master of Orion under their belt. Like Origin, they also had roots in the Austin, Texas game development scene, but waves of industry consolidation caused the name to go under in the early 2000s. An Australian megafan and software developer has been steadily following the rights and buying up assets for the past 15 years in order to relaunch the brand. Original co-founder "Wild Bill" Stealey has also signed on as a consultant to advise the new CEO. You can find an interview with him here. They've officially kicked off this month with the announcement of three historical combat sims by teams that partially include former MicroProse developers. The new titles look pretty slick in teaser trailers, and we're excited to see how this venture pans out.

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LYP Studios has put together a pretty neat Morningstar fighter for the Thingiverse 3D printing website. At nearly 15 inches long, it's a monster in the model fighter world and the large size allows for increased detail on the spaceframe. There's also plenty of ordnance it seems. Klavs was actually the person who spotted this and his art coincidentally served as the inspiration for this new iteration. It's been carefully designed so that the fuselage and fins can be independently printed and attached. You can download the files here. If you build one, be sure to send us pics!

F-95 Morningstar Heavy Fighter Variant (Wing Commander II)

This is my rendition of the heavy fighter, at 37cm long (about 1/72 scale)It was modeled similar to Adam Burch's (Klavs81) original version, but with some of my own customization.

The fuselage and fin parts should be printable in FDM in current orientation.However I

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I don't know what you've found, but it seems to me like Black Friday sales are somewhat lackluster this year. Even Cards Against Humanity wasn't in the mood to pull any kind of stunt. But there are still Wing Commander goodies out there, so whether you're looking to complete your collection or find a thoughtful gift, consider the items below.

GOG can always be counted on to pull out a holiday discount, and they've once again put the entire Wing Commander series on sale for 75% off. This year we've also added a couple vendors to the list of Wing Commander Academy distributors below: Walmart and Deep Discount are now carrying it. It's a must have and an absolute steal for eight bucks!

Games ($1.49 each)
Wing Commander 1&2 Wing Commander 3 Wing Commander 4 DVD Wing Commander Prophecy & Secret Ops	Wing Commander Privateer Wing Commander Privateer 2 Wing Commander Academy Wing Commander Armada

Movies & TV

Academy

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

A proposal by the Federal corporation Core Dynamics to purchase the construction company Lakon Spaceways has been officially rejected.
Naomi Landseer, chairperson of Lakon's board of directors, made this statement:
"We thank Mr Rochester and his team for their approach. However, I can confirm that Lakon Spaceways will remain an independent company."
Business reporter Irfan Karim analysed the situation more closely for The Alliance Tribune:
"This decision has surprised many analysts, considering the persistent rumours that Lakon is in far greater difficulty than financial statements would suggest. Although its shipbuilding partnership with the Alliance proved highly lucrative, insiders believe that the firm has overstretched itself in terms of resources and manpower."
"There have also been public comments from high-profile shareholders in Lakon, who are pressuring the board to accept ownership

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EmuMusicFan has gotten a little bit fancier with his graphical novel project. Although you can't see the animation in these screenshots, they depict some of the latest motion that accompanies his various set pieces. For example, the moon in the background of the first shot is a dynamic object that will cycle to give a sense of time. Likewise, the dark shadow over the character in the third image isn't just a blacked out version of the final shot: it's a silhouette effect that's been applied. All of this combines to create more elaborate presentation in his stories to come!

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Everything is coming together for Through the Moongate, from Wing Commander and Ultima VII to Portalarium. This historical reference on the history of Origin was successfully Kickstarted in October 2019, and author Andrea Contato is in the final stages of prepping materials now. The actual text of the book was completed in December and released electronically a couple weeks ago. Contributors can log into their Kickstarter accounts for download links. If you missed the original campaign but still want a copy of the book, a store has been set up for that here. Physical printings should be ready to go within a matter of weeks, and some of the bonus extras are now ready as well. These include a fantastic Wing Commander bookmark by Origin artist Denis Loubet as well as a cloth art collage by Manda that features a Kilrathi and Dralthi in the corner. I'm looking forward to getting mine!

Manda's artwork

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"Either you're an earthworm or an eagle."

Launch Deck, BWS Intrepid.

Paladin: So here you are, an instructor. Not a general, or a senator. And you could have had everything.
Maverick: “Everything” means I keep flying. So if you ask me, I’ve got everything.
Paladin: I envy you, laddie. At times I wish I’d made the same choice myself. So, how’s that farm?
Maverick: <laughs> I’m not a farmer.
Maniac: I’m talking about rolling a bomber, not a fighter.
Newbie: You’re kidding!
Maverick: You know, of all people…
Maniac: I’m not enrolled in training!
Maverick: …Maniac taught me one thing.
Maniac: Wha– hey, pal. Uh, Senator. I– What? What?
Maverick: Well you said, “either you’re an earthworm or an eagle”.
Maniac: I said that?
Panther: Hey, Colonel! We’ve got a fresh batch of newbies to shake down.
Maverick: They can wait a bit. I think I’ll log some flyin’ time.
Maniac: Er, Senator, about…
Paladin: Maniac… shut up.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's something new and different in Howard Day's Wing Leader project. We've seen a lot of the pilots and their helmets lately, and Howard took this one step further to merge these characters with the exciting cockpit scenes shown off a while back. Check out Angel in the green VDU! To flip the camera around, the fighter seats have also been bulked up and fit a bit better with their flight suits. There's also a neat test of a pilot in the briefing room. You can see they're all the same person, but a lot of work goes into getting the scaling and light tones right. It's cool to see these difference pieces come together!

Bulked up the seats, fixed the padding stitching and wrinkles to blend/look better, added more helmet art, rank insignia on the respirators, and seatbelts!

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Here's a character that many people have been waiting for. Howard Day has put together his take on Christopher Blair for Wing Leader. He might look a little different than you remember, but that's because Howard has creatively de-aged Mark Hamill and combined him with Bluehair elements for a hybrid of the two. For those following the fan game's story/setting, he'll still be attached to the Tiger's Claw at this point in time.

Tonight in random #WingLeader discoveries... if you put dark-blue superman hair on Mark Hamill's face, you.. sorta get the character Col. Blair! Fun, since he played him in Wing Commander 3. At this point of the #WingLeader story, Colonel Christopher Blair has taken over the Flight command of the TCS Tiger's Claw. As always, #pixelart is rendered in #3dsmax!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
Two Alliance stations have been constructed following a successful re-election campaign by Prime Minister Edmund Mahon.
Enterprise Market in the LHS 2522 system and Prosperity Core in the Sharru Sector FW-W c1-19 system are now fully operational. Prime Minister Mahon welcomed visitors to the new starports, promising that they would "further enhance the Alliance's commitment to creating opportunities".
However, Councillor Nakato Kaine triggered heated debate in the Alliance Assembly when she made this announcement:
"My investigation turned up irregularities in the tritium mining campaign, suggesting that it only received enough deliveries to allow one starport to be built. Furthermore, docking records seem to indicate that Sirius Corporation made up the shortfall with a number of unregistered donations."
"Sirius Corporation now has a presence in the Sharru Sector FW-W

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Torval-Mastopolos Mining and Wreaken Construction have both established a presence in the LTT 198 system.
Marlon Royce, business analyst for Vox Galactica, reviewed the situation:
"It is highly unusual for two megacorps to set up new headquarters in the same place. But Mastopolos Mining and Wreaken Construction have always competed aggressively for mining and transportation contracts, so it seems a new chapter in their rivalry has begun."
"This permit-locked system is controlled by the independent faction LTT 198 State Ltd. Insiders claim that it demanded a fortune from both corporations in return for granting passage to its ships and allowing construction of industrial complexes on the planet Dini."
"This is the first significant move from Senator Zemina Torval's new company, an autonomous offshoot of Mastopolos Mining. It may be that Wreaken Construction's presence is an effort to crush

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Here's another slate of fantastic ships (and more!). These originated the Wing Commander Movie's conceptual style book. It was sent out to merchandisers potentially developing WCM-related products. We've pulled out a few of these images here and there over the years, but here's the full book!

Summary and background:

"Good Guys" cast:

Patches, weapons and Pilgrim Cross:

Kilrathi armor, bodies and equipment:

The Rapier (model and sketch):

The Diligent (model and sketch):

The Broadsword (model and sketch):

The Tiger Claw (model and sketch) and missile sketch:

The Dralthi (model and sketch):

The Snakeir (model and sketch):

Ship identification chart:

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Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Professor Ishmael Palin, the foremost authority on the Thargoids, has authored a short article for the scientific journal The Empirical.
"Recent events have once again brought a focus on the alien species we call Thargoids. I have witnessed governments, militaries and public figures characterise them as a mindless destructive force, akin to a swarm of locusts. I feel it is important to underscore how much is absent from our understanding."
"Despite many decades of research, the Thargoid civilisation remains totally alien. We still have almost no true understanding of their language, society, culture or objectives. Non-violent interactions with their spacecraft in recent years have provided little insight, other than their commitment to patrolling and harvesting meta-alloy sources. Of course, their willingness to fight is one of the few traits we definitely share."
"As yet we have almost no

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Azimuth Biotech has publicly offered assistance to Subject D-2, the Project Seraph survivor who gate-crashed the recent Aegis symposium.
The woman, now identified as Seo Jin-ae, unexpectedly arrived at the event on Tuesday. She claimed to possess knowledge of the 'Thargoid roar' that was heard at HIP 22460 following the Proteus Wave's activation. There is speculation that this relates to her inclusion in experiments to create human pilots for Thargoid vessels.
Professor Alba Tesreau has since issued a brief statement:
"Along with other former members of Aegis, I have provided sanctuary to Seo Jin-ae. She is currently receiving medical treatment at a private facility. Ms Seo's safety and welfare is now my responsibility."
Torben Rademaker, CEO of Azimuth Biotech, made the following declaration on public channels:
"We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the individual known as D-2, and would like

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Nine systems have called for help against massive Thargoid attacks intent on wiping out civilian populations.
Ernesto Rios, field correspondent for Vox Galactica, reported:
"The arrival of what military scientists have labelled the 'Taranis Maelstrom' has brought terror and carnage to millions. As soon as the rogue signal source arrived, local inhabited systems became flooded with enormous numbers of Thargoid vessels. Six populated systems close to Hyades Sector FB-N b7-6 were rapidly overwhelmed, while another nine systems in the region are currently facing full-scale invasions."
"I've travelled between several of these systems, and seen for myself the horrific loss of life. Starports are ablaze and covered with corrosive enzymes. Planetary infrastructure is crumbling under the Thargoids' tremendous firepower. Passing ships are being wrenched out of hyperspace.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Deadline reports that Matthew Lillard, who starred as Maniac in the Wing Commander Movie, will soon have a role in the film conversion of Five Nights at Freddy's. Although Lillard has seen huge success in roles relating to Scooby Doo and the Good Girls TV show, he's also got quite a horror following thanks to his time in Scream and movies like Thir13en Ghosts. When he's not acting, Lillard also has a company that focuses on tabletop gaming. Last year they did a really great joke Wing Commander box set for April Fool's Day. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how the Freddy's movie turns out!

The characters they are playing are not being specified. Production on the film is set to begin in February in New Orleans.

Lillard recently starred on the NBC hit Good Girls opposite Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman. He has appeared on great shows such as Bosch, Billions, Halt and Catch Fire,

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There's very exciting news in the Crusader community today. Crusader was another Origin series that was played as a top down isometric shooter. There were only two main games released, but they've now found and archived a version that may have been a precursor to an unreleased sequel - or perhaps an unreleased console port! You can download a copy for yourself and stay up to date with all of the latest Crusader news at EchoSector.com.

Crusader 2 PSX Pre-Pre Alpha recovered and released

It’s a wonderful day for Crusader history, as I am proud to announce the recovery and preservation of a pre-pre-alpha build of Crusader 2 for the Sony Playstation. It has been uploaded online for all to enjoy.

Following the departure of Tony Zurovec from Origin Systems in late 1996, there was a bit of a scramble to keep Crusader going as both No Remorse and No Regret were financial successes for the company. You can

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
An improved xeno scanner has been released to assist combat vessels engaged in anti-xeno operations.
Following increased calls from AX pilots that the existing xeno scanner's limited range was a hindrance, Professor Palin's team at Arque Laboratory delivered a redesign to manufacturers that extends the scanner's upper range to two kilometres.
Industrial complexes have worked overtime to distribute the latest model of xeno scanner. It is now available from military, high-tech and industrial planetary bases, as well as rescue megaships.