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Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's a great little time capsule from the fantastic X-Wing Game Series account. It shows a snapshot of the best selling PC games in early 1994. Due to print lead times, this would basically have depicted the holiday 1993 sales. Wing Commander Privateer and Academy are both included as they launched within a month of each other in September and August respectively. X-Wing and its Imperial Pursuit expansion are also up there. Plus, there's MS Flight Sim 5, the original Sim City, 7th Guest and more. What a time to be alive!

X-Wing, Imperial Pursuit together with Privateer and Wing Commander Academy (plus MS Flight Simulator 5.0) in the Top 10 best-selling PC games from February 1994 issue of the Electronic Entertainment mag.Great times for flight games!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The CIC Forums have also recently crossed another threshold. We're happy to report that fans have just hit 400,000 posts! Fun fact: our original message board was actually one of the few victims of the Y2K bug, and we started over with new software in January 2000. This has been carried forward through a few different iterations to today. (From WWWBoard to Ultimate BulletinBoard to vBulletin to Xenforo) It's a reasonable number when spread across 18.5 years, but it's still hard to fathom that you all have posted so many times!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Hadrian Augustus Duval has broadcast a message following the purge of isolationist group Nova Imperium:

"Arissa Lavigny-Duval has revealed the true face of her regime – one based on brutality and terror. The callous execution of Imperator Mordanticus, in conjunction with thousands of Imperial citizens, shows her desperation to cling onto power at any cost."

"Nova Imperium survives in the Paresa system, a single light in the darkness. We stand for an Empire that respects everyone, from slaves to senators. I truly hope that any who value honour and tradition will help keep our spark alive."

"Our martyred leader will never be forgotten. In his honour, I have taken the title of Imperator Duval, until such time as the people choose me as their rightful emperor."

"Memento Mordanticus!"

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Segnen Exchange has revealed plans to build an outpost in the Synuefe EN-H d11-96 system.

CEO Cedrik Stone gave the following statement:

"As Zende Partners has graciously provided a transport service to Guardian space, it makes sense for my company to support the increased pilot activity in that area. Segnen Exchange can offer a variety of services to those travelling to the area."

"Segnen Exchange thrives at the forefront of innovation, and the wealth of artefacts soon to flow through Synuefe EN-H d11-96 offers fantastic opportunities in the field of advanced Guardian-human technology."

The announcement, coming so soon after Zende Partners established The Prospect in the same system, has received a mixed response from business analysts. Some view the move as likely to trigger direct conflict between the two corporations, while others believe the presence of both companies can only benefit the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Howard Day

has several exciting new updates to his fancy

WC1-inspired engine

. The most obvious addition is a cool new Firekkan fighter. Howard's also added the neutron gun, made the radar functional and added other UI improvements. Last, but definitely not least, is the chase camera. It makes for a pretty exciting perspective on the action! You can check out the latest effects live in a browser window

here

.

Update! Radars working, along with damage flashing on the radar display. Made myself a Firekkan Valtar Fighter - Featuring twin Neutron cannons and the very first practical ITTS system - something which some folks at Confed Intel are *very* interested in. And some first glimpses of the chase camera and the Valtar in action! Finally got the second weapon in! It's a Neutron Cannon. I'm definitely adding the Mass Driver as well.... Thinking the Photon and Particle cannons as well.

I've added

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Very soon, Captains among the ranks of the Federation, Klingon, and Dominion factions will be gaining access to most of the Romulan Republic’s fierce fleet of starships. This includes many legendary Warbirds, and a number of other Romulan starships. Though these vessels have been restricted up until now, the galaxy is heading in a direction of increased cooperation and sharing of technology, and the Republic has been benefiting from those arrangements for some time. Their leadership has decided it’s time enough to return the trust that has been shown to them, and allow their trusted allies the opportunity to test out their Singularity technology and specialized starships. We will be removing the faction restrictions on nearly all starships that have been previously restricted solely to the Romulan faction. Any ship previously available only to Romulans will now be available to any member of

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Content: The "Mycelial Realm" TFO is no longer eligible to be chosen for Random TFOs. Systems: Resolved an issue that caused updated Delta patrols to reward more skill points on completion than intended. This does not reduce points earned for starship mastery. Increased the XP/MasteryXP modifier present on Patrol maps in the new Patrol System from 2x to 3x. Resolved an issue that prevented Unstable Anomalies from working with some Anomalies.

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

During the all-new Mycelial Crisis event coming to Star Trek Online later this year, you will be able to unlock an all-new starship, the Elachi Qulash Frigate [T6]! Once completed, this starship will be unlocked for all characters on your account! More details on how to unlock this ship will be contained in a separate developer blog that covers the upcoming new event. Read more to find out all the details pertaining to this great new Elachi starship! Elachi Qulash Frigate [T6] The Qulash Frigate is a fast, nimble starship used to great effect by the mysterious Elachi in their campaign of devastation. Its ability to nimbly maneuver into Mycelial Space and exit from it with heavy firepower to point at foes makes it quite a threat to be reckoned with on the battlefield. During conflicts with these silent enemies, much of their technology has been salvaged and repurposed for use in the fight

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

After many years of admiring from afar, I finally added a copy of the Australian Wing Commander Kilrathi Saga to my collection. It's essentially the same game as the North American edition, but there are some nice cosmetic differences. I knew it had a spiral bound 'yearbook' manual, but I didn't expect the paper to be different. It has a softer and almost newsprint feel compared to more common glossy pages. Speaking of being soft, instead of five hard separate jewel cases, the disc holder is also a faux leather plastic inside of a glossy sleeve. The game also has a sticker from the Office of Film and Literature classification that gives it a "General 8 Years & Over" rating due to a low level of violence. For comparison, the ESRB gives Kilrathi Saga a Mature 17+ designation based on "mild language and realistic violence" (primarily from the WC3 cutscenes). I guess they have a pretty high

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

EmuMusicFan has a few fun updates to share his graphical novel project. The big addition is a sketch of Chancellor Melek. He doesn't directly fit into the Action Stations era, but it's a fun character regardless. This is based off the best parts of the WC3 and WC4 appearance, and some might even argue it looks better than the original. There's also a colorful young Jukaga as well as several more story snippets that do a good job of sharing what the story will eventually have to offer.

Now my styling skills are probably improved a little, so I've upgraded Melek's portrait to version 2.0. I am trying to combine Melek's WC3 style and his WC4 style, and there are of course some considerations of my own. I guess the less intimidating-looking Melek might have seemed more persuasive when he said "My race no longer presents a threat".

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We show off a lot of Wing Commander-themed mail calls and loot hauls here at the CIC, but this one's extra special! After more than 21 years, LOAF's managed to track down an original 35 mm reel of the Wing Commander Movie. It seems to be in good shape and comes with the associated optical sound track. What a find!

HERE IT IS! I am now the very proud father of a 35mm theatrical print of the Wing Commander movie. I never dreamed I’d get a chance to own one! I’d love to play it at least once, maybe rent out a theater and hold a big Wing Commander party when the pandemic is over! I’m also interested in looking into having it scanned.

And now, back to preparations for the CIC Birthday Party. See you tomorrow!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

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 Wing Commander News-Bot

Last week we got a peek at Howard Day's new pilot models, which were a fun new take on Hunter and Angel. He's further redesigned the characters to give Hunter his iconic cigar and Angel a more accurate expression. As an extra bonus, there's also a pair of new pilots done in the same style. Let him know what you think at the CIC Forums!

So! Some updates to this. I added Hunter's scowl and stoagie, as well as the updated Casual/Flightready uniform set that I made for Angel. I also have angel with *eyebrows* now (Do'h!) and her signature earrings - but not in flight-ready mode, tho.

I also went ahead and added some more variation to the flightsuits - a data/control connection plug and a oxygen tube. Both will connect to the helmets they wear in-cockpits.

This is Capt "Conan" Doyle, one of the senior pilots on the Tolmacs-class light carrier you'll serve on in the campaign. As always, it's a straight

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Marlinist Colonies are recovering from a period of political infighting and inter-faction conflict.
Octavia Volkov has been voted in as the new first minister following a snap election. Her decisive action against Aaron Whyte's Neo-Marlinist movement, which led to the elimination of the NMLA's political wing, drew huge support from voters.
In a parliamentary address, First Minister Volkov said:
"We must focus on building an independent society rather than changing the Empire. In time we will evolve into the fully-fledged Marlinist Republic we have fought so hard for, and perhaps inspire our Imperial cousins to walk the path to democracy."
Marlinist factions now control all eight of their original colony systems, some of which had temporarily fallen under external governance. They have also expanded into a handful of new systems.
Prime Consul Kayode Tau, the chief ambassador of the

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Federal Attorney's Office has called for the conviction of former admiral Aden Tanner to be reviewed in light of events in HIP 22460.
Following a distinguished career in the Federal Navy, Tanner served as the chief military liaison for Aegis. In November 3307, while in command of the Aegis Defense megaship Musashi, he attempted to take control of Hind Mine starport. He believed it held evidence that Salvation intentionally attracted the Thargoids to the Cornsar system in order to test his superweapon.
Tanner's attack failed and the Musashi was overtaken, largely due to superior numbers of independent pilots supporting the former Taurus Mining Ventures, now Azimuth Biotech. He was court martialled, dishonourably discharged, and found guilty of mutiny and unlawful military action. But his sentencing was postponed by request of Fleet Admiral Tayo Maikori, who considered Tanner's intel to be

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The Level with Emily Reese show has conducted a new interview with famous Wing Commander musician George Sanger. It's an extensive two hour conversation that covers a wide range of topics including his inspiration for early Wing Commander tracks and how he met fellow composer Dave Govett. If you're enjoying a long weekend, it's a good way to pass the time! Listen in below:

Legendary video game composer George Sanger talks with Emily Reese about his music for Wing Commander, The 7th Guest and a long list of other topics including math and The Beatles.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

It's a holiday in the US, so I'm going to cash in my "slow news day" credits and report on a couple of listicles that AD just found. As a reader of this site, you're already well aware of the WC entries in each article, so the larger topics might be of more interest. First up is a ScreenRant piece on movies with an unconventional cast list, which definitely includes WC and its hybrid America/international suite of stars.

Wing Commander is one of the rare movies adapted from video games that audiences actually seemed to enjoy upon its release, a trend that wouldn't really make it out of the '90s. The film follows a group of fighter pilots who join an intergalactic war in order to fend off the dangerous Kilrathi race.

I don't quite remember the reception being so positive, but I'll take it. Next up is a brief rundown at C86 on The Best Cartoons Based on Video Games.

7 Wing Commander Academy: The Series

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Zounds: the sketchy Chandrilan banker on the latest Andor is played by Richard Dillane... who was Hunter in Wing Commander! I did not notice this at all, credit to AD!

Let's think through other Wing Commander movie veterans in Star Wars... Hugh Quarshie was Mr. Obutu and Naboo's Captain Panaka in The Phantom Menace! 1999 was a BIG year for Quarshieheads.

Freddie Prinze Jr. went on to voice Jedi Knight Kanan on Star Wars Rebels! Which is the reverse of how that happened before.

In the opposite direction, Mark Hamill voiced Merlin (the Rapier's bitchin' betty) in Wing Commander and... I feel like I don't have to explain who Luke Skywalker is.

Cyril Nri is Pegasus' Security Officer in Wing Commander and he's credited as a First Order Officer in The Rise of Skywalker. I think that's him at the meeting where Kylo Ren confronts the First Order leadership. (RIP Boolio)

The internet tells me that the late, great

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The crew of the TCS Majestic is gearing up for their final battle and conclusion of a two year campaign. Everything culminates this weekend in the Gemini Sector RPG. This won't be the end of the group's online roleplay adventures, but it does mark the end of a major story arc. Even if it feels like an odd time to join in, the group welcomes all to join and watch at their Discord server! It sounds like they'll have a great time. Check out a few associated vids to set the scene below:

The crew ready for a final strike on the Zhelnar tactical carrier. This is the final mission of the Nitir Campaign. If the pilots manage to destroy the carrier, the kilrathi presence in Ragnarok will be destabilized to a point where ISS can safely protect the colonies.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

GOG has kicked off their big annual winter sale, and Wing Commander is once again on the list of discounts. It seems like the WC series spends more time on sale than not during this season, but that means it's a great time to finish your collection or get friends into the franchise. Each title is $1.49 - or less than $12 for the whole main DOS/Windows series!