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This weekend was the big Dune premiere on HBO and in North American theaters, and it's been a hot topic on the Wing Commander Discord. Naturally, LOAF took a moment to run down all of the Dune reference and connections sprinkled throughout Wing Commander. Once you get sand in your Wing Commander, can you ever get it all out?

Someone had to do it and let’s face it, it was always going to be me. Here are some (very minor) nods to Dune in Wing Commander!

Privateer let’s you send ‘joke’ one-liner comms to bases. You can tell New Constantinople that “my name is a killing word”, a quote from the David Lynch Dune film.

Wing Commander IV has a scene where Maniac compares the sensor blackout at Peleus to “groping around like some pathetic sandworm on Isis VII!”

Wing Commander Arena’s Star*Soldier manual has a casual mention that the Rigel system has “massive sandworms and powerful dust storms.”

One of the three

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The recent NMLA attack in the Paresa system has encouraged the Imperial Senate to reach out to Imperator Hadrian Duval.
An official pronouncement was made by Senator Caspian Leopold:
"A majority of us believe that preserving the Duval bloodline is paramount for the future of the Empire. Hadrian Duval is not officially a member of the Imperial Family but he is the grandson of Emperor Hengist, meaning his as-yet unborn child is also of royal lineage."
"The NMLA has already murdered many Duvals, including Prince Harold. Indeed, Hadrian himself barely survived an assassination attempt last year. It's clear that the Empire can provide greater security than he currently has, and it is our duty to do so."
"Therefore, we propose making both Hadrian and Lady Astrid wards of the Senate. They will be placed under the highest level of protection, at least until this grave threat has abated."
Imperator

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We recently came across a remastered take on Prince Thrakhath's Theme by TiMidity and posted by davvigtu. This is one of the most epic tracks in the whole franchise, so we're excited to share each new take on it. There are certain tones in this remaster that come across a bit more clearly and it has a nice solid timbre throughout. If you'd like to compare how this sounds versus the original, you can find a nice rip of the Origin Audio Volume I version here (second from the bottom).

And not at all meaning to detract from the version above, but this is also gives me an opportunity to once again share Jason Walton-Young's masterful version:

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The TCS Tiger's Claw! To ask a leading question: how many engines does she have? Let's find out!

Here's the line art from Claw Marks which was also what was provided to the outsource company that built the original game's ships. And it seems like that's our answer: like five enormous thruster cones, five engines.

But wait! Here's the resulting sprite sheet that appears in the original Wing Commander. It has not five but SIX thruster cones. Six engines? Seems reasonable, maybe the Tiger's Claw, which is slightly larger, has an additional engine from other Bengal-class ships.

But wait, again! Here's the more detailed sprite used in both the winning and losing cutscenes where the 'Claw either bombards an enemy planet or retreats from the Vega Sector (pictured). Now we've got SEVEN engines!

So that's three conflicting configurations in one game. In 1994, the Bengal was re-imagined for Super Wing Commander.

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Last week we got a great look at Mac's WC1/2 Rapiers and Excalibur, but that wasn't the end of the line for those beautiful ships. All three have now gotten new tech draft spec sheets. Mac's testing out how they look printed, and my guess is that the results will be fantastic! As an extra bonus, he's also provided the manufacturer logos as additional images.

I finally got around to finishing the other 2 Tech Drafts I wanted to do; The Rapier-G and the Excalibur. Their sized for 11x17/12x18 but I'm going to see how they look as 8x10 prints before I go big.

Models & their textures, as always, by Hangar_B

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The spacefaring tribe that lives aboard an ancient dredger has refused to allow Orion University to take possession of the vessel.
Vox Galactica published an eye-witness account by freelance reporter Casey Kilpatrick from the Oochost PC-C c29-0 system:
"Once the Scriveners Clan was found, it wasn't long before Orion University arrived. Their megaship, Scientia Aeterna, remotely disabled the dredger's hyperdrive using a series of override codes. These had been unearthed from the university's archives, along with evidence that the ship – commissioned in 3088 as Dredger J-403 – legally belongs to them."
"Despite being unable to escape, the Scriveners have made a stand. All requests to communicate were roundly ignored. I've watched several craft try to dock with the dredger, only to be met with sealed airlocks and an electrified hull."
"It's clear that these people are unwilling to give up their

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NightBall06 is back with a final final drawing of his advanced Hellcat V concept. Unlike the majority of ships that we showcase, this one is a digital sketch (from multiple angles) as opposed to a rotatable 3D rendering. This time he's got a friend lined up to make a full fledged model, so we'll look forward to seeing that next. After that, who knows?

So - that's it... I'm done. It's funny - I only wanted to add a bottom view but ended up reworking almost the whole frame because I felt the overall height to be too high and the wing/main body proportions to be somewhat off. But now it's finished, and quite honestly I'm pretty satisfied with it. It looks sharp and fast (at least to me). What do you think?

And yes - this is finally the end of my drawing time!I already made contact with a friend who's a 3D artist from Volkswagen... He'll help me visualize this baby.

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*Pilots Federation ALERT*
Senator Zemina Torval's new corporation requires deliveries of commodities to its megaship in the EGM 559 system.
Constantia Torval, the senator's daughter and operations director of the company, provided details of the initiative:
"Now that we are a fully independent business, additional resources are urgently needed to continue providing services to the Empire. My goal is to ensure that the Torval name remains synonymous with efficiency and dedication."
"Shipments of geological equipment, microbial furnaces and mineral extractors can be delivered to the megaship Pride of Bitterwood in the EGM 559 system. From there, they will be transferred to our headquarters at Torval Orbital in LTT 198."
The Pride of Bitterwood is part of a corporate fleet recently purchased by Torval Mining Ltd. Most are currently in the LTT 198 system being outfitted for mining and transport

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

A pro-corporatist group planning a series of terror attacks has been shut down by the Federal Intelligence Agency.
An update on the operation was delivered by Deputy Director Bethany Blake, who runs the Proactive Detection Bureau:
"Special forces have now arrested the organisers of the underground organisation called Jupiter's Wrath. This was a collection of citizens radicalised by Jupiter Rochester into believing that they could replace democratically elected leaders with corporate overlords."
"This successful operation was only possible thanks to information provided by the PDB. Without this surveillance network, we would be entirely unaware of Jupiter's Wrath and many leading politicians may have lost their lives."
"Our analysts are now updating the PDB's algorithms to highlight citizens who are at risk of radicalisation. We will prevent domestic terrorism by identifying those being

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Hello Everyone!

As the end of October approaches, we are thrilled to announce a new seasonal event for No Man’s Sky. Expedition Four: Emergence begins today, and will run over the course of Halloween! This is our first Expedition to feature a narrative, and is also a mini-update, bringing with it a host of enhancements for across the game.

New Expedition

Across the universe, planets have been blighted by the activity of Titan Worms. These colossal sandworms plough through the desert sands, blacking out the sun as they arc overhead, and defiling the very terrain with their cursed dust.

In Expedition Four: Emergence, travellers will find themselves stranded on planet Wasan, a barren world ravaged by dust storms and infested with Titan Worms. It is up to you to locate the Titan Worm impact sites, destroy the wretched Hungering Tendrils, and collect the Vile Spawn that lingers behind. The vessels of the many mouths must be

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Upon hearing the sad news today that Colin Powell had passed away, LOAF reminded us that there was a Wing Commander ship actually named after him. It's an obvious reference in retrospect, but it stood out as odd to my ten year old brain at the time. I distinctly recall how unusual it was that the ship was named TCS General Powell instead of just something like "TCS Powell." If you played Secret Missions 2, you probably remember it too! The mission had an exciting backstory: a marine troopship on its way to save Firekka was captured by the Kilrathi. Then, Major Kristi Marks and a troop of Confed Marines managed to retake the ship and send a distress call. You had to go escort it back - in a captured Dralthi! It's one of the more memorable setups.

Did you know Colin Powell had a Wing Commander ship named after him? In Secret Missions 2 there’s a series in which you rescue the TCS General Powell,

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We've got new pictures today of Christian Klein's glorious Lego Epee. The first images revealed last month were digital renders based on the design. In there intervening weeks, Christian has sourced all of the parts from BrickLink and actually built the physical model. The results are just beautiful - click below to get a good look!

From BrickLink Studio to reality. I had to fix some structural issues but the Lego Wing Commander F-54C Epee is finally finished. In real Lego bricks

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Francesca Wolfe of the Wallglass Investigations Agency has sent a final report from her infiltration of the secretive gambling circle.
"The bad news is that Jokers' Deck security caught up with me as I was trying to sneak onboard a ship to get off-planet. The good news is that they didn't gun me down, or even threaten to press charges. Instead, they offered me a job!"
"Lexi October, the current host, was surprisingly gracious. Turns out she's a fan of the Galactic Mysteries pieces that Gunnarson and I run, but more importantly, she believes we could give her what she really wants – the Winking Cat."
"She explained that the Joker playing card that was stolen is hugely symbolic to the group, having belonged to its original founder. She also assured me that Jokers' Deck is extremely private but not criminal. Its members sign legal waivers, and there is a strict honour code to ensure all bets are

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P2 developer Paul Hughes has posted another exciting piece of concept art from Privateer. It's an intriguing foursome of background scenes for what would become Hephaestus, Bex, Crius and Hermes. The piece is even signed by the team, which makes it a priceless artifact in his collection. LOAF followed up with the final versions of each location. There are some unmistakable similarities, but also quite a few differences. It's a fascinating comparison!

Paul: Another blast from the past. Some concept art from Adam Medhust for Privateer 2 - all signed by the team.

LOAF: Now that made my morning! Here are screenshots of the gameflow screens where these CCN booth concepts that Paul Hughes so kindly tweeted are located in the release version of the game! (Hephaestus -> Bex -> Crius -> Hermes)

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
The dredger inhabited by the nomadic Scriveners Clan has been found within the Oochost PC-C c29-0 system.
Independent pilots conducted a search for the vessel in response to a request from Orion University, which claims that the Dredger-class bulk cruiser is its commercial property.
Vice Chancellor Leland Pettigrew announced the operation's success:
"Congratulations to the pilots who managed to locate Dredger J-403. The university will shortly dispatch a megaship to take ownership and arrange repatriation for its current occupants."
The dredger is currently orbiting an ice world in the Oochost PC-C c29-0 system. It is believed to be collecting raw material from planetary rings to sustain its onboard systems, a design feature that allows it to remain self-sufficient indefinitely.
There has been no communication with the Scriveners Clan, the spacefaring tribe descended

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Today we have a new poll. Sometimes people ask why Chris Roberts "changed" Paladin for the Wing Commander Movie, but Paladin has a storied history of being reimagined from one product to the next. Why isn't he Scottish in the film? Well, Claw Marks explains he's not even from Earth. James Taggart shows up throughout the series in a variety of forms, but he always serves as a reassuring mentor who's got our back through thick and thin. This can make it hard to pick just one iteration as your favorite, but now's your chance!

The old poll was our annual survey on how long you all have been with us. Amazingly, the majority of you have been frequenting the site for some 20-odd years. Almost as cool: about 10% are newcomers that continue to inject fresh blood into the community!

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Mac is flexing some of his new expertise with Rapier in this fun new wallpaper. It arranges Klavs' original Rapier, Rapier G and Excalibur in a fearsome trio. There's some moody clouds in the background with complementary lighting. As an extra bonus, there's also some fun behind-the-scenes shots that show off how Mac got the Rapier flying in the WC Saga/Freespace engine. You can also find his full video on the Rapier here.

I've been spending this Canadian Thanksgiving messing with Blender and Photoshop doing #wingcommander stuff before the feasting commences later.

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Fantastic Plastic is holding a flash sale that discounts the slick 3D printed Arrow model digitized by Alfred Wong. The original $70 price was a bit on the high side, but the marked down $55 plus shipping is pretty competitive with highly detailed models like this. We've seen this one pop up here and there, and it's a nice design! There aren't all that many current options to choose from, so this is a great opportunity to get into a physical model kit. Send us a picture once you've assembled yours!

Thanks to elend for the tip!

About the Design

"Wing Commander" from Origin Systems was one of the most successful space combat videogame franchises of the late 20th century. Combining "Star Wars"-like action with sophisticated story lines, the game spawned five full videogame versions between 1990 and 1997, plus novels, an animated TV series, a collectible card game and a 1999 feature film starring

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army has taken responsibility for the attack on Dyson City starport in the Paresa system.
The primary targets were Imperator Hadrian Duval and his wife Lady Astrid Minerva-Duval, who is pregnant with his child. Although they survived, the bombing left many thousands dead and injured.
The following message was sent across NMLA propaganda channels:
"As long as a single Duval is left alive, the Republic of Achenar cannot be rebuilt. It is our duty to extinguish that entire line and free our people from Imperial oppression."
Praetor Leo Magnus gave a statement on behalf of ACT:
"It is significant that this latest broadcast is not from Theta Seven, the NMLA's mouthpiece and de facto leader. We believe that Theta Group – the team of weaponsmiths that built the caustic enzyme bombs – has split in two."
"According to the communications we intercepted, Theta Seven and half

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Blue Origin launched Star Trek actor William Shatner into space this morning. At 90 years old, he became the oldest person to cross the threshold into space. As science fiction turns further into reality each day, these types of events have become commonplace, but this clip will still be the best thing in space, sci-fi, Star Trek or Wing Commander news that you'll see all day. Just listen to the emotion and wonder that drips off every word he has to say. Like the other recent Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic launches, these are suborbital flights where the ship spends just a matter of minutes weightless and above the atmosphere. But to hear him tell it, even ten minutes in space sounds like a transformative life-changing event. I'm so glad he got the chance to experience it!

This was the voyage of the RSS First Step today. Its mission: encounter Earth from incredible views at apogee