Display MoreThe Wing Commander movie club has returned from our sojourn under the sea and let me tell you, life is indeed better down where it's wetter. The Little Mermaid remains a classic and generally a breathe of fresh air after some of the more dire and dramatic films that have inspired things in Wing Commander.
And as strange as it seems, I was ultimately convinced that the reference to The Little Mermaid in the Privateer 3 pitch was meant very literally. New Paris seems to have taken its design inspiration from the movie's underwater city and the planet's lore all matches, too: a constitutional monarchy on a water planet! If you are familiar with the surviving Privateer 3 development material, New Paris was renamed "Felicity" as development went on; in the script it's ultimately the location of a Kilrathi-themed casino where you'll meet various fixers.
New Paris
Type: Water Planet
Industry: Tech Planet
Government: Monarchy
One of the older, populated worlds in Archangel Quadrant, New Paris has a very high population. The damage it suffered in the war has all but been repaired, and the economy is boomung. Sophisticated, suave and stylish are adjectives well suited to New Parisians. The primary goods traded are high tech ship parts, and hulls. A Constitutional Monarchy, the Queen has ruled New Paris for thirty years and soon her son shall become King. New Paris is a member of the Confederation, which is the one reason it survived the war. New Paris is known for its durable and cheap power generators, a top export.Ariel herself gets a nod in Wing Commander III: the first set of nebula missions is named Ariel… okay, given that it's followed by the Caliban system that's certainly a reference to The Tempest rather than The Little Mermaid. Okay, one more for the movie list…
One thing that immediately surprised me about watching The Little Mermaid today is that the animation felt incredibly 'classic'; that is to say, animation that once felt cutting edge now seems like it stands next to movies like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. One part of that is the lush, painted backgrounds… which we couldn't help but notice look a lot like those seen on occasion on Wing Commander Academy! Here we're looking at a pair of backgrounds from Lords of the Sky.
Finally, a very minor connection… but it's not like we've got anything better to do! There isn't any creative crossover between The Little Mermaid and any of the Wing Commander productions. The closest is this: King Triton was voiced in this film by Kenneth Mars but after Mars became ill, he was replaced in later Little Mermaid films by Jim Cummings. Cummings also voiced two characters on Wing Commander Academy: Zurakh nar Kur'u'tak, the Kilrathi Strakha pilot, and Emil "E-Z" Zoharian, one of the original twelve cadets (who was ultimately killed by Zurakh). E-Z is mentioned more than he's seen, but you can pick him out in the background several times: he's the cadet that looks a bit like a fatter, friendlier Maniac.
Sully would eat that talking crab straight off.
