Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Have you ever noticed that Colonel Halcyon typically specifies in briefings whether you're encountering a "sport" (transport) or a tanker? That's because Wing Commander I originally had both. The idea was cut for disk space but the original design, heavily inspired by Traveller, was that there were both tanker and freighter versions of the Drayman and the Dorkir. So each briefing is written to tell you which one to expect! The variant graphics were reused in The Secret Missions as the Terran Diligent (originally the Drayman tanker) and the Kilrathi Lumbari (originally the Dorkir freighter).

We were curious what the original game might have looked like, so we poured through the original game (plus the addons and Super Wing Commander's extra campaign) and tried to identify the variant of all 41 transports that appear! You can access the inevitable spreadsheet here. As you can see, there's a lot of lore

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

October Consortium has confirmed that Radicoida unica, an enigmatic flora found exclusively within HIP 87621, has entered an active reproductive phase.
According to their scientific teams, the plant's dormant cycle has ended, triggering the growth of hardened 'seed pods' across its upper platforms. These pods hold rare biological material believed to be the main source of the species highly valued physiological effects.
Researchers say that this activation validates early theories about the plant's sensitivity to nearby life signatures, with its bloom phase perceived as a direct response to recent studies by Commanders of the Pilots' Federation. Sceptics noted that some Radicoida sites are yet to bloom, however.
Military and corporate restrictions are still in effect while oversight of the enclave is coordinated in line with the recent October Accords. October Consortium has therefore called

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Sometimes you find interesting things in small places! Case in point: this breakout from the March 15, 1991 issue of Japanese gaming magazine LOGIN covering Origin's presentation at the 1991 CES show. It looks like LOGIN sent their own photographer who snapped a rare image of Origin's booth setup... don't you wish you could get a better look at that poster? There's also a pretty great photograph of a young Chris Roberts; we expect this was taken at the show, too, given the beer cans on the table in the background.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We're hard at work on wingmen! This week, we've added new pages for all 26 NPC wingmen from Privateer 2. Remember them? You can hire them to escort you from place to place using the CCN booth and each one has a usually somewhat silly bio. From the guy that refuses to leave his ship so it smells terrible to the lady wingman with an enormous chest, they're all here! But this kind of color (and there's a LOT of color!) really helps build out the universe... as does the consistent through line of crazy characters attracted to the risky but profitable life of a mercenary escort pilot.

We've created a main page about the job and mechanics of wingmen in the game and then we've crafted a comprehensive biography for each one! In every case we've included their in-game screenshots, their in-game text and their biographies from Origin's Official Guide. You can even listen to all of their in-flight comms!

• Vicksen

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Democracy has fallen! And by that we mean there was no movie vote for the second week in a row… because this time around, LeHah had birthday boy privileges! And he has chosen to break the gridlock that has made so many recent elections dramatic: he's gone and and selected next week's movie to be RoboCop (1987). You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.

You may recall that after we watched RoboCop 3 we reviewed a great deal of evidence as to whether or not the 'enforcer' in the Righteous Fire introduction was intended to reference RoboCop… and we ultimately decided that he was! So we're finally following up that discussion by watching the original film. Pay particular attention to Murphy's exposed face after he's been Robocopized to compare to the Privateer character's face texture...

Where can I find a copy of the movie for the watch party?

RoboCop is available for rent or purchase on all

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced the Borg, a race of horrifying cyborgs, during its second season. The series used the Borg sparingly, but always with spectacular effect. Their enormous, seemingly impossible to defeat cube-shaped spacecraft quickly became a familiar element of the pop culture of the early 1990s.

In 1995, tensions between the developers at Origin Systems and their parent company at Electronic Arts began to increase. Though Electronic Arts' deep pockets were now funding some of the most expensive and cutting edge work in the industry, they were also drawing back on the independence that Origin had enjoyed under the first years of their stewardship. Structurally and creatively, the studio was being absorbed into the corporation. One of Origin's artists captured the mood in a single image: a parody of the original Electronic Arts logo rendered as though it was made up of