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War never changes but it's certainly interesting to see how its portrayal in the media does! The Wing Commander movie club found that while Go for Broke! certainly isn't some brilliant film that it was a pretty fascinating look at a war story that we don't know enough. The film itself is by the numbers–lots of shooting and characters learning dramatic moral lessons–but it's not quite like a Dam Busters or a Longest Day. It was fascinating to see actual Japanese-American veterans getting to tell their own story just a few years after it happened. !

Here's the movie's title, which as we noted in the previous post was the real motto of the 442nd Infantry Regiment. One of the movie characters explains that "it's Pidgin English for shoot the works" which… actually feels like a more arcane saying, but who knows! It definitely matches Wing Commander II's history of interestingly-named friendly capital ships.

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This is a reminder that we have another fun #Wingnut movie night planned on Discord this evening! The ongoing theme will be movies that are referenced by Wing Commander in some way. Tonight's film is Mobile Suit Gundam I (1981) and you can find details on why we're watching it in the announcement post here. The movie will start at 7 PM PST/10 PM EST but feel free to drop by and hang any time!

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The term "redshirt" comes from the original Star Trek, referring to the inevitably doomed Enterprise crew that would appear in landing parties alongside the main cast. And Wing Commander II has them too: pilots beyond the main group you encounter in the story that adds a level of immersion showing that the Victory has more than just seven or eight people on it. The redshirts all share one 'profile' and set of comms… but they sure add to the universe!

And WC3's redshirts aren't just for immersion. You may have noticed that they appear in all four of the game's scramble missions. That's for a practical design reason: these missions need to have wingmen that the game can guarantee aren't dead. By having a roster of scramble-specific pilots, mission designers don't have to worry about cases where main characters might have been killed in a previous mission. Today we have a quick guide to finding all of

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Sorthak! Doesn't the very (code) name strike terror into your hearts? That's a tradition that goes all the way back to Wing Commander III's manual, Victory Streak, which terrified players with a vague report about a large fighter that had wiped out eighteen Confederation ships in a single attack.

INTELL: ENEMY FIGHTER UPDATE
>tcn.victory.intell

Codename: Sorthak

Two weeks ago, a routine naval air transfer ended in the destruction of eighteen fighters, including five Arrows, nine Thunderbolts, and four Longbow bombers. The exact circumstances are unclear, but black box data recovered from the debris indicate that an unusually large Kilrathi fighter attacked the group during its flight to Vega Sector. Apparently equipped with heavy shields and armor, the ship was described on digital tape as “a cross between a Vaktoth and a destroyer, with massive guns protruding from both the front and rear.” Other pilot

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Sometimes I take a risk with a magazine I see on eBay that purports to have a Wing Commander article that isn't available online. This circa 1997 copy of UK-based PlayStation Solutions magazines (Vol. 1, Issue 5 of the US version) seemed like it might have something worthwhile as it has Wing Commander IV as a cover story and promises a complete guide to the game. The actual article ended up being somewhat disappointing, four pages of information taken mostly from the game's then-active official website. But I scanned a copy for posterity anyway, so enjoy!

The magazine also includes a simple two-page spread for something called an "Electronic Arts Competition" which offers, among other prizes, a copy of Wing Commander IV.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Vox Galactica business analyst Marlon Royce has published a feature piece on October Consortium CEO Lexi October:
"Few figures in the Core Systems command as much quiet influence as Lexi October in recent months."
"Known for identifying promising technologies before rivals recognise their value, October has built a portfolio spanning advanced engineering, pharmaceuticals and personal tech. Exobiological research is the next challenge."
"Her hands-on approach came to light in 3305, when the Consortium rescued struggling tech firm Supratech. The investment stabilised the company after poor sales of its Torc computing system and enabled further development of products such as the Artemis exploration suit."
"October's reputation for discretion was reinforced in 3307 when she hosted an exclusive gathering for the secretive Joker's Deck, attended by political and corporate elites including Zachary