Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We've made it through Heaven's Gate! Going into it, the run time was really all we could think about; 3.5 hours?! And of course the ancient claim that it was the worst movie ever made didn't help. But the truth is that it's a brilliant, beautiful movie that is more relevant today than it ever was. A government run by the rich deciding the poor are terrorists and must be eliminated so their land can be taken? Seems familiar! In the end the run time is nothing, it ebbs and flows in front of your eye and you do not lose interest because it's so beautifully done.

My biggest question going in: is there some reason the system/starbase in Wing Commander II is named Heaven's Gate? And after watching the movie carefully I think I have the answer. In the film, Heaven's Gate is the name of the skating rink in Casper. We first see it when the townspeople celebrate and Averill and Watson dance together. It's the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

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 Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future (1985) 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!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We recently mentioned that Wing Commander III's quotes file includes lists of media that inspired the team. One of these is a "team soundtrack" which lists off 38 different musical artists that were apparently enjoyed by the team while they were hard at work on the game:

TEAM SOUNDTRACK
Tori Amos ; Concrete Blonde; Nine Inch Niles ; Holzt ; Kodo Drummers ; Fabu ; Ryuichi Sakamoto; Nirvana; Machines of Loving Grace; Chick Corea; Poi Dog Pondering ; Vangelis; Sarah McLachlan; Seal; Carmina Burana; Melissa Ethridge; Arrested Development; Patty Larkin; Bunny Wailer; Dazed and Confused; Peter Gabriel; Flash Gordon; Cranberries ; Alice in Chains; John Williams; Siouxsie and the Banshees; Pat Benatar; Duran Duran; Bob Marley; Wagner; Miles Davis; Bill Evans; Indigo Girls; John Gorka; Orlando; Jimi Hendrix; STP; William Orbit

Armed with this background, I decided to try to put together a playlist that could let

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Lakon Spaceways has confirmed that the Type-11 Prospector has entered full production, with deliveries now rolling out to shipyards across the core systems.
Previously available through limited release, the Type-11 Prospector has been developed as a dedicated laser mining vessel. Early analytics suggest widespread adoption by the mining community due to its higher extraction yields and expanded limpet capacity.
A Lakon Spaceways spokesperson remarked:
"The Type-11 Prospector was designed to meet the practical needs of modern mining operations. Its optimised large hardpoint and larger limpet system allow pilots to maintain consistently higher yields in demanding environments."
"The vessel also features a dedicated fighter bay to improve defence against pirate attacks in less secure ringed and belt systems."
The Type-11 Prospector is now available for purchase at shipyards throughout the core

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Psst! Hey buddy, want to see a slightly different Claw Marks? The rumors are true: the version of Claw Marks included with the European version of Super Wing Commander for the 3DO has a very different form factor! That's because 3DO games game in 'tall' boxes in the United States but traditional jewel cases in Europe... necessitating a smaller, thicker manual!

The text itself seems to be identical... but all the little changes in layout can lead to the occasional surprise, like this unblocked image of the Super Wing Commander Confederation logo used as a spacing page in the European version:

You can read through both versions below:

• Super Wing Commander Claw Marks, USA
• Super Wing Commander Claw Marks, Europe

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Like most Americans, I often indulge in that age old practice of looking up cast members from Wing Commander games to see what roles they went on to play. It's fascinating to see who went on to be become big stars, who's still working today and who found success in other fields. Most of all, it's great to know that the people that worked so hard to entertain us went on to have fulfilling lives. But there's one actor that has, until now, remained a mystery to me: B.J. Jefferson, who played Cobra in Wing Commander III.

I've poked around to try and see what became of Ms. Jefferson in the past but I never had any luck. I was reminded to give it another shot after seeing an autographed headshot show up in an eBay auction.

Ms. Jefferson's IMDb entry suggests that she stopped acting immediately after Wing Commander III in 1994. She has a single credit from 1999 for a video game called 'Emergency Room 2' but