Wing Commander (Game Series)

Wing Commander
developer	Origin Systems
Publisher	Origin Systems (1990–1993) Electronic Arts (from 1993)
Designer	Chris Roberts
First title	Wing Commander (1990)
Last title	Wing Commander Arena (2007)
Platform (s)	various, especially Windows , Mac OS , PlayStation
Genre (s)	Space flight simulation

Wing Commander is a computer game series from Origin Systems , series creator is the American game developer Chris Roberts . The series is about mankind's struggle for survival in the 27th century against aggressive alien races, especially against the feline Kilrathi.

Between 1990 and 2007 a total of 17 titles were published, mainly for the PC . The vast majority of games are in the space action simulation genre . A distinction is made between a main series with several extensions and various offshoots. Characteristic of the series is the combination of action-packed space battles with a dense, film-like staged background story that can be influenced to a certain extent by the player.

The first part of the series is considered one of the key titles for the success of the game PC in the early 1990s and set technical and narrative standards. Wing Commander III set another narrative milestone through its approach to the film genre. As the first title in the series, the game contained complex, real-world cutscenes with a cast by well-known film actors. With a budget of several million US dollars, Parts III and IV were among the most elaborate game productions of their time. In addition to the games, a cartoon series, a film adaptation and ten book novels were also published against the narrative background of the series.

background

Wing Commander is a science fiction space saga that primarily focuses on the armed conflicts between humanity, who has advanced into space, and various extraterrestrial species. Starting with Wing Commander I , the background was worked out through various games, books and some film adaptations, albeit with sometimes contradicting details and revisions. The relatively dense background for an early action game represents an important motivation for the games. The events take place in the 27th century AD. By far the largest part of Wing Commander history deals with the war of mankind against the feline alien race of the Kilrathi.

Emblems of the two fictional factions as they appear in later Wing Commander parts: the Terran Confederation on the left, the Kilrathi Empire on the right

In the 27th century mankind successfully made the step into space and colonized alien star systems. This was made possible with the help of a jump gate technology that enables people to travel faster than light between the various solar systems. The different solar systems together form the democratically organized "Terran Confederation". In their advance, humans encountered various alien species. In 2634, the empire of the warlike Kilrathi, named after their home planet Kilrah, was one of them. After they had already attacked smaller outposts of mankind, the Kilrathi launched a massive attack on the militarily important McAuliffe system in the same year (cf. plot of the novel The Threat ). The resulting war leads to decades of bloodshed with alternating luck in battles, which repeatedly leads humanity to the brink of total defeat.

In 2654, Christopher "Maverick" Blair, the player character of the games Wing Commander I - IV , was transferred as a pilot from the academy to the carrier ship "TCS Tiger's Claw". By participating in several war campaigns, Blair, from Wing Commander III embodied by the actor Mark Hamill , rises to one of the best fighter pilots in the Confederation and plays a key role in the successful defensive battle against the Kilrathi. His career is closely linked to that of his ambitious superior Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn ( Malcolm McDowell ). Tolwyn's character is ambivalent. He is considered a charismatic leader and ingenious strategist who has saved mankind from impending doom several times. At the same time, he subordinates any compassion to the war aims and appears with a certain arrogance and lack of emotion that make him unappealing and aloof. The relationship between the Admiral and Blair is marked by numerous tensions. Tolwyn's plans and the execution of these plans by Blair ultimately played a major role in the victory of mankind against the Kilrathi in 2669 (shown above all in the games Wing Commander I - III ).

In 2673 the controversial relationship between Blair and Tolwyn culminates in a final confrontation between the two war heroes. After the victory of the people, peace only returns for a short time. Increasing tensions between the main worlds of the Confederation and the human frontier worlds, depicted in Wing Commander IV , threaten to escalate into a new, all-out war. The retired Blair is reactivated by Tolwyn to help him clarify the circumstances. But Blair exposes Tolwyn as the ringleader of a group of warmongers who are trying to spark a new war through the unrest they have caused. Tolwyn presents himself as a supporter of natural selection through perpetual war. He is stopped by Blair and eventually chooses suicide.

In 2681 mankind meets another warlike species, which, for lack of more precise knowledge, is called the Nephilim (see plot of the game Wing Commander: Prophecy ). The insectoids, which penetrated through a jump gate in the destroyed Kilrah system, proceed with ruthless severity against military and civil institutions within the sphere of influence of the Kilrathi and humans. The central character of the plot is the young pilot Lance Casey ( Steven Petrarca ), who, as an academy graduate, is transferred to the modern carrier ship "TCS Midway" and replaces Blair as a player character. The crew of the "Midway" succeeds in stopping the advance of the invaders and locking the connecting gate to their home worlds in the Kilrah system. Blair, who accompanied the entire operation as a military advisor on board the "Midway", has been missing since this mission and is officially dead. In the wake of this campaign, humanity must drive the remaining Nephilim forces from their territory (see plot Wing Commander: Secret Ops expansion ).

At this point the series' arc ends. Despite originally announced continuations, after Wing Commander: Secret Ops , rights holder Electronic Arts decided not to develop further action-driven series offshoots, which left some narrative strands unanswered or uncertain, such as Blair's fate.

In 1999, a film developed under the direction of series creator Chris Roberts with the simple title Wing Commander was released . In this film, Freddie Prinze Jr. takes on the role of young Christopher Blair . The plot takes place around the same time as Wing Commander I , but differs significantly from the narrative of the series. The characterization of Blair as a descendant of the so-called pilgrims, a group of people persecuted for a long time who has special talents in relation to space, is characteristic of the film implementation. These skills are cited as the reason for Blair's superior piloting qualities. The pilgrimage theme was elaborated on in three novels by Peter Telep on the so-called film universe .

Gameplay

With the exception of Wing Commander Arena , all titles in the series belong to the genre of space flight simulations . The player controls a space fighter from an ego or third person perspective , with which he has to take out opposing space fighters and capital ships in numerous action-packed battles in a three-dimensional environment. Since the beginning of the series, with a few exceptions, the missions have been linked by a continuous storyline. The storyline is narrated using film-like sequences, initially in animated cutscenes, and in later parts in real-filmed full motion videos . The course of the game is largely linear, with a few choices. Only the two Privateer offshoots also offer an open, freely explorable game world and the possibility of trading in addition to the main missions or taking on secondary tasks. They belong to the sub-category of space trading simulations.

Wing Commander Arena is an arcade-heavy online multiplayer game for Xbox 360 that was released in 2007 after a nine-year hiatus and without any connection to the previous parts. The core content of the game is action-packed arena battles between several human players; there is no action mode. In contrast to all other titles in the series, the player observes the game from an isometric overview perspective and can only move his fighter along two spatial axes.

Main series

Wing Commander (1990)

Wing Commander logo (retail box version)

→ Main article : Wing Commander (computer game)

The hero's career begins in the first Wing Commander . Fresh from the academy, he is transferred straight to the front on the carrier ship “Tiger's Claw” in the Vega sector. In numerous missions, the crew and the pilots must protect the human colonies from the devastating attacks of the Kilrathi.

The game, which was released in late 1990, was one of the main reasons for the success of the PC as a gaming platform in the early 1990s. Graphics, sound and a branched mission structure, which was based on the performance of the player, set new standards. Last but not least, the film-like staging earned high critical acclaim. In the years that followed, the game was ported to numerous other systems, including Amiga and SNES. Origin published two expansions of the main game under the title The Secret Missions 1 and 2, each with new missions and their own background story. In 1995 the game was published in a visually heavily revised version as Super Wing Commander for 3DO and MacOS.

Wing Commander II - Vengeance of the Kilrathi (1991)

Logo for Wing Commander II (sales box version)

→ Main article : Wing Commander 2

The successor to Wing Commander appeared a year after the first part under the title Wing Commander II - Vengeance of the Kilrathi , but this time exclusively for DOS-PC and the Japanese Fm-Towns computer. It was still based on the technical basis of its predecessor and also took over the game principle without major changes. Instead, the series creator concentrated more and more on staging the plot. The relatively free gameplay of the predecessor was abandoned and more animated cutscenes were used.

After the first conflict with the Kilrathi, the "TCS Tiger's Claw" was destroyed in an attack by unidentified Kilrathi ships. The player character escapes, but Admiral Tolwyn blames him for the destruction of the porter and arranges for him to be transferred to a remote outpost. Only when he saved Tolwyn's new flagship, the carrier ship "TCS Concordia" from destruction by the Kilrathi ten years later, during a patrol flight, did he manage to return to active service. The "Concordia" goes on a search for the secret headquarters of the Kilrathi in the Enigma sector. The success of the operation is threatened by a saboteur among the ship's crew.

Wing Commander II offered support for digitized speech output for the first time. However, this had to be purchased with the so-called Speech Accessory Pack and replaced the cutscenes. As with its predecessor, Origin continued to publish two mission packages called Special Operations 1 (1991) and Special Operations 2 (1992), each of which expanded the game by an additional campaign with its own storyline.

Wing Commander III - Heart of the Tiger (1994)

Logo for Wing Commander III - Heart of the Tiger (sales box version)

→ Main article : Wing Commander 3

The third part of the series from 1994 brings the argument between humans and Kilrathi to an end. After the loss of the “TCS Concordia”, the player is relocated to the carrier ship “TCS Victory”. With this he penetrates far into the Kilrathi territory to destroy Kilrah, the homeworld of the Kilrathi. Problems are caused, however, by an unknown spy who reveals the Confederation's plans to the Kilrathi. Finally the player character succeeds in a commando action to advance to Kilrah and by dropping a special bomb to destroy the tectonically unstable planet. The Kilrathi capitulate and the war comes to an end.

Wing Commander III - Heart of the Tiger was a major advancement of the series and was developed with a budget of around four to five million US dollars. In contrast to the bitmap graphics of Wing Commander I and II , Origin used its polygon 3D engine RealSpace , which was previously used in Strike Commander and Wing Commander Armada . Instead of animated cutscenes, all scenes were recorded with the help of blue screen technology and actors. The player character's name was canonically set to Christopher "Maverick" Blair and played by actor Mark Hamill . Malcolm McDowell as Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, John Rhys-Davies as James “Paladin” Taggart and Tom Wilson as Todd “Maniac” Marshall starred in the other leading roles . The game was advertised as an interactive film, among other things. In addition, Wing Commander III is one of the key titles for the success of the CD-ROM as a data carrier format. The game appeared next to DOS - and Windows - PCs for PlayStation , Mac OS and 3DO .

Wing Commander IV - The Price of Freedom (1996)

→ Main article : Wing Commander 4

Wing Commander IV was released in February 1996 and was the last part of the series, which was created under the direction of series creator Chris Roberts. It is thematically an epilogue to the Kilrathi trilogy. After defeating the archenemy, the Confederation is in a phase of reorientation. Tensions arise between the core worlds of the Confederation and the Union of the Border Worlds, which increasingly end in military conflicts. Before the Federation officially declares war, Admiral Tolwyn is tasked with investigating the conflict and its causes. Tolwyn then has Blair brought back from retirement and transferred to the "TCS Lexington". Blair comes across a group of warmongers whose efforts he must stop in order to prevent human war against one another.

Wing Commander IV continued the design formula of its direct predecessor. The technical basis remained the same and was only technically optimized. Instead of pure blue screen technology, this time it was shot with real film sets in the Ren-Mar Studios in Los Angeles. The actors known from their predecessor returned to their respective roles. Production costs rose to $ 12 million. In addition to the PC version, Wing Commander IV was also ported to Macintosh and Sony Playstation.

Wing Commander: Prophecy (1997)

Wing Commander logo : Prophecy

→ Main article : Wing Commander: Prophecy

A few years after the Kilrathi were defeated by the Confederation, a jump gate opens in the Kilrah system and an unknown, aggressively hostile force enters the system. These events correspond conspicuously with an old Kilrathi prophecy, which heralds a time of darkness, should the Kilrathi have been defeated by "The Heart of the Tiger" (cf. the subtitle of Wing Commander III ). Initially still unnoticed, the invaders immediately begin to attack the surrounding Kilrathi worlds and also the Confederate armed forces and mercilessly wipe them out. This time, the focus of the plot is no longer Christopher Blair, but the new pilot Lance Casey, the son of the pilot Michael Iceman Casey (see Wing Commander I ) , who has just left the academy . This will be assigned to the new supercarrier “TCS Midway”, which will soon encounter the invaders. The task is to fend off the aggressors, to inform the earth about the new attackers and to stop the advance of the aliens.

After Chris Roberts left Origin, a new management team took over the project management for Wing Commander Prophecy . The basic principle of the two predecessors, space missions combined with cinematic cutscenes, has not been changed. However, the first parts again served as a playful model. The decision-making options during the video sequences were given up, variations in the course of the game resulted more from the performance during the flight missions. The development budget dropped to $ 3 million (excluding marketing costs). For the first time in the history of the series, the game supported 3D accelerators and offered owners of corresponding cards improved textures and effects. The well-known industrial designer Syd Mead was hired for the spaceship design . Mark Hamill, Tom Wilson and Ginger Lynn Allen returned to their previously embodied roles.

After the original release for PC in 1997, Wing Commander Prophecy was also ported by Raylight Studios to the Game Boy Advance in 2003 , but with a significantly reduced scope and a new graphics engine adapted to the performance of the handheld console. Wing Commander Prophecy was also the last part of the main series. Although the plot was originally designed in several parts, the Origin / Electronic Arts series was discontinued.

Wing Commander: Secret Ops (1998)

Logo for Wing Commander: Secret Ops

→ Main article : "Wing Commander: Secret Ops" in the article Wing Commander: Prophecy

Although the Nephilim jump gate was destroyed in Wing Commander: Prophecy , it did not destroy all enemy forces. After their return to the solar system, Casey and his fellow pilots will be transferred to the "TCS Cerberus", which will soon meet other Nephilim forces. The task is to locate the enemy base of operations and destroy the enemy troops.

Wing Commander: Secret Ops uses the slightly improved technology of Wing Commander: Prophecy and was distributed free of charge in episode format over the Internet, only a free registration was required. To reduce the data size, however, there were no longer any complex video sequences and the voice output also had to be downloaded separately. Instead, sequences were used in the game engine, e-mails and text messages also replaced the film clips describing the mission. Later, the Secret Ops and Wing Commander: Prophecy became part of the budget version Prophecy Gold . Due to this combination of the two titles, the reduced scope, the common technical basis and the similarity in names to the earlier add-ons The Secret Missions and Special Operations , the Secret Ops are generally considered an add-on to Prophecy , although they can run independently as a program . In 1998 it was an innovative project that presented interested users with a challenge in terms of time and costs due to the prevailing transmission speeds and connection tariffs. To ease the burden, the basic package was also published on many of the accompanying CD-ROMs from PC magazines of the time.

Offshoot

Wing Commander: Privateer (1993)

Logo for Wing Commander: Privateer

→ Main article : Wing Commander: Privateer

Wing Commander Privateer (English for "privateer") is a space trading game in the style of elite , which in addition to the trade aspect and the space battles also has a story told in rendered film sequences. It was released on September 22, 1993 for DOS PCs.

The game takes place in the Gemini Sector, a border area between the Terran Confederation, Kilrathi Empire and previously unexplored areas of the galaxy. The player takes on the role of a freely nameable, canonically referred to as Grayson Burrows free trader and mercenary, who comes across the traces of an ancient alien race. However, the main plot can be interrupted at any time to pursue one of the numerous secondary occupations. In addition to the transport of goods from one planet to another, mercenary orders can also be accepted, which are available in different degrees of difficulty and mission types such as patrol, combat and reconnaissance missions. The game differentiates between different factions. The behavior of the player towards representatives of these factions affects the further behavior of their members towards the player.

The original concept of the game was worked out by Chris Roberts together with his younger brother Erin. Chris Roberts, however, was primarily focused on developing Strike Commander , so responsibility for developing Privateer was in the hands of Erin.

Privateer 2: The Darkening (1996)

Logo to Privateer 2

→ Main article : Privateer 2

Privateer 2: The Darkening is the direct successor to Wing Commander: Privateer . The game was developed under the direction of Erin Roberts by the EA studio in Manchester and was released on December 13, 1996 for DOS and Windows PCs. It continues the tradition of its predecessor, the combination of space trading simulation with action-packed space battles and a cinematic staged storyline, and, like Wing Commander III and IV, uses film sequences staged with actors to reproduce the framework.

The focus of the plot is the character Ser Lev Arris, played by Clive Owen , who was the only survivor rescued from the wreck after the crash of a spaceship and has since suffered from memory loss. In order to track down his past, he hires out as a free trader and mercenary in the so-called tri-system. The game world has been reduced in size compared to Wing Commander: Privateer and dispenses with recognizable borrowings from the Wing Commander universe, which is why the game is independent in the series. The game was developed on a budget of $ five million.

Wing Commander Academy (1993)

Wing Commander Academy
Studio	Origin Systems
Publisher	Origin Systems
Erstveröffent- lichung	1993
platform	PC ( DOS )
genre	Space flight simulation
Game mode	Single player
control	joystick
language	English

Game description

Wing Commander Academy was a gap filler for the waiting time between Wing Commander II and III , and buyers should also be discouraged from buying the Star Wars: TIE Fighter by LucasArts , which will be released at the same time . The game is based on the technical basis of Wing Commander II and has no action mode. Instead, the player can use a mission editor to put together their own missions based on a modular principle. The missions can be saved and played again at a later time. By passing on the corresponding memory files, missions can also be exchanged with other players.

A game mode known as the Gauntlet simulates an arcade environment and the player has to compete round after round against enemy space fighters. When all opponents in a round have been dealt with, the player receives a bonus to his protective shields and weapon energy and the next round is triggered. If the player loses, the game is over. At the end the player receives a score; the five best ratings are displayed in a highscore list.

reception

Rating mirror

• PC Games 10/93: 76%

• PC Player 10/93: 78%

• Power Play 10/93: 76%

• PC Zone 10/93: 60 out of 100

• PC format 10/93: 64%

• PC Review 10/93: 5 out of 10

Wing Commander Armada (1994)

Wing Commander Armada
Studio	Origin Systems
Publisher	Electronic Arts
Erstveröffent- lichung	1994
platform	PC ( DOS ), FM Towns , PC-98
Game engine	RealSpace
genre	Space flight simulation
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer
control	joystick
medium	CD-ROM
language	English
Age rating	USK

Game description

Like Wing Commander Academy, Wing Commander Armada was a gap filler to sweeten the wait for Wing Commander III . For the first time you could fly Kilrathi and Confederation ships like the Arrow from Wing Commander III . Wing Commander Armada was first and foremost a strategic and secondly a tactical game in which you could technologically expand your systems and defend them if necessary - in the cockpit of the available combat ships, of course. It was also possible to compete against each other in a multiplayer mode.

Proving Grounds

Proving Grounds is a free, downloadable update to Armada . It adds support for IPX networks and the new arcade multiplayer mode Proving Grounds to the base game. Six players can compete with and against each other. With power-ups distributed on the map, the properties of your own space fighter can also be increased (shield strength, weapon systems, etc.).

reception

Rating mirror

• PC Games 9/94: 75%

• PC Joker 11/94: 59%

• PC Player 9/94: 78%

• Power Play 8/94: 81%

• Computer Gaming World 12/94: 3 out of 5

• PC Review 11/94: 6 out of 10

Super Wing Commander (1994)

→ Main article : Super Wing Commander

Super Wing Commander is a graphically revised and provided with voice output version of Wing Commander I . It was released in 1994 for the 3DO game console and in 1995 for the Apple Macintosh. In addition to the base game, the Mission Pack The Secret Mission 1 and some new bonus missions are also included, which are located between The Secret Missions 1 and 2 . The aim of these bonus missions is to uncover the origin of the Sivar battleship that was responsible for the destruction of the Goddard colony in The Secret Missions , and to destroy the corresponding production facilities.

Wing Commander Arena (2007)

Wing Commander Arena
Studio	Gaia Industries
Publisher	Electronic Arts
Erstveröffent- lichung	July 25, 2007
platform	Xbox 360
genre	Arcade game
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer
control	Game controller
medium	Download
language	German
Age rating	USK PEGI

Game description

Nine years after the last commercial game in the Wing Commander universe, the developer Gaia Industries released the game Wing Commander Arena on July 25, 2007 for the live arcade service of the Xbox 360. It was a multiplayer-oriented game for Space battles with up to 16 players.

reception

Wing Commander Arena received mostly negative reviews ( Metacritic : 51 out of 100).

Rating mirror

• 4Players : 31 out of 100
  "Terrible mutilation of the once so glorious series - Wing Commander didn't deserve that!"

• EuroGamer.de: 5 out of 10
  "Not a real wing commander."

• M! Games : 3
  "Pure fraudulent labeling - instead of epic space action, there are poky, simple shots."

• GameSpot : 4.0

• IGN : 4.9

Fan modification and games

Privateer Remake (2005)

Based on the Vega-Strike engine, a small team of Privateer fans developed a remake of the original Wing Commander Privateer under an open source license, but without sticking to the original in every detail. Version 1.0 was released in March 2005 for Windows, MacOS and Linux.

Privateer Gemini Gold (2009)

In July 2005, development began on another remake that was released in late 2009. In contrast to the Privateer Remake , which had to take a lot of criticism from connoisseurs of the Wing Commander universe for expanding the game content, the developers of Privateer Gemini Gold tried to orient themselves strictly to the original. The developers have succeeded in recreating most of the graphics used in Privateer as 3D models and integrating them into the game with an improved resolution. Like the Privateer Remake, Privateer Gemini Gold is based on the Vega Strike engine and is freely available for Windows, MacOS and Linux under an open source license.

Wing Commander Unknown Enemy (2005)

Based on the Secret-Ops extension to Wing Commander 5 , Wing Commander Unknown Enemy was released, a mod that, similar to Wing Commander 4 , takes place in the border regions of the Confederation, but remains in the same setting as Prophecy. The graphics of the Secret Ops engine have been technically upgraded for this, new ship models have been added and cut scenes also carry the story forward.

Privateer: Parallel Universe (2006)

The Parallel Universe, launched in July 2006 as a mod for the Privateer Remake Project, quickly developed into its own game, as many Wing Commander fans, due to some restrictions in Gemini Gold corresponding to the original Privateer (e.g. no automatic for turrets) found the otherwise successful mod frustrating. In concrete terms, PU offers a variety of additional ships, equipment and campaigns. In addition, a step-by-step integration of WCU (i.e. the complete Wing Commander space map) and the technical possibilities of multiplayer games is currently being discussed. Of course, the game also offers new graphics based on the latest shader technology that has been implemented since the beginning of 2008. SVN server technology is currently used, with the help of which new updates and thus downloads are possible for the end user on a daily basis.

Wing Commander Saga

A total conversion of the game Freespace 2 , which, however, does not require Freespace 2 and is based on the approved source code of this game. In contrast to Privateer Remake , this is a pure battle simulation.

Wing Commander Saga is parallel to the third part of the series. The game tells the story from the point of view of 2nd Lieutenant David "Sandman" Markham.

The prologue, published at the end of 2006, tells the story of the first days on the TCS CV-50 Wellington carrier. The developers combine the virtues of the original with varied missions. Although you don't do without cutscenes that tell the story in the game, you still offer chapters in text form. These are displayed in a separate program, the so-called Fiction Viewer .

On March 22, 2012, the full version of Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn was released. In addition to a modified version of the prologue, it contains a main campaign that takes place during the events in Wing Commander 3 on the TCS CVA 98 Hermes carrier.

Wing Commander Saga is not to be confused with Wing Commander: The Kilrathi Saga , an official bundle of the first three Wing Commander parts, which therefore run natively under Microsoft Windows 95.

Wing Commander Standoff

Comparable to Wing Commander Unknown Enemy , a mod is created based on Secret Ops with Wing Commander Standoff , which tells the story of the carrier ship TCS Firekka in the timeframe of the novel "The Secret Fleet" by William Forstchen (between Wing Commander II and III ). The revamped graphics by Unknown Enemy have been upgraded again and provided with new / old ship models from Wing Commander I and II . There are also cutscenes with more or less good synchronization. In the tradition of parts 1 to 4, the plot in Standoff can take different turns, good or bad, depending on the success of the player.

Wing Commander Online RPG Germany

A non-commercial fan project tolerated by EA-Games on the basis of a cube-based chat and forum role-playing game. The online role-playing game, which has existed since 1998, picks up where the official Wing Commander parts leave off ( Wing Commander Prophecy ). The storyline of the role-playing game is continued by the playing members of the community on their own.

Film adaptations

Wing Commander Academy (animated series)

→ Main article : Wing Commander Academy (TV series)

Wing Commander Academy is an animated series developed by Universal Cartoon Studios in the Wing Commander universe. The one season with 13 episodes comprehensive series was announced on May 14, 1996 and first aired from September 21 to December 21, 1996 by the US television station USA Network . The series acts as a loose prelude to the computer game series and describes the experiences of Blair and Maniacs during their pilot training at the flight academy. The series takes place in the year 2655. Blair, Maniac, Gwen "Archer" Bowman and nine other flight cadets are transferred to the "TCS Tiger's Claw", commanded by Commodore Tolwyn, to complete their training there. As in Wing Commander III and IV , Mark Hamill, Tom Wilson and Malcolm McDowell took on the dubbing of their respective roles in the animated series. In addition, actress Dana Delany was won for the lead role of Gwen "Archer" Bowman. There were also other guest roles by well-known actors such as Ron Perlman , Michael Dorn , Jessica Walter and Joan Van Ark . However, the hoped-for success did not materialize and the series was not pursued after the season ended.

Wing Commander (film)

→ Main article : Wing Commander (film)

In 1999 a cinema film of the same name was released for the game. This was produced by Chris Roberts and his game company Digital Anvil , founded in 1996 . He also acquired the film rights from Origin. The film tells an alternate version of Blair's beginnings on board the "Tiger Claw" (instead of "Tiger's Claw"). Blair , played by Freddie Prinze, Jr. , and his academy mate Todd "Maniac" Marshall are getting their first transfer from the Space Academy aboard the carrier. A short time after their arrival, the Kilrathi conquer an important navigation computer with which they can reach and destroy the earth in the shortest possible time and before their home fleet. The "Tiger Claw" is the only ship that can still prevent this. In doing so, Blair discovers the secret of his pilgrimage ancestry, a human group with a special ability in space flight. The film flopped and was a financial disaster for Digital Anvil.

Novels

→ Main article : Wing Commander (book series)

Between 1992 and 1999 the American publisher Baen Books published seven novels by different authors on the Wing Commander game universe. The last novel, False Colors, was supposed to be the prelude to a trilogy, but the author Andrew Keith died before completing his work on the last two volumes.

In 1999 the publisher Harper Entertainment published Peter Telep's companion novel to the film. It was followed by a second called Pilgrim Stars , who continued the pilgrim background of the film. A planned third volume, Pilgrim Truth , was no longer published. It was not until 2011 that Telep made his manuscript available free of charge as an e-book .

In Germany, Bastei Lübbe Verlag published the translations of seven novels between 1994 and 2001, volumes 1 to 6 of Baen Books and Peter Telep's book on film. Since the film novel was published close to the start of the film, the order of publication in German is different from that of the original volumes.

Other literature

• Meusel, Rolf: The Wing Commander pilot's manual . Data Becker, 1992 ISBN 3-89011-538-1

There are other official and unofficial game guides.

Web links

• Archived Origin website for the Wing Commander series (March 30, 1997) ( Memento of March 30, 1997 on the Internet Archive )
• Wing Commander series at MobyGames (English)
• Wing Commander Academy in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Wing Commander News . Extensive archive for the Wing Commander series.
• Classic Gaming - Privateer website with comprehensive information
• German-speaking forum with current news reports, an extensive database and download area for all things Wing Commander

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Dennis Scimeca: Back On The Flight Deck: An Interview With Wing Commander's Chris Roberts ( English ) In: G4TV . NBCUniversal . August 12, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Boris Schneider : Wing Commander Academy . (Article scan) In: PC Player . No. 10/1993, October 1993, pp. 40-42.
3. ↑ ^{a b} PC Games Database: Wing Commander: Academy - Press Review . Retrieved April 2, 2012
4. ^ David McCandless: Wing Commander Academy . (Article scan) In: PC Zone . October 1993, p. 52.
5. ^ Richard Longhurst: Wing Commander Academy . (Article scan) In: PC format . October 1993, p. 79.
6. ^ Dean Evans: Wing Commander Academy . (Article scan) In: PC Review . October 1993, pp. 72-73.
7. ↑ Origin Systems : Wing Commander Armada: Proving Grounds Mode ( English , txt) In: Patchlog . Electronic Arts . Retrieved on April 3, 2012: “ 6 player IPX support. Proving grounds mode that allows players to kill each other while competing for powerup items to increase your ships capabilites, including shields and armor, weapons, cloaking device, fuel, and a cloaked ship scanner to view ships that are cloaked. Battle mode allows any combination of 6 players (ie. 1-1-1-1-1-1,3-3,2-2-2). Colorado Spectrum notebook support added. "
8. ↑ Proving Grounds Mode (copy of the patch log) ( English ) In: Wing Commander Encyclopedia . Wing Commander CIC (fansite). Retrieved April 3, 2012.
9. ↑ PC Games Database: Wing Commander: Armada - Press Review . Retrieved April 2, 2012
10. ↑ Michael Schnelle: Wing Commander Armada . (Article scan) In: PC Joker . No. 11/1994, November 1994.
11. ↑ Boris Schneider : Wing Commander Armada . (Article scan) In: PC Player . No. 09/1994, September 1994, pp. 38-41.
12. ↑ Michael Hengst: Dances with the Net: WC Armada . (Article scan) In: Power Play . No. 08/1994, August 1994.
13. ↑ Martin E. Circulis: Do not Play This Game Alone . (Article scan) In: Computer Gaming World . No. 125, December 1994, pp. 234-238.
14. ^ Paul Glancey: Wing Commander Armada . (Article scan) In: PC Review . November 1994, pp. 72-73.
15. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated May 31, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
16. ↑ Christian Klaß: Wing Commander is back (update) . In: Golem.de . February 23, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
17. ↑ Metacritic : Average rating , based on 14 articles. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
18. ^ Paul Kautz: Test: Wing Commander Arena . In: 4Players . freenet AG . July 31, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
19. ↑ Tobias Lampe: Wing Commander Arena - Test . In: EuroGamer.de . EuroGamer Network. July 26, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
20. ^ Ulrich Steppberger: Wing Commander Arena (test) . In: M! Games . Cybermedia publishing company. July 26, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
21. ↑ Jeff Gerstmann: Wing Commander Arena ( English ) In: GameSpot . CNET . July 27, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
22. ↑ Daemon Hetfield: Wing Commander Arena Review ( English ) In: IGN . News Corp . July 27, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 1, 2012. 
23. ↑ Privateer Gemini Gold: Official project website
24. ↑ Wing Commander Unknown Enemy: Official project website
25. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from June 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. The Darkest Dawn is Cleared for Launch  
26. ↑ Wing Commander Standoff: Official project website
27. ↑ Wing Commander Online RPG: Official project website
28. ↑ Ben "BanditLOAF" Lesnick: Andrew Keith Interview . In: WCNews . November 16, 1996. Retrieved on 2012-03-301: “ The book ideas are still vague. One I'd like to do would involve a Kilrathi prince - a friendly one - from False Colors. Sort of Bonnie Prince Charle in Scotland, with Cats and carrier support by the Karga. The other would put the Landreich at war with the Confederation. I'm thinking of following something like the Alamo / Goliad / San Jacinto model. "
29. ↑ Pilgrim Truth released . News about the publication of Pilgrim Truth as an e-book in English. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
30. ^ Wing Commander . www.origin.ea.com. March 30, 1997. Archived from the original on March 30, 1997. Retrieved July 30, 2011.