Is Blair's arrival to the Tiger's Claw in the movie really his first time?
I was wondering about this for some time. I know it has generally been established here in the boards that the movie takes place between the first and second episodes of the Academy cartoon. The premise is that Blair is a 2nd Lieutenant/cadet. However, this timeframe has the cartoon coinciding with WC1, in which Blair usually is promoted from 2nd lieutenant after enyo 2. He would be a captain or major by the last episode in the cartoon, and I find it hard to believe that Tolwyn would still call him cadet, or that Blair is still in a flight school. Also, the Tiger's Claw in WC1 is in Vega sector, while the impression I get in the cartoon is that the carrier goes to many sectors (I could be wrong on this though).
My main question is: Is it possible that the cartoon takes place in 2653 after Blair graduates from the Academy, and that Blair is transferred off the Tiger's Claw after the flight school training in the cartoon? He returns in 2654 for the movie and then the game. I saw the movie, and there is nothing definitely saying (that I saw) that Blair and Maniac have never been on the Tiger's Claw before. There are a few lines referring to "new surroundings," but this could be attributed to a complete crew roster change, carrier refit, new ships, etc. Thanks, and this is a great site!
Well, here's some rantings an an attempt to get a discussion going. Please add facts and work things in as best you can figure them.
I think the first thing we have to do is throw out the 'promoted quickly' aspect. All we ultimately know is that Blair makes it to Colonel two years later. Certainly you are correct in pointing out that Blair can become a Major in a month if you play through the game perfectly... but we also know that the official history doesn't match a perfect playing of the game: the Tiger's Claw spends time in the losing scenarios, Blair sometimes fails missions, some are actually flown by other pilots, etc. The bar the game sets for promotions has a random element to it, too, so it's impossible to say 'once he has this many medal points, he'll be this rank' (in this way it is similar to the randomly generated dates for missions - we can't use them because they're always different and because they rarely match up with various later-established official dates). In fact, the Heart of the Tiger novelization goes so far as to say that Blair was still a "junior lieutenant" when Ralgha defected in 2655.
The first question is, then, when did Blair graduate from the Academy and when did he finish Flight School? The Kilrathi Saga 'scrap book' is titled "Terran Confederation Naval Space Academy 201st Class - Class of 2653". The indication would be that he graduated from the Academy in 2653. This is significantly supported by the Terran Confederation Handbook, which would move that more specifically to 'early 2653'. Blair is interviewed by a psychologist reporting to Tolwyn on 2653.084, .092 and .099 at Sirius. He seems to spend the whole year there -- his "CSF FLight School Final Evaluation" says "... Lt. Christopher Blair has graduated Flight Pilot training with Distinction, as a member of the Q1 class of 2654, and has been assigned to...".
This particular document is of further interest to your question because it is the formal reccomendation that Blair (and Maniac) be assigned to the Tiger's Claw. It is, in fact, written specifically as a reaction to the events of Red and Blue. Quote: "... during a routine training flight they surprised and destroyed a Kilrathi blockade-runner ... it is because of this remarkable achievement that I reccommended Blair and Marshall be assigned to gether for their first combat tour." Maj. Gonsalas is reccomending that they be assigned to the Tiger's Claw because of what they did in the first episode of the show. If they'd already served on the Tiger's Claw, achieved much greater glory and so forth it would be neither their first combat tour nor would the events of that first episode stand as a remarkable achievement.
The other oft-discussed aspect is that 'Wing Commander Academy' is, per the show's press kit's glossary, a proper noun. Blair, Maniac, Payback, etc. are actually attending a command school called the 'Wing Commander Academy', which is distinct from TCNSA on Hilthros. Note that they must have graduated from the TCSNA by the time of Academy... since they *are* Second Lieutenants on the show (their door plaques read '2nd Lt. So-and-So'). With that in mind, I think it's easy to write off Tolwyn's referring to them as cadets -- it's simply the protocal for the command program he's teaching them (I imagine the actual military has similar command schools for promising young officers).
Now, all of that is the common read, based on an intentional amount of synergy between Academy and the movie. Unfortunately, there's more to it that we generally don't take into account... so lets take the opportunity to do some of that now. Off hand:
* Claw Marks says that Maniac is "one of the highest-rated Academy graduates of the '54 class".
* The movie novelization says this of Blair: "After graduating from the Terran Confederation Space Naval Academy on Hilthros just a month earlier..."
* The Wing Commander I & II Ultimate Strategy Guide says of Maniac (and LaFong) that "...that was my final mission from the Formidable. Soon afterward, the academy trainees all recieved their commissions a 2nd Lieutenants and permanent assignments. Maniac and I would transfer to the Tiger's Claw in a few days while the other five trainees would remain with the destroyer."
* The Wing Commander Prophecy Official Guide says that Blair was a member of the '2650 plebe class' at the Academy.
So, lets tie up all this (others are certainly encouraged to find similar references to work into this) using a lucky fact from the original guide.
A lot of people are confused about exactly what the Academy program entails. In Action Stations we see the 'Terran Confederation Service Academy at Houston', from which Tolwyn graduated in 2634 after a clearly defined five year program. A lot of people bring that up, so I'm citing it specifically to avoid having to deal with it again: the Terran Confederation Service Academy at Houston is not the same thing as the Terran Confederation Naval Space Academy at Hilthros.
When Blair and Maniac join the Academy in 2650 it would have been (at least) a four year program. They're greeted by "Midshipman, Third Class Tanaka" (ooh, cameo) which of course indicates that they're part of (at least) the Fourth Class. At this point they should be members of the Class of 2654.
There's a huge change after their first year, though: "Starting with our class, summer leave no longer existed. Students left the academy after two years to spend a year in on-the-job-training on a TCSN ship. Then they were sent to permanent assignments..." Note that this refers to the OJT program Blair attended on the TCS Formidable, not the events of Wing Commander Academy.
... which means that they should have had standard classes at Hilthros from 2650-2652 followed by OJT on the Formidable from 2652-2653. They would have recieved their comissions at this point (cited above) and then attended Flight School at Sirius from 2653-2654 before heading to the Tiger's Claw. (Note that it's LaFong and Maniac who already know they're assigned to the Tiger's Claw -- not Blair... of course, that's a confusing argument any day). Another worthwhile fact is that there was no graduation ceremony for the 201st Class... they just went off to serve. In that context, perhaps, the Claw Marks bio makes a bit more sense (or even regardless, since Maniac didn't come into service until 54 because of flight school anyway...). That also somewhat deflates Blair's graduated 'just last month' comment -- since he hadn't returned to Hilthros until then (sometime after OJT), he probably hadn't recieved his diploma.
Now, there's still some issues... chief among them in my mind is one that's reverse to what both of us are saying -- in the movie novel Blair claims to Paladin he's never met Admiral Tolwyn.
At the same time, we know he was lectured by Tolwyn in Red & Blue. That said, I would argue that Blair has some specific definition of 'met'... because such a claim seems to be internally invalid, too, since they have a discussion at the start of the movie (and novel). If he doesn't count that then presumably he simply doesn't count being dressed down on Sirius either. (... and with that, this oddity can be used to suggest that Academy *hasn't* happened -- since he doesn't really know Tolwyn yet...)