Overthinking It Overthinks The WC3 Finale (February 21, 2015)

[ChrisReid]

Overthinking It is a website dedicated to the contrived art of overanalyzing something on the internet. This month they've turned their sights on Wing Commander 3 and the moral implications of destroying Kilrah. The site actually goes after quite a range of modern pop culture, so the first part of the WC3 article attempts to lure in the casual reader based on the merits of the game. Some of the context is described and the obvious comparison to World War 2 is made. Reasons for not undertaking the Temblor assault are where the piece cracks a bit. The fact that the losing endgame results in Kilrathi paws crushing skulls on Earth while the winning ending ends in a peace treaty makes the "what if" scenarios kind of weak. But if you're on the internet, there's a chance this might be right up your alley. Check out the full article here.

I know what youa??re thinking: a??Here goes Lee again about that space combat simulator from the 90a??s that he was obsessed with as a kid and is playing again as an adult. Ia??ve never played any Wing Commander and I never will. Skipping this article.a??

WAIT. Keep reading. What if I were to tell you that one of the entries in the series was less a video game and more a movie starring Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, John Rhys-Davies, and Tom Wilsona??with a climax that involves the genocidal destruction of an alien racea??s homeworld?

This is Wing Commander III, and this act of genocide is something that Ia??ve wanted to have a serious adult conversation about for a long time. So even if you know nothing about Wing Commander, strap into the cockpit and come along with me for this ride. Ia??ve been through a long war. We have a lot to talk about.

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Original update published on February 21, 2015