Wing Commander Movie Night: Seven Samurai

Demolition Man gets our seal of approval; it's not anything brilliant but it's endlessly fun and it really compares favorably to Judge Dredd. Our next movie will be Seven Samurai (1954) by Akira Kurosawa. Seven Samurai is regarded as a timeless classic and a film that has had endless influence on films since… so it will be pretty fun to see that and decide how it might connect back to Wing Commander! You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along. Please note that the movie will begin one hour early (at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific) to accommodate the run time.

The Wing Commander universe has a sea of over a dozen stars named after the sci-fi authors that inspired the series, from Clarke to Niven. But there are only three named after directors: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas (both in the Enigma Sector)... and Akira Kurosawa in the Vega Sector. The system, sometimes spelled Kurasawa, first appeared in the original Wing Commander where the Tiger's Claw helps siege the Kilrathi bases at Kurosawa IV. It has been referenced a number of times since. But most famously, it's home to the hardest mission in Wing Commander history: Kurasawa 2, the so-called Ralari rescue. We've chosen Seven Samurai to recognize Kurosawa in this series and we will make an appropriate selection for Spielberg in the future.

The updated versions of Claw Marks published with the Sega CD and Super Wing Commander versions (and adapted for Claw Marks) include another mention of the system which establishes that the Tiger's Claw had fought there just before the start of the game.

This past week, the Tiger's Claw was fortunate enough to add another ace to its Confederation ranks. Second Lieutenant Todd "Maniac" Marshall knocked down his fifth Kilrathi in an engagement near Kurasawa System, where he and his wingleader, Captain Jeannette "Angel" Devereaux, were escorting a cargo ship.

And the movie sequel novel Pilgrim Stars has a moment where Blair thinks about being able to identify the system from his farm as a child:

As Blair stepped into the aft observation bubble, he felt a strong sense of déjà vu. He knew he had never been to this part of the ship, and he slowly realized that the brilliant night sky seen through the Plexi reminded him of the sky over his uncle's farm on Nephele. The farm stood four hundred kilometers away from the nearest metroplex, thus the light pollution that too often robbed the stars of their luster had never been a problem there. He could easily pick our stars like Mylon, Tyr, Kurasawa, Gimle, and even K'n'Rek, part of the Kilrathi empire. Though the stars were somewhat different here, their clarity and brilliance suggested something innocent and untainted by humans. Sadly, they had come to shed blood across the heavens, and Karista's face registered that grim fact.

But it's not just a system: Kurosawa has been honored with multiple namesakes in the Wing Commander universe. In Action Stations, Admiral Banbridge and his intelligence chief mention Captain Akiko Kurosawa, commander of the TCS Gibraltar.

"Nothing to sink our teeth into," Joshua replied. "You saw my report on what happened to the Beta team?"

Skip nodded and sighed. Of course their deaths would be listed as a training accident, bodies unrecoverable. They'd been nailed trying to slip into Kilrathi space near the Ingraya system in order to set up a listening post.

"That's the third team in as many months," Joshua said bitterly, looking into his mug of coffee. "One of them is Akiko Kurosawa's daughter, captain of Gibraltar. We've lost thirty good men and women for nothing."

"Why? Why are we getting hammered on covert intel?"

And there's a Confederation ship named Kurosawa, too! The 1999 Confederation Handbook establishes that the CS Kurosawa was the ship that studied the wreckage of the Iason after it was destroyed by the Kilrathi.

Ships were dispatched from Hyperion 2 to investigate the object, and at 0512 hours on .236 it was formally identified as the Iason. Port Admiral Miru, of Hellespont Naval Station, reached the scene in the CS Kurosawa at 1500 hours. Over the next 16 hours the hull was extensively scanned by Navy sensor teams, but Admiral Miru ordered a quarantine distance of 10 kilometers. No Confed personnel were allowed within that distance.

You can read the entire article here.

Where can I find a copy of the movie for the watch party?

Seven Samurai is available for rent or purchase on the standard streaming services, and it's also currently on the HBO MAX platform. If you would like a physical copy, the movie was released on BluRay in 2024 and remains in print around the world. A copy is available for download from the Internet Archive. They also have a rare dubbed copy if you are not comfortable with subtitles. If you are not able to locate a copy please stop by the Discord and ping a CIC staff member before Friday's showing.

How do we watch the movie together?

It's pretty low tech! Simply join the Wing Commander CIC Discord on Friday and we will be chatting (in text) along with the film in the main channel. Everyone who wants to join in should bring their own copy and we will count down to play them together at 9 PM EST. Please note that this is one hour earlier than usual to allow for the film's lengthy run time. Everyone is welcome and we encourage you to join in the conversation; sharing your thoughts helps make the experience better for everyone!