Discussion on the Nephilim...

[Viper61]

...I just still can't really see it. If Blair is indeed a POW, then I could see the bugs playing around with his mind, confusing him, trying to bend him to their will. But the guy's been through so dang much all in service to the Confederation and Humanity in general. I find it hard - no...IMPOSSIBLE - to believe that the bugs could ever break his spirit and have him betray everything he's ever stood for, everything he's ever fought for, all that he's sacrificed for. So while I CAN see the idea of having to fight Blair at some point because the bugs have him screwed up mentally...I couldn't see any kind of long-term engagement against the Hero of the Confederation. I'd just like to think that the human spirit is stronger than that...otherwise, how else could Confed ever hope to triumph over the Nephilim and the Aligned? Maybe that's just me... What do you guys think?

I think you're giving Blair way too much credit. This is the guy whos shown time and again hes not the strongest link in the chain emotionally. Apparently, after his court martial, it took a kind hearted crew chief on Caernarvan to keep him in one piece. In WC3, just the mere thought of Angel being away sent this guy off. After he realizes shes dead, he immediately goes and hits the bottle. He pretty much goes into a long drunken binge after he blows Kilrah away (killing that many people has got to do something to you), chasing away Rachel and pretty much isolating himself from the universe. He comes back to Confed during WC4 and the slightest reminder of Angel sends him over the edge. Basically, he doesn't have the most stable track record when it comes to his emotional side.

The Nephilim seem to tap into this, all of his darkness, during Prophecy. Didn't seem to me it would have taken much more to send 'scary' Blair (the guy you rescued in Prophecy) over the edge.

C-ya

 

[Anxiety]

First off you did make some good points there, Firefalcon. Second you can't worry about your story being a cliche. It is far past a point in history where someone can write a story and have it not be cliche at some point. Sometimes even the most cliche stories could be the best.

 

[X_FIREFALCON]

Heya, guys.

Again, thanks for the replies (and no, I'll never stop saying that!).

Anxiety, thanks for your vote of confidence. You're absolutely right...most of the great stories and movies out there fall into some kind of cliche; people find a formula that works, and they go with it. Just look at George Lucas' career? (Discussion for some other time...let's not get ahead of ourselves here.)

Viper61, I do appreciate your playing devil's advocate here, challenging what I have to say and analyzing Blair to measure up just what the guy's made of. I have absolutely no problem if we're in disagreement over this topic, but I'd like to discuss it further...

While what you say about Blair is right...he's emotional fragile, he's quick to booze himself up (seems like everyone in WC is prone to being an alkey at some point, doesn't it?), and it always seems like he needs someone around to boost his ego, blow sunshine up his rear, or whatever else in order to straighten him out. So yeah, he's somewhat lacking as a human being...he's played the part of the detached, quiet, whipped old fighter pilot for quite some time already. But I look at it another way...despite all his weaknesses, his whole look of having some huge burden always weighing down on him...the plain fact of the matter is that when push comes to shove, he has continually stepped up to the plate and did whatever had to be done. It's kind of that whole reluctant hero thing...the one guy who doesn't want to play the part, but is forced to because no one else can. At least, that's how Blair seems to be. Even after all he'd been through with the Nephilim in Prophecy, he still stepped up at the end to ensure the destruction of the wormhole gate, right? It's kind of that role that is revisited with every comic-book hero sooner or later - they go through that time when they're tired of the fighting and ready to throw in the towel, but they can't - they have to keep going, keep trying, keep winning...because if they don't, who else will?

And let's face it...we've all been Blair at some point, right? So maybe it's just me...but I think the character is worth a lot more than most would probably give him credit for.

You're right, though...DEFINITELY emotional fragile, which is why I'm thinking of him going through a horribly rough time ahead once his mind is broken and his will nearly shattered.

We'll see how it turns out. Maybe it'll suck...but I think if I gave the story the kind of attention it needs, it'll turn out just fine. Who knows...you guys might even LIKE it (God forbid)! But we'll see...it's a way's off yet...

I already have a list of characters I'm thinking of introducing and others I plan to be bringing back for this storyline...but there's still room for more.

Are there any other details you guys think would be terribly important? Whether it be...what ships are in existence, how long this story should take place after Prophecy, how large the Confed fleet(s) is/are? I've seen some speculation on this, but don't know if there is any definitive documentation anywhere. Additionally, what does Sol System look like at this point - Earth, Luna (the moon), Mars, Venus? Any thoughts? Anything concrete? Space stations? Shipyards?

Thanks again, guys. Please help keep the discussion going and be heard!

- FireFalcon ~};^

 

[Spien]

As far as ships go the sky's the limit on that one since it takes place after Prophecy. Pretty much any ship in Wing Commander is at your disposal. Maybe some older ships like the Rangers would be scrapped for good now, maybe you can go as far as saying the fleet of Concordia class carriers could start being phased out considering the new generation of advanced ships we see coming on line in the Prophecy era.

Then again on the other side of the fence Confed could be pressing old ships into service again to keep the Nephilim from overwhelming them, it's entirely up to you as it's your story.

 

[Dundradal]

After the T-K war I would say it is safe to assume that all the ranger class ships still in service were scrapped along with probably numerous other ships. At the most they might survive in the Landreich, or possibly even in the UBW. The landreich was buying up all the ships it could from confed in the early 2670s.

Concordia class carriers are probably still around in 2681, although they are probably not used for more than sector patrols and such. Showing of force missions would most likely be done with Vesuvius or some other heavy vessel.

 

[Joker057]

I think a good story idea for a game would be having Grayson Burrows becoming involved in the Nephilim problem while still having to continue his commerce and bounty hunting trade along with being enlisted as a scout for Confed. Kinda like a Privateer vs Prophecy type game. That would be the coolest! Especially since Grayson is almost as good as Blair and definatly better than Lance Casey. Luke Skywalker might have been the ultimate hero for the Rebel Alliance but Han Solo was always cooler and a better pilot. Same applies for Grayson, the Han Solo of the WC universe.