Wing Commander Movie Night: Blade Runner

The Wing Commander Movie club is back from our secret mission to find the Firefox and it was… surprisingly dull! More on that in the after action report Friday. This week, however, will be different as we're screening a true classic: the original Blade Runner (1982). It's Harrison Ford versus replicants in a perfectly realized dystopian vision of near future Los Angeles. You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.

Blade Runner should be best known to Wing Commander fans because the Privateer team borrowed its future (well, now past) Los Angeles for the design of industrial planet New Detroit. Here's the original concept from a March 1992 art list (then called New Chicago):

New Chicago is the industrial center for the Tolnidian [Gemini] sector. The planet itself is almost permanently cloaked in clouds and rain produced by the heavy industry located here. The cities are very reminiscent of Blade Runner type cityscapes.

1) Hangar. The landing berth for the player is located on top of a landing platform which is supported high above the city on a very slender pole. There is a large repair and refueling facility on the edge of the platform, and an elevator attached to the side, but not much else. From here the player can go to the Main Street.

2) Main Street. The main street of New Chicago is a dark, wet, rainy place full of neon signs, traffic (in the air and on the ground) and so on. Blade Runner rip off in the worst way. The player can go to: Weapons dealer, Bar, both guilds, the commodities exchange, the mission computer, and the ship dealer.

3) Weapons dealer. This screen will operate in exactly the same way as the weapon dealer on New Constantinople, but requires new art.

4) The Bar. The bar should be based on the bar in Black Rain: dark and neon lit, but with a sort of modem look to it. Very crowded.

5) The ship dealer. The ship dealer will function the same as anywhere else. The room should be designed to look like it is a giant mall, with glass surrounding it on three sides and only display models available for looking at.

New Detroit has three different designs for flying cars which drive around both the landing pad and the street level options screen. Here's a look at the original 3D models for them:

Another big (and directly related) connection is that Privateer was once again stealing from someone who Origin would go on to employ. Blade Runner's spectacular future was the work of Syd Mead who would go on to reprise his "visual futurist" role for Wing Commander Prophecy's alien menace. As strange as it seems, you can really see the spinner design in his pitch for the Nephilim fighter!

There's one more small connection we're aware of: Wing Commander Prophecy was once sold alongside Westwood's 1997 Blade Runner adventure game in a package from Electronic Arts called "Ultimate Sci Fi Series". The third game in the set? Dune 2000!

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

Please note we will be watching the original theatrical cut of the movie and not the recent "Final Cut". Both are generally available separately so if you are renting or buying a copy please make sure you have the right one!

Blade Runner is available for rent or purchase on the standard streaming services. If you would like a physical copy, the movie was released on BluRay in 2007 and remains in print around the world. 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 10 PM EST. Everyone is welcome and we encourage you to join in the conversation; sharing your thoughts helps make the experience better for everyone!