Star*Soldier Gloss: Page 18

This is the Star*Soldier gloss for the sixth pilots page:

CONCEPT: See the previous post!

REFERENCES-

• "Robert 'Twilight' Irving" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Ryan 'Zombie' Coolidge" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Flash" - Originally Jace Dillon from Wing Commander III.
• "Merrell" - Friend from high school.
• "Caleb 'Wyvern' Frost" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Tara 'Swan' Tomiko" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Calder" - TCS Victory pilot from the Wing Commander III novelization.
• "Levine" - Old girlfriend.
• "H'rissth" - System visited in Wing Commander Prophecy.
• "K'n'Khur" - Kilrah Sector, Kur'u-Pak Quadrant
• "Sihkag" - Noble clan introduced in Fleet Action.
• "Fabian" - Original Daoud People, from the Confederation Handbook KIA list.
• "McClellan" - Civil War general.
• "Dana 'Sunflower' Blankenship" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Billy 'Snake' Cane" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Poghath" - Clan introduced in the Wing Commander III novelization (Tarros nar Poghath).
• "Sparrow" - Originally a backgr
• "Fish" - Originally Bing Gordon, Wing Commander Prophecy pilot mentioned on Dallas' funeral plaque.
• "Keen" - Commander Keen!
• "Bhuk 'Bloodmist' nar Hhallas" - Paktahn ace from Wing Commander III.
• "Kilroy" - Originall Hermione Alexander from the Confederation Handbook KIA list.
• "Darren 'Mutant' Conrad" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Damon 'Nomad' Lane" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Blood Rain" - Dralthi IV squadron from the WC:CCG.
• "K'ssak" - Kilrah Sector, Kur'u-Pak Quadrant
• "Porq" - The other white meat.
• "Catastrophe" - I'm pretty sure I used this joke already...
• "Evian" - System from Wing Commander Armada's 'gauntlet' mode story.
• "Caracal" - Terran wild cat.
• "Vuwarg" - System mentioned in End Run.
• "David 'Royal' Edinburgh" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Righteous Vengeance" - Pakhtan squadron from the WC:CCG.
• "Trak'mar" - The "inhabited moon of Trak'mar" was mentioned in Voices of War.
• "Jotunheim" - System from Secret Missions 2.
• "Litespeed" - Wingman from Wing Commander Armada.
• "Johnston" - Civil War general.
• "Proailurus" - Terran wild cat.
• "Gorath" - System mentioned in the Wing Commander Academy manual.
• "Sabak Liegemen" - Darket squadron from the WC:CCG.
• "Trk'Pahn" - Kilrathi star system from the original Privateer.
• "Lion" - Terran wild cat.
• "K'za-Ha'duhm" - Kilrah Sector, Kur'u Caxki Quadrant
• "Kiranka" - Noble clan introduced in Fleet Action.
• "Lusterfur" - Vaktoth squadron from the WC:CCG.
• "Kher-za" - Kilrah Sector, Kur'u Caxki Quadrant
• "Tas Mahran" - Epsilon Sector, Sa'Kahn Quadrant
• "Rosty" - Originally a nickname for Dmitri Rostov , the TCS Victory's bartender from the Wing Commander III novelization.
• "Knight" - Originally Joseph Khumalo from Wing Commander I.
• "Charles 'Bishop' Karpiak" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Jay 'Lawyer' Fitzgerald" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Josh 'Jumpstart' Barnett" - Wing Commander Prophecy redshirt.
• "Machairodus" - Terran wild cat.
• "Kulrag" - Clan from Wing Commander Academy (Drak nar Kulrag)
• "K'Mh'han" - Trk'Pahn Sector, H'hriss Quadrant
• "Knave" - Originally Tom Vale from the Wing Commander IV novelization.
• Whew, I hope I never have to do that again. Now I remember how the added pilots worked - we created these extra 'Up & Coming' bios because it was too much of a pain to resort the original list to add more to the start of the article. Thus, all of these characters also appear on the 'big' list above.
• "Bhuk 'Bloodmist' nar Hhallas" - This is an interesting bio. It confirms (or at least suggests) that Blair lost the defend-Blackmane mission from Wing Commander III (which is where Bloodmist first appears in that game). There's also a CCG card of Bloodmist... and in the Kilrathi Saga manual his clan is changed to 'Som'mers'. I chose to ignore that here, since it's kind of weird. Someone must have remembered Ralgha's hrai being dead from Freedom Flight and decided that meant the entire Hhallas clan... but we see plenty of other Hhallas characters in the meantime. His picture is the Wing Commander I Kilrathi VDU (note the change in colors compared to the two below it).
• "Blackmane Station" - The space station that you either defend or evacuate in Wing Commander III (canonically, it was being evacuated in the novel -- which just makes placing what missions happened when in terms of its destruction all the more interesting).
• "Canth 'Apeshredder' nar Kur'u'utak" - Apeshredder is my absolute favorite piece of WC:CCG artwork. He's just a big potato-shaped mound of striped cat. He's great. His picture is Hobbes' Wing Commander II VDU - I imagine he shredded some ape and took the helmet.
• "Najji 'Fireclaw' Ragitagha" - Fireclaw was the Darket ace from Wing Commander III, spoken of at several times in this commentary. Note the 'cheat'explanation - the story makes no sense. The image is a Wing Commander II pilot VDU (which is actually the same art as a WC1 pilot, in a slightly different palette).
• "War-hall... trophies" - A reference to a classic taunt from Privateer ("I shall mount your bones in my hall!"); additionally, 'trophies' were something that was originally going to be included in Arena (there would be a bar with your various in-game achievements mounted in it - the bar set is still in the game).
• "Kevin 'Lone WOlf' Tolwyn" - As most already know, Kevin is a main character from several Wing Commander novels, starting with End Run. His bio reflects that - we left him in 2673 as a Free Republic of the Landreich officer. Picture is a background character from Wing Commander II, with no editing - we were just lucky that there was one with Tolwyn's pencil moustache and Kevin's (sort of) red hair. Technically, this isn't the first time we've seen him... since the Wing Commander III novelization retcons that one of the people who arrives on the Victory with Tolwyn later in that game is his nephew.
• "Etienne 'Doomsday' Montclair - Doomsday was introduced way back in Secret Missions 2 (that's his actual picture from Wing Commander II). The bio refers to his main character point (which he lost in False Colors - no one noticed that) and touches on a bit of a problem. Because of his already-awkward Super Wing Commander/SegaCD bio, Doomsday would be 81 in 2701. I basically had to choose between having some familiar second-tier faces who were really really old for some reason or making up entirely new characters, and I went with the former. I'll point out how I try to explain this later.
• "Bombadier" - I love anything that ties Broadswords/Longbows/etc. to their World War II analogues.
• "Marcus 'Fish' Keen" - Marcus here isn't referring to anything at all. I needed someone who was completely new, in the end. His picture is another unused Wing Commander II background head.
• "Barracuda Corvettes" - The cool fish (FISH!) shaped alien warships from Wing Commander Prophecy.
• "Tyra Hunter..." - This bio is all elements taken from the first Privateer 3 design document - her military history, her specific medals, her Marine unit and the two planets. I will note that the Medal of Valor originally appeared in Wing Commander I, the Distinguished Service Cross came from Action Stations and the idea that there are Marine squadrons was originally from a WC:CCG promotional shirt. I also like that there's a planet called Felicity, even if I didn't name it myself.

A Set of Sketches

Here's something I wish we'd see more often. Major Striker sent us these Wing Commander sketches. Let him know what you think.

Striker Mad For Some Razin'

Kilrathi Sketches Now In Color

Striker Flexes His Pen Muscles

Since the Comic Project recently fell through, Major Striker has been practicing his own art. Hunter, Angel and two Kilrathi are the first test faces he has posted for review. Since Striker was the author of the story behind the comic, he would like to see the project continue. There is a lot of work to be done before anything substantial could come together, but click the Discuss link below if you'd like to provide some helpful feedback.

Read The Fiction Behind The Comic

There's some sad news regarding Kenshi's WC Comic Project that we last heard from at the end of last year. It seems now that the project is probably defunct as nobody has been able to contact Kenshi for several months. But there is some good news as Maj.Striker has posted the fiction that he wrote which would have been the backstory behind the comic.

2654.288 A.D.
Proxima System, Douglas Quadrant (Vega Sector).
TCS Falcon

Captain Hermann “Baron” Vorchstein eyed the cards in his hand coolly, they hadn’t been favorable to him lately and it was certainly looking like his luck wasn’t going to change anytime soon. Tearing his eyes away from his dismal hand of cards he eyed his opponent seated directly across from him. Poker peer, Lt. Jonathan Craft was still intensely focused on whatever hand he held. Hermann had no doubt that whatever the young lieutenant was holding it had to be better than his own cards. Hermann had almost bowed out last round and now that he had seen what he had been dealt he regretted his decision to stick it out for another hand. Well, here was yet another week’s salary gone down the drain with nothing but a rotten spirit to show for it. What a disgrace…Hermann shifted his gaze to his immediate left to see longtime flying partner, Sarah Molynieux, looking entirely too pleased with her cards. Perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing, if he was going to lose his money it might as well to Sarah, better her than the silent Jonathan Craft. Hermann could swear the man didn’t have a tongue, he rarely spoke a word even when it was important. There was no way Hermann could tell what Jonathan was holding in his hands but it was clear that Sarah was packing a winner, she typically didn’t let her emotions show during the game. Then again, she could be bluffing, it wasn’t entirely unlike her, she was a habitual risk taker.

Two New Comic Character Bios Exposed

Captain Sarah Molynieux - For the past 5 years Sarah has carried the callsign "Widowmaker." This was a title she has earned rather than necessarily claimed. Aggressive to the point of stubbornness, Sarah has never backed down from any fight. Always ready for action, adventure and often the life of any party (including the illegal ones), Sarah is a poster child of optimism and courage. She would have been promoted further had it not been for her repeated instances of disobeying direct orders and disciplinary lapses. Despite these frequent marks on her record, her knack for resolving matters quickly and effectively have kept her on the flight roster.

Major Jack Bradley - His wingmen have called him "Stoneman" since his first sortie, Jack inspires respect and awe with his cold, efficient and deadly piloting skills. Orphaned at a young age and filled with a desire for revenge, Jack applied for the Academy when he was still a full two years below their required age. They rejected his application and so he joined with the marines (it was later determined that he "incorrectly" submitted his age on the Marine application). After his two years with the Marines were finished, Jack requested transfer to the Academy to become a pilot. His request was granted and finally, Jack was admitted to the Academy to train. Jack sailed through the Academy with high marks and glowing recommendations, he was assigned to the TCS Tiger Claw upon his graduation in 2644. Jack served during the Claw's participation at Custer's Carnival and flew with distinction that earned him a Silver Star. He continued to serve aboard the Claw until 2651 when he reassigned to the TCS Falcon.

Bishop? You Can Do Better Than That

• 2nd Lieutenant Thomas Halcyon - The only son of decorated war veteran Colonel Peter Halcyon (commander of the TCS Tiger's Claw), Thomas is looking to carve his own record in Confed history. Recently graduated from the Academy, Thomas was known for his consistently good grades and attention to details. Although anxious to get his first combat assignment, Thomas is wise enough to maintain control, an attribute sadly lacking in his fellow classmate Charles "Suicide" Connor. Though fresh from the Academy, Thomas has been dubbed the nickname of "Bishop," a reference to his strict control but impressive performance in the cockpit.

• 2nd Lieutenant Charles Connor - Nicknamed "Suicide" and for a good reason, Charles Connor is English born and quite proud of it, although he's even moreso of his black ancestry. Charles has recently graduated along side 2nd Lt. Halcyon and is spoiling for his first run-in with the Kilrathi. Self-confident to a fault, Connor believes he is the best... and everyone else should believe it as well.

• 1st Lieutenant Jonathan Craft - Jonathan's quiet nature and stealthy manuvors have earned him the callsign, "Shadow." His parents' murder at the hands of Mandarin saboteurs has caused him to become extremely introverted. Even his closest friends rarely have conversations longer than a few minutes with him. Despite his private, and sometimes secretive, lifestyle, Jonathan is an exceptionally skilled pilot with dozens of Kilrathi kills already under his belt.

We're giving you, the public, a shot at coming up with a callsign for our main character, 2nd Lt. Thomas Halcyon. However, there are a few rules...

1. It must be an original name. No names from any other WC source; ie: Maverick, Maniac, Jazz, etc.

2. Any inappropriate or offensive callsign will not only be ignored but will likely cause you to be ridiculed by other forum members.

We'll pick the best one on the evening of Wednesday, December 8th.

Comic Proposal Winner Chosen

The results are in, and Kenshi has chosen what will be the story for his Wing Commander based comic series. It came down to a battle between proposals written by Maj. Striker, our very own LOAF, and one other. And the winner is..

Before we let you know who the lucky joker is, I'd like to take this moment to tell everyone who submitted a proposal that ALL of them were fantastic. We had a hell of a time deciding whose idea was actually the best. It finally came down to 3 proposals (2 of which we received TODAY!). They had everything we were looking for. At one point, we almost came to blows with wiffle ball bats. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed.

We will be keeping all of the submissions on file. We're hoping to allow everyone who's willing to have a shot at writing for the comic eventually.

So, without further ado, the writer for our first story arc is... Maj. Striker!

In the days to come, we'll be working together and you'll start seeing some SERIOUS artwork.

On a side note, Bandit LOAF had an Awsome idea that we would like to see made into a mini-series. We'd like to do it eventually but it may be a while. If there are any other artists who'd like to take it on, contact him and maybe we can even assist with inks, colors, lettering, ect.

Comic' Get It

As we reported last Tuesday, Kenshi is searching for a story writer for a Wing Commander fan comic book series. In order to drum up more support, he's done a 'colorized' version of his original preview sketch! Check it out and get your proposals in -- but you'd better hurry, the winning storyline will be announced tomorrow!

Wing Commander Comic Needs Writer

I'm producing a Wing Commander comic book for the CIC web site. Our art team is in place and we hope to have the first issue out as soon as January! However, there is one problem... we don't have a writer. Anyone who is interested should send a proposal to simmons07@cox.net

There are a few ground rules though:
Do not send us all the Fan Fiction you have written. We are looking for proposals, short descriptions of the main characters, and where you'd take the story during the first 4 to 6 issues. It must take place during the Kilrathi War (between WC1 and WC3). Keep it PG-13, guys...

We'll choose the winner on Monday, November 29th.