Wing Commander: Celebrating 35 years At The Edge of Computing

Story by @Kingmakeress

Additional Contributions by @BenLesnick

We create worlds. On September 26th 1990 Orgin did deliver on that promise by releasing Wing Commander, the first in a series of groundbreaking games telling the exciting saga of the fierce interstellar conflict between the Terran Confederation and the Kilrathi, a spacefaring feline race fighting for their emperor. As a young pilot with distinctive blue hair assigned to the space carrier Tiger’s Claw just as the crucial Vega sector campaign begins, you face endless waves of everything the Kilrathi have in their arsenal. The latter includes the iconic Dralthi, which can easily form a not so welcome parade, to Gratha, which are specifically tailored to give everyone a hard time.



Your performance influences the course of the Vega campaign which can take to you to up to twelve different star systems each with its own perils like asteroids and magnetic mine fields. On your wing you will find legendary wingmen like the veteran Paladin, the young and rash Maniac, the silent Iceman, and the alluring Angel, each with their own skills and weaknesses. As the Kilrathi frantically challenge the Terran Confederation, this war urgently needs a hero .. can you fight your way through the mounting Kilrathi fire to the watery system deep in the Vega sector and deliver the final blow to the mysterious star post?

You made it!

The immersion begins just as you click the start button, whereas numerous innovative immersions elements such as are sprinkled throughout the game as Chris Roberts, the creator of Wing Commander and the driving force behind Star Citizen and Squadron 42, spared no creative effort. Aboard the Tiger’s Claw the pipe leaking droplets to the backet in the barracks and the small but cozy bar highlight the spartan accomodations telling more than any long introductory text about you, your wingmen, and the Confederation itself. During space flight the famous available guns (laser, mass driver, and neutron gun) have their own properties such as projectile velocity, range, and energy requirements. The same is true for the array of available missiles as heat seeking and image recognition missiles work as expected. For instance, it is virtually impossible for a heat seeker to get a lock at a Kilrathi fighter unless your fighter is facing its engines. Taunts, when cleverly and timely used, can distract an enemy pilot from their objective .. at the expense of attacking you!

So do you think the Vega campaign is linear? Think again!

Wing Commander was the beginning of a charming real world saga where the successive game installments closely reflected the rapid technological advancements in computing throughout the 1990s. The journey from the top notch graphics of Wing Commander I and II to the cutscenes of Wing Commander III, IV, and Prophecy starring legends like Malcolm McDowell and Mark Hamill parallels the big push for more CPU power and more memory, the advent of VGA and SVGA, and the progressive establishment of the Sound Blaster as the de facto gaming standard. Already since its first installment, the Wing Commander series has always pushed the edge. Yes, there was an EGA version (really, I checked!). Yes, sound was optional. Still the truth is that Wing Commander I is best enjoyed with VGA and Roland on a 386 powered PC.

Safely back to Tiger’s Claw

Outside your fighter’s cokpit you can enjoy the Wing Commander novels exploring not only various campaigns of the Terran-Kilrathi war, but also the formulation of the Terran Confederation itself shaped by an earlier, dark war with the pilgrims. Of course there is the 1999 film starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Matthew Lillard just before their iconic Scooby Do appearances as Maverick and Maniac respectively, the impressive Saffron Burrows as Angel, and the veteran David Warner, (yes, there are four lights!) as Admiral Tolwyn.

Bonjour Angel!

Today 35 years from the release of the original game the Wing Commander community is active and thriving. The [Wing Commander CIC https://www.wcnews.com is the best source for anything related to the Wing Commander universe! At least I got many of the pictures for my article from their extensive WCPedia https://www.wcnews.com/wcpedia/Main_Page. Moreover, there are many Wing Commander mods as well as many remakes.

Check out the following projects (Thanks to Ben Lesnick for the links):

*  Wing Commander AllTinker overhaul mod https://www.wcnews.com/news/update/16966

*  Wing Loader https://www.wcnews.com/news/2024/05/16/new-wing-loader-adds-support-for-wc3-enhancement-patch

Also Wing Commander can be found in GOG https://www.gog.com/en/game/wing_commander_1_2. In fact the Wing Commander has been chosen to be preserved by GOG.