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It's hard not to love It's a Wonderful Life, even if its specific vision of hope is increasingly specific to a 1940s America that we don't necessarily support today. As we noted, it's almost like a long Twilight Zone episode, complete with that same sense of our grandparents' nostalgia that that show is sometimes steeped in. It also flies by very quickly even though the 'point' of the movie isn't reached until very close to the end.

The major connection to Wing Commander is that Pilgrim Stars has a flagship named the TCS Bedford Falls after It's a Wonderful Life's setting. The two 'versions' of Bedford Falls are the crux of the story, with Jimmy Stewart's character seeing what an impact his seemingly small life had on his town (which becomes a dystopian nightmare in the timeline where he never existed). Wing Commander could take place in either world!

With that in mind, I thought I'd make a quick list

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This is a reminder that we have another fun #Wingnut movie night planned on Discord this evening! The ongoing theme will be movies that are referenced by Wing Commander in some way. Tonight's film is Arcadia of My Youth (1982) and you can find details on why we're watching it in the announcement post here. The movie will start at 7 PM PST/10 PM EST but feel free to drop by and hang any time!

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We would like to wish a merry Christmas to all wingnuts that celebrate (and a happy holidays to all that don't). The Wing Commander community remains a constant source of happiness in dark times for us and I can't rightly express how much your friendship, your contributions and your general existence makes our lives better. The WC:CIC staff sends you all love and hope.

Now: need some balls to decorate your tree? Here's a quick visual timeline of Wing Commander's most Christmas-y ship, the Super Wing Commander Dorkir. It was built from the Wing Commander II depot model and remains a very bizarre sight when you encounter them in the game.

Like everyone, we're absolutely exhausted this year so we'll leave it at that. But if you're in need of a big dose of Christmas cheer, we highly reccomend checking out last year's omnibus post which collects two decades of wingnut holiday celebrations!

Happy holidays,

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Xeen Music, the mind behind the wonderful Wing Commander II and Academy soundtracks released earlier this year is back with two more exhaustive Origin Systems soundtracks! No Wing Commander this time around but they have put together the definitive scores for two classic Ultimas (Ultimae?): the first Ultima Underworld and Runes of Virtue, the GameBoy spinoff!

Both of these soundtracks are currently available only through Xeen Music's Patreon, though composer George "The Fatman" Sanger will make them available on other streaming services at some point in the future. They can be purchased on their own for $10 or accessed as part of their subscription option (which is a great deal!).

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss

• Patreon Listing
• YouTube Samples

Ultima: Runes of Virtue

• Patreon Listing
• YouTube Samples

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AD noticed that the Wing Commander games sold directly by EA have gone on sale, and they are slightly undercutting the GOG winter sale. There are a few differences in their offerings, however. GOG combines WC1/2 into a single package and also carries Privateer 2, Academy and Armada. EA breaks up the first two games, plus sells WC3, WC4 and Privateer. Each game is just $2.49 at EA now, so it's a great opportunity to fill out your library or grab a last minute gift. Other Origin and vintage games are also similarly priced to move!

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It's a Wonderful Life remains a classic, though I'm not sure many members of the Wing Commander movie club are feeling all too festive this year. So, ultimately a good reminder that better days are ahead. Now we've decided to end the year with an animated film that a lot of our audience has never seen: Arcadia of My Youth, the 1982 origin story of the fearsome space pirate Captain Harlock. You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.

Wing Commander Academy character-and-storyboard artist Tim Eldred was (and remains!) an enormous anime fan and his work on the show was greatly influenced by classic shows like Captain Harlock. Mr. Eldred even slipped a Harlock skull tattoo onto one of the background techs he concepted for the Tiger's Claw… and if you look carefully you can actually see it appear in the final show! This capture is from The Most Delicate Instrument, which makes heavy use of the '