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It looks like Mac isn't the only person working with the Excalibur right now! A DeviantArt user named Euderion has posted a pretty great new render of another take on the ship! You can view the original post here. Be sure and check out their profile, they've done lots of great work in other universes... here's hoping there's more Wing Commander in Euderion's future!

Model tryout. The Excalibur class Starfighter from the Wing Commander Games.

The F-103 Excalibur is a heavy fighter that was first developed in the 2660s during the Kilrathi war. At the time of its introduction in 2669, it was one of the most advanced starfighters in Terran service. It was designed as a space superiority fighter and was fitted with a large and powerful armament designed exclusively for this role. It also could be fitted with a cloaking device for the purpose of high-priority stealth missions. A handful of Excaliburs were

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There's bad news from the folks at Sony today: they have announced plans to shut down the PS3 and PSP digital storefronts over the course of the next year. This will remove two digitally sold Wing Commander games from circulation: the PSN port of fWing Commander IV in the US store and the digital version of EA Replay in the European store. EA Replay is available physically but Wing Commander IV is not; get yours today! The US store hosting it will close in July 2027.

Shockingly, this announcement is part of an unpopular reveal that PlayStation consoles will be digital only starting around that same time. Nothing sells consumer confidence in your digital storefront like immediately making folks' previous purchases unavailable. It's a terrible time for game preservation... or just people that, you know, enjoy playing games.

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The Song of Roland was… a movie that we watched. But moving on, we've voted to watch something we think will be a bit more of a crowd pleaser: Independence Day (1996). Which seems appropriate since this week's club meeting is exactly the thirtieth anniversary of this one (and hey, it's directed by another Roland, Roland Emmerich!). You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.

Independence Day was certainly a major part of the zeitgeist between Wing Commander IV and the Wing Commander movie. It's part of our queue because it is one of the movies that Wing Commander sampled heavily from for its temp track(s)! Which shouldn't be a surprise, since Chris Roberts ultimately went for ID4 composer David Arnold for Wing Commander's actual score. During the development process, they used four different tracks eight different times! Here's the quick rundown.

The Darkest Day was used for Blair and

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Frontline Solutions has announced that its expanded deployment service has started shipping mercenaries to anti-crime operations across the core systems.
Following the successful manufacturing and test trials of the Runner transport, CEO Imogen le Ray confirmed in a press release that her corporation is ready to deploy strike teams anywhere they are needed, when they are needed, to disrupt organised crime.
"Authorities should no longer have to tackle criminal activities and coordinated piracy with stretched resources, as highlighted in recent events in the Lhou Mans system. With this new service we can augment system security to take on almost any combat or rescue situation."
Pilots and mercenary teams willing to sign up to an operation should first travel and dock at any market port before being deployed to an available Runner.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Faulcon DeLacy, the manufacturer behind the popular Python and Cobra ship designs, has announced the limited release of the Nomad.
The Nomad is a ship-launched craft intended to aid explorers in larger ships, allowing them to explore planet surfaces and locations requiring tight manoeuvrability and speed.
Chief of Design, Frank Endis, stated in the press release:
"The Nomad is different to other ship-launched vessels in that it can fly independently of its mothership's presence. Our team recognised a gap in the market for a smaller craft that grants explorers an alternative option to using their primary ship when navigating difficult terrain."
"We're excited to see the most extreme places pilots can take it."
The Nomad comes with a new Mk II Biological Scanner with an enhanced range and is complemented by a Mk II Sensor for close range signals, allowing pilots to locate biological surface

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

President Felicia Winters conveyed 'disappointment' at the Federation's continued exclusion from Radicoida unica research.
While careful not to criticise members of the October Accords directly, Winters made clear that denying the Federation any level of access to the research and its findings would force the superpower to act:
"We recognise the October Consortium's duty to uphold the Accords it helped establish as a framework for peace in the enclave conflict. However, I would remind Lexi October that the Federation rewards those who choose cooperation."
"Should the outcome of this research put the Federation at a technological or strategic disadvantage against its rivals, my administration will have no choice but to view the situation as a potential threat. That threat will, in turn, dictate our own research priorities."
Today's press conference from the White House marks the first time the