List of Wing Commander characters

The Wing Commander series of video games and novels have developed a wide variety of fictional characters and personalities. The characters and related events are described, below, in order of appearance, using in-universe tone.

Historical figures

The in-game "historical" figures (pre-27th century) are: Sivar, Karga, Sun Wan Lu, Zhing, Harold Jarvis, Tralchar, Shari Akwende, Ivar Chu McDaniel and Andre Morvan.

Pre-War

Action Stations

Terran Confederation

Spencer Banbridge

Admiral of the Fleet Spencer Wayne "Skip" Banbridge is a character in the Wing Commander universe. He appears in the novel Action Stations, as chief of the Confederation military, and may or may not be the same character who appears in chronologically later novels as Wayne Banbridge.

Biography

Skip Banbridge started his career as an enlisted Spacehand in the Confederation Fleet, eventually proving to be of sufficient intelligence and capability to earn a sponsorship to the Academy on Earth. While at the Academy, he met and befriended Winston Turner, as well as his future wife, Janet. (While their marriage was a happy one, he was ever aware that he was her second choice, after Turner. They had several children, two of whom died in the first contact with the Kilrathi Empire).

He and Turner rose through the ranks together; for a portion of that time, he was under Turner's command on the elite Marine Commando Six special-operations team, along with Gunnery Sergeant Manuel Ulandi and future Free Republic of the Landreich leader Johann Blucher. Prior to the onset of the Kilrathi War in 2634, Banbridge and his unit were deployed to prevent a terrorist organization from launching a biological attack on a Terran colony. Despite the loss of 5/6th of the entire unit, Banbridge and Turner both displayed an extraordinary degree of courage that ensured the success of the operation. Both gentlemen were rewarded with the Fleet Cross for their actions. Turner eventually burnt out and took an Academy professorship, but Banbridge's career continued to rise.

It can be assumed that Banbridge took part in the disastrous Battle of McAuliffe at the opening of the Kilrathi War in 2634. By 2654, Banbridge was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet, the highest rank in the Terran Space Navy, and as such became the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Having believed that such an exalted position would give him a freer hand in organizing and improving the Fleet, he discovered instead that he was more hamstrung than ever, having to deal with politicians less interested in national defense than pretty photo-ops. His temper more than once got him into disputes with senior senators, particularly Senator Jamison More, who was threatening to withhold support for the Fleet's fighter-upgrade programs unless the new factories were built on his homeworld.

During the Vega Campaign in 2654, Banbridge authorized a covert operation to discover Kilrathi intentions in the McAuliffe System, which they once again planned to attack. This order resulted in a mission to Gar's Emporium, a Kilrathi facility. By 2668, the Terran Confederation had liberated both the Vega and the Enigma Sectors, and the Kilrathi Empire was falling back. During 2668, the Kilrathi sued for peace in what became the 2668 False Armistice, allowing for a time of "peace" between the Confederation and the Empire. Like billions of other Confed citizens, Banbridge recognized the ploy, and authorized a covert operation to discover the Kilrathi's true intent.

This covert operation, led by Colonel James Taggart, eventually discovered the Hakaga Fleet being secretly assembled in the Hari Sector, a remote region of space beyond the Kilrathi Empire. It was determined that the Kilrathi were planning to assault Earth within a matter of weeks. The group attempted to send a warning to Banbridge, who would not get the chance to act on this intelligence.

On 2668.341, Vak'ga, the Kilrathi Ambassador to the Terran Confederation, called for a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the meeting, he detonated a bomb attached to his chest, killing himself and 142 Terran officers of various ranks. Banbridge was among the dead. The only survivor of the meeting was Marine General Duke Grecko, who exited the room before the detonation but still sustained severe injuries. The loss of Admiral Banbridge and most of the Joint Chiefs, some of the finest officers in the Terran Confederation, left humanity in a precarious situation, as the majority of its leadership was massacred and left the Terran Space Navy in utter chaos. This confusion only left the Confederation more vulnerable to the Kilrathi assault that nearly vanquished the human race in the massive Battle of Earth mere weeks later.

The Tallahassee Class cruiser TCS Banbridge was named in his honor.

Start of the Kilrathi War

In 2634, the Confederation declared war on the Kilrathi Empire. Over Banbridge's protests, the battle plan chosen was Orange Five, a limited-action plan pushing back Kilrathi incursions in the Facin sector. Fleet Intelligence reports of Kilrathi strength and cultural makeup had long been ignored by the government in favor of the considerably more pleasant Confederation Intelligence Services assessments, and seemed to be proven right during the war in Facin sector.

Distrustful of the Kilrathi response, Banbridge dispatched his old friend Turner, along with a young Geoffrey Tolwyn and Vance Richards, into the frontier regions between Terran and Kilrathi space, hoping that they would bring back firm proof of a full-scale Kilrathi invasion. They did so, but delays in their return, combined with Terran bureaucratic inertia and breakdowns in communications within the Fleet officer corps, resulted in news of a full-scale offensive arriving just before that offensive. The attack nearly shattered the Landreich and resulted in a third of the Confederation's outer systems being trapped behind Kilrathi lines, the main military base at McAuliffe being wrecked, and the loss of the majority of the Confederation battle fleet. Banbridge had been right, and now he had to pick up the pieces.

Post-Action Stations

Action Stations ends with Banbridge frantically trying to reorganize the surviving Confederation forces.

Empire of Kilrah
Free Republic of the Landreich

2650s

Wing Commander movie

Christopher "Maverick" Blair

Main article: Christopher Blair

Todd "Maniac" Marshall

Todd Marshall
First appearance Wing Commander
Last appearance Wing Commander: Prophecy
Portrayed by Tom Wilson (Wing Commander III, IV and Prophecy)
Voiced by Tom Wilson (Wing Commander Academy)
Information
Nickname(s) Maniac
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Major, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation, Union of Border Worlds

Todd "Maniac" Marshall acted as Christopher Blair's friend and competitor throughout much of the series, with Marshall playing the wild younger brother to Blair's reserved personality. Maniac was played in Heart of the Tiger, The Price of Freedom, Prophecy and Academy by Tom Wilson, best known for his portrayal of Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future movies. (Mark Hamill initially auditioned for this role, and was sorry to lose it, as he felt that Maniac was by far the more amusing character.)

Biography

For such a flamboyant personality, Marshall had a relatively quiet start; he moved through the Academy fairly quietly, showing a flair for improvisational flying but none of the rebellious attitude, though his rivalry with Blair had already been kindled by the time both graduated and were transferred to the TCS Tiger's Claw. Once there, the 'Maniac' persona began to fully emerge and flourish. His dazzling flying skills were excellent, but he became notoriously unreliable, preferring to "do his own thing" rather than obey a wingleader's orders...or regard pleas for assistance. Regardless, his abilities were top-notch. One tale, circulated endlessly during the last five years of the war, told of a time when Maniac, leading a recon wing, came across two Kilrathi destroyers. Lacking anywhere near the weapons to deal with these two craft, any other pilot would have bugged out; but Maniac, through sheer flying alone, managed to coax the two capital ships into a fatal collision. To this day, nobody has any idea how he did it. But the demands of his reputation and high-risk flight patterns eventually took their toll; partway through the Vega campaign he suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be rotated off frontline service.

Once pieced back together, Marshall was eventually promoted to Major and assigned as Squadron Commander of the Wild Eagles, an elite group of test pilots, in the Morningstar heavy fighter test program. Here he reunited with Blair aboard the TCS Concordia (the Claw being long gone) and was peripherally involved in the Mandarin affair. After the Battle of Earth, he was assigned to the TCS Victory, where he flew alongside Blair in a number of missions, including the doomed Behemoth defense and the Temblor Bomb run at Kilrah. After ejecting during the latter, he was captured (and 'interrogated') for a few hours until the Temblor Bomb ended the war.

Instead of deactivating into the reserves, Marshall decided to remain in the cockpit, and was aboard the TCS Lexington when Blair was assigned there to investigate the Border Worlds' alleged aggressions. He defected to the Border Worlds alongside Col Blair, CAPT William Eisen and 1Lt Winston "Vagabond" Chang, and flew in the Black Lance campaign. He continued in active service for over a decade and was aboard the TCS Midway during the Nephilim campaign. Temporarily achieving the long-desired position of Squadron Commander, he led the Black Widow squadron for a short time before renouncing the post and its associated responsibilities. He was in space on Blair's and Casey's respective wings when the Savior of the Confederation made his final jump.

By 2690, Maniac had retired from Confed to become a test pilot and consultant for a civilian defense contractor and was working on his memoirs: Me: The Life and Battles of "Maniac" Marshall.

Other media

Terran Confederation

Jeannette "Angel" Devereaux

Jeannette Devereaux
First appearance Wing Commander
Last appearance Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger
Portrayed by Yolanda Jilot (Wing Commander III)
Voiced by Denise Dee (Wing Commander II)
Information
Nickname(s) Angel
Species Human
Gender Female
Title Colonel, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation

Jeanette Devereaux (2626–2669) is a native of Belgium, she was a starfighter pilot in the Terran Confederation Space Force, flying under the callsign of "Angel". She took part to the "Vega Sector" and "Enigma Sector" campaigns and worked also in the Special Operations division during the period of the Kilrathi War, as depicted in the first three games of the series: Wing Commander, Wing Commander II - Vengeance of the Kilrathi and Wing Commander III - Heart of the Tiger.

Biography

Jeanette Devereaux was born on May 31, 2626 (2626.141) in Brussels, Belgium, Earth. She is usually described as a cool, rational person who regarded her role as a fighter pilot as an honor and lived to fight the good fight. Angel took particular interest in the statistical aspects of fighter combat, and could often be heard conversing on such while off-duty. Many pilots found it practical to know that the Kilrathi Salthi light fighter tended to break to one side more frequently than the other (due to the arrangement of its ducts), but this information and more like it (a great deal more) gave Angel a reputation as a bit of an egghead.

In 2654, already promoted to Captain, Angel flew off the Confederation strike carrier TCS Tiger's Claw during the Vega Sector campaign. During this period Angel was assigned either to the "Killer Bees" squadron, equipped with Hornet light fighters, or the "Star Slayer" squadron and its Raptor heavy fighter. In the Star Slayer squadron Angel also had the chance to test the Confederation's newest and hottest hardware, the Rapier medium fighter, in real combat mission in the Gimle star system. Her wingman on this mission was a quiet, unassuming rookie named Christopher Blair; that these two relatively inexperienced pilots were given the opportunity to fly such a high-profile mission was a foreshadowing of the enormous roles both would play in the Terran-Kilrathi War.

In 2655, after the Confederation successfully repelled the Kilrathi from the Vega sector, the Tiger's Claw and her crew were sent in to destroy the Kilrathi HQ in the Enigma Sector at K'tithrak Mang. However, Devereaux was not with them: she had been promoted to Major and the post of Wing Commander on the TCS Austin. As such, she was one of the few crewmembers of the Claw to survive the ship's destruction under the guns of the then-unknown Kilrathi "Strakha" stealth fighters.

By 2665, Devereaux had risen through the ranks up to Colonel and was serving as Wing Commander onboard Geoffrey Tolwyn's flagship, the TCS Concordia. The ship was in the Enigma sector, attempting to subdue enemy presence there. When Capt. Christopher "Maverick" Blair, the "Coward of the K'tithrak Mang," was assigned to the Concordia by a grudging Tolwyn, Angel was one of his staunchest supporters, even flying on his wing to demonstrate her confidence in him. In 2666, after the death of their common friend and fellow Claw survivor Mariko "Spirit" Tanaka, the two of them started a romantic relationship that would last until Angel's death. Devereaux was still aboard and in the Wing Commander role when Blair personally destroyed the K'tithrak Mang on a daring solo mission.

Following the Enigma Sector campaign, details on Devereaux's career become a little hazy. However, it is known that by 2668 she had transferred to the Special Operations division ran by another Claw veteran, Gen. James "Paladin" Taggart, leaving control of the Concordia flight group to Blair. In 2669, after the Battle of Earth, Angel embarked on a Special Operations mission, aimed to secretly penetrate into Kilrathi territory. Flying a captured Kilrathi freighter, Devereaux and her crew reached Kilrah, the enemy home planet, and conducted a geological survey, confirming that the planet was, from a seismic standpoint, ready to fall apart at the seams. They then set up three secret asteroid bases within the Kilrathi star system for use in a future Temblor Bomb strike.

Unfortunately, after setting up the depots, Devereaux and her crew were captured by the Kilrathi and imprisoned. During a Kilrathi council held by the Emperor himself, the Special Operatives were bodily disintegrated. Angel, the only exception, was personally disemboweled by Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka, a sort of backhanded honor bestowed on notorious foes. A holographic recording of the event was later used against Col. Blair, who eventually led the strike to deliver the Temblor Bomb, thus following through on his "lair-mate's" work.

Behind the scenes

James "Paladin" Taggart

James Taggart
First appearance Wing Commander
Last appearance Wing Commander: Prophecy
Portrayed by John Rhys-Davies (Wing Commander III, IV and Prophecy)
Voiced by Maarten Davies (Wing Commander II)
Information
Nickname(s) Paladin
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Chairman, Senate Armed Forces Committee; former President and Assembly Master of the Confederation Senate; Brigadier General, TCSF (Retired)
Nationality Terran Confederation

In the fictional universe of Wing Commander, James Taggart is one of the most important characters, with the callsign of "Paladin". He appears in all five games of the main continuity, as a senior pilot (Wing Commander), a special operative (Wing Commander II), a general (Wing Commander III) and a Senator (Wing Commander IV and Wing Commander: Prophecy). He also has significant appearances in many of the Wing Commander novels by Mercedes Lackey, Ellen Guon and William Forstchen. The fictional James Taggart was modeled after an actual man, James Taggart of the Bronx was not a general but did serve as an Airborne Infantry Soldier in the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division. James Taggart of The Bronx is well known (still today) for his bravado, gladiator like physique, and overall commanding personality.

Biography

In the Wing Commander series, Paladin usually plays the part of the sage old man. At the beginning of the Kilrathi War he was still a young man, however, by the time of WC1, he was middle-aged and considering retirement. Sometime between Wing Commander I and Wing Commander II, Taggart retired from active duty. However, rather than leave military life for good, he transferred to Special Operations to work as a spy and under cover operative for the Confederation. During the intervening years he participated in a number of actions, including the Ghorah Khar incident, in which the Kilrathi colonists on the planet successfully rebelled against the Empire of Kilrah.

Paladin played a major part in Wing Commander II, advising Admiral Tolwyn on the situation within the Enigma Sector. After the attack on K'tithrak Mang, Christopher "Maverick" Blair, the game's protagonist, joins Paladin to participate in a number of special operations.

Paladin continued to rise in prominence with the special services, eventually heading up a number of black projects designed to win the war against the Kilrathi swiftly and decisively. At the end of Wing Commander III, he personally commanded the operation that led to the destruction of Kilrah and the end of the war, thanks to the use of the new Temblor Bomb. Taggart had recruited Angel to help him do vital recon work for the project and he was aware of her death on Kilrah long before Blair. Paladin insisted that he withheld the truth from Blair to "protect him from himself".

Taggart's prominence after that battle, gave him enough political clout to be elected Assembly Master and President of the Confederation Senate by the events of Wing Commander IV in 2673. Despite his numerous complaints about the political backbiting involved in the job, he proved to be an able leader, guiding the Confederation through a crisis with the Union of Border Worlds, and the attack of the Nephilim. It is likely that part of his success as a politician is due to the close ties that he still maintains with his old friends in the intelligence service.

By the time of the events of Wing Commander: Prophecy in 2681, Senator Taggart was Chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee and leader of the Federationist Party.

Behind the scenes

Wing Commander

Terran Confederation

Mariko "Spirit" Tanaka
Mariko Tanaka
First appearance Wing Commander
Last appearance Wing Commander II
Information
Nickname(s) Spirit
Species Human
Gender Female
Title Lieutenant Colonel, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation

Mariko "Spirit" Tanaka is a fictional character in the video games Wing Commander and Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi. Spirit is an excellent pilot and plays a couple of roles as Christopher "Maverick" Blair's wingman in the series.

Biography

Mariko Tanaka was born in Sapporo, Japan in 2621, and became a Terran Confederation fighter pilot during the Kilrathi. She comes from a long line of warriors, her father Shun "Go-Devil" Tanaka having died in battle, and joined the war effort out of tradition, but would quickly learn that the war against the Kilrathi is one that has to be fought and won if the human race was to survive. In Wing Commander I, she was introduced to Christopher Blair. Her pilot call sign was Spirit. Spirit was transferred to the TCS Tiger's Claw and was a wingman under Blair in several missions. Spirit was a distinguished fighter pilot; her superior flying skills were top-notch.

Spirit remains a soft-spoken, philosophical and friendly pilot, lending a sympathetic ear or some words of advice and encouragement. She would later fall in love and become engaged to a man named Philip, who was enlisted in the Confederation Medical Corps. Unfortunately he became a prisoner of war, and Spirit grew angry and vengeful of the Kilrathi at first, before fantasizing of being a commando and saving Philip. After many years, nothing was ever found about Spirit's missing fiancé and was thought to be dead. This left Spirit to better herself as a pilot and fantasize about being a commando to save her beloved.

In Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi, Spirit was transferred to the TCS Concordia, and one of the few pilots that survived from the loss of the TCS Tiger's Claw. However, a traitor (later determined to be Zachary Colson) reveals to Spirit that her missing fiancé, Philip, was not dead as she feared but was actually on board a Kilrathi space station. She was contacted by the Kilrathi with this information and was tempted to defect, but refused. Later she kamikazed her sabotaged Saber Heavy Fighter into the Kilrathi-controlled Heaven's Gate station holding Philip, killing herself and destroying the station. Her last words to Blair were "Tengoku de omachi shite imasu" (I will wait for you in Heaven).

Tanaka's English-language call sign "Spirit" would be "Kami" in Japanese.

Michael "Iceman" Casey
Michael Casey
First appearance Wing Commander
Last appearance Wing Commander: Prophecy (mentioned only)
Information
Nickname(s) Iceman
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Major, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation

Michael "Iceman" Casey is a fictional character in the video game Wing Commander. Iceman is an excellent pilot and plays a couple of roles as Christopher "Maverick" Blair's wingman throughout the video game series.

Biography

In the fictional Wing Commander universe, Michael "Iceman" Casey was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2623 and served in the TCS Tiger's Claw adequately but with little inspiration. He was considered to be assigned to another area when tragedy had struck for Casey. In late 2649, his first wife and 15-month-old daughter were killed in a Kilrathi raid on Vega VII, and his other daughter, Julia Casey, was taken prisoner. Angered by this news, Casey's kill ratio nearly doubled immediately and his kill score continued to rise. Through his dispassionate, emotionless demeanor he earned his callsign, "Iceman."

In Wing Commander I, Iceman continues to serve under the Confederation and is still on board the TCS Tiger's Claw. In the year 2655, good news was to come to Iceman. Iceman received word that the TCS Jerusalem had intercepted a Kilrathi slave ship, and that his daughter, Julia, was among those on the ship. Shortly after Firekka, Iceman met a waitress named Kylie Sarah Richards. A few months later they married and had a son, Lance. Life was looking good for Iceman for a bit until tragedy struck. In 2656, six weeks after his second marriage, Michael Casey was killed in action on a deep space patrol in the B'shriss system. Christopher Blair brought back his life-pod, but the official report of his death omitted the fact that he was found in pieces. In Wing Commander: Prophecy, Jacob "Hawk" Manley, a close friend of Iceman's since his assignment on the TCS Tiger's Claw, explained that Iceman's body was found in such a way because the Kilrathi took in his life-pod and killed him in that fashion themselves. The Kilrathi then put his remains back in the pod and left it adrift for Confederation pilots to find. This part of the report was omitted to prevent traumatizing Iceman's family even more.

Michael "Iceman" Casey had achieved 367 Kilrathi kills during his nine-year career in the Terran Confederation. Seven of those years were spent on the TCS Tiger's Claw, along with pilots like Christopher "Maverick" Blair. He was one of the most decorated pilots of the Confederation and even had a flight maneuver named after him.

Kien "Bossman" Chen
Kien Chen
First appearance Wing Commander
Last appearance Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade
Information
Nickname(s) Bossman, formerly Ripper
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Major, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation

Kien "Bossman" Chen is a fictional character in the Wing Commander game series. He appears in Wing Commander (1990) and the two Secret Missions expansion packs.

Biography

Kien Chen was born in Kaoshiung, Taiwan on Earth in 2615. He was a pilot for the Terran Confederation since 2637 and held the rank of Major by the time he was assigned to the TCS Tiger's Claw. He also had a degree in aeronautical engineering. Chen's old callsign was "Ripper", but earned the name "Bossman" for his splendid leadership in combat and for always providing reliable advice to his comrades.

During the year 2654, nineteen years after the Kilrathi War started, Bossman was still serving on the TCS Tiger's Claw. He became a good friend of Christopher Blair, who at that time was a rookie pilot. Bossman used his knowledge gained from flying to help Blair and other new pilots in the field. He cooperated in the Vega Campaign, Operation: Thor's Hammer, and the liberation of Firekka. He was also one of the few believers in the capture of TCS Gwenhyvar, an Exeter-class Destroyer the Kilrathi were using to attack human ships. His belief in the ship's existence proved true when Blair destroyed the vessel during a mission in Operation: Thor's Hammer in 2655.

Bossman was in the Firekka System at the time that the Kilrathi invaded the defenseless planet. He hoped to bring his family to see the planet on a holiday after Confed removed the Kilrathi from the planet. Tragically, he did not live to see that day. Bossman was flying alongside Major Jeannette Devereaux on a patrol on 2655.271 when the Kilrathi Imperial Guard attacked them. Bossman was killed while trying to save Angel's life, who managed to get away. Bossman's death was a devastating loss for the TCS Tiger's Claw, since they had gotten used to taking advice from him. Angel kept blaming herself for Bossman's death and it was a while before she forgave herself.

Bossman is survived by his wife, Mingxing, and a daughter who was born in 2653. As of 2655, they live in San Francisco, California.

Other media
Joseph "Knight" Khumalo
Joseph Khumalo
First appearance Wing Commander
Last appearance Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade
Information
Nickname(s) Knight
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Captain, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation

Joseph Khumalo is a Terran pilot of the Terran Confederation who appears in Wing Commander I.

Biography

Joseph Khumalo is an African pilot hailing from either Kroonstad, South Africa or Lubango, Angola. He was one of the more easy-going pilots on the roster, as implicated when rumors spread that he had Kilrathi sympathies, which never proved true. He was born in 2618, and at the age of 21, fought in the famous Enyo Engagement. It was during this battle that he received the callsign "Knight" for his valiant fighting. By 2654, he held the rank of Captain and was assigned to serve on the TCS Tiger's Claw.

Knight was known for his willingness to associate with the other pilots and was a very well-balanced wingman. Contrary to the opinions of fellow pilot Michael Casey, he believed the aging CF-105 Scimitar Medium Fighter to be a reliable and durable craft, thanks namely to its thicker durasteel armor. He preferred heavy armor over speed, which Casey preferred. He served on the prestigious Blue Devils Squadron.

Knight took an active role in the Vega Campaign in 2654, when wingman Christopher Blair joined the roster. He quickly became friends with Blair and the two served on several missions together. On 2654.282, Knight went on patrol near Kurasawa IV with his wingman Lightning. They were ambushed by a force of Gratha Heavy Fighters during the mission and even though Knight survived, Lightning did not. The incident saddened Knight, who wished they had the more competent F-44 Rapier II to fly with. Knight also saw action in the Venice System, where the Kilrathi Sector HQ was destroyed, effectively winning the Vega Sector for the Confederation.

Eventually, Knight was transferred to the Black Lions Squadron, which flew the Rapier II Knight and so many other pilots admired. After the Goddard Colony was destroyed in 2654, Knight took part in Operation Thor's Hammer, the Terran operation to destroy the fleet that annihilated the planet. Knight was increasingly uncomfortable with flying blindly into Kilrathi territory, but became one of the two victors of the operation when he and Blair single-handedly destroyed the KIS Sivar, which carried the weapon that destroyed the colony.

During the year 2655, the Terran Confederation oversaw the induction of the Firekkans into the Confederation as equal citizens. During this time, Knight was approached with an offer to retire from active duty and to become a flight instructor for future pilots. Ultimately, Knight rejected the offer to continue service on the Tiger's Claw, and served during the Defense of Firekka when the Kilrathi invaded the planet. He and his wingmen ensured that the Terran marines sent to disrupt the ground invasion made it to the planet's surface alive. Knight then retreated from Firekka when the Kilrathi swarmed the system along with his comrades, but fortunately the Firekkans reclaimed their planet from the invaders. Knight continued to serve on the Claw into the early days of the Enigma Campaign.

During the year 2656, the Tiger's Claw was sent on a mission to destroy the Kilrathi Sector HQ at K'tithrak Mang, in an attempt to liberate the Enigma Sector. Unfortunately, the Tiger's Claw was destroyed while en route. Since Knight refused his instructor's commission, he was surely present on the Claw or on patrol at the time of its destruction. If Knight did indeed survive the ambush, no indication has been given as to what has happened to him. He is one of the few Terran pilots whose fate has yet to be revealed.

Other media
Ian "Hunter" St. John
Ian St. John
First appearance Wing Commander
Last appearance Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade
Information
Nickname(s) Hunter
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Captain, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation
Biography

Ian St. John was born in Brisbane, Australia in the year 2627. He had one sister and two brothers. His family had a long history of service with the Terran Confederation, and Ian and his brothers would all make their contribution to the war effort when the Kilrathi War broke out in 2634. He developed a liking for tobacco products and often chewed on cigars in combat.

Ian entered service sometime in the 2640s and served on the TCS Gettysburg. By 2654, he held the rank of Captain on the TCS Tiger's Claw and took an active role in the Vega Campaign. He loved flying for its thrills. Killing the Kilrathi was just a bonus to him. He became a close friend and wingman to Christopher Blair when that pilot was assigned to the Tiger's Claw, and they flew on several high-profile missions together. In fact, Hunter was one of the two victors of the Vega Campaign. Flying alongside Blair, Hunter fought in the Venice System, the home of the Kilrathi Sector Command for the entire Vega Sector. The two pilots destroyed dozens of fighters, a Fralthi-class Cruiser, and the Kilrathi Starbase orbiting Venice, winning the Vega Sector for the Terran Confederation.

Following his success at Venice, Hunter cooperated in Operation Thor's Hammer, the Terran operation to destroy the Kilrathi Armada that destroyed the human colony of Goddard. He and Blair defended the TCS Hickok and the TCS Marciano when those two ships raced to save Goddard during the attack. After the success of Thor's Hammer, Hunter joined in the human defense of Firekka, where the native Firekkans were joining the Confederation in 2655. He managed to win a ticket to visit the planet after defeating fellow pilot Mariko Tanaka in a card game and befriended a number of the Firekkans. When the Kilrathi attacked that planet, Hunter went to its defense. On 2655.271, the same day Major Kien "Bossman" Chen was killed in action, Lord Ralgha nar Hhallas of the KIS Ras Nik'hra defected to the Confederation. Hunter defended his vessel by destroying the Fralthi-class Cruiser KIS Krajnish'k. Hunter almost gets himself grounded when he steals a Dralthi medium fighter from the Ras Nik'hra and goes for a joyride. However, in doing so he saved the TCS Austin from an incoming Kilrathi ambush. Finally, he covered the Tiger's Claw during her retreat from the nearby Corsair System. Firekka soon freed itself from the Kilrathi siege. He became a flock-friend of the Firekkans afterwards.

In the year 2656, the Tiger's Claw was destroyed by the Kilrathi during its attempt to destroy the Kilrathi Sector HQ at K'tithrak Mang in the Enigma Sector. Since he was on leave, Hunter survived. He later meets with his Firekkan friend K'Kai and his Kilrathi servant Kirha from the Ras Nik'hra on Sol Station, where they agree to rescue Firekkan captives on Ghorah Khar, a Kilrathi planet in the midst of rebelling against their leaders. With help from fellow Claw pilot James Taggart, they succeed.

In 2668, Hunter was reassigned to the TCS Concordia, the same vessel Colonel Blair and other surviving Claw pilots were on. He fought at the Battle of Munro and was among the signers of the 2668 Armistice, proposed by the Kilrathi. He retired from active service afterwards, but rejoined in Special Operations with James Taggart to determine if the Armistice was a ploy to weaken Confed's guard.

On 2669.341, Hunter died in Hari airspace while defending his comrades from Kilrathi attackers. His P-64 Ferret light fighter was shot down by six IFF missiles and even though Hunter could have ejected, he chose to fight to the death.

Other media
Peter Halcyon
Peter Halcyon
First appearance Wing Commander
Last appearance Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade
Information
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Colonel, TCSF; CO, 88th Carrier Air Wing, TCS Tiger's Claw
Nationality Terran Confederation

Colonel Peter Halcyon was a high-ranking officer in the ranks of the Terran Confederation's Space Navy. He served on board the TCS Tiger's Claw.

Personal Biography

Colonel Peter Halcyon was among the most respected officers of the Terran Space Navy, having served for many years prior to 2654. During the Kilrathi War, Halcyon was assigned to the TCS Tiger's Claw and served as Squadron Commander of the vessel's 88th Carrier Air Wing. Some of the finest pilots in the history of the Terran Confederation served under his command, and he led his flight wing to victory on several campaigns. He was a very common sight on the Claw.

During the year 2654, then-rookie pilot Christopher Blair was transferred to the Tiger's Claw and assigned to Halcyon's command. During that year, the Confederation was in the midst of fighting the Vega Campaign in an attempt to liberate the Vega Sector from the clutches of the Kilrathi Empire. Halcyon soon discovered Blair's potential as an ace fighter pilot, and developed a strong respect for him. Under Halcyon's command, both Blair and his wingmen led the Confederation to victory in the Vega Sector, when they destroyed the Kilrathi Sector Command HQ above the planet Venice. Later that year, Halcyon led his wing during Operation: Thor's Hammer, which was a retaliatory attack for a Kilrathi assault on the colony of Goddard that left the planet's entire population dead. Once again, Halcyon's leadership proved vital to the success of that campaign.

During the year 2655, Colonel Halcyon and the Tiger's Claw were sent to eliminate the Kilrathi presence in the Firekka System, where the Confederation had formed an alliance with the native Firekkans. By the end of that year, Halcyon's wing had once again claimed victory for the Confederation when they drove the Kilrathi out of the system. Halcyon's flight wing earned the distinction as one of the finest flight squads in the entire Terran Space Navy, having achieved victory in multiple campaigns throughout the 2650s.

Halcyon is presumed to have remained in service on the Tiger's Claw in 2656. If that is the case, he was killed in action when the Tiger's Claw was destroyed by Kilrathi stealth fighters during a failed strike on K'tithrak Mang.

Behind the scenes

Kilrathi Empire

Bakhtosh "Redclaw" nar Kiranka

Baktosh Redclaw is a fictional Kilrathi character from the Wing Commander game series. He only appears once very briefly in Wing Commander (1990).

Biography

Baktosh Redclaw was a Kilrathi noble of the Empire of Kilrah, related to Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka and the Emperor. As of 2654, in the middle of the 35-year Kilrathi War, he was ranked as the best pilot in the Kilrathi fleet. Redclaw only flew a Jalthi Heavy Fighter, which was infamous for mounting three neutron guns and three laser cannons, a deadly combination that matched his ferocity. Redclaw fought with several of the Terran Confederation's finest ace pilots. Some years before the events of 2654, Redclaw fought with a squadron led by James Taggart. Redclaw and his wingmen killed four of Taggart's own wingmen before Taggart's force could organize an appropriate retaliation. Redclaw was among the most feared pilots in the Kilrathi fleet, and was known for his scathing insults and racial slurs towards his enemies. He was so effective in intimidating his enemies that it often resulted in them cowering in battle, making them an easier prey to exterminate.

During the Vega Campaign in 2654, the TCS Tiger's Claw was in the Dakota System trying to assist a colony on the planet Fargo. The colony suffered an outbreak of a disease known as Watson's Disease, and the TCS Tiger's Claw had to get the vaccines down to the planet before the colony died off. Baktosh Redclaw was defending three transports on 2654.139 when pilots Christopher Blair and Joseph Khumalo attacked them on a routine patrol. Redclaw was with the second transport which was carrying troops. Despite his superior skills and attempts to intimidate his foe, Redclaw was promptly shot down and killed in action by Blair.

Bhurak "Starkiller" nar Caxki

Bhurak Starkiller was a Kilrathi ace fighter pilot in the Wing Commander game series. He makes one appearance in Wing Commander (1990).

Bhurak Starkiller was one of the finest pilots of the Empire of Kilrah. He always flew a Salthi Light Fighter. He fought in the Vega Campaign during 2654. Up until that point, Bhurak had 64 kills in both pilots and capital ships. When TCS Tiger's Claw was in the McAuliffe System on 2654.132, Bhurak and his squadron attacked a Drayman-class Transport that then-First Lieutenant Christopher Blair and Major James Taggart were escorting to the TCS Tiger's Claw. Blair managed to shoot down Bhurak before the transport was destroyed, killing the ace pilot.

Dakhath "Deathstroke" nar Sihkag

Dakhath nar Sihkag, also known as "Deathstroke" (the literal translation of Dakhath), was a particularly vicious warrior hailing from the bloodthirsty nar Sihkag clan. Dakhath symbolized everything that defined both his clan and his race: destructive, merciless, and focused entirely on warfare. Dakhath had served with the Imperial Fleet since before 2654, when the Vega Campaign was in full force. Dakhath flew his entire career in a Dralthi Medium Fighter, which despite its flaws, proved deadly in the claws of a pilot like Dakhath.

Dakhath was one of the most feared foes of the Terran Confederation. He loved to taunt his enemies and displayed a lack of respect for his opponents in combat. As of 2654.135, he possessed 78 confirmed kills, including both starfighters and capital ships. Among his most infamous atrocities was the deliberate shooting of ejection pods. Even after his Terran enemies ejected from their fighters, Dakhath would shoot them in cold blood as they sat helplessly in the vacuum of space, hoping for rescue. This savagery only increased the fear the Terrans possessed for the notorious Dakhath.

Dakhath was active in the Vega Sector in 2654. He was on patrol in the Gimle System on 2654.135 when his wing engaged several pilots from the TCS Tiger's Claw in combat. Despite the ferocity of his attacks, he was shot down by rising pilot Christopher Blair and forced to eject. Dakhath was rescued and returned to frontline combat before the Vega Campaign ended a few months later.

Dakhath was killed in action in the final months of the Kilrathi War in 2669.

Khajja "The Fang" nar Ja'targk

Khajja the Fang was a Kilrathi ace pilot, always flying in a KF-402 Krant Medium Fighter. He was also nicknamed "The Machine" by Terran Confederation Intelligence due to his reputation as a clear-thinking, mission-oriented pilot. Like all Kilrathi, Khajja had a taste for warfare and despised his enemies, but despite these traits he was not a rash pilot. He kept himself focused on the goal at hand and was much calmer than most of his comrades. He never yielded to the insults of his enemies and was known for his bravery: he never panicked in the middle of a tough fight. James Taggart told Christopher Blair a story of how the younger Taggart and his wingman were outwitted by Khajja the Fang.

On 2654.144, shortly after the Claw arrived in the Venice system, Major Christopher "Maverick" Blair and Captain Ian "Hunter" St. John were dispatched to eliminate a Ralari class destroyer. Khajja the Fang was flying escort for the destroyer; while Hunter distracted Khajja's wingmen, Maverick engaged and shot down Khajja the Fang.

Gilkarg nar Kiranka
Gilkarg nar Kiranka
First appearance Wing Commander: The Secret Missions
Last appearance Wing Commander: The Secret Missions
Information
Species Kilrathi
Gender Male
Title Kalralahr (Grand Admiral), Kilrathi Armada; Crown Prince, "Heir to Kilrah"
Nationality Kilrathi Empire

Gilkarg nar Kiranka was the former Crown Prince of the Kilrathi Empire and Kalralahr of the Kilrathi Armada. He was a major antagonist in Wing Commander I.

Biography

Gilkarg nar Kiranka was the son of the Kilrathi Emperor during the 2600s and as such, the Crown Prince and legal heir to the throne (Heir to Kilrah). During his years he fathered two sons to succeed him, his elder son Ratha and his younger, Thrakhath. Gilkarg had already risen to the rank of Kalralahr of the Kilrathi Fleet by the year 2634, the year in which the Kilrathi War broke out. Gilkarg had a strong hatred for the humans of the Terran Confederation, and was charged with leading the assault that would destroy their empire. His first step in this grand plan was an attack on the human colony of McAuliffe, located on the frontier of the Vega Sector.

Gilkarg kept the attack secret until he could unleash his full fury on the human colonies at McAuliffe. It was this expert secrecy that prevented the Confed Fleet from discovering that the fleet they were expecting was four times its expected size. When the attack was launched, Gilkarg used shield-piercing torpedoes and an enormous number of starfighters to decimate Confed forces. After four days of intense fighting, several Confed ships are destroyed, but so are many of Gilkarg's, so he retreats to reorganize his forces. Despite a formidable and devastating resistance from the Confed Fleet, McAuliffe eventually falls and 250,000 colonists are imprisoned. The Enyo Engagement was also fought around this time, resulting in the fall of Enyo and the capture of another 250,000 colonists. All of these prisoners would be massacred by orbital guns if approached by Confed. Despite Gilkarg's mounting success, he lost his son Ratha to Confed pilot Vance Richards, who would one day rise to the rank of Admiral. Ratha ejected, but out of contempt and disgrace he removed his helmet and died in space. Thrakhath became Gilkarg's sole heir as a result of this loss.

Gilkarg's success did not last forever, though. During the year 2639, Confed mounted a counterattack against the McAuliffe occupational forces. A large flight of Raptor Heavy Fighters laid a large array of Porcupine Mines around one of the system's primary jump points, forcing the Kilrathi to back off. The Kilrathi fought off the Raptors when suddenly the mines were remotely detonated. The mines were just a ploy to clear Confed's route into the system, as the entire fleet poured into McAuliffe's skies within moments after the detonation. Within a few hours Gilkarg's fleet and orbital guns were annihilated, forcing the Kilrathi to retreat while the vast majority of the colonists were liberated. Gilkarg ultimately lost McAuliffe, but he was not finished with humanity. Even after his defeat, he continued to formulate plans to claim the ultimate prize: Earth.

During the 2650s, the Kilrathi waged war against humanity in the Vega Sector in what became known as the Vega Campaign. The Terran Confederation ultimately won that battle with the Kilrathi defeat at Venice in 2654, effectively forcing the Kilrathi to abandon the Sector. However, Kalralahr Gilkarg was in the Sector at the time and was not ready to surrender. On the Kilrathi colony of Warhammer XII, Gilkarg commissioned the Graviton Weapon, a device that when launched into a planet's atmosphere increased its gravitational field 137 times, annihilating everything on the surface. Gilkarg attached the weapon to the newly commissioned KIS Sivar and successfully tested the device on Warhammer XII in order to hide the evidence. The planet was left in ruins, prompting Gilkarg to use the device on the human colonies. On 2654.326, in the Epsilon Sector, Gilkarg used the device on the colony of Goddard, destroying it completely and killing 250,000 human colonists. Gilkarg then pulled back the Sivar Fleet to prepare for future attacks on the colonies. Gilkarg had hoped that with the Sivar and its weapon, he could blast his way towards Earth. However, Gilkarg was unprepared for what happened next.

In retaliation for the disaster on Goddard, the Confederation sent the famed TCS Tiger's Claw to intercept the Sivar and its weapon behind enemy lines in what became known as Operation Thor's Hammer. They managed to destroy all of the Sivar's escorts and an enemy supply depot. Finally, the Sivar itself was spotted, and the Claw took immediate action to derail Gilkarg's plans. Famed human pilot Christopher Blair and his wingman Joseph Khumalo tracked down and destroyed the Sivar and the Graviton Weapon. With the destruction of this ship, Gilkarg's plans came crashing down.

Gilkarg was ordered back to Kilrah to answer to his father for his failure. Upon arrival, he was arrested, bound in shackles and sent to the Imperial Palace. Gilkarg knew that there was no excuse for his failure and would pay the ultimate price for it. Gilkarg was executed by disintegration on his father's orders, by one of the Emperor's Kilra'hra bodyguards, leaving young Thrakhath to assume leadership and the throne.

Wing Commander Academy

Terran Confederation

Empire of Kilrah

Thrakhath nar Kiranka
Thrakhath nar Kiranka
First appearance Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade (mentioned only)
Last appearance Wing Commander III
Information
Species Kilrathi
Gender Male
Title Crown Prince, "Heir to Kilrah"
Nationality Kilrathi Empire

Thrakhath nar Kiranka is a fictional character in Chris Roberts's Wing Commander series. He belongs to the felinoid Kilrathi species and acts as the primary antagonist of Confederation Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn and pilot-hero Christopher Blair during part of the Kilrathi War. Thrakhath appears in the Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi and Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger games, the End Run and Fleet Action novels as well as in the animated series Wing Commander Academy.

Biography

Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka (2624–2669) was the youngest son of Prince Admiral Gilkarg nar Kiranka, son of the ruling Kiranka Emperor and third in line of succession. Born in 2624, he rose to prominence as heir to the Empire following the death of his brother at the Battle of McAullife in 2634, and of his father following the KIS Sivar debacle of 2655. He gradually assumed more responsibilities as his grandfather grew infirm.

The young prince proved to be a tenacious, ruthless commander who often demanded zu'kara (ritual suicide) from those who failed to live up to his high standards. He shunned desk jobs, preferring to lead his war armada from the front; in the early part of the war, and even as late as 2666, he regularly took to space in his custom-built Bloodfang fighter. He never truly respected his foes, regarding humanity as food-prey unworthy of the honor of battle.

Though his bullheaded leadership style led to early successes against the Confederation, it faltered as Thrakhath came up against Rear Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, who easily proved Thrakhath's match, in both obstinance and strategy. By 2667 and the Battle of Vukar Tag the tide was turning against the Kilrathi, with Thrakhath continually snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Stories of his incompetence spread, and the Prince who once drove the Confederation from "Enigma Sector" became known as an inept buffoon. Assassination attempts, both on him and the Emperor, became commonplace, one of which was organized by his one-time advisor Baron Jukaga and another by his cousin, Khasra.

By mid-2669 the Kilrathi had recovered from their losses of the previous year. With his rebuilt battle fleet, and facing a Confederation greatly weakened by the Battle of Earth, Thrakhath seemed on the verge of victory. In one stroke he would redeem his clan's honor and wipe out his hated enemy. But it was not to be. Thrakhath was downed in combat on 2669.267 by Colonel Christopher Blair, and his home planet, the seat of Imperial power, was destroyed shortly thereafter.

Before his death, it was noted that Thrakhath had a personal vendetta against Colonel Blair. It was Blair who destroyed the Kilrathi Vega Sector HQ in the Venice system, the dreadnought [KIS Sivar that had destroyed Goddard colony, played a major role in disrupting the Sivar-Eshra] ceremony on Firekka, destroyed the K'tithrak Mang starbase, helped five Kilrathi planets defect to the Confederation and wiped out the Society of Mandarins. However, the most grievous act of all was that Thrakhath blamed Blair for the execution of Thrakhath's father, Admiral Gilkarg nar Kiranka, for his failure to prevent the destruction of the Sivar at Blair's hands. For all these stains upon Thrakhath's honor, he swore a vow against Blair that "I too will strip from you something that you hold dear." Thrakhath made good on his threat by personally executing Blair's love, Colonel Jeanette Devereaux and having her remains served at a feast. He later had footage of this grisly event sent to Blair in an attempt to provoke Blair to fight Thrakhath in an honor duel, even though it would mean Blair would be permanently left behind.

It was Thrakhath who bestowed the Kilrathi title "Heart of the Tiger" upon Blair out of respect as a formidable human warrior, even though Thrakhath despised Blair. This message also caused the true personality of Thrakhath's spy, Ralgha nar Hhallas to reassert itself and cause him to return to the Kilrathi Empire.

Behind the scenes

Pilgrim Stars

Terran Confederation

Pilgrim Alliance

Freedom Flight

Terran Confederation

Empire of Kilrah

2660s

Wing Commander II

Terran Confederation

Zachary "Jazz" Colson
Zachary Colson
First appearance Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade
Last appearance Wing Commander II: Special Operations 2
Information
Nickname(s) Jazz
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Major, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation, Society of Mandarins

Zachary "Jazz" Colson is a character from the video games Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade and Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi.

Biography

Zachary Colson first appeared in Wing Commander during the Secret Missions campaigns. Colson started his service life as a young, inexperienced pilot on the TCS Austin. He got his callsign "Jazz" from being a musician and was known to perform on the TCS Austin, playing the piano. Colson is later transferred temporarily to the TCS Tiger's Claw along with fellow pilot Etienne Montclair. In the Secret Missions campaign, because of Christopher Blair's actions involving the heavy losses of the Goddard Colony, Roberts would make the character into a cold and hateful person.

According to the Kilrathi Saga manual, Colson hailed from Kansas City, North America.

By Wing Commander II, nearly ten years have passed. By then, Colson was assigned on the TCS Concordia. However, Roberts had made Colson into a cold and bitter person after the Secret Missions campaign in the first Wing Commander. Colson had joined a rogue group of humans called the Mandarins that worked for the Kilrathi. He then began a campaign of betrayal and murder. Colson would sabotage ships, commit several murders, transmit classified information to the Kilrathi, and planted explosives on the Concordia's flight deck.

The first major incident Jazz caused on the TCS Concordia was the murder of Comms Specialist McGuffin. Jazz volunteered to watch the comms room while McGuffin took a short break, giving Jazz the chance to contact the Kilrathi with his latest intelligence. When McGuffin caught him in the act, Jazz shot him down, putting Dirk "Stingray" Wright's pilot's wings in his hand to make him look like the enemy. Afterwards, the aforementioned flight deck explosion occurred thanks to Jazz, and he blackmailed Mariko Tanaka with her long-lost fiancee's life if she refused to betray the Terran Confederation. Her future husband, Philip, had been imprisoned for ten years. When she refused, Jazz planted explosives on her starfighter. Her gunner died and she committed suicide by ramming her craft into the Heaven's Gate starbase.

Near the end of Wing Commander II, Colson's betrayal is discovered by Wing Commander Jeannette Devereaux. In an attempt to escape, Colson flew from the TCS Concordia, only to be intercepted by Christopher Blair. Afterwards, Blair went to see Colson to ask why he had betrayed the Confederation. Colson believed that the Goddard colony and his brother would have been saved if the TCS Tiger's Claw had not detoured to attack a Kilrathi troopship. He had sworn to kill everyone who served on the Claw.

In the Special Operations 2 campaign of Wing Commander II, Colson faces several Confederation officials at his military tribunal. Colson is convicted of murder and high treason and is sentenced to death by Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn. However, Colson is rescued by members from the Mandarins. He spent a few days in hiding on Ayer's Rock station in the Ayer's System, but fled in a Morningstar when the base was destroyed by Blair. Blair eventually tracked down Colson and was able to shoot him down on 2667.101, which finally let Roberts end the character's life of treachery.

Dirk "Stingray" Wright
Dirk Wright
First appearance Wing Commander II
Last appearance Wing Commander II: Special Operations 1
Information
Nickname(s) Stingray
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Captain, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation

Dirk Wright is a Terran pilot flying for the Terran Confederation throughout the course of Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi.

Biography

Dirk "Stingray" Wright has been in the service of the Terran Space Navy since before 2666. By that year, he held the rank of Captain on board the TCS Concordia, the flagship of the fleet. He was a capable and aggressive pilot, who took pleasure in killing Kilrathi pilots during the Kilrathi War. However, he was known to be blunt and abrasive when he spoke to others in open hostility. During the year 2666, disgraced pilot Christopher Blair was temporarily transferred to the Concordia after saving the vessel from an ambush in the Gwynedd System. Stingray immediately displayed his hatred for Blair, who had been unjustly charged with the destruction of the TCS Tiger's Claw ten years before. Blair and Stingray often found themselves at odds with each other, as Stingray arrogantly insisted that Blair was just another traitor. Stingray was also not afraid to voice his opinions to his commanding officers. When Colonel Jeannette Devereaux assigned Blair and Stingray to fly on patrol with each other, Stingray refused, stating that he would not fly with the "Coward of K'tithrak Mang". This comment got him temporarily grounded afterwards. Stingray and Blair developed a rivalry that was fought through words, as opposed to lasers.

During operations in the Niven System, a traitor aboard the Concordia was caught sending classified transmissions to the Kilrathi fleet by Communications Specialist McGuffin. The traitor shot McGuffin dead in cold blood, and it was later discovered that McGuffin had a pair of pilot's wings in his hand. They belonged to Stingray, implicating him as a traitor and catching unwanted attention from High Command. He also developed an intense dislike for Colonel Ralgha nar Hhallas after the Colonel made ill remarks regarding one of Stingray's wingmen. Stingray was on patrol when he and his wingman, Dallas, were ambushed by the Kilrathi. Dallas died, and Stingray lamented the loss of his first wingman. He thought that Dallas died due to sabotage on his vessel, as the craft suffered multiple malfunctions prior to Dallas' death. Ralgha rejected this theory and said Dallas was not a major loss to Confed, earning him Stingray's hatred. They often quarreled with each other, and one incident found them fighting in hand-to-hand combat until they were sent to Sick-Bay. However, this rivalry ended when Ralgha provided intelligence that saved Olympus Station at Tesla, earning Stingray's respect. Even Stingray's dislike for Blair subsided as time went on.

During the campaign at K'tithrak Mang, it was discovered by Colonel Devereaux that Major Zachary Colson was the traitor who murdered McGuffin, and that he tried to set up Stingray as the culprit. He tried to escape the Concordia, but was promptly shot down and captured by Captain Blair. It was also found that it was Colson who destroyed the Tiger's Claw, not Blair as previously believed. This turn of events cleared both Stingray and Blair of all previous charges, and Stingray lost all reason to hate Blair. Stingray was Blair's wingman just before the latter transferred to the Special Operations Division. Like Joseph "Knight" Khumalo, Dirk Wright's fate is unknown.

Etienne "Doomsday" Montclair
Etienne Montclair
First appearance Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade
Last appearance Wing Commander II: Special Operations 1
Information
Nickname(s) Doomsday
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Captain, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation, Free Republic of the Landreich

Etienne Montclair is a veteran human pilot in the Wing Commander universe. He first appeared in Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade and later in Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi as well as several Wing Commander novels.

Biography

Etienne Montclair was born to descendants of the Maori Tribe in Hawke Bay, New Zealand. He is proud of his culture and has an extensive knowledge of his ancestry's traditions and language. He bears the markings of a Maori warrior on his face, which are a part of his trademark. He drinks over-brewed coffee on a regular basis. He enlisted in the Terran Space Navy as a pilot in 2653 during the Kilrathi War, and was a Captain by the year 2665.

Another notable trademark of Montclair was his callsign "Doomsday". He is highly pessimistic and insists that no matter how hard he and the Terrans fight, the Kilrathi will eventually win the War and exterminate them. His pessimism was not deterred by the reassurance of his colleagues or the success of their missions.

Doomsday served on the famed TCS Austin prior to 2655. He held the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in 2655. During the defense of Firekka that year, the TCS Tiger's Claw lost several members of its flight wing, including veteran pilot Kien Chen. To compensate these losses, the Austin agreed to arrange the temporary transfer of Doomsday and fellow pilot Zachary "Jazz" Colson to the Claw. Doomsday became friends with rising pilot Christopher Blair and served with him in several escort missions. While flying together, they defended a Vice-Admiral in the Anchorage System and destroyed a Snakeir-class Carrier.

Doomsday also took part in the destruction of the captured TCS General Powell, preventing top-secret battlefield intelligence from falling into Kilrathi clutches. He also enabled several Marine transports to land on Firekka in an attempt to liberate the native Firekkans. Shortly afterwards, Doomsday returns to the Austin with Jazz. He later temporarily serves on the TCS Washington.

The Tiger's Claw was destroyed in 2656, and ten years later, Doomsday reunited with Blair and his surviving comrades on the TCS Concordia, with the rank of Captain but just as pessimistic as usual. He was an active participant in the assault on the Kilrathi-controlled Novaya Kiev System in the Enigma Sector. He later fought off the Kilrathi invaders at Heaven's Gate and was reassigned to the TCS Tarawa. He met rising pilot Jason Bondarevsky while on board. He also fought at the massive Battle of Vukar Tag.

During the year 2668, Doomsday fought the Kilrathi in the Battle of Kilrah, and gained the distinction as one of the first Terrans to attack Kilrah and live to tell about it. Later that year, he retired from active duty and took a leave of absence on Earth, where he vacationed with several of his comrades in Scotland.

It is unknown what role Doomsday played during the Battle of Earth in 2668. However, contrary to the battle's disastrous outcome and Doomsday's long-held fears, the Kilrathi War finally ended on 2669.297 in a Terran victory, courtesy of his comrade Colonel Blair. Doomsday later joined the Free Republic of the Landreich as a Squadron Commander on the FRLS Independence, formerly known as the Tarawa.

While in the Republic's service, Doomsday fought at the Battle of Hellhole and became Squadron Commander of the Crazy Eights on the FRLS Intrepid in 2670. Doomsday is most likely retired from combat duty by the year 2681.

Doomsday was never married, but he had a brief relationship with a girl named Gloria on the Tarawa, whom he called "Gloria the Glorious".

Janet "Sparks" McCullough

Janet McCullough
First appearance Wing Commander II
Information
Nickname(s) Sparks
Species Human
Gender Female
Title Lieutenant, TCN
Nationality Terran Confederation, Free Republic of the Landreich

Janet "Sparks" McCullough first appeared in Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi as a fighter maintenance technician with the rank of Chief Petty Officer. She later appeared in Wing Commander novels as a Lieutenant.

Biography

Janet McCullough began her career as a technician aboard the TCS Austin in 2655. She also spent some time aboard the TCS Tiger's Claw during the Austin and Claw's bid to repel the Firekkan Sivar-Eshrad invasion fleet soon after. Her talents included an apparently immunity to the temporary space sickness referred to as "Jump Shock". Likable and smart with a radiant smile, she was affectionately referred to as "Sparks" by the pilots she worked with.

By 2665 she was promoted to Chief Petty Officer aboard the TCS Concordia and befriended the downtrodden Christopher Blair. They shared information that did not add up and ultimately led to the painting of Zachary Colson as a Mandarin operative. On 2667.077 she secretly outfitted Blair's Sabre with torpedoes for a surprise strike on K'tithrak Mang helping to end the struggle for Enigma Sector.

After the successful Enigma Campaign, an explosion set by the Mandarin saboteur Maria Grimaldi injured her. She soon transferred off the Concordia to become the Chief Fighter Maintenance Officer aboard the TCS Tarawa and participate in Operation Back Lash. Sparks was wounded during this operation and resigned from the fleet on 2668.228 during the Armistice. By this time she had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.

As part of the group called to Windward by Geoffrey Tolwyn for investigation of the Kilrathi Hari Shipyards, she worked closely with her comrades during the false peace. After the Battle of Earth she became Damage Control Officer aboard the TCS Coventry under Bondarevsky during the Behemoth operation. She led the team that saved Bondarevsky when the Coventry took severe damage from a mine and the ship's bridge was exposed to space. The two retired together after the Treaty of Torgo and they had edged on a romance.

She followed Jason to his new seaside resort on Odessa, looking after him during his recovery. After his recovery she followed him to the Landreich. On 2670.292 she was recruited into Project Goliath and by 2671.036 became a Lieutenant in the Free Republic of the Landreich. Although she had feelings for Bondarevsky, it was never been the right time with either Svetlana Ivanova around or he as the captain of the Tarawa and Coventry.

On the TCS Mjollnir, Jorkad lan Mraal helped Sparks set up Strakha simulator modules so the humans could train on Kilrathi fighters and piloted a Kofar shuttle when necessary. She was also part of the action that boarded the KIS Wexarragh on 2671.041 as part of the raid on Baka Kar.

Ralgha "Hobbes" nar Hhallas
Ralgha nar Hhallas
First appearance Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade (mentioned only)
Last appearance Wing Commander III
Portrayed by John Schuck (Wing Commander III)
Voiced by Richard Goodman (Wing Commander II)
Information
Nickname(s) Hobbes
Species Kilrathi
Gender Male
Title Colonel, TCSF; Kal Shintar (Captain) of KIS Ras Nik'hra; Kilrathi Lord
Nationality Terran Confederation (false), Kilrathi Empire (true)

Ralgha "Hobbes" nar Hhallas was a character in the Wing Commander universe and the Kilrathi defector from Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade. His first actual appearance was in Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi. Ralgha nar Hhallas was the commander of the cruiser KIS Ras Nik'hra, whose doubts about the Kilrathi Empire's righteousness led to his defection (detailed in the novel Freedom Flight). Though initially distrusted, Hobbes eventually proved himself to his humans counterparts and became one of the Confederation's top pilots. His callsign is reportedly a homage to "an ancient Terran philosopher" - whether this is a reference to the great philosopher Thomas Hobbes or the feline character from Calvin and Hobbes is never explained (though the latter is suggested in the novelization of Wing Commander III, the same reference incorrectly states that it was Blair who bestowed Ralgha's callsign). The name was given to Hobbes by Downtown, a pilot on the TCS Concordia who considered him very wise. In fact, Hobbes had saved Downtown while he was a child on the war-torn Kilrathi colony of Ghorah Khar.

Biography

Hobbes was greatly loyal to the Terran Confederation, his sense of duty and justice not clicking well with the brutality and savagery of the Kilrathi Empire. He acted in a series of campaigns against the Kilrathi, opposed to their concept of total war and the brutal destruction of humanity at its roots.

However during the course of Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, the Terran Confederation, panicked by recent incursions near Earth, attempt to up the stakes of the war by building weapons of mass destruction capable of destroying Kilrah. This acts as an echo to the A-Bomb strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II in 1945. The hope is that by destroying Kilrah, and thus killing the Emperor, the Kilrathi would lose any centralization and will to fight, and sign a peace accord with the Terran Confederation. Despite his personal feelings about such a plot, Hobbes continues to serve loyally alongside his longtime friend Christopher Blair. During their time on the TCS Victory, Blair is one of the few people who fully trust Hobbes.

Midway through the course of the game, it is revealed that Hobbes has transmitted confidential information to the Kilrathi, including schematics of the TCS Behemoth and the T-Bomb. Lieutenant Laurel "Cobra" Buckley attempts to stop him, but he mortally wounds her and makes off with a Thunderbolt Heavy Fighter. Hobbes is killed on 2669.267 attempting to defend the Kilrathi homeworld, Kilrah, against Colonel Christopher Blair.

Hobbes' betrayal

There is some confusion over the source of Hobbes' betrayal, since a bug in the PC version of Wing Commander III makes the scene in which Hobbes explains his actions inaccessible. This bug is not present in the 3DO and PlayStation versions, and thus can be viewed during the normal course of the game. The scene is also viewable in the PC version through codes.

Hobbes explains that the Hobbes Blair knew was a personality construct, overlaid on top of the "real" Ralgha nar Hhallas on the orders of Prince Thrakhath. Hobbes was a sleeper agent, awoken by the key phrase "The Heart of the Tiger" (spoken by Thrakhath during a transmission to Colonel Blair). The newly awakened Hobbes still retained considerable respect and admiration for Colonel Blair.

Behind the scenes
Other media

Khasra Redclaw nar Kiranka

Khasra nar Kiranka
First appearance Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi
Last appearance Wing Commander II: Special Operations 1
Voiced by Paul Arden Lidberg
Information
Nickname(s) Khasra Redclaw
Species Kilrathi
Gender Male
Title Unknown, a high-ranking noble officer directly serving Prince Thrakhath
Nationality Kilrathi Empire

Khasra Redclaw was a member of the Kilrathi Royal Family and a major antagonist in Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi.

Biography

Khasra Redclaw was a cousin of Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka and a high-ranking commander of the Prince's forces. Khasra was always at odds with his cousin, believing Thrakhath's grandfather, the Kilrathi Emperor, too weak to rule and Thrakhath too incompetent to inherit the throne. His lack of regard for the Crown Prince saw him threatened with death for treason on more than one occasion.

Khasra was heavily involved with the attempted recapture of Ghorah Khar during the Enigma Campaign that went on from 2656 to 2667. Ghorah Khar was seized Kilrathi rebels who had become disillusioned with their leadership and sought a chance to join humanity. The Kilrathi, Khasra among them, tried to put down the rebellion in every way imaginable without destroying the planet, only to see it finally fall in 2656. Khasra personally informed Thrakhath of this setback and was ordered to destroy the Ghorah Khar shipyards in order to prevent the rebels from gaining the Prince's stealth fighter technology. Khasra opposed this plan as it would slow down their war progress dramatically, but Thrakhath would not accept "no" for an answer.

Ten years later, famed Terran pilot Christopher Blair and the TCS Concordia arrived in the Enigma Sector to destroy the Kilrathi stationed there. This deeply troubled Thrakhath and he sent Khasra to destroy the vessel. Unfortunately for Thrakhath, Khasra failed and the Concordia managed to penetrate the K'tithrak Mang System, the headquarters of the Kilrathi's Enigma Sector fleets. Christopher Blair flew solo in an attempt to destroy the K'tithrak Mang Starbase, forcing Thrakhath to intervene. Blair shot both the Prince and the starbase down, but both Khasra and Thrakhath escaped the Sector with their lives. Khasra blamed Thrakhath for this disastrous defeat, but the Prince once again threatened him with treason. Khasra was ordered to continue his attacks on Ghorah Khar despite his fears of destruction at the hands of the combined Rebel/Terran forces. Khasra is also known to have participated in several attempts to assassinate the Kilrathi Emperor, pitting him against his cousin even more.

During the fighting at Ghorah Khar, Khasra and his elite squadron attempted to murder Prince Thrakhath in an attempt to seize the inheritance of the Kilrathi throne. Thrakhath was successful in killing eight pilots in the squadron, but was shot down and then captured by his rival Blair. Blair hauled Thrakhath onto James Taggart's personal spy ship, the TCS Bonnie Heather, and locked him up in the brig. Khasra and his surviving wingmen attempted to recapture Thrakhath so that they could kill him themselves, but Taggart and Blair refused to surrender him. Unfortunately for the humans, Thrakhath escaped the Bonnie Heather through an orchestrated power failure and then fled on a YA-18 Crossbow Bomber to personally engage Khasra. Despite the overwhelming odds, Thrakhath killed Khasra in cold blood and then fled back to friendly airspace. Thrakhath had finally silenced his treacherous cousin.

Upon arriving in the M'Shrak Sector, where the Emperor was waiting for his grandson, Thrakhath informed his grandfather that it was Colonel Blair who killed Khasra, hiding the evidence of his betrayal to the Empire and his own involvement in Khasra's death.

End Run

Terran Confederation

Kevin "Lone Wolf" Tolwyn

Kevin Tolwyn
First appearance Wing Commander novels only
Information
Nickname(s) Lone Wolf
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Commodore, FRLN, former Major, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation, Free Republic of the Landreich

Kevin "Lone Wolf" Tolwyn is a fighter pilot and nephew of Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn. It is worth noting that early scripts for Wing Commander Prophecy said, instead, that he was the Admiral's son.

From the moment Kevin Tolwyn entered the Academy, eyes widened, jaws dropped and crowds parted for him. He shared the last name of one of the finest commanders in the fleet, ADM Geoffrey Tolwyn; and if pressed he would admit to being the man's nephew, as his aunt was Tolwyn's late wife. Spoiled and pampered as a child, he nonetheless knew that he would eventually enter the military, as Tolwyns had served Terra and England (not necessarily in that order) for over a thousand years. A natural pilot, he scored well at the Academy and gained popularly from the almost infinite depth of his wallet.

It was expected he would never see actual combat, but on his first assignment, he was assigned to the flight group aboard the TCS Tarawa CVE-08, then a newly minted escort carrier constructed (alarmingly) by stapling a runway to a transport. He made quick friends with her CO, CAPT Thaddeus O'Brian (formerly a transport commander) but aroused only skepticism with her Flight Group Commander, CAPT Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky. During the engagement above Vukar Tag, the first for the fresh-out-of-flight-school Tarawa crew and flight group, Lone Wolf was assigned to escort a damaged Sabre heavy fighter back to base. When a lone Sartha light fighter sortied up, Lone Wolf gave chase; he got it, but allowed several other Kilrathi fighters to close with the Sabre and destroy it, resulting in the loss of one crewmember. Tolwyn's actions, exacerbated by his possibly phony explanation that his radio had been damaged, led to his indefinite removal from the flight line; as far as Bondarevsky was concerned, Tolwyn was simply looking out for himself and could not be considered reliable.

When the Tarawa was assigned to Task Force Valkyrie as part of its now-famous raid on Kilrah, Bondarevsky put Tolwyn back in the cockpit; they'd need every pilot they could get, and arrogant or not, Lone Wolf was one of the best. In the ensuing campaign, he received his Ace medal and, in light of pilot losses (as well as Bondarevsky's emergency ascension to captain of the Tarawa), was promoted to Commander of the Rapier medium fighter squadron. The campaign erased from him any delusions of grandeur; what he wanted, he discovered, was not the phony camaraderie of his affluent civilian life, but the life-and-death trust of his fellow pilots. During the Kilrah campaign, he got it. He was one of only fourteen pilots to survive the raid, and returned to a proud uncle on Earth with the right to call himself a valued member of the Tarawa crew, one of the "First to Kilrah".

During the Armistice, he was one of the retired Confed personnel who transferred to the Free Republic of the Landreich, but was not aboard when the Tarawa penetrated into Hari space and discovered the Hakaga-class supercarriers; he had returned to Earth with his uncle, to send out a phony radio signal cribbed from the Battle of Midway. Both Tolwyns were planetside when a bomb wiped out most of the military's senior staff; when intelligence from the Tarawa arrived only minutes later, the picture became clear: not only were the Kilrathi planning to attack Earth under cover of the armistice (proved by the radio signal), but they had the firepower with which to do it. Admiral Tolywn was immediately reinstated and made commander of the Third Fleet, with orders to defend Earth against the new threat by any means necessary. Kevin, assigned to the Concordia, flew in both the Battle of Sirius and the Battle of Earth, where he personally escorted Brigadier General "Big" Duke Grecko's marine landing craft into Thrakhath's flagship; shortly afterwards he was hit and forced to eject. Though he received a dangerous dose of radiation when Grecko's marines blew their thermonuclear weapon to destroy the carrier, he was rescued in time and survived.

After the Battle of Earth, he was rotated off the front lines by Admiral Tolwyn, who, despite his pride in the boy, could not bear the thought of losing someone who had become less of a nephew and more of a surrogate son. As a Major, he ran courier services and information across the Confederation. He came aboard the TCS Victory for a short time to brief her Wing Commander, Colonel Christopher Blair, on the TCS Behemoth project, and only declined to join Blair's flight group because he knew it would pain his uncle.

After the war, Kevin found himself still flying fighters, but this time as a Wing Commander himself. He commanded the fighter wing flying off FRLS Independence, the renamed Tarawa, which was now in Landreich hands. By the end of the events surrounding the recovery and refitting of the lost Kilrathi carrier (chronicled in False Colors), he had been promoted to naval Captain, and had become the Independence's commander.

Empire of Kilrah

Fleet Action

Terran Confederation

Empire of Kilrah

Free Republic of the Landreich

H. Maximillian Kruger

Hans Maximillian Kruger is President of the Landreich in the Wing Commander science fiction series.

Brash, bold, disdainful of the Confederation (popularly known in the Landreich as Confees), Kruger personified the Landreich during much of its existence. He appears in Action Stations (as Hans Kruger), Fleet Action, and False Colors, and is referred to in the Price of Freedom novel.

Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger

Rachel Coriolis

Rachel Coriolis
First appearance Wing Commander III
Last appearance Wing Commander: Prophecy
Portrayed by Ginger Lynn Allen (Wing Commander III & Prophecy)
Information
Species Human
Gender Female
Title Master Chief Petty Officer, TCN
Nationality Terran Confederation

Rachel Coriolis is a fictional character in the Wing Commander universe. Her first appearance was in the video game Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger. In Wing Commander III and Wing Commander: Prophecy, the character of Rachel is played by famed adult entertainment star Ginger Lynn Allen.

Biography

Rachel Coriolis is the most decorated enlisted female in the Confederation Navy and is regarded as one of the top five naval engineers on active duty. Coriolis was born on a Navy base in 2638 and is the middle child and only girl in a family of five. Her father served in the Navy as a Master-at-Arms (Military Police) and her mother was a nightclub singer (and a showgirl before marriage).

Coriolis excelled in science and math, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering in college. She attended Naval ROTC and did exceptionally well, but dropped out in Junior year rather than accepting a commission. Coriolis took an assignment on the TCS Victory, becoming the youngest flight deck Chief on any Confederation carrier at the time. While there, Coriolis met Christopher Blair and the two immediately married shortly after the war. Following a messy marriage break-up, Coriolis re-enlisted and earned two post-graduate degrees while serving.

Sometime between the events of Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (2669) and Wing Commander: Prophecy (2681), Coriolis was promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer.

Coriolis had an occasional involvement in research projects, and joined Midway's development at Blair's invitation after being promised control of the flight deck after its launch. The game manual from Wing Commander: Prophecy includes an e-mail from Paladin to Blair, mentioning them getting along well after their "falling out" at the end of the war. Coriolis is now friends with Blair. In the game Wing Commander: Prophecy, 2Lt Lance Casey is immediately taken with her (so much so that he cannot speak on their first encounter) but the two quickly become friends.

Coriolis is one of two possible love interests for Christopher Blair in the game. Even if Blair does not choose her, they maintain a flirtatious relationship throughout the game—Rachel has many brief cutscenes, including one at the end of nearly every mission "grading" Blair's performance (based on how shot up his craft is) or informing him if an ejected wingman made it back safe. In their ending, after the long-fought Kilrathi War has ended, both Blair and Coriolis fly on a space shuttle and share a romantic moment together.

Behind the scenes

William Eisen

William Eisen
First appearance Wing Commander III
Last appearance Wing Commander IV
Portrayed by Jason Bernard (Wing Commander III & IV)
Information
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Admiral, TCN
Nationality Terran Confederation, Union of Border Worlds

William Eisen is a fictional character in the Wing Commander series. In the video games, Eisen is played by Jason Bernard.

Biography

William Eisen is first introduced in Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, as Captain of the TCS Victory, the carrier that serves as Colonel Christopher Blair's home base. Throughout the game and the novel based on the game, he proves himself to be a good man and fine officer who is as much a father figure to the Victory's crew as a military commander. In Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom, he is again the commander of Col Blair's home ship, this time the Fleet Carrier TCS Lexington. As the game and its spinoff novel progress, Eisen, suspecting a conspiracy within the Confederation government, defects to the Border Worlds followed soon after by Blair and several other pilots, where he commands the Border Worlds carrier BWS Intrepid during the brief shooting war with the Confederation. At the story's conclusion, exonerated along with Blair and his friends, Eisen receives a promotion to Admiral. Eisen presumably dies during the period between Wing Commander IV and Wing Commander: Prophecy, as actor Jason Bernard died in late 1996 due to a heart attack. The Vesuvius-class carrier TCS Eisen appearing in Wing Commander: Prophecy is presumably named for him.

Behind the scenes

Geoffrey Tolwyn

Geoffrey Tolwyn
First appearance Wing Commander II
Last appearance Wing Commander IV
Portrayed by Malcolm McDowell (Wing Commander III & IV), David Warner (film)
Voiced by Malcolm McDowell (Wing Commander Academy)
Information
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Space Marshal, TCN; Baronet of the United Kingdom, Terra; Commander of the Black Lance
Nationality Terran Confederation, Black Lance

Space Marshal Sir Geoffrey Tolwyn, Bt. (2612-2673) is a fictional character in the Wing Commander universe. Frequently he is a direct or nearly direct superior and adversary of the viewpoint character, Christopher Blair.

Admiral Tolwyn first appears in Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi. In the full motion video cut scenes beginning in Wing Commander III, Tolwyn is portrayed by Malcolm McDowell, who also voices him in the animated series Wing Commander Academy. In the 1999 Wing Commander movie, Tolwyn is portrayed by David Warner, as McDowell was unavailable. (It is of interest to note that both actors co-starred in the fantasy epic Time After Time as Jack the Ripper and H.G. Wells, respectively.)

Biography

Admiral Tolwyn is 42 years old as of the beginning of Wing Commander I. The only son of a British baronet, Tolwyn grew up as part of the last remaining vestige of nobility in the world. He was born in 2612, during an era of relative peace. He attended the Confederation Navy Academy and graduated during a time when many in the Confederation were questioning the very necessity of the armed forces and when Confederation senators were looking to bolster their votes by cutting "wasteful" military programs; all during the slow, steady build of tensions between the Confederation and the Kilrathi Empire. Tolwyn was assigned as a special operations officer straight out of the Academy after a run-in with a Senator over a controversial bill to close the Academy in which Tolwyn brought up ugly personal motive for the senator's blockage of a new starfighter program to replace the aging Wildcat medium fighter.

It is stated several times in the novels that Tolwyn is a widower, with two sons who were lost in the course of the war. The name of his wife is still in dispute; End Run gives her name as Elizabeth, while in Fleet Action the same author calls her Clara. To complicate matters further, in Action Stations his fiancee's name is given as Rebecca. However, it is stated in End Run that he met his future wife at a party at the Academy, whereas in Action Stations his engagement was one arranged by his family, so it's possible that that arranged engagement was broken off at some point, paving the way for Elizabeth/Clara. The fact that she met him at the Academy raises the possibility that she may have been a Navy officer as well.

During the Battle of McAuliffe, Ensign Geoffrey Tolwyn was a fighter pilot in the cockpit of a Wildcat, with barely five hundred flying hours under his belt. He managed to survive both of his sorties, including a battle against the then-Crown Prince of Kilrah (who committed ritual suicide because of his shame at being defeated by a "mere human"). After that battle, Tolwyn was promoted to Lieutenant and given command of a frigate.

From 2639 to 2654, Tolwyn rose to prominence in the Confederation Navy, rising from Lt. J.G. to Commodore in the 15 years. His driven nature was as much a hindrance as a blessing, however, and he developed as many enemies in the Admiralty as friends; some of whom blocked his ascension to Rear Admiral for a number of years. Finally his chance to prove himself as a force commander came on the Tiger's Claw's cadet cruise of 2653-4, where he commanded the carrier and its battlegroup (and its load of student-pilots, including a young Cadet Christopher Blair) through a number of harrowing engagements with the Kilrathi (see Wing Commander Academy). After the completion of this task, Tolwyn was promoted to Rear Admiral and command of 14th Fleet.

In 2661, Tolwyn's flagship, TCS Concordia, a Confederation-Class dreadnought, was commissioned. Now with a ship, Tolwyn's command was shunted to 3rd Fleet and to the front lines of the war. With his flag in Concordia, Tolwyn spent the next decade plus on the spearhead of the Confederation's war efforts, battling in multiple theaters of the war, in both Vega and Enigma Sectors. In 2664, Tolwyn was reunited with Christopher Blair - this time under much more adversarial circumstances - and they fought together, albeit grudgingly, during the most dangerous campaigns of the war. Tolwyn commanded the fleet during the Battle of Earth, and won the battle which was mankind's most perilous hour. However, the fleet he inherited after the battle was worn and dangerously thinned, and Tolwyn was reduced to sending decades-old light carriers to battle the Kilrathi in engagements that before would have required full fleet carriers. Towlyn was transferred off the Concordia shortly after the battle of Earth to head the Terran Confederation Navy's Weapons Development Program at Jupiter Station. While he was away, the Concordia was fighting a rearguard action in the Vespus system when it took torpedo hits to its engines, causing it to fall out of orbit. The Concordia crashed into the massive ocean of Vespus, taking almost all her crew with her. Colonel Christopher Blair located the wreck and reported to Tolwyn that it was a 'total loss'.

In 2669, the Behemoth Project was tested. One of the largest space faring structures ever built by the Confederation, its major weapon, a planet-killing superconducting particle beam cannon, was successfully deployed against the test planet Loki VI. However, a Kilrathi spy in the fleet leaked the weak points in Behemoth's defenses to the enemy, and a massive Paktahn bomber strike on the weapon destroyed it, along with Tolwyn's hopes of saving the Confederation. Fortunately, General James "Paladin" Taggart's Temblor Bomb program, the second Confed superweapon program and truly the Confederation's last hope for victory, was successfully deployed against the Kilrathi and saved the human race from annihilation. As a result, Taggart was elected to the Confederation senate after the war.

After the end of the Kilrathi War in 2669, Tolwyn, burning with humiliation from Behemoth's destruction, was assigned to command of the Strategic Readiness Agency and promptly converted the agency into his personal fief. He was brought into the Agency's two-decade-old Black Lance project and found that he had a personal skill for misappropriating funding from other projects to fulfill the Black Lance's agenda. Tolwyn's fanatical personality had found his ultimate fulfillment: the "perfection" of humanity into a fighting force unparalleled in the galaxy. By 2673, the biogenic plague intended to destroy the unworthy was prepared and test runs were made against planets in the Border Worlds, but before the plan could fully unfold (which included war with the Border Worlds), Colonel Christopher Blair - operating with Border Worlds forces - uncovered Tolwyn's plot and revealed it to the Senate in an impromptu but impassioned speech. It was during this Senate hearing that Tolwyn was to be given the position of "Space Marshal" (the highest rank in the Confederation military, equivalent to a Fleet Admiral or Grand Admiral) and a decision would be made on whether to declare war on the Border Worlds. With Blair's intervention, the senate voted against war in an impressive landslide. Tolwyn was arrested and arraigned on charges relating to crimes against humanity and high treason.

After being found guilty on all charges stemming from the Black Lance conspiracy, convicted and stripped of rank, Geoffrey Tolwyn committed suicide in his prison cell on the eve of his execution in 2673, believing he had failed humanity. His sentence differs slightly in the novelization of Wing Commander IV with him being given life imprisonment as opposed to execution. Tolwyn hangs himself in both versions.

References and sources

Laurel "Cobra" Buckley

Laurel Buckley
First appearance Wing Commander III
Last appearance Wing Commander III
Portrayed by B.J. Jefferson
Information
Nickname(s) Cobra
Species Human
Gender Female
Title First Lieutenant, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation

Laurel "Cobra" Buckley (2637-2669) was a fictional character who appears in the fictional Wing Commander game series. She only appears in Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger.

Biography

Laurel Buckley was born in 2637 and was a citizen of the Terran Confederation. She lived with her family on the planet Enyo. When she was only ten years old, the Kilrathi attacked her planet in 2647. Laurel and any surviving members of her family were then enslaved in labor camps, where Laurel would remain until she was twenty years old. She managed to escape from the Kilrathi after ten years of imprisonment in 2657, but her family was gone, and Laurel would forever be disturbed from the terrifying memories she had of the treatment she received from the Kilrathi.

Following her escape, Confed medical specialists and psychiatrists tried to cleanse Laurel of her painful memories, but a great deal of them still remained. Laurel forever held a deep hatred of the Kilrathi, and insisted that only total annihilation would ensure their total and well-deserved defeat. Afterwards, Laurel joined the Space Force, and with her brutal flying style against the Kilrathi, she rose through the ranks and became a popular wingman. By 2669, she had reached the rank of First Lieutenant and was assigned to the TCS Victory, which was under the command of Captain William Eisen. Laurel's flying style earned her the callsign "Cobra", meaning that she was a lethal and dangerous foe. While on the Victory, Cobra could almost always be found sharpening her dagger, in the case that she should meet a Kilrathi face-to-face.

During the last months of the Kilrathi War in 2669, Cobra was forced to serve alongside Colonel Ralgha nar Hhallas, or "Hobbes", a Kilrathi pilot. Cobra despised Hobbes and insisted that he was not trustworthy. This put a strain on her relationship with her commanding officer, Colonel Christopher Blair, since he regarded Hobbes as a loyal friend. Throughout the game, Cobra took part in numerous campaigns against the incoming Kilrathi invaders, such as the campaign in the Tamayo System, the offensive in the Kilrathi-owned Ariel System, and the escort mission for the TCS Behemoth. Cobra was more than ready to see Kilrah be obliterated by the Behemoth, prompting Colonel Blair to ask Cobra about her terrifying life history. After the Behemoth was lost in combat against the Kilrathi while en route to Kilrah, Cobra investigated Hobbes' activities alongside Lieutenant Ted Rollins, the ship's paranoid comms officer. She believed that Hobbes transmitted weak spots of the Behemoth to the Kilrathi fleet since the Kilrathi seemed to know where to hit the poorly shielded vessel. Many crew members did agree with Cobra that Hobbes was a threat, but Blair and some other pilots thought differently. Blair once again told Cobra to lay off Hobbes, insisting that he was innocent.

While in the Alcor System, where the Terran Confederation prepared to field the Temblor Bomb to use in Confed's final attempt to destroy Kilrah, Cobra's suspicions about Hobbes proved true. Hobbes betrayed Confed and fled on a HF-66 Thunderbolt VII Heavy Fighter to rejoin the Kilrathi. Cobra tried to stop him, but Hobbes slashed her with his claws on the flight deck. Blair, Captain Eisen, and Lieutenant Mitchell Lopez found her, and she presented them with a datadisk she stole from Hobbes. It proved that he spied on Blair while he was briefed on the technical specifications of the Temblor Bomb, also proving that he provided the Kilrathi with the Behemoth's weak spots. Cobra told Blair to chase Hobbes, and then died from her wounds. Cobra's body was flown into space in a traditional space funeral. Colonel Blair later regretted doubting Cobra about Hobbes' true nature. Cobra was only thirty-two years old, and is survived by no known family members.

Behind the scenes

Empire of Kilrah

Melek nar Kiranka

Melek nar Kiranka
First appearance Wing Commander III
Last appearance Wing Commander IV
Portrayed by Christopher Bergschneider (Wing Commander IV)
Voiced by Tim Curry (Wing Commander III), Barry Dennen (Wing Commander IV)
Information
Species Kilrathi
Gender Male
Title Chancellor of the Kilrathi Assembly of Clans, former Chee'dyachee directly serving Prince Thrakhath
Nationality Kilrathi Assembly of Clans, Kilrathi Empire

Melek nar Kiranka is a fictional character from the fictional Wing Commander game series. He appears in both Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (1994) and Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom (1996). He was a member of the Kilrathi, a fictional felinoid race.

Biography

Melek was the senior chee'dyachee, or retainer, of Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka, the heir of the Kilrathi throne, at least since 2669. It's unknown when he started acting as Thrakhath's primary retainer. He oversaw Kilrathi fleet actions and kept Thrakhath updated on the actions of their enemy, the Terran Confederation, during the final years of the Kilrathi War. He served alongside Thrakhath on board the Kilrathi flagship, the KIS Hvar'Kann. Melek clearly feared his superior whenever the Crown Prince lost his temper, and was careful not to insult or disappoint him. Melek proved to be an effective leader, but respected his human enemies as a worthy adversary, which almost cost him his position.

Melek served with Thrakhath during many of the final battles of the War. He informed Thrakhath that the Kilrath-controlled Locanda System was depleted of natural resources after years of purging the human colonies there and enslaving the civilian population. Although it was still a source of slave labor, Thrakhath reminded him that they had plenty of slaves, and should therefore give up the system to the humans, but not without rendering the system uninhabitable first. This later led to the bioweapon attack on Locanda 4, which forced the system into permanent quarantine. Later, the TCS Victory attacked the Kilrathi fleet in the Ariel System, but later fled to friendly space after being spotted. It was Melek who informed the Crown Prince that Colonel Christopher Blair, aka "The Heart of the Tiger", was on the vessel. This prompted Thrakhath to chase the Victory and send a transmission that coaxed Colonel Ralgha nar Hhallas, a friend of Blair's, to betray Confed. After the Kilrathi destroyed the TCS Behemoth in the Loki System, Confed rescued Dr. Philip Severin on Alcor 5, a Kilrathi prison planet. He later would create the Temblor Bomb used to destroy Kilrah. Melek personally told the Emperor of the humans' success in this mission, but Thrakhath disregarded this, as he was personally preparing an attack on the Earth.

Melek helped Thrakhath oversee the assembly of the Kilrathi fleet that would destroy Earth, and would have accompanied his leader to the planet. However, Christopher Blair delivered the Temblor Bomb to Kilrah less than 48 hours before the attack began, destroying Kilrah and demolishing the Kilrathi fleet. Blair killed Thrakhath above Kilrah, so Melek took control of the KIS Hvar'Kann, which barely escaped Kilrah. He captured Colonel Blair and almost killed him, but chose to surrender instead, preferring not to risk the extermination of the now weakened Kilrathi at the hands of the humans (in the process of surrendering, Melek became the first Kilrathi to ever bow down before a human, namely Blair). He personally signed the Treaty of Torgo alongside Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, officially ending the Kilrathi War. Afterwards, he declared himself chancellor of the Kilrathi, but few Kilrathi pledged their loyalty to him despite some support from surviving members of the royal family. One of his supporters was Murragh Cakg dai Nokhtak, who was Thrakhath's nephew and the last heir to the throne. Melek had to deal with a massive civil war ravaging the surviving Kilrathi clans, who were fighting for control over the remnants of the Empire of Kilrah. One such opponent was Warlord Ukar dai Ragark, who fought the Free Republic of the Landreich. Melek tried to stop him from destroying the fragile peace between the humans and the Kilrathi, but ultimately, the Landreich were the one who stopped him.

In 2673, the Black Lance Conspiracy started and the Black Lance harassed Kilrathi ships, including Melek's personal shuttle in one raid. After being rescued by the Union of Border Worlds, Melek reunited with his old enemy, Christopher Blair, who left the Confederation in favor of the Border Worlds. The two of them made peace with each other and Blair helped Melek return home to Pasqual 10, a Kilrathi colony. Before this, Melek told Blair that he was a hero to many Kilrathi, for the Kilrathi grew too corrupt and murderous over the centuries. They were denied victory by their wargod for adopting human war policies. Blair's role in Kilrah's destruction allowed them to rebuild their culture and adapt to peaceful rule. It is unknown what Melek's position was after 2673 or in 2681, when the Nephilim attacked the newly formed Kilrathi Assembly of Clans.

Behind the scenes

Privateer

2670s

False Colors

Terran Confederation

Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky

Jason Bondarevsky
First appearance Wing Commander II: Special Operations 1
Information
Nickname(s) Bear
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Rear Admiral, FRLN; former Captain, TCN
Nationality Terran Confederation, Free Republic of the Landreich

Jason Bondarevsky, callsign "Bear," is a fictional pilot who became a carrier captain in Chris Roberts's Wing Commander franchise.

Biography

Bondarevsky, though Russian by ethnicity, grew up on the Alpha Centauri colony of Razin and did not set foot on Earth until well into his military career. His father was a pilot, and his older brother attempted to follow that path before being shifted into the Marines; both were dead by the time Jason enlisted at the age of 16. He managed to get into flight school, where he fell in love with fellow student Svetlana Ivanova. Things looked well until she flunked a critical course and washed out; she joined the Marines, spurning Bondarevsky's offer of marriage and a happy (if obscure) life in the enlisted ranks.

Bear's first assignment, straight out of the Academy, was the TCS Gettysburg, a now-famous Waterloo-class cruiser. In 2667, Gettysburg's CO, Commodore Cain, ordered his pilots to open fire on an unarmed Kilrathi transport full of refugees. His pilots refused and engineered a successful mutiny. Afterwards, however, the crew split over its future course: one faction, led by Flight Group Commander Colonel Ransom, wanted to go on as interstellar pirates, while Bondarevsky and Lt Col Poelma wished to return to the Confederation. Ransom led the Gettysburg crew in capturing the Rigel supply depot, but Poelma's faction recaptured the Gettsyburg and left.

News of the Gettysburg's absence had reached Confed C-in-C by now, and the Navy's finest ship, the TCS Concordia, was sent to investigate. It was Bondarevsky who met with Colonel Christopher "Maverick" Blair, and then Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, to arrange for the loyal Gettysburg faction to stand trial for their actions. He then assisted Blair in destroying the Rigel outpost, and Ransom's forces with it.

The Gettysburg crew was acquitted, and Bondarevsky decorated for his actions. Tolwyn took him aboard the Concordia for a tour of duty; he remained there for another year, until being promoted to Flight Group Commander aboard the TCS Tarawa. Tolwyn picked Bear for the assignment because Bondarevsky was the most appropriate for the job; he had shown a natural tendency to responsibility and leadership, Blair was being kept on the Concordia, and Col Jeannette "Angel" Devereaux had already been assigned to Special Ops. What Tolwyn did not know was what the Tarawa was in for.

Six months of previous reconnaissance flights had finally confirmed what was on the backwater Kilrathi planet of Vukar Tag: an ancient and beautiful castle, ancestral home of the Kilrathi Emperor's Dowager Mother. Confed C-in-C, represented by Admiral Banbridge, had engineered a plan to take the planet and destroy the castle, a massive insult to the collective honor of the Kilrathi. The Kilrathi fleet would swarm out to recapture the planet, and march right into a trap...a trap that it outnumbered two-and-a-half to one, as the Terrans only had four carriers available against the Kilrathi's ten. Instead, Banbridge hoped to draw off part of the Kilrathi fleet, and the Tarawa, now part of Task Force Valkyrie, had been chosen to do so, by attacking directly, for the first time, the homeworld of Kilrah.

What happened next is the stuff of legends. The Tarawa, little more than a flight deck stapled to a heavy transport and designed to be expendable, returned, heavily damaged but victorious, from its mission, officially named the "First to Kilrah". Its escorts, the Gilgamesh-class destroyer Intrepid and Venture-class corvette Kagimasha, were lost with all hands; thirty pilots, four hundred crewmen and over four thousand Marines were lost as well, including Svetlana Ivanova (whose doomed romance with Bondarevsky was made fodder for uncounted holodramas). In return, the Tarawa smashed several major dock facilities on Kilrah's moon, including six almost-completed carriers, thousands of trained construction workers and a specialized design staff that, by coincidence, was visiting that day; diverted four of the ten carriers headed to Vukar Tag, which allowed the Confederate fleet to destroy or heavily damage all but one of the remainder, to only one human carrier lost; and returned to tell the tale, boosting morale and bringing hope to the embattled human race, which, up until then, had been quite clearly losing the war.

It meant a great deal to Bondarevsky as well, and not just because of his rekindled-but-short-lived love affair with Svetlana. Tarawa's Captain, Thaddeus O'Brian, was a transport captain and only received the post because he'd helped with the Wake-class design. He was in short, a coward, not to mention something of an alcoholic, and was singularly ill-suited to leading a raid whose primary purpose was to draw attention, with their lives if necessary. Fortunately, a hit early in the campaign knocked out the bridge, and O'Brian was killed. Bondarevsky, the ranking officer on the ship, took command, leading the tiny fleet to its victorious conclusion; he never left the chair again.

It took over a year to repair the ship; Bondarevsky spent his time at Confed HQ and at the Academy, training new pilots. Ship and captain re-entered the war just in time for the false armistice of 2668; both were deactivated into the reserves shortly after. Admiral Tolwyn, however, was not sanguine on Kilrathi offers of peace, and arranged for a number of Wake-class light carriers to be sold to the Free Republic of the Landreich; Bondarevsky went with them, and then led his ship in deeper to find signals regarding the Hakaga-class supercarriers. The Tarawa, already First to Kilrah, became First Beyond Kilrah as well. Unfortunately, Landreich president H. Maximillian Kruger still owned the Tarawa, and refused to join the Confederate defense at Sirius; only after Bondarevsky's constant heckling did the Landreich fleet go. They arrived at the Battle of Earth too late to participate in the main conflict, but in time to prevent a wing of Kilrathi cruisers from wreaking total destruction on the planet itself.

The Tarawa re-entered service with the Confederation but was quickly crippled in battle; it was sold to the Landreich, who renamed it the FLRS Independence. Bondarevsky remained with the Confederate Navy, assigned to the TCS Coventry, a destroyer assigned to the TCS Victory during Tolwyn's Behemoth project. During this campaign, the Coventry was heavily damaged by a minefield and Bondarevsky lost an arm. He spent the rest of the war recuperating and eventually returned to the Landreich, commanding the Independence and later the Flight Group of the Mjolnir, a captured Kilrathi carrier, in an action against a rogue Kilrathi warlord. He was eventually promoted to Rear Admiral, but his fate is otherwise unspecified.

Empire of Kilrah

Free Republic of the Landreich

Ragark

Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom

Terran Confederation

Hugh Paulson

Hugh Paulson
First appearance Wing Commander IV
Last appearance Wing Commander IV
Portrayed by John Spencer
Information
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Captain, TCN
Nationality Terran Confederation, Black Lance

Hugh Paulson was a fictional character in the fictional Wing Commander series. His only appearance is in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom.

Biography

Paulson was a Captain in the Terran Confederation during the year 2673. He presumably had been serving with the Confed Space Navy for many years. Paulson was a ruthless military commander with great ambitions and wealth. He looked down on those of lower ranks and had little patience for failure. He used his wealth and military prowess to further his goals. He was also bureaucratic.

Very little else is known about his backstory because he shows up very suddenly in the game and it does not go deep into his past life.

During the year 2673, the Black Lance Conspiracy was at its peak and threatened to break the peace between the Terran Confederation with its former allies, the Union of Border Worlds. The Border Worlds were seeking independence from Confed and in previous months, unmarked ships that were known to be in use with the Border Worlds were harassing Confed vessels, prompting major tensions. Captain William Eisen and Colonel Christopher Blair, who served together on the TCS Victory during the Kilrathi War in 2669, were deployed to investigate Border Worlds activity on the Concordia class fleet carrier TCS Lexington. However, while in the Tyr System, Captain Paulson arrived on the TCS Lexington, having just come from the Third Fleet. Paulson took over for Captain Eisen for fears that Eisen had Border Worlds sympathies and was therefore spying for them. Paulson took firm command of the vessel, leaving Eisen to face an unanticipated reassignment.

Paulson took the Lexington to the Masa System, where he led an assault on a Confed Space Lab invaded by Border Worlds forces. He had Blair and a marine force liberate the station. Afterwards, Paulson attacked two Border Worlds cruisers that trespassed into Confed space. Their crews claimed that Paulson attacked what was actually a Border Worlds Space Lab, but Paulson pressed the attack. With Blair's help, they forced the cruiser force to back off. Blair and his comrades grew suspicious of Paulson, and Paulson knew that they had to be kept quiet. Unbeknownst to the pilots, a man named Seether was on the Lexington, and he clearly had some evil intentions he shared with Paulson. Finally, Captain Eisen and Major Todd Marshall betrayed Confed and fled on a shuttle, with Lieutenant Winston Chang, Christopher Blair, and Lieutenant Troy Carter serving as escorts. They fled on the BWS Intrepid to the Silenos System, prompting Paulson and his allies to pursue them.

Paulson turned out to be a wealthy backer of the Black Lance forces, who were instigating the conflict between Confed and the Border Worlds by harassing vessels on both sides with unmarked ships coming from both fleets. Seether was one of its pilots and as commander of Black Lance combat operations, he was Paulson's superior. The two of them pursued the Intrepid and caused massive damage and casualties to the crew and the vessel. They were trying to recover data that Eisen had stolen from them. However, things did not work out in Paulson's favor. Blair and his wingmen disabled the TCS Lexington and the Intrepid fled to friendly space, leaving the Lexington in the dust. Seether criticized Paulson for failing to kill Blair sooner, and told the captain that he was to be "reassigned". In reality, Seether decided to execute him for his failure, so he slit Paulson's throat open with a laser knife. Paulson was killed within seconds. Seether then threw his body out of the airlock, and then he took command of Paulson's men.

Behind the scenes

Hugh Paulson was played in the FMVs by actor John Spencer, known for his roles in L.A. Law and The West Wing.

Troy "Catscratch" Carter

Troy Carter
First appearance Wing Commander IV
Last appearance Wing Commander IV
Portrayed by Mark Dacascos
Information
Nickname(s) Catscratch
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Second Lieutenant, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation, Union of Border Worlds

Troy "Catscratch" Carter is a fictional character in the Wing Commander series. He is a fighter pilot aboard the TCS Lexington and defected with Christopher Blair to the BWS Intrepid. His first appearance is in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom.

Biography

In the fictional Wing Commander universe, Troy Carter was born as a third generation Border-Worlder, but was sent to the Terran Confederation Naval Academy on Earth. Carter graduated at the top of his class and was assigned to the TCS Lexington.

During the events of Wing Commander IV, Carter met the person he admired most during the Kilrathi War, Christopher Blair. He felt honored when flying alongside Blair and learned a great deal about him. He confided in the Colonel about his doubts about the missions they were flying against the Border Worlds on board the Lexington.

When Blair chose to defect, Catscratch joined him, along with several others. Together, they went on board the BWS Intrepid. There, he continued to fight bravely; while not flying, he would flirt with the ship's Chief Comm Tech Velina Sosa, and the two began to develop a relationship. While on the side of the Border Worlds, Catscartch felt wrong about shooting down former comrades. Blair advises him and Catscratch is now able to fly properly and with confidence; however, he also started taking advice from Todd "Maniac" Marshall, which Blair knew could cause trouble.

At the end of either the Circe or Speradon System campaigns, Carter takes on a solo mission to retrieve a strange satellite, and ends up with his fighter crippled in space. The player, at this point, is asked to decide Catscratch's fate: Blair, the only pilot available to help, would have to abort an important mission to do so. Even if the player does decide to rescue Catscratch, his crippled fighter can still be destroyed by enemy fire during the ensuing dogfight. After this, he able to eject and be safely retrieved (the satellite is a total loss no matter what the circumstances). If Catscratch lives, he apologizes for messing up, admitting that he took some of Maniac's terrible advice to heart and leading to Blair putting him on probation (Blair would like to ground him, but the Intrepid has too few pilots as it is). If Catscratch is killed during the rescue attempt, Sosa mourns his death but thanks Blair for trying as he consoles her. If the player refused to rescue Catscratch in the first place, Blair takes some flak for abandoning him from other characters, especially the heart-broken Sosa.

Behind the scenes

Winston "Vagabond" Chang

Winston Chang
First appearance Wing Commander III
Last appearance Wing Commander IV
Portrayed by François Chau
Information
Nickname(s) Vagabond
Species Human
Gender Male
Title First Lieutenant, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation, Union of Border Worlds

Winston Chang is a fictional character in Wing Commander. He is a fighter pilot with a "dark" past he wishes to leave behind and a wanderer’s spirit, reflected by his callsign "Vagabond". He appears twice, first in Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger and later in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom.

Biography

Winston Chang (2631-2673) was born in a system located somewhere in the Enigma Sector. His past is mostly classified due to his involvement in several secret government projects, such as the demolitions experiments he worked on with Dr. Philip Severin (who would later develop the Temblor Bomb). During these experiments a failed experiment on the planet of Pax VII caused the death of numerous civilians. The disaster was covered up and labeled as an accident. Feeling guilty for this event, Winston Chang decided to enter the military and help the war effort in a manner where he could directly see and fight his enemy rather than accidentally cause massive civilian losses. He became a fighter pilot and took the callsign of Vagabond to reflect his nature of "man without any roots".

In spite of his irreverent manners and dislike for military protocol, Vagabond soon adapted to life aboard a space ship and became an experienced and reliable pilot. Chang's own vision of himself was of "a cool professional on duty and the Rec Room clown off duty". Vagabond's favorite hobby when off duty was to play cards and he never failed to show up with a deck of cards in his hands: usually it did not take much time for the rest of the crew to find out he was an extremely skilled and lucky card player.

By 2669, Winston Chang was a Lieutenant flying off the Confederation carrier TCS Victory: during this cruise he lost many of his fellow pilots including Mitchell "Vaquero" Lopez, a young Latino pilot Vagabond frequently flew with. The loss of so many friends was the reason why Chang decided to join Colonel Blair's "Temblor Bomb Raid" in spite of his disgust for the use of weapons who would cause civilians losses. Vagabond accompanied the other pilots from the Victory to the Kilrathi homeworld until his fighter was intercepted by an enemy patrol and shot down in the ensuing dogfight. However, before his ship blew up, he was able to eject and was later recovered.

In 2673, still a Lieutenant, Winston Chang was assigned to the TCS Lexington during the building of tensions between the Confederation and the Union of Border Worlds. Suspecting someone in the Confederation may be behind the acts of terrorism and piracy he witnessed, Vagabond decided to defect to the Border Worlds with the Lexington Captain Eisen in order to be able to shed some lights on what was happening along the frontier.

Attempting to recover information that would help the Border Worlds prove the existence of a conspiracy, Winston Chang made use of his espionage skills and infiltrated a Confederation Comm station with Lieutenant Velina Sosa. During this operation he was forced to cover Sosa from an unexpected attack by the station's security forces and was killed in action.

Behind the scenes

Velina Sosa

Velina Sosa
First appearance Wing Commander IV
Last appearance Wing Commander IV
Portrayed by Holly Gagnier
Information
Species Human
Gender Female
Title Captain, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation, Union of Border Worlds

Velina Sosa is a fictional character in Wing Commander. She is a communications officer aboard the BWS Intrepid and her first appearance is in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom.

Biography

In the fictional Wing Commander universe, Lieutenant Velina Sosa was the communications officer aboard the BWS Intrepid during the conflict between the Terran Confederation and the Union of Border Worlds in 2673. Sosa was only 25 years old at the time of the conflict, but she already held Master's Degrees in Theoretical Mathematics and Linguistics from Oxford. Sosa was working on getting a Doctorate in Theoretical Numbers and Phase Shift Inducers until she was recruited by Admiral Vance Richards.

In Wing Commander IV, Velina Sosa was an expert on codes and communications, and had been assigned to the BWS Intrepid to decipher the information that Captain William Eisen brought with him when he defected from the Confederation. She also took part in a dangerous mission to infiltrate a Confederation communication station to gather more information (resulting in the loss of Winston "Vagabond" Chang), and helped find the location of the Black Lance's secret operations base in Axius.

Sosa had something of a crush on Christopher Blair, having heard about him on the news, and watched every episode of Heroes of the Confederation. She made a pass at Blair while they were on the TCS Princeton, but was turned down because of the age difference between the two. During the Confederation/Border Worlds conflict, Sosa was the target of one Troy "Catscratch" Carter. Carter and Sosa had several moments together aboard the BWS Intrepid. After the conflict was over, Sosa was promoted to Captain and was assigned as a Border Worlds liaison officer to Confederation forces on the frontier.

Robert "Pliers" Sykes

Robert Sykes
First appearance Wing Commander IV
Last appearance Wing Commander IV
Portrayed by Richard Riehle
Information
Nickname(s) Pliers
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Chief Fighter Maintenance Technician, BWS Intrepid; Master Chief Petty Officer, TCN (Retired)
Nationality Terran Confederation, Union of Border Worlds

Robert Sykes is a fictional human character from the Wing Commander series who appears in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom.

Biography

Robert Sykes is a middle-aged man who used to live in the Terran Confederation. He was a Master Chief in the military but joined the Union of Border Worlds to retire after the Kilrathi War ended. He was known to chew tobacco and could almost always be found tearing apart spacecraft and putting the pieces back together into a stronger vessel. His ability to repair and build craft earner him the callsign "Pliers".

Pliers was assigned to the BWS Intrepid when the Black Lance Conspiracy was unfolding in 2673. He became the Chief Technician on that vessel, repairing and upgrading the few starfighters the Border Worlds had to operate. He survived the Confed attack on the vessel in the Masa System when Colonel Christopher Blair, Captain William Eisen and several other comrades defected to the Border Worlds. When they came on board, Pliers was responsible for upgrading their ships and giving them technologies stolen from Confed. Pliers nabbed a couple of Manned Insertion Pods, or MIPs, from Confed for covert space infiltrations. The MIPs came in good use when Winston "Vagabond" Chang and Velina Sosa raided a Confed radar station for secret data on the instigators of the Border Worlds/Confed conflict. When the Intrepid assisted the Kilrathi leader Melek in getting back home after he was attacked by the unknown Confed assailants, he helped Pliers prolong the cloak life on the MIPs.

Before the biological attack on the Telamon System, Colonel Blair captured a number of Dragon heavy fighters, the signature fighter of the Black Lance and an illegally commissioned craft. Pliers was stunned at all of the brand new systems found in the craft, and found that the fighter's power plant supplied unlimited power for the afterburners rather than separate fuel, allowing for greater use of speed. Pliers prepared these fighters for combat and gave Colonel Blair the one Flash-Pak they acquired for battle. Blair used both the Dragon and the Flash-Pak to combat his Black Lance opponents and to destroy the TCS Vesuvius, a supercarrier the Black Lance had acquired. It was not long afterwards that Colonel Blair revealed the existence of the Black Lance to the Confederation's Great Assembly and stopped the ensuing war between the Border Worlds and Confed. This endeavour would not have been successful without Pliers' technological support on the battlefield in the weeks preceding the war declaration.

It is unknown what became of Pliers after the Conspiracy was revealed. Presumably, he is back in retirement.

Behind the scenes

John "Gash" Dekker

John Dekker
First appearance Wing Commander IV
Last appearance Wing Commander: Prophecy
Portrayed by Jeremy Roberts
Information
Nickname(s) Gash
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Colonel, TCMC
Nationality Terran Confederation, Union of Border Worlds

John Dekker is a fictional character appearing in Wing Commander. Dekker is a Marine Corps officer fighting for the Union of Border Worlds in Wing Commander IV - The Price of Freedom and later for the Confederation in Wing Commander: Prophecy.

Biography

John Dekker was born around 2638 and he entered the Confederation Marine Corps when the conflict with the Kilrathi had already broken out and was reaching its climax. Apparently Dekker was bestowed his nickname "Gash" by a Drill Instructor during Confed Marine Corps boot camp when he gave himself a bad cut from opening a packet of field rations and had to be evacuated for medical attention.

After taking part in some actions against the Kilrathi and having earned several citations for valor, John Dekker decided to become an officer. Later he took part in the Battle of Repleetah, a bloody fight between Confed and Kilrathi ground troops that had been raging for years; when the Confederation fleet exercised a tactical retreat, leaving the Marines on the surface of Repleetah without cover and assistance, Dekker was among the soldiers who were captured by the Kilrathi. He spent four years in a Kilrathi slave camp as a POW before all the surviving prisoners were liberated by the Kilrathi when they signed the False Armistice that preceded the Battle of Earth.

When the war against the Kilrathi ended, Dekker left the Corps for a brief stint with a mercenary force. Unable to come to terms with some of the ethical problems of his new profession, Dekker left the mercenaries and decided to enter the Border Worlds Marine Corps when he was offered command of a company and the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During the clashes between the Confederation and the Border Worlds in 2673, Dekker was assigned to the BWS Intrepid as the commander of the contingent of Marines aboard the carrier. He took part in the raid against the TCS Princeton, leading his men onto the ship to seize control.

When the crisis ended, Dekker was offered to return to service with the Confederation Marine Corps by promise of duty aboard the newly built TCS Midway, along with a promotion to full Colonel, commanding a garrison of soldiers assigned as a rapid reaction force for the carrier. Dekker's Marines were instrumental in the fight against the Nephilim when they infiltrated the alien wormhole station and managed to sabotage it with help from Colonel Christopher "Maverick" Blair.

By 2701, Dekker had retired from the Confed Marine Corps and became Editor-In-Chief of Star*Soldier magazine.

Behind the scenes

Jacob "Hawk" Manley

Jacob Manley
First appearance Wing Commander IV
Last appearance Wing Commander: Prophecy
Portrayed by Chris Mulkey
Information
Nickname(s) Hawk
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Colonel, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation, Union of Border Worlds

Jacob "Hawk" Manley was a veteran fighter pilot of the Terran Confederation who appeared in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom and Wing Commander: Prophecy.

Biography

Jacob Manley was the commander of the Black Widow Squadron aboard the TCS Midway just prior to his death. His large Bowie knife was his "trademark".

Manley grew up on the "economically depressed industrial world of Mylon II". His family was poor, but he studied hard in school and achieved good grades.

After his graduation from high school, Manley enlisted as a comm tech in the Confed Space Force, and he was posted aboard the TCS Tiger's Claw. Being a comm tech did not interest Manley for long, and he soon moved on to OCS. While Manley was in TCSF Flight School, the Kilrathi proton-bombed Mylon II, killing his family. The Mylon incident deepened his friendship with Michael "Iceman" Casey, who shared a deep hatred for the Kilrathi.

On one of Manley's first missions, three of his wingmen died, including two bunkmates. He was traumatised from the experience, until he was pulled aside by then-Major Michael Casey for a talk. Manley signed on as Casey's wingman, and Casey had to "kill a clan" of Kilrathi until Manley pulled himself together.

Manley flew for the last decade of the Kilrathi War stationed mainly in the Astoria system, earning his 5-Kill Ace Ribbon and a citation for bravery defending Earth after the False Armistice.

He scored 96 kills with the fleet. He would have gotten 100 and his Century Award, but then Christopher Blair ended the war with the Temblor Bomb run on Kilrah. After the war, he was taken out of fleet service for being reckless and endangering lives and property, so Manley became a flight instructor at the TCSF Flight School. During a training exercise, he ordered a trainee to do a dangerous maneuver in an asteroid field, killing the trainee. Manley was reprimanded for negligence and dismissed from the post.

Manley soon arrived in the Union of Border Worlds, where he was offered a commission in the Border Worlds Planetary Defense Navy, and he began serving aboard the BWS Intrepid.

When Eugene Wilford was offered command of the Midway, Wilford brought Manley with him to become the top man on the flight roster. While on the Midway, a rookie pilot named Lance Casey experienced the same trauma as Manley, as he did back when he lost three of his wingmen, so Manley pulled the rookie aside and performed the same service as the rookie's father had for him.

Not long afterwards, Manley was killed in action while on a reconnaissance mission, after being jumped by two squadrons of Nephilim. As 1Lt Liam Anderson cleaned out Hawk's locker, Anderson handed Casey Hawk's trademark Bowie knife, saying "He would have wanted you to have that." Casey thereafter wore the knife just as Hawk himself did, to honor Hawk's memory.

Manley never married.

Eugene Wilford

Eugene Wilford
First appearance Wing Commander IV
Last appearance Wing Commander: Prophecy
Portrayed by Peter Jason
Information
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Admiral, TCN
Nationality Terran Confederation, Union of Border Worlds

Eugene Wilford is a naval officer in the Wing Commander universe. He plays prominent roles in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom and Wing Commander: Prophecy.

Biography

Eugene Wilford is a high-ranking naval officer whose roots trace all the way back to the Union of Border Worlds. His parents were among the first to settle his homeworld and he was the first to be born on its soil. He attended the Academy and was one of their top graduates. He moved on to attend ROTC training. He eventually married and has four children, all of whom are still alive as of 2681.

Wilford has been an active combatant in the ongoing Kilrathi War for years. As a Border Worlds citizen, he was an ally of the Terran Confederation. It is evidenced that was present at the Battle of Repleetah, as he has horrific accounts of the brutal fighting that ravaged the planet. Little else is known of his military career, but he swiftly rose through the ranks and eventually rose to the rank of Captain.

After the War ended in 2669, Wilford returned to the Border Worlds to reorganize their naval forces, which were significantly smaller compared to that of Confed's. When the Black Lance Conspiracy began in 2673, Wilford was given the rank of Vice Admiral and essentially put in total command of the Border Worlds Navy. He proved to be an able leader and with his guidance the Border Worlds were given the time they needed to combat the conspirators and reveal their existence to Confed. When Colonel Christopher Blair]defected to the Border Worlds and took command of the Border Worlds' flagship, the BWS Intrepid, Wilford kept him updated on the conspirators' activities and advised the Colonel on the best course of action. Wilford's joint command with Colonel Blair proved effective as Blair was able to stop Confed's war declaration on the Border Worlds.

After peace was restored between the two sides, Wilford accepted the offer to re-enlist in the Confederation Navy, where he once again assumed the rank of Captain. However, he maintains the rank of Vice Admiral in the Border Worlds Naval Reserve. In 2681, he was given command of the newly commissioned TCS Midway, and once again joined up with Commodore Blair to repel the invading Nephilim forces. After the Nephilim invasion, Wilford was promoted to Admiral in the Terran Confederation Navy.

"Seether"

Seether
First appearance Wing Commander IV
Last appearance Wing Commander IV
Portrayed by Robert Rusler
Information
Species Human
Gender Male
Title Colonel, TCSF; second-in-command of the Black Lance
Nationality Terran Confederation, Black Lance

Seether was a fictional character who appeared in the fictional Wing Commander universe. He appeared in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom, and is one of the primary antagonists in the game. He is the player's main rival in combat.

Biography

Seether comes from a very mysterious past. His real name is unknown, and so is the majority of his military career. He is a native of the Terran Confederation and is known to have been a rookie pilot near the end of the Kilrathi War. He served alongside Colonel Jacob Manley on a different vessel, and proved to be a highly lethal pilot. He then was transferred into Secret Operations where he was never seen again.

Seether was actually a subject of Confed's Genetic Enhancement Program, a top-secret program that was aimed at genetically modifying chosen human candidates in an attempt to create an army of supersoldiers who would crush their Kilrathi opponents. However, this project was canceled at the end of the War when the destruction of Kilrah rendered the project unnecessary. It was also highly controversial for its tampering with human genes. Seether was one of the few candidates to experience full genetic modification, and the war's end did not sway him from his own ambitions. Seether's genetic enhancement made him physically stronger than any other normal human, heightened his senses, and cause him to fly through the ranks in the Space Force in record time. By 2673, he held the rank of Colonel and was on equal terms with the most famed human pilot at the time: Colonel Christopher Blair.

Seether was a hateful man with little respect for those who were less powerful than himself. He did not hesitate to kill those who defied him, and had zero tolerance for failure. He had no fear and was always pushing himself to his limits in order to expand his piloting skills. Occasionally, he would drop mines behind his craft and speed away seconds before detonation, and then ride the shock waves. It was to test himself for fear. Few men had the courage to stand up to him, and he had no respect for the dead.

Seether was recruited by Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn's Black Lance forces in the 2670s, and within a very short time became the head of the Black Lance. While this group was active, the Genetic Enhancement Program was revived and all Black Lance members were genetically modified. Seether led the Black Lance's efforts to initiate war between the Confederation and the Union of Border Worlds by attacking both sides' cargo ships using unmarked ships known to have been used by both factions. His signature fighter was the Dragon Heavy Fighter, a fearsome stealth fighter that he used in most of his attacks. Seether is personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of Confed and Union citizens, and the fact that his Dragon was an unmarked ship covered up his involvement. He often would use a Flash-Pak on capital ships, which burned out ships from the inside-out.

Seether first met his equivalent, Colonel Christopher Blair, on Nephele II while bullying men whom he had hoped to forcefully incorporate into the Black Lance. Blair stepped up for one such victim and showed no fear when Seether threatened to slit his throat. At that point, Seether and Blair became rivals, with Seether having every intention of besting the only pilot greater than himself. Later that day, when Blair was recalled to Confed service, Seether destroyed the Orlando Depot near Nephele II, killing 3,000 Confed citizens. He would later appear on the TCS Lexington alongside Captain Hugh Paulson, where Blair was serving alongside Captain William Eisen to investigate Border Worlds activities. Seether and Paulson had intended on arresting Eisen for secretly investigating Confed activities within the Union, but Eisen and Blair defected before they could do this. The two managed to escape to the Border Worlds after disabling the Lexington, prompting Seether to execute Paulson and commandeer the Lexington.

Colonel Blair would develop an intense hatred for Seether during his battles with the Black Lance in the Border Worlds. However, he did not know Seether's true allegiance as they had yet to identify the Black Lance. Seether then committed the ultimate offense on Telamon, a remote Border Worlds colony. Using unmarked Dragons, he and his flight squad dropped a series of bio-weapons on the planet's surface, killing 90% of the colonists living there. Blair and his men arrived too late to stop them, and proceeded to hunt down the killers to the Axius System. Blair, disguised as a Black Lance officer, infiltrated a secret facility there and found out that Seether was serving the Black Lance alongside Admiral Tolwyn, and that the bio-weapon he used on Telamon was the Gen-Select Bioweapon. Seether was enraged to see Colonel Blair among the crowds, and tried unsuccessfully to stop him from escaping.

Seether and Tolwyn chased Blair to the Sol System, where Blair was trying to reach Earth to stop the declaration of war against the Union of Border Worlds. Seether ran into Blair one last time and faced off with his rival in a one-on-one fight. Seether taunted his opponent and attacked him with the most improvised weapons. Ultimately, however, even Seether, the finest example of the Genetic Enhancement Program, could not best the Savior of the Confederation. Blair shot down Seether in combat on 2673.231 and moved on to stop the war between the two nations. Seether's reign of terror had finally come to its end.

Behind the scenes

2680s

Wing Commander Prophecy

Terran Confederation

Lance Casey

Lance Casey
First appearance Wing Commander: Prophecy
Last appearance Wing Commander: Prophecy: Secret Ops
Portrayed by Steven Petrarca
Information
Nickname(s) Frosty (unofficial)
Species Human
Gender Male
Title First Lieutenant, TCSF
Nationality Terran Confederation

Lance Casey is a fictional character from Wing Commander. Casey flies with the Terran Confederation Space Force and makes his first appearance in Wing Commander: Prophecy.

Biography

In the fictional Wing Commander universe, Lance Casey was the son of Michael "Iceman" Casey. Lance's early career is quite undistinguished. His main extracurricular activities during high school were sports. After attending high school, Lance took a couple of years off, living at home assisting his mother with the spaceport diner she had recently bought. Later, Casey applied and was accepted into the Terran Confederation Space Forces.

During his career in the Confederation, Casey proved to be a natural pilot like his father. The only exception was that Lance was brash, which earned him a large collection of demerits. After graduation, Lance was assigned escort duty, escorting ambassadors and diplomats in fast transports. Casey got in to mischief between missions and narrowly avoided career-ending charges several times. Lance was being watched by Senator James Taggart, a friend of his father's, who influenced a transfer for Casey on to the Megacarrier TCS Midway, hoping that military discipline would solve the problems.

In Wing Commander: Prophecy, Lance was transferred to the Midway along with his best friend Maxwell "Maestro" Garrett. Soon after Casey's arrival on the Midway, the Nephilim attacked the Midway and Casey played a large role in defeating the alien forces and destroying their wormhole. In a few short months, Casey was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and had earned the Confederation Flying Cross and a Silver Star. He even rose to not only become a member of, but also lead the "Wolf Pack", Midway's elite squadron.

Following the initial Nephilim threat, 1Lt Lance Casey was assigned and transferred to the Special Operations division, operating on the Hades-class Strike Cruiser TCS Cerberus, where again he played a large role in quelling Nephilim attacks.

Behind the scenes

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, October 02, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.