Belly On Up: ALL the Bartenders

Species didn’t seem to matter; wherever there were fliers, there seemed to be a bar. - Captain Ian "Hunter" St. John (Wing Commander Freedom Flight)

We recently received a nice note from a reader:

Howdy!

Just wondering if there has ever been a post that spotlights all the bartenders featured in Wing Commander games. Of course we have Shotglass, but there are other bartenders in WC3 and Privateer. I just think it would be a fun deep dive to take.

Also, a question about bartenders in WC. Are they civilians or are they enlisted personnel aboard ships? I know Shotglass was a pilot back in the day, but is he a civilian now or is he technically still enlisted but working as a bartender?

Cheers,
Sebastian

This was a nice surprise as it's rare to hear anyone is interested in this kind of content! We haven't done a post like that… until now. Join us below for an all-new roundup of the Wing Commander universe's many bartenders. (With regards to the question of whether or not bartenders aboard warships are still in the service, we are going to say the answer is yes. The Wing Commander III novelization notes that the Victory's bartender, wounded in a manner similar to Shotglass, "loved the Service too much to really retire".)

Wing Commander

The most famous bartender in the Wing Commander universe is, of course, Shotglass from the original Wing Commander. He's an ever present storyteller, always available between missions for a friendly chat about tactics, wingmen or what's going on elsewhere in the war. Shotglass is a former Confederation fighter pilot, a contemporary of Paladin, who was wounded too badly to keep flying. Instead of return home, he opted to continue helping as best he could by manning the bar in the carrier's Rec Room. His first name is Sam but his last name is never given; his doomed cousin in The Secret Missions was named Zach Siegler, though, so that's our closest guess! He appears throughout Wing Commander and its expansions as well as adaptations like the Ultimate Strategy Guide and Freedom Flight. He even has a cameo appearance in the Wing Commander movie novelization! What's more, he may even still be alive: while he's listed as a Tiger's Claw casualty in various places, Voices of War mentions the player character being given a set of wings by Shotglass "after K'tithrak Mang"! Shotglass was voiced by Ev Lunning Jr. in Super Wing Commander.

There is another bartender mentioned in the original Wing Commander, introduced by Shotglass: during the Rostov series he tells you about a place called Rita's Cantina on Rostov III and that if you visit you should tell Rita that Shotglass sent you (but not to go in uniform!).

Wing Commander Privateer

The Privateer manual begins Grayson Burrows' story accurately enough: "Out in this part of the Confederation there are only three kinds of people in a bar: those looking for the kind of work that doesn’t get publicly advertised, those offering that kind of work, or anyone looking to blow a paycheck on some Mjolnarian Stout." The Gemini Sector is full of bartenders and they have a LOT to say, much of it oriented to move you along towards the game's ongoing storyline. There are a grand total of nine different bartenders in Privateer, five that appear at different base types and four that are exclusive to specific bases. All of the bartenders (bespoke and type) are voiced by the same actor (with the exception of the pleasure planet bartender) so that their base lines are interchangeable. Each one has a set of additional rumors that are specific to their base or base type.

Agricultural Planet

Mining Base

Pirate Base

Pleasure Planet

Refinery Base

New Constantinople

New Detroit

Oxford

Perry

The pleasure planet bartender makes a cameo apperance in Wing Commander Arena's Star*Soldier manual, too, apparently having gone on to become a mercenary fighter pilot.

Wing Commander III

Wing Commander III's bartender doesn't have any scripted lines but he does appear throughout the game in the background of scenes set in the Victory's officer's lounge! He's most clearly visible in the scenes that take place at the bar, like conversations with Rachel and Flint. According to the game's novelization, his name is Dmitry Rostov, called both "Rosty" and confusingly "Bear" by Blair. He's written like a goofy Russian stereotype, complete with a line where he addresses Colonel Blair as "comrade". Chekov would be proud! Like Shotglass, he was a sailor who was badly wounded but who wanted to keep assisting with the war effort. He had been aboard the TCS Leningrad when it was destroyed by Ralgha nar Hhallas and the Ras Nik'hra! (Despite his appearance in the game, the book claims he lost an arm and an eye to the Kilrathi… an odd decision from Andrew Keith!). Rostov was played by Jean Pierre Pereat, who was a production specialist and not a regular actor.

Wing Commander IV

Wing Commander IV features two distinct bartenders. The first is the much more visible one at the Nephele II Canteen who Blair speaks to at the start of the game (and again if you fail early and are sent home to drink!). He is played by actor Dylan Bruno, who went on to a long career including five years starring on "Numbers".

The second is the easier to miss Lexington bartender, who is present in the background of various scenes from the officer's lounge. The Intrepid does not have a bartender. He is a non-speaking extra and is not credited.

Privateer 2

Privateer 2 has five distinct bar sets and not quite as many distinct bartenders (three we've identified)! The most famous is Joe Kane, played by the famous John Hurt (and casually named after his Alien character in the CCN database). Joe runs the Sinner's Inn on Hermes and appears throughout both the game's story and in various interstitial scenes to share rumors and offer plot-directing clues for Lev. The game's lore developed quite a bit of backstory for both the bar and the man!

The Rampant Robot Bar on Hephaestus is run by a man named Ivan Verketsky. He shows up only briefly in a cutscene behind Melissa Banks wearing a tricorner hat!

The owner of the Surgeon's Blunder Bar on Crius is 'Stump' Gisburn. He seems to be the man in the red jacket who has a PAD similar to Lev's. You can occasionally see him behind Xavier Shondi washing glasses in the lip-shaped bar.

Like the TCS Midway, the Blessed Brew Bar on Bex seems to be a self service affair. Various fountains offer a steady supply of Bex beer that patrons seem to fill themselves.

Finally, we're including the Shadow Play Bar on Anhur in the list even though there doesn't seem to be a bartender visible in its lore or its limited appearance in the game.

Wing Commander Prophecy

Wing Commander Prophecy ends the series' proud bartending tradition by letting the Midway's pilots pour their own drinks. The job tends to fall to Maestro during most cutscenes set in the lounge!

Novel Notes

Finally, we've got a few mentions from the novels:

Can you think of any bartenders we missed? Let us know! And if you'd like to see a particular aspect of Wing Commander lore or the history of making the games covered we'd love to hear your suggestions via e-mail or on the forums.