Category:Wing Commander Academy (TV): Difference between revisions

Wing Commander Academy
Language(s)	English, Arabic
Studio	Universal Cartoon Studios
Release Date	September 21, 1996
Running time	13 episodes x ~21 minutes each min

Wing Commander Academy was a television series produced by Universal Cartoon Studios. A single season of thirteen episodes were aired from September 21, 1996 to December 21, 1996 on USA Network as part of the station's Action Extreme Team. The series was developed as a prequel to Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger and reunites Mark Hamill, Tom Wilson and Malcolm McDowell voicing younger versions of their characters. Dana Delany also stars. The series heavily references the settings, ships and other lore elements of Wing Commander I and II.

Episodes

Card	Episode	Title	Air Date	Production Code
	1x01	Red and Blue	September 21, 1996	74701
	1x02	The Last One Left	September 28, 1996	74702
	1x03	The Most Delicate Instrument	October 5, 1996	74703
	1x04	Word of Honor	October 12, 1996	74705
	1x05	Lords of the Sky	October 19, 1996	74704
	1x06	Chain of Command	November 2, 1996	74707
	1x07	Expendable	November 9, 1996	74706
	1x08	Recreation	November 16, 1996	74709
	1x09	Walking Wounded	November 23, 1996	74711
	1x10	On Both Your Houses	November 30, 1996	74710
	1x11	Invisible Enemy	December 7, 1996	74708
	1x12	Price of Victory	December 14, 1996	74712
	1x13	Glory of Sivar	December 21, 1996	74713

Original Airing

Wing Commander Academy originally scheduled on the USA Network on Saturdays at 11:30 AM, with episodes premiering from September 21st to December 21st, 1996. A rerun was aired on October 28th, likely because of production delays. The show was packaged as part of the kid-focused Action Extreme Team block of programming which would premiere original programming on weekends and syndicated content weekday mornings. Academy was the penultimate show in the block, running between Street Fighter at 11 AM and Mortal Kombat at noon. Episodes would air again the following day at the same time. For the November 16th premiere (and November 17th rerun) of Recreation, the order of shows was altered to match the Warrior King crossover event. Wing Commander Academy at noon instead of 11:30, closing out the block and the crossover those days. The series continued to appear in weekday reruns into 1997 and until USA Network dropped all children's programming.

Viewing Order

Wing Commander Academy's episodes have been presented in a number of different orders. When the series was first broadcast issues relating to the outsource animation studios and the need to air Recreation alongside the other Action Extreme Team shows on a specific date caused USA Network to premiere the series in an order different from how it was produced. While most of the stories stand alone, several do intentionally reference one another in a way impacted by this change; for example, Chain of Command (1x06) was intended to follow Expendable (1x07) and references the events of that story ("Bergstrom: Cadet Blair, I understand you lead the recon through the jump node that discovered the Kilrathi fleet. Maverick: Yes, Admiral. Cadet Price flew wing."). Star*Soldier, the manual for Wing Commander Arena, included several Academy episodes in an updated timeline which establishes canonical dates for several episodes and implies an official timeline order. The 2012 DVD release introduced another order which does not match production or the narrative.

Order	Original Airing	Production Order	Timeline Order	DVD Order
Episode 1	Red and Blue	Red and Blue	Red and Blue	Red and Blue
Episode 2	The Last One Left	The Last One Left	The Last One Left	The Last One Left
Episode 3	The Most Delicate Instrument	The Most Delicate Instrument	The Most Delicate Instrument	The Most Delicate Instrument
Episode 4	Word of Honor	Lords of the Sky	Lords of the Sky	Chain of Command
Episode 5	Lords of the Sky	Word of Honor	Word of Honor	Lords of the Sky
Episode 6	Chain of Command	Expendable	Expendable	Word of Honor
Episode 7	Expendable	Chain of Command	Chain of Command	Expendable
Episode 8	Recreation	Invisible Enemy	Walking Wounded	Invisible Enemy
Episode 9	Walking Wounded	Recreation	Invisible Enemy	Recreation
Episode 10	On Both Your Houses	On Both Your Houses	Recreation	On Both Your Houses
Episode 11	Invisible Enemy	Walking Wounded	On Both Your Houses	Walking Wounded
Episode 12	Price of Victory	Price of Victory	Price of Victory	Price of Victory
Episode 13	Glory of Sivar	Glory of Sivar	Glory of Sivar	Glory of Sivar

Home Video

Wing Commander Academy Complete Series was released on DVD in Region 1 on May 29, 2012. The DVD set was produced under license by Canadian company Visual Entertainment Inc. (VEI) for the release and distributed by First Look Studios/Millennium Entertainment in the United States. The only extra included is animated menus. The package includes all thirteen episodes on two discs. The release is packaged in a standard Keep Case with a cardboard slipcover.

The order of episodes on the DVD does not match the previously used air date, timeline or production order. Disc 1: Red and Blue, The Last One Left, Most Delicate Instrument (sic), Chain of Command, Lords of the Sky, Word of Honor, Expendable. Disc 2: Invisible Enemy, Recreation, On Both Your Houses, Walking Wounded, Price of Victory, Glory of Sivar

Box Copy

In the year 2655, a generation-long battle rages between the Terran Confederation and the evil Kilrathi, a feline race of savages bent on destroying humanity.

A trio of spirited novice fighter pilots (voiced by Mark Hamill, Dana Delany and Thomas F. Wilson) are thrust into battle under the command of the legendary Commodore Geoffrey Tolwyn (Malcolm McDowell). Skills will be tested and friendships forged as they fly missions more dangerous than they could have ever imagined.

Inspired by the wildly successful computer game and voiced by a star-studded cast, Wing Commander Academy boasts stunning special effects and creative character-driven storylines that appeal to fans young and old.

Marketing Copy

A spirited and elite corps of novice fighter pilots attends the Wing Commander Academy in the year 2655. Often thrust into battle against the mighty and ruthless Kilrathi race, the crew must master daring manoeuvres and veer through constant danger to save the world. Sedate and honorable Maverick, devil-may-care and impulsive Maniac, and serious-minded, cautious and competent Archer make up a quarter of the cadet wing at the academy under their brilliant, if argumentative, captain, Commodore Tolwyn.

Technical Details

• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• DVD Release Date: May 29, 2012
• Run Time: 268 minutes
• Studio: Millennium Media Services
• Initial MSRP: $24.98

Media

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  DVD Cover

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  Disc 1

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  Disc 2

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  Physical Product

DVD Menus

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  Disc 1 Root Menu

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  Disc 2 Episode Selection Menu

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  Disc 2 Root Menu

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  Disc 2 Episode Selection Menu

Promotional Material

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  Initial Solicitation Image (note typo, "Mark Hamill")

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  First Updated Solicitation Image

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  Second Updated Solicitation Image

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  Final Solicitation Image

Issues

Issues with the sound mixing causes some in-flight dialogue to be drowned out by music. This is especially noticeable during the first simulated dogfight in Red and Blue although it is present throughout the DVD episodes.

Where to Buy

Wing Commander Academy Complete Series remains in print and available through various online retailers.

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Blowitoutahere.com
• CD Universe
• Deep Discount
• DVD Empire

Streaming

Wing Commander Academy is available streaming through NBCUniversal's Peacock service. The series became available with early previews of the Peacock service for Comcast users starting on April 15, 2020 and was released to the general public starting July 15, 2020. Episodes are presented in production order and feature newly generated captions. Universal Cartoon Studio's Savage Dragon, part of the Action Extreme Team crossover event, is also available for streaming via Peacock for the first time.

Marketing Copy

In the year 2655, a group of new graduates of the Space Naval Academy replaces the crew of a refurbished ship to complete training, but members find themselves taking part in a very real battle against the Kilrathi.

Images

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  Show Selection

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  Episode Selection

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  Splash Screen

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  Captains Example

Arabic Version

Wing Commander Academy was localized in Arabic by Al-Zhra Center and broadcast in the Middle East by Space Toon. The dub made several changes to the show including new credits and several edits for content. The series aired in production order. The series was also aired on MBC 3, a free-to-air children's network broadcasting from the United Arab Emirates, in 2006.

Download

Low quality off-air dubs of the Arabic version of Wing Commander Academy are available for download. Only the first episode includes the introduction and credits.

Episode	Title	Size
1x01	Red and Blue	96M
1x02	The Last One Left	81M
1x03	The Most Delicate Instrument	80M
1x04	Lords of the Sky	104M
1x05	Word of Honor	108M
1x06	Expendable	98M
1x07	Chain of Command	88M
1x08	Invisible Enemy	47M
1x09	Recreation	102M
1x10	On Both Your Houses	85M
1x11	Walking Wounded	85M
1x12	Price of Victory	84M
1x13	Glory of Sivar	87M

Changes

Several scenes were edited for content in the dubbed version of On Both Your Houses. Shots of Archer wearing a nightgown were clipped and a scene in which Dr. Sing, Maverick and Maniac wear swimsuits was removed entirely. The most interesting change is that the dubbed version replaces the instrumental theme songs with an original song that features lyrics. A short clip of the Kilrathi tug towing the Warrior King's sleeper ship from Recreation was added to the end of the introduction so it would match the running time of the song. The credits were also redone, with translated text scrolling over clips from the series while the same song plays.

Translated Theme Lyrics

Fly Soar
Like an eagle
Growl Roar.. Decimate evil
Fly Soar
You are the toughest
Quenched your thirst from the fountain of courage
The enemy of virtue ..a bully
Tyrannical catastrophic malicious unjustly
Clear sky is now bloody
Maneuver aim
Incinerate the enemy
Roar Growl
So our sky is clear again
Fly

Logo

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  On Screen Title

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  Pirate Group Imagery featuring Logo

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  Pirate Group Imagery featuring Logo

Credits

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Behind The Screens

Concept Art

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Press Kit

A press kit was circulated prior to the first showing of the Wing Commander Academy TV show.

Main article: Academy Television Press Kit

Series Bible & Scripts

• Academy Television Series Bible
• Recreation - First Draft Revised
• Chain of Command - First Draft Script
• Walking Wounded
• The Most Delicate Instrument

Extra's

• Ships Guide
• Background Artwork
• Production Jacket

Episodes

Viewing Guide

Perhaps you're probably asking yourself, what order should I watch these episodes in? The question isn't as easy as it seems... as there are three distinct schools of thought!

Airdate Order

This is the order in which Academy originally aired on the USA Network in 1996. The show was run Saturday mornings at 11:30 AM (except for "Recreation", which was shown at noon) and then rerun on Sundays at the same time (the Oct. 26th showing was a rerun).

• Episode 01 - Red & Blue - Sept. 21st, 1996
• Episode 02 - The Last One Left - Sept. 28th, 1996
• Episode 03 - The Most Delicate Instrument - Oct. 5th, 1996
• Episode 04 - Word of Honor - Oct. 12th, 1996
• Episode 05 - Lords of the Sky - Oct. 19th, 1996
• Episode 06 - Chain of Command - Nov. 2th, 1996
• Episode 07 - Expendable - Nov. 9nd, 1996
• Episode 08 - Recreation - Nov. 16th, 1996
• Episode 09 - Walking Wounded - Nov. 23rd, 1996
• Episode 10 - On Both Your Houses - Nov. 30th, 1996
• Episode 11 - Invisible Enemy - Dec. 7th, 1996
• Episode 12 - Price of Victory - Dec. 14th, 1996
• Episode 13 - Glory of Sivar - Dec. 21st, 1996

Timeline Order

This is the order in which the series occurs within the context of the Wing Commander universe. It's noticably different, but probably best for watching the show in order... as, for instance, Chain of Command references the events of Expendable. Stardates are rough, and could be within a few days off in each case.

• Episode 01 - Red & Blue - 2654.072-.073
• Episode 02 - The Last One Left - 2654.094
• Episode 03 - The Most Delicate Instrument - 2654.155
• Episode 04 - Lords of the Sky - 2654.162-163
• Episode 05 - Word of Honor - 2654.169
• Episode 06 - Expendable - 2654.176
• Episode 07 - Chain of Command - 2654.177
• Episode 08 - Walking Wounded - 2654.183
• Episode 09 - Invisible Enemy - 2654.184
• Episode 10 - Recreation - 2654.185-.186
• Episode 11 - On Both Your Houses - 2654.190-.191
• Episode 12 - Price of Victory - 2654.292
• Episode 13 - Glory of Sivar - 2654.292-.293

Production Order

Last, and probably least, is the production order. There's no real reason to watch the show in the order in which it was made (as animated shows are generally produced out of order), but it's an important historical footnote!

• Episode 01 - Red & Blue
• Episode 02 - The Last One Left
• Episode 03 - The Most Delicate Instrument
• Episode 04 - Lords of the Sky
• Episode 05 - Word of Honor
• Episode 06 - Chain of Command
• Episode 07 - Expendable
• Episode 08 - Recreation
• Episode 09 - Walking Wounded
• Episode 10 - On Both Your Houses
• Episode 11 - Invisible Enemy
• Episode 12 - Price of Victory
• Episode 13 - Glory of Sivar

Extra: Saga of the Warrior King

The strangest TV crossover ever imagined! Four separate animation studios agreed to pool their efforts and have Michael Dorn travel as a space viking through their shows (Street Fighter, Savage Dragon, Mortal Kombat and Wing Commander). Find out more: Saga of the Warrior King.