1 S

1_S
Production	Privateer 2: The Darkening
Type	Main Plot
Series	Introduction
Disc	CD1
Run Time	2m20s
Next	CREDIT_S
Scenes	1-16

1_S is a cutscene from Privateer 2: The Darkening. It is part of the introductory series of cutscenes. It is the first scene to play in the game and it is followed by CREDIT_S. It shows the ambush and crash of the Canera. It is the only scene to feature the Canera set and the only one to feature actors David McCallum, Don Warrington, Nichola Cordey and Riky Ash.

• Download: 1_S.mp4

Transcript

CANERA COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: Crius planet control, this is cargo 1-0-4-6 Canera. On plan and requesting ejection marker 1-1-5.

MALE SPACE COMMUNICATIONS: Very well, Canera. You are cleared for re-entry. Proceed to Mendra spaceport. Good day.

CANERA CAPTAIN: Who are those clowns?

SECOND OFFICER: We're in unequivocal commit! We can't even manage a skip out!

CANERA CAPTAIN: So much for staying hypersonic. And we're too big for them to tractor in... and keep us from bouncing. Range to Mendra?

CANERA COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: Six hundred fifty.

CANERA CAPTAIN: Hit it now!

CANERA HELMSMAN: Nothing left but altitude dials.

CANERA CAPTAIN: Launch all communications. Tell them to scramble all emergency equipment to Mendra. Nice try, Raj, nice try.

Notes

A portion of the transcription was provided by J. Allen Brack who commented on Facebook: "The line you will never understand, i.e., the line we most made fun of, is 'We're in unequivocal commit! We can't even manage a jump out!'. Just think what those neurons could be doing if I hadn't worked on that project. Terribly sad I still remember."

Characters

Speaking

• Canera Communications Officer
• Male Space Communications (v.o.)
• Canera Captain
• Canera Helmsman
• Second Officer

Non-Speaking

• Canera Crewman #1
• Canera Crewman #2

Ships

• CR3A Ilia MK II (Canera)
• KN01 Drakkar (2)

25th Anniversary

On May 20, 2020, Privateer 2: The Darkening director Steve Hilliker released The Darkening 25th Anniversary Restoration which featured footage restored from Betacam tapes. The footage has been edited down into a cinema cut but where available it is of much higher quality than the game's files. 1_S is cut down and appears slightly later as a flashback in the 25th Anniversary Restoration cut.

• Download: 1_S-P2_25th_ANNIVERSARY_Hilliker_Cut.mp4

Betacam

A pair of Betacam SP tapes recovered from Digital Anvil have provided high quality versions of much of Privateer 2: The Darkening's Main Plot. These cuts are not final and digital effects are missing. 1_S is noticeably longer than the final version.

• Download: 1_S-Priv2-betacam-roughcut.mp4

Behind the Screens Footage

This video was included as a RealMovie clip with the January 1996 issue of EQ Magazine. It features an interview with David McCallum and footage of 1_S being filmed.

• Download: david_mccallum.avi

Images

Marketing

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  Frame Render

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  Frame Render

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  Drakkar cinematic model

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  David McCallum as Canera Captain (web site)

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  David McCallum as Canera Captain (press kit)

Behind the Screens

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  Canera render by Michael Cottam

Press

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  PC Zone supplement

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  PC Zone supplement

Storyboards

A collection of Privateer 2 Storyboards has been provided by Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum. They cover the Main Plot cutscenes.

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Script

A Diane Duane's The Darkening Script Draft 7 used during the game's shooting has been provided by Erin Roberts. Pages 2 through 6 are not present in the available copy of the script; these covered most of 1_S.

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MAIN GAME SEQUENCE : Prologue

BLACK SCREEN

SC.1 EA / ORIGIN TITLES BURN IN AND DOWN (COMPUTER

GENERATED: NO VIDEO)

EXT. CRIUS FROM NEAR SPACE, WIDE -- DARK SIDE (NO FADE: CUT
TO SHOT FROM BLACK SCREEN)

Only a thin crescent of sunlight shows at the edge of the
planet surface, except for faint spatters of light from
cities on the nightside. CAMERA PUSHES IN and slowly PANS
left to show the planet and its primary in the far distance,
"setting" over Crius's limb. As we watch, the sun continues
setting. PAN CONTINUES and STOPS as a large orbital space
station, an intricate and glittering construct, comes INTO
SHOT and hangs half in, half out of it on the left. A soft
SFX: BABBLE OF VOICES AND COMPUTER SIGNALS, the sound of
several communications channels being run together, starts to
be heard, increasing in volume. This station is Crius
OffPlanet Control, a sort of ‘air traffic control” for the
planet at large. (All planets will have this sort of
control, in charge of landing clearances.)

COMMS CHANNELS (V.O.)

(various voices, male/female)

...Crius OPC confirms that, RS one oh

three one, good day... / ...no slot for

you yet, Atriarch, estimated vacancy

four minutes three, zero... / ...vector

toward primary, three three oblique

two five, good day... / Ludau,

you are cleared in on Passadi approach, five zero

one four; separation waived... / Ack-

knowledged, Daniev, your transmission

confirms your comms malfunction, shift

to eight eight three four... (etc., ad 1ib)

SFX: LOW RUMBLE off to the left side. A huge transport
starship coasts INTO SHOT, from “over our shoulder”, between
us and the space station, heading for the planet. As the ship
passes, the last flicker of setting sun vanishes behind
the planet, leaving the ship in near-darkness -- defined only
by "earthglow" from the planet, and its own silhouette,
ornamented with running lights. This is Canera.

CANERA COMMS (V.O.)

(female voice)

Crius OPC, this is PM one oh four

six Canera, on plan, expecting Herab

injection marker one one five.

SCREAM, the second of them performing a victory roll as it
goes.

CUT TO:

BLACK SCREEN