Category:Wing Commander Academy (TV)

The Terran Knowledge Bank
Jump to: navigation, search
Wing Commander Academy
SeriesTitle.png
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
WCA-1x01-Title.png 1x01 Red and Blue September 21, 1996 74701
1x02 - Title Screen.png 1x02 The Last One Left September 28, 1996 74702
1x003-Title.png 1x03 The Most Delicate Instrument October 5, 1996 74703
1x05-Title.png 1x04 Word of Honor October 12, 1996 74705
1x04-Title.png 1x05 Lords of the Sky October 19, 1996 74704
1x06-TitleCard.png 1x06 Chain of Command November 2, 1996 74707
1x07-TitleCard.png 1x07 Expendable November 9, 1996 74706
1x08-TitleCard.png 1x08 Recreation November 16, 1996 74709
1x09-TitleCard.png 1x09 Walking Wounded November 23, 1996 74711
1x10-TitleCard.png 1x10 On Both Your Houses November 30, 1996 74710
1x11-TitleCard.png 1x11 Invisible Enemy December 7, 1996 74708
1x12-TitleCard.png 1x12 Price of Victory December 14, 1996 74712
1x13-TitleCard.png 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
1 Red and Blue Red and Blue Red and Blue Red and Blue
2 The Last One Left The Last One Left The Last One Left The Last One Left
3 The Most Delicate Instrument The Most Delicate Instrument The Most Delicate Instrument The Most Delicate Instrument
4 Word of Honor Lords of the Sky Lords of the Sky Chain of Command
5 Lords of the Sky Word of Honor Word of Honor Lords of the Sky
6 Chain of Command Expendable Expendable Word of Honor
7 Expendable Chain of Command Chain of Command Expendable
8 Recreation Invisible Enemy Walking Wounded Invisible Enemy
9 Walking Wounded Recreation Invisible Enemy Recreation
10 On Both Your Houses On Both Your Houses Recreation On Both Your Houses
11 Invisible Enemy Walking Wounded On Both Your Houses Walking Wounded
12 Price of Victory Price of Victory Price of Victory Price of Victory
13 Glory of Sivar Glory of Sivar Glory of Sivar Glory of Sivar

Timeline

The following dates are listed in the Star*Soldier timeline for Wing Commander Academy stories:

Episode Date
Red and Blue 2653 (implied)
The Last One Left 2654.131
Lords of the Sky 2654.162
Expendable 2654.176
Chain of Command 2654.176
Walking Wounded 2654.184
Invisible Enemy 2654.184
Recreation 2654.185
On Both Your Houses 2654.190
Price of Victory 2654.293
Glory of Sivar 2654.293

Home Video

DVD Release

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

DVD Menus

Promotional Material

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.

Streaming

Peacock Logo

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

Arabic Version

Series Title in Arabic

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

Credits

Behind The Screens

Concept Art

Volcano1.jpg, Volcano2.jpg, Wca2-5.jpg, Wca4-1.jpg, Wca4-2.jpg, Wca4-3.jpg, Wca4-4.jpg, Wca4-5.jpg, Wca4-6.jpg, Wca4-7.jpg, Wcart10a.jpg, Wcart11a.jpg, Wcart1a.jpg, Wcart2a.jpg, Wcart3a.jpg, Wcart4a.jpg, Wcart5a.jpg, Wcart6a.jpg, Wcart8a.jpg, Wcart9a.jpg

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

Extra's

Episodes

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.

This category currently contains no pages or media.