Check Out the Other Wing Commander Collectible Cards (July 31, 2020)

[CIC]

New this month on the Wingkipedia: high res scans of the 1999 X-Toys Wing Commander trading cards! Fans who kept their cards in the packaging could be missing out on some awesome reverse-side lore!

A different trading card was included with each of X-Toys' eight Wing Commander action figures in 1999. The rear card text is largely adapted from the Wing Commander Confederation Handbook.

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Original update published on July 31, 2020

 

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It's interesting that the back of the pilgrim traitor card mostly goes into detail about the Pilgrim Cross rather than the traitor itself. It does however - in that text - reference Blair killing a Kilrathi and finding out who the traitor is both with the knife. Both of those things are cut in the final movie. Blair doesn't kill a Kilrathi and the Knife fight with Gerald were both lost to the editing process. The way the scenes were shot, Blair stabs the Kilrathi that lifts him in the air with the Cross, he's then dropped and picks up the gun and shoots a couple Kilrathi on the bridge to prevent them from activating the scuttle button. Blair, a short time later, fights Gerald with the knife mostly to give himself time to take Wilson off guard. (Gerald only really figures out Blair isn't the traitor during the fight when Blair doesn't kill him when he has the chance but nails Wilson with the cross).

Second interesting thing here is the Kilrathi Pilot card. Now, do you remember actually seeing a Kilrathi Pilot in the movie? No? That's because you don't ever really see it either. It's possible you actually do see the pilot on the bridge at some point but there's no Kilrathi cockpit scenes in the final movie. From what I can tell, the production did actually build a dralthi cockpit and there were a few Kilrathi pilot scenes in-flight shot for the movie. I haven't uncovered those yet unfortunately. They were in the production budget and schedule and I'm pretty sure I had the daily set and shot reports detailing that they were shot, but I'll allow for the possibility that they actually cut them really late in the game and didn't shoot them to save money. More likely in my opinion is that they just weren't happy with how the shots turned out - and like the other Kilrathi scenes - were cut to reduce the crappy animatronic scene time.

 

[Mekt-Hakkikt]

Thanks for this article because I am one of those fans that still hasn't taken the figurines out of their blisters (except two doubles I have). Now I know I haven't missed too much (because I read the Handbook).

(...)
Second interesting thing here is the Kilrathi Pilot card. Now, do you remember actually seeing a Kilrathi Pilot in the movie? No? That's because you don't ever really see it either. It's possible you actually do see the pilot on the bridge at some point but there's no Kilrathi cockpit scenes in the final movie. From what I can tell, the production did actually build a dralthi cockpit and there were a few Kilrathi pilot scenes in-flight shot for the movie. I haven't uncovered those yet unfortunately. They were in the production budget and schedule and I'm pretty sure I had the daily set and shot reports detailing that they were shot, but I'll allow for the possibility that they actually cut them really late in the game and didn't shoot them to save money. More likely in my opinion is that they just weren't happy with how the shots turned out - and like the other Kilrathi scenes - were cut to reduce the crappy animatronic scene time.

Ooh, I'd like to see some Kilrathi cockpit scenes (not necessarily with the pilot)! Best of luck to your reserch.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Second interesting thing here is the Kilrathi Pilot card. Now, do you remember actually seeing a Kilrathi Pilot in the movie? No? That's because you don't ever really see it either.

It might be referencing cut material... or he may just be a Kilrathi pilot to go with the planned Dralthi toy. (It does seem like they swapped the art for the pilot and the general on the cards... and even then there's no "general" in the movie...)

 

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It might be referencing cut material... or he may just be a Kilrathi pilot to go with the planned Dralthi toy. (It does seem like they swapped the art for the pilot and the general on the cards... and even then there's no "general" in the movie...)

I'm assuming they meant "Admiral" instead of General. Still, the flavor text on the back of the card is more about the Kilrathi... in general [ ]. The admiral is the guy in the movie with the clan flags on the back of his armor, so it does appear they swapped the art on the General and Pilot cards.