Travel time jump lines and across systems.

[Quarto]

I believe well see that some day (CR wants to do a new edit and replace the Kilrathi with CG creatures). But I doubt we'll see movement on that until SQ42 is closer to release.

Oh, yeah. You can imagine the kind of noise some people would make if he tried to re-vamp the WC movie while still working on SQ42. The Derek Smarts of the world would immediately get started on the baseless accusations that he's squandering crowdfunded money on the WC movie.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Yep. You've explained this a couple of times over the years, and each time I read about it, I can't help thinking: why in the world would he want to do something like that? Sure, the concept is interesting and unusual, and could be pretty great for a new franchise - but when you're making a film based on a solidly established, ten year-old franchise? If the movie in its final form still generated years of endless "is it canon" discussions, how much worse would this have been? And the weirdest thing is how the script, right from the get-go, made that relativistic stuff absolutely impossible, yet it doesn't seem like a more significant change of the plot itself to better incorporate these things was ever contemplated.

I think the shocking truth is that Chris Roberts cares a lot less about Wing Commander continuity than many of us (and those working on particular elements of the game and the film!) do. He has always been much more interested in telling a compelling story and especially doing something new and challenging with each new project... so to Chris, the idea of the Rapier being 'the' iconic human ship is much more important than the idea that the movie might take place six months before they're 'supposed' to be around

Do you ever get the impression that Chris Roberts, when making the movie, was internally conflicted on what he actually wanted to achieve? This Forever War-inspired stuff, and to some extent all the Pilgrim stuff as well, makes it seem like he wanted the movie to be like "proper" sci-fi, maybe not super high-brow, but definitely a cut above the pulp sci-fi that the series had been. At the same time, there's the WWII-in-space aspect, where you just can't get more pulp sci-fi than that, and which of course also fits in perfectly with the original franchise.

I’ve recently had a chance to read a great deal of material he wrote during the movie’s development. I think his mindset going into the movie was to try and boil Wing Commander back into a number of his inspirations (including war movies and harder science fiction you didn’t always associate with the finished project) while dropping some very specific elements that no longer appeal to him (in particular, the ‘anime style’ of the first two games.)

I believe well see that some day (CR wants to do a new edit and replace the Kilrathi with CG creatures). But I doubt we'll see movement on that until SQ42 is closer to release.

Yes! We’ve talked about this a little, but much more as a far-off dream to work on someday (and he has a number of projects dear to his heart competing, including ones you’ve heard of that he’s kept the rights to over the years: Silverheart and American Knight!) I’d LOVE to see him shoot the beach scene, rework the Kilrathi, re-render the FX (add some of the missing ones), work back in the traitor material… it’s an idea he’s spoken of fondly. I doubt it’ll happen any time soon, but… someday!

 

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Yes! We’ve talked about this a little, but much more as a far-off dream to work on someday (and he has a number of projects dear to his heart competing, including ones you’ve heard of that he’s kept the rights to over the years: Silverheart and American Knight!) I’d LOVE to see him shoot the beach scene, rework the Kilrathi, re-render the FX (add some of the missing ones), work back in the traitor material… it’s an idea he’s spoken of fondly. I doubt it’ll happen any time soon, but… someday!

That's interesting! I didn't know he was still interested in doing The American Knight. I kinda figured it was dead once Flyboys covered some of the same ground (I did uncover some test footage from it's preproduction once upon a time). I'd definitely like to see what Chris could do with a film from scratch with all his producer experience behind him (and all the Star Citizen production).

Silverheart, I'm less personally interested in seeing it, but he spent enough time mulling it over that it doesn't surprise me that he wants to return there. He did take it with him to Digital Anvil from EA after all. Still, I think the movie project would be a better short term (relatively speaking) project for him than to jump right into a game after Star Citizen/SQ42. It really should be doable in less than a year. Heck, if I didn't care about needing to eat I'd volunteer to do it for him and let him be "producer" (actually my skills aren't really pro level, but I'd certainly love to help out, hehe). He could probably even fund it with presales to Netflix or Syfy or something. Package it with a short making-of/retrospective and I doubt it would be a hard sell to set up digital distribution rights.

 

[Baggins]

Yes! We’ve talked about this a little, but much more as a far-off dream to work on someday (and he has a number of projects dear to his heart competing, including ones you’ve heard of that he’s kept the rights to over the years: Silverheart and American Knight!) I’d LOVE to see him shoot the beach scene, rework the Kilrathi, re-render the FX (add some of the missing ones), work back in the traitor material… it’s an idea he’s spoken of fondly. I doubt it’ll happen any time soon, but… someday!

The actors aren't getting younger... Somehow I doubt filming new scenes, unless most of the scene was existence (green screen), but only needed some 'backdrops' as settings, would be that feasible. Have you seen recent pictures of Freddie Prinze, and Lillard? They have aged quite a bit!

 

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The actors aren't getting younger... Somehow I doubt filming new scenes, unless most of the scene was existence (green screen), but only needed some 'backdrops' as settings, would be that feasible. Have you seen recent pictures of Freddie Prinze, and Lillard? They have aged quite a bit!

None of the main characters are in the beach scene, so filming it wouldn't require the original cast.

As for other scenes, they filmed all the traitor scenes the first time around, including all of Blair's lines for when he's talking to his Merlin hologram. The only part they need to film is whoever will be the base for the Merlin character (and his dialogue). Originally CR wanted Robin Williams to play Merlin, but that never worked out since they just didn't have the money to do it. As for the main actors, it wouldn't be a terribly big ordeal to go back and do some new ADR work though.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

IIRC, Robin Williams (who was a big Wing Commander fan, and had come to visit during the Wing Commander IV shoot) expressed an interest in doing it, but when it came time to actually make it happen they weren't able to get through his agent.

The intro scene would be safe to shoot, since all the characters die The other scene it apparently really hurt to cut for budget was the very ending, which would have had a medal ceremony... that'd be a lot harder to make up today! (As the CGI face of Paul Walker driving off to heaven shows us... )

 

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IIRC, Robin Williams (who was a big Wing Commander fan, and had come to visit during the Wing Commander IV shoot) expressed an interest in doing it, but when it came time to actually make it happen they weren't able to get through his agent.

The intro scene would be safe to shoot, since all the characters die The other scene it apparently really hurt to cut for budget was the very ending, which would have had a medal ceremony... that'd be a lot harder to make up today! (As the CGI face of Paul Walker driving off to heaven shows us... )

Yeah, if you compare the scripts we have online (specifically the "third" draft withe the Shooting script) you can see these scenes at least in some form... I would have really liked to have it end with a medal ceremony, though when you analyze that third draft you see that they rewrote the later scenes altogether to get around not having it.

In pretty much every draft before the shooting script Blair (and the audience) are supposed to be relieved when they discover at the ceremony that She is still alive. The last you see of her is here drifting in the ejection pod watching the claw battle the Kilrathi from afar. There's not even a mention of Paladin going to search for her. (One of the filmed scenes shown to test audiences even has a shot of her contemplating self destructing the pod to keep from getting discovered by the Kilrathi). The movie would have cut directly from Blair getting tractored in by S&R to the medal scene. Half the stuff (including the Kiss) was removed from the medal scene and tacked on to the bit where Paladin shows up with an injured Angel. Even the scene with Tolwyn and Blair is kind of reworked version of some of the medal scene. But it also lacks some of the other things from the early drafts like Paladin officially giving command back to Gerald.

 

[Baggins]

I'd like there to be a voice over 'Easter egg' at the end of the film over the credits, from someone contacting Tolwyn stating something to the effect:


"Admiral, a civilian scavenger ship discovered the eject pod of Knight, and he is alive sir. Also Iceman's undercover infiltration mission is a success, and he has successfully been captured by the Kilrathi, convinced them he is a traitor, now double agent, and is now secretly transmitting data back to us of the Kilrathi's current plans in the Vega sector. He is now planning his escape. We predict he should be able to return by 2654.108 to .110 or so. For the bad news Pilgrim traitors have captured the TCS Olympus and are now attacking Confederation outposts and recruiting more Pilgrims, what is our next course of action sir?"

Then you could have Tolwyn respond. Then end of credits..

 

[Baggins]

On a related note with the blueray version but it also can be seen on the dvd in less detail. If you go frame by frame you can see body or pod sized debris 'eject' off to one side of the explosion. In my mind that's Knight 'escaping' the blast. Just everyone was to busy to notice he survived. Maybe his transmitter was malfunctioning (so they couldn't go back for him)?

 

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On a related note with the blueray version but it also can be seen on the dvd in less detail. If you go frame by frame you can see body or pod sized debris 'eject' off to one side of the explosion. In my mind that's Knight 'escaping' the blast. Just everyone was to busy to notice he survived. Maybe his transmitter was malfunctioning (so they couldn't go back for him)?

Nope, I don't see it. I've examined each frame and all I see is a rectangle piece of hull plating. I did notice that the explosion actually repeats itself though .You see part of the clip, it cuts to Knight in the cockpit getting engulfed by the explosion, and then the explosions seems to have been rewound a bit when the movie cuts back to the external shot.

On the other hand, I did find this awhile back when watching Dralthi explode:

https://www.wcnews.com/news/2012/12/30/a-bad-fur-day

 

[Baggins]

I don't know about rectangular, but I took a screen shot here. The object is dark spot in the explosion and 'flies' off to the bottom right. It looks almost human shaped mass to me.
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/wingcommander/images/b/bd/Knighteject.png/revision/latest?cb=20140420023139

Besides, beyond that it, if a special edition was made, they could always go back and insert a CGI escape pod or 'escape suit' specifically into the scene. If someone on the team was making sure to try to fix 'continuity' issue that such a scene made in the first place.

 

[Wojo]

Back to topic... could you argue that approaching a jump point (or any other gravitational anomaly) would result in some relativistic effect a la 'Interstellar'? Kind of supported by the whole bullet time thing from the film... I'm picturing especially in the WC Movie when Blair first navigates Scylla in the Diligent; there's a whole slowing of time as he computes on the approach. The confed handbook also alludes to jump points etc. being extremely wacky in their gravitational profile - not at all a linear spacetime curve on approach.

Streeeeetch... but it makes me feel good about physics.

 

[AD]

I don't know about rectangular, but I took a screen shot here. The object is dark spot in the explosion and 'flies' off to the bottom right. It looks almost human shaped mass to me.
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net...hteject.png/revision/latest?cb=20140420023139
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net...hteject.png/revision/latest?cb=20140420023139
Besides, beyond that it, if a special edition was made, they could always go back and insert a CGI escape pod or 'escape suit' specifically into the scene. If someone on the team was making sure to try to fix 'continuity' issue that such a scene made in the first place.

They could add one for sure, but I still don't think what you are looking at is or was intended to suggest an ejecting Knight. You can track that particular piece of debris and see that it's some kind of grey hunk of metal: