A Field Guide to the Weapons of the Wing Commander Movie

I recently stopped to think about how I had never really seen anyone criticize what has always been one of my least favorite parts of the Wing Commander movie: the 'broadside' scene where Paladin commands the Tiger Claw to defeat a Fralthi by firing a wave of missiles at them at close range as the ships pass each other. It has always seemed weirdly convenient to me as well as seeming to break the internal logic of the world to me; specifically, WHY does the Tiger's Claw have so many torpedo tubes that face to the side, especially if firing them is some sort of unusual trick that maverick Paladin has strategized for the first time. What are they usually for?!

Lately I've found that if I stop to think around things I don't like I often discover new things to consider. So I decided to start thinking about that scene with a simple task to start unraveling the thread: how many missiles does the Tiger Claw actually fire? Is it the thousand it seems like? I went frame by frame and then looked at the contrails on the shot above and was surprised to realize that it's a total of only twelve missiles.

From there I decided to look at the configuration of the missile launchers ("missile ports" I would learn from the Handbook). I realized that my impression that the tubes ran the length of the ship was also wrong, the "starboard battery" that Gerald refers to is actually a distinct section of the midship's superstructure with several distinct groupings of missile launchers. Then, I noticed something that happens too quickly to pick up: we actually see totally separate torpedoes and missiles on the Tiger Claw. In fact, there are two distinct sets for the torpedo room and the missile room! Because of how the movie was re-edited, they show up very close to each other instead of during separate battles. What that tells me is that there was actually something very intentional here that I had been missing all these years!

So what's the story? It turns out that all of the capital ship missiles fired by the Tiger Claw are intended to be anti-fighter batteries. They're arranged up and down the side of the ship's command center and in an ordinary battle they would be fired and maneuver under their own power to whatever they have been targeted at. Essentially, the movie posits that capital ship torpedoes (and skippers) are for long range fighting, missiles are for middle range battle and then point-defense flak is for close defense. The famous 'depth charge' scene is also a case of a capital ship that fired this sort of missile!

Similarly, I know that many people were not fans of the Rapier's large nose-mounted neutron gun. And it's interesting to me how many people remember it as a steampunk-esque slug-throwing weapon similar to Star Citizen's Hornet. When you actually stop to watch the weapons, specifically, the Rapier's big drums actually fire a single, centralized energy bolt that's actually colored after the game's neutron guns. Huh!

This all prompted me to put together the guide to the movie's weapons below. We all know how game developers put together a set of guns and weapons that will be used across all the ships in a given game and we all eagerly read about these systems in the manuals going in. Well, the exact same amount of thought went into making a system for the movie's world and the internal logic the film followed… it just passes by in an instant in the background and you never think about it. I hope this gives you a look at how much complexity went into building the world of the movie! Also, a very special thank you to AD for his research into the different Confederation missiles and then Powell and Whistler for their expertise in identifying the original military hardware used in their construction! We have cool conversations like this EVERY DAY in the Discord, folks!

PART ONE: GUNS

Laser Cannons
The laser cannon shoots a green bolt. It is seen used by the Dralthi and the Fralthi's turrets. The Confederation Handbook says that several other capital ships have turreted lasers but they are never seen being fired: the Thrakhra (2), Ralari (2), Sivar (6), Snakeir (6) and Bengal (8). The Handbook does not list turreted lasers on the Fralthi even though they are seen in the film. The Rapier has a pair of wing mounted lasers which are not fired.

Mass-Driver Cannons
The mass driver is never seen fired in the movie. The Broadsword carries three of them: one in the nose and the other two at the top of its vertical stabilizers.

Dual-Pulse Rotary Barrel Neutron Guns
The neutron gun is probably the most iconic weapon in the movie, forming the muzzle of the CF-117 Rapiers. It fires a blue-purple bolt not dissimilar to the one seen in the original game. The Broadsword has three turreted neutron guns, one amidship on top and two at the bottom of its vertical stabilizers. The Diligent also seems to have dual-pulse rotary barrel neutrons installed in its two gun hardpoints (at the tips of its 'wings').

Point-Defense Guns
Flak guns (also called point-defense missiles) are seen fired by the Sivar dreadnaught that Paladin torpedoes. We do not get a good look at the munition itself. The Confederation Handbook reports that every capital ship with the exception of the ConCom has point-defense guns: Ralari (15), Fralthi (18), Bengal (22), Sivar (23), Concordia (30), Snakeir (42), Pegasus (200).

Antimatter Guns
Like the neutron gun, the antimatter gun is very similar to the color seen in the game, a blue-white bolt. They are seen fired by the Concordia at the Kilrathi fleet. The Confederation Handbook says that several capital ships have antimatter guns: Ralari (2), Fralthi (3), Concordia (4) and Pegasus (200). The antimatter guns defending Pegasus are in turrets paired with point-defense missile launchers.

Tractor Beam
A tractor beam is seen used by a Broadsword to rescue Blair at the end of the movie. The Diligent also has a tractor beam mounted directly below its cockpit, though it is not used.

PART TWO: MISSILES

Confederation Fighter Missiles
A variety of missile types are seen aboard the Rapier and stored aboard the Tiger Claw's flight deck at various points. The specific missiles carried by the Rapiers seem to change from mission to mission, with common loadouts being two red (above) and two yellow-tipped (below) or four red-tipped missiles. In the movie, Rapiers seem to carry four visible missiles while the Confederation Handbook says they can carry as many as ten. The novelization notes that Blair is carrying Darts, Spiculums and Pilums at one point. The Broadsword also carries three missiles.

Missile #1: These are the missiles most commonly seen on the Rapiers. They have red tipped warheads with clear stripes. They are built from Soviet R-60 air-to-air missiles.

Missile #2: Variant of Missile #1 with a clear warhead with yellow stripes.These are occasionally mounted on the lower hardpoints on Rapiers.

Missile #3: Pointed missiles with black tips, two red stripes and one yellow. These were built from British Sea Wolf surface-to-air missiles. Seen on carts and racks on the Tiger Claw flight deck.

Missile #4: A finned missile with a red warhead. These were built from British Seacat surface-to-air missiles.

Missile #5: Gray launchers seen stacked on the deck in various places. These were built from Soviet UB-16 rocket launchers rocket pods but it is not clear whether they are definitely intended to be missile launchers in the movie.

Behind-the-scenes footage has also shown a rack of olive drab Firestreak missiles with their fins removed which are labeled "GAM-6C". These missiles have not been identified in the movie itself; it's possible they were present because they were removed from the English Electric Lightings.

Bomber Torpedoes
The Broadsword bomber carries four external torpedoes slung around its fuselage. Paladin fires them at a Sivar dreadnought during the Kilrathi ambush. These torpedoes are visually distinct from the large ones used by the carrier itself. The Confederation Handbook incorrectly lists the Broadsword as carrying only two torpedoes.

Kilrathi Fighter Missiles
According to the script, the Dralthi 'dive bombing' Pegasus are firing missiles. We don't get a clear view of the munitions. The KF-100 Dralthi has hardpoints for four missiles.

Confederation Capital Ship Missile
The Tiger Claw has port and starboard missile batteries capable of firing an array of ranged defensive missiles; Paladin has twelve of them fired at once to destroy the Fralthi at the end of the movie. Except in the case of Pegasus (300), the Confederation Handbook does not distinguish between missile ports and torpedo tubes. As a result, the Bengal (40) and the Concordia (50) are both listed as having high numbers of torpedo tubes. While the more specific breakdown is unknown for the Concordia, the Tiger Claw deck plans suggest that each missile battery has 16 ports (arranged 3-2-2-3-3-3) for a total of 32. The movie features a unique missile room set on the Tiger Claw which is seen towards the end of the film.

Confederation NX-125 Torpedo
Torpedoes are a larger version of those fired by the Broadswords but instead of locking at close range they are the longest-ranged weapon, fired at the start of a battle. Torpedoes are seen fired from both the Tiger Claw (in both major battles) and the Concordia (in the final fleet ambush). The Tiger Claw has a torpedo room which is distinct from its missile room. The torpedo room is seen preparing weapons before both battles. Four torpedo tubes are mentioned during the movie aboard the Tiger Claw and it is believed it has eight total (though the diagram on the deck plans is not completely clear how they are configured).

Confederation Drone
Drones are seen twice in the movie: one is launched by Pegasus in the opening with a message to Admiral Tolwyn and the second is launched by the Tiger Claw to distract the Kilrathi from its hiding place in an asteroid.

Kilrathi Capital Ship Missile
According to the script, the famous 'depth charge' dropped by the Ralari is actually a missile. A close review of the scene confirms this: after being fired by the Ralari it activates its own thrusters and maneuvers independently to its target. The Confederation Handbook lists missile ports and torpedo tubes together as the latter but lists the Ralari as carrying eight.

Kilrathi Capital Ship Torpedo
Torpedoes are fired by the Sivar in the first battle and then the Fralthi during the finale. The Confederation Handbook lists missile ports and torpedo tubes together as the latter but assigns them to all of the Kilrathi capital ships: Ralari (8), Fralthi (8), Thrakhra (10), Sivar (12) and Snakeir (14).

K459-C Ultra-Long-Range Phased Photon-Cloak Torpedo aka "Skipper Missile"
The Skipper Missile plays a major role in the movie's climax as Angel sacrifices here fighter to destroy one and save the Tiger Claw. The Skipper was entirely computer generated.