Wing Commander Movie Night: The Last Starfighter

The Wing Commander movie club has returned from that horrible Planet of the Apes with a shocking revelation. But we won't spoil that, so instead we'll just prepare for next week's fantastic space outing: we'll be watching The Last Starfighter (1984). You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.

The Last Starfighter is a movie that Wing Commander fans are likely to know because it tells a favorite fantasy: a man becomes especially good at a space arcade game which turns out to have been a recruiting device for real space war! That storyline has been referenced ad nauseam in pop culture in the decades since so much so that you probably know the story even if you've never seen the movie itself… a bit like Citizen Kane for nerds. And there's lots to appreciate even if the final film doesn't quite come together like Planet of the Apes, from one of the earliest uses of CG for VFX to a very delightful world that welcomes you right in with space combat and weird aliens.

… and there's little question that it was in the minds of the developers of at least the original Wing Commander. One of the game's four flyable ships, the A-14 Raptor, was based very closely on The Last Starfighter's Gunstar fighter… down to the Porcupine mine dropper which references the film's "Death Blossom". We'll want to see these fighters in action to compare them to the ones we flew in the Vega Campaign!

Where can I find a copy of the movie for the watch party?

You can download a copy of The Last Starfighter from the Internet Archive. It is also currently available for rent or purchase on all the standard services. If you would like a physical copy, the movie was released on UHD in 2023 and remains in print around the world. If you are not able to locate a copy please stop by the Discord and ping a CIC staff member before Friday's showing.

How do we watch the movie together?

It's pretty low tech! Simply join the Wing Commander CIC Discord on Friday and we will be chatting (in text) along with the film in the main channel. Everyone who wants to join in should bring their own copy and we will count down to play them together at 10 PM EST. Everyone is welcome and we encourage you to join in the conversation; sharing your thoughts helps make the experience better for everyone!