Wing Commander II Characters

Wing Commander II Characters
Creator	Origin Systems Inc.
Download	Download
Filesize	38272502 kB
Date	December 3, 1990
Pages	11

Wing Commander II Characters is a development document created during the making of Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi. It is dated December 3, 1990 and is an early description of Wing Commander II's characters and their planned story arcs. The document is part of the Warren Spector Papers at the University of Texas at Austin's Briscoe Center for American History (box 2008-091/6).

Much of the material planned in the document is significantly different from the finished game including plans for significantly more missions to take place before the arrival of the Concordia. Some of the characters were ultimately cut or referred to only in dialogue; others, like Bear and Minx, would reappear in other forms in the Special Operations missions. The role planned for Iceman would largely go to Stingray in the finished game. Other notable changes include early references to Hobbes as "Tomcat" and different first and last names for many of the secondary characters.

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WING COMMANDER II

Characters

December 3, 1990

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PC Wingmen
NOTE: Mention casualties in other squadrons, other than Bluehair's wingmen, more frequently than just that one time in Secret Missions.

Name	Carrier	Series
ANGEL	Concordia	12

Col. Jeanette Devereaux's by-the-book attitude, excellent piloting skill and dedicated study of military science earned her command of the fighter complement on board one of the Confederation's newest ships. Possible love interest subplot here?

1. First briefing after Bluehair's transfer to the Concordia, start giving out love interest hints. Angel always thought very highly of him, admired his talents, etc.

2. After an especially difficult mission, Angel chews out Bluehair, then admits later that she did it because she cares about him, doesn't want to show that in front of the other pilots. She admits that she was terrified that Bluehair wasn't going to make it back from this one. She talks about how she's never really learned to live with the deaths in her squadron (is Dallas dead at this point? Mention him specifically), but she's managed, up to this point. But if Bluehair died, she doesn't know how she'd continue. KEEP THAT CONVERSATION?

3. A scene WITHOUT Angel in which one of the other pilots razzes him about spending so much time in Colonel Devereaux's office. Bluehair (and the third pilot present) say that's bullshit, basically, but the seeds of doubt have been planted in Bluehair's mind...is there anything happening between him and Angel?

4. Love scene...this takes place as a debriefing in Angel's office (12/13-d) - both Angel and Bluehair turn to each other in their grief over Spirit's death.

5. Further character development: Angel learning to live with the possibility of losing Bluehair to the Kilrathi...she has to assign him to a difficult mission, knowing that he's the best qualified and most likely to survive...but that doesn't guarantee he'll return. At this point, the other pilots should know about the love interest between the two.

6. Private conversation in Angel's office. During series 10 & 11, the communications info/buoy, Angel talks with you about it personally. Voice scrambler, info that only a pilot who flew 12/13 could've known, so it's now narrowed down to pilots only (Tomcat is cleared.)

7. A scene in the Admiral's office WITHOUT Angel, in which he discusses your involvement with Angel. Establish that this isn't counter-regulations, but he definitely suspects your motives, esp. Since Angel transferred you in. (Series 14?) Bluehair's first reaction is that Angel and Bluehair are both wrong , but Tolwyn doesn't think that. He suspects you, but doesn't mind Angel being involved with someone…he supports Angel 100%, but still thinks you're guilty.

8. A scene WITHOUT Angel...one of the other pilots, talking with Bluehair about his affair with their CO. Not condemning...the opposite, rather. A kind of "live for the moment" attitude...possibly the character Bluehair talks with is Iceman, which would be an interesting twist?

9. Steve, how do we want to resolve this? We'll need to wrap up this plot thread somehow at the end of the game...we could do something cute after the last medal ceremony, in which Angel explains that they've been assigned their next mission (very sketchy, not to cause problems for the next supplement) and ends with an order for Bluehair to report to her quarters...with a bottle of champagne. Bluehair, snappy salute: "Yes, ma'am!"

ICEMAN

Concordia

8 & 9

Lt. Col. Michael Casey is calm, collected and ruthlessly committed to defeating the Kilrathi. He has a personal vendetta against them for the death of his wife and child in the Kilrathi raid on the Vega starbase; his hatred of the Kilrathi extends even to Lt. Col. Ralgha (see below) and other Ghorans. Main point: Iceman finally recovering from the death of his family, enough at least to end his blind hatred of all Kilrathi.

1. Downtown (without Iceman) talking about an event that happened off-screen, Iceman getting into a fight with Tomcat. Asking Bluehair's help with this.

2. Scene in Sickbay---Iceman and Tomcat after the fight.

3. Iceman telling Bluehair his feelings about Kilrathi---years after his family was killed, he's finally realizing that the cats aren't all demons...there are good Kilrathi, evil Kilrathi (not all Germans are Nazis, basically.) This is after Tomcat has done something especially valuable or brave, like singlehandedly save the Concordia from a Kilrathi tactic, just because he knew what his ex-comrades would do. Ice decides to go talk to Tomcat, try to make amends.

4. Angel's scene #7 - Iceman and Bluehair talking about Bluehair's involvement with Angel. That would do well, teamed with the Iceman/Tomcat hangover conversation.

5. Iceman and Tomcat recuperating from their hangovers after getting drunk together.

SPIRIT

Concordia

13 & 14

Captain Tanaka Mariko is a good pilot, but recently she has been haunted by the news that her fiancé is a captive in the hands of the Kilrathi. At the end of one mission, the player recovers the comm data from a destroyed human spy ship. Gossip on board the carrier later says that after the data was translated, Spirit was summoned to meet with Angel and the admiral; after the meeting, she became very withdrawn and was grounded for a mission. Because of all this, most of the people on the carrier think she might be the traitor. Before the key mission of series 13 and 14, she reveals to the player that her fiancé is currently being held captive on board the very same space station that she and the player must destroy. While returning from destroying the base, she singlehandedly takes on a flight of K_DEATH fighters and dies.

1. Reintroduce Spirit, who's very glad to see Bluehair aboard the Concordia.

2. She's engaged to be married again, six years after the death of her first fiance. Establish that the first fiance was captured and enslaved on the Epsilon Station raid, taken to one of the worlds in Enigma Sector.

3. After mission 13-B, Bluehair retrieves comm data from a spy ship in previous mission. In Debriefing, Angel tells Spirit to come to her office immediately.

4. In the bar, common gossip about how they received and decoded some info, S pirit was called into a meeting with the Admiral and Angel, immediately after the data was translated. Spirit is in her quarters now and won't come out.

5. Next briefing, Angel explains that SPirit is temporarily excused from duty. (series 13/14-C)

6. Conversation with Spirit after 13/14-C, in which she comments on how no one seems to want to talk to her...maybe because they think she's the traitor? Bluehair says of course not, no one who knows her would ever suspect her of treason. We'll need to show Bluehair's hesitation at saying that, though, since Spirit won't explain why she's been grounded.

7. In briefing for this mission, Angel saying it's pretty simple, go out and kill. Then cut to flight deck, where the following conversation takes place:

Just before key mission in series 13/14-D...conversation between Spirit and Bluehair, in which she tells him the truth, that the Kilrathi captured her fiance six years ago, and tried to blackmail her into betraying the Confederation in exchange for his life. And that her fiance is aboard the space station/marine convoy that they're supposed to attack and destroy. Without saying it outright, give the basic impression that Spirit doesn't intend to come back from their next mission.

DOOMSDAY

Concordia

10 & 11

1st. Lt. Etienne Montclair (Maori, not French) is famous for his fatalistic attitude. He's an excellent pilot, however, and would hold an even higher rank were it not for the constant reprimands he receives for his effect on crew morale. General opinion on the flight line is that if you can put up with his doomsaying, he's the best wingman money can buy.

JAZZ

Concordia

15 & 16

Capt. Zach Colson is a highly successful jazz pianist; he attended Julliard on the G.I. Bill and is now serving out his requisite time. He is a talented flyer and performs his duty well. There's no doubt how he plans to spend his future, however: He can always be found on the Observation Deck, playing the piano beneath the stars. In the penultimate mission of the game, he turns out to be a member of the Society of Mandarins and the traitor aboard the Concordia.

1. Introduction to Jazz. Maybe someday the war will end and he can go back to his old life as a professional musician.

2. Cordial conversation, maybe about technical data?

3. Talking about his little brother who was killed in the war, fighting a defensive action above an uninhabited planet, several years ago. And for what? A Worthless piece of rock. The Confed and Kilrathi are still fighting over that system.

4. Include him in the gossip scene about Spirit---Jazz is convinced that Spirit is a traitress. He should always have reasons for accusations. ( "I don't want to believe it, but all the facts point to…" etc.)

5. Jazz makes accusation about other pilots as well.

6. Final confrontation---explain clearly that Jazz thinks he's right, and the Confederation is wrong.

DOWNTOWN

Concordia

6

1st. Lt. Gabriel Jefferson is very young, black and spent most of his childhood as a Kilrathi slave on Ghorah Khar. His best friend is Hobbes, the Kilrathi renegade who risked his own life to rescue Downtown from slavery. His face may have been disfigured or marked with a slave symbol by the Kilrathi, akin to the tattoo of a German concentration camp prisoner.

Main point: show the differences between Iceman and Downtown...both of them lost their families in the war, but Downtown hasn't been turned into the "nothing left but hatred" character of Iceman.

1. Introduction to Downtown. (Other person in conversation should be the Kilrathi renegade!) He introduces Kilrathi, warns Bluehair against giving the cat any grief.

2. Downtown's history. He was captured as a kid by the cats, became a slave labourer in the Illudium mines on Ghorah Khar. After he killed an overseer, Tomcat helped him escape. (Place this in Series 7 or before!)

3. Talks about his family, not knowing what happened to them. No way to find out. Are they slaves? Maybe when the wars ends, he'll learn the truth. Wishes the war would end soon, he's trying to do all that he can towards that.

4. Confrontation between Downtown and Iceman on subject of Tomcat.

5. He dies several missions later.

HOBBES

Concordia

7

Lt. Col. Ralgha is a Kilrathi from Ghora Khar; he serves on the Concordia through an exchange program and is not really commissioned in the human military. Though an able pilot he does not usually fly-Confederation HQ considers him too valuable as an intelligence officer. When the Empire attacks his homeworld, however, he demands and receives the chance to participate in the battle. He flies a K_MEDIUM fighter rather than a human fighter.

1. Introduction to Lt. Colonel Ralgha. (Other person in conversation should be Downtown!) He comments on Bluehair's surprise at seeing an enemy fighting on the humans' side. He was a commoner, though a decorated warrior, and just couldn't take the system any more, nor the way that the Kilrathi treated human prisoners. Now he's an Intel officer, though considered too valuable to risk on normal missions.

2. Talks about the way the war is likely to end---if the humans continue to resist, the Kilrahti may totally eradicate a large percentage of their population. Bluehair asks why Tomcat is fighting for humans, if that's what he thinks may happen. Cat gives him a big toothy grin, says that neither of them will probably live long enough to see the war's end. In the meantime, he's enjoying himself.

3. After traitor subplot begins to develop, Hobbes outright asks Bluehair if the PC thinks that the Kilrathi is the traitor. Bluehair says that it would make sense, that Hobbes could be a mole, which is more likely than any HUMAN wanting to betray the Confederation. Hobbes didn't see what happened to the Goddard Colony...Bluehair did. Basically, let's develop the threat that Bluehair is a racist---species-ist?---where the Kilrathi are concerned.

4. At some point, maybe something happens that clears suspicions about Ralgha completely? Something that he couldn't be responsible for, he had the perfect alibi or was off the ship, whatever. Then a scene in which Bluehair and Iceman have to deal with his false accusation. (scene in Angel's office, series 10 & 11.)

5. Long scene, describing how beautiful Ghorah Khar is, great people, families, farms, etc.

DALLAS

Concordia

8 & 9 (cameo)

2nd. Lt. Rick Murcheson is handsome, c lean-cut kid, a rookie pilot hailing from Texas. Stories of Bluehair's bravery in the Vega Sector Campaign enticed him to enlist in the Navy. His faith was shattered when Bluehair was tried for cowardice, but he always believed deep down in his heart that Bluehair was innocent. Murcheson is overjoyed that he's getting to fly his very first combat mission with none other than his hero himself. Unfortunately, there's a missile out there with Dallas' name written on it. Iceman acts as Bluehair's wingman during the rest of these series, and gives Bluehair some uncharacteristically warm advice.

1. Introduce Dallas, who arrives after 7-A, and is incredibly nervous around Bluehair, his hero. We should add some actual details from the earlier missions which Dallas can talk about in awe, like the Gwenhyvar in Secret Missions, Hell's Kitchen in WC1. He displays a puppy dog-like belief of Bluehair's innocence in his court-martial. This conversation should be fairly early in series 7.

2. Dallas knows something about the Society of Mandarins. Starts to tell Bluehair, but the other wingman present (NOT Jazz!) scoffs at the idea that the kid knows anything, so Dallas says he'll tell Bluehair later, after the mission. During the mission, several critical systems on Dallas' ship drop dead, which results in his death. Rather suspicious, one might say. Targeting computer, shields, communications system is the last to go?

MINX

Peel

2

Capt. Loraine Hartford is basically a bitch. Her sole concern is for her career, and she doesn't spend the briefest of moments worrying about whom she steps on on the way up. She routinely complains to Bluehair that the is hogging the kills. Her fury knows no bounds when Bluehair "steals her chance" to fly with Maniac. She's cute, and perhaps would have very delicate features, something to make her totally bitchy personality a real surprise to the player.

MANIAC

Peel

2 (cameo)

Through sheer blind luck, Captain Todd Marshall singlehandedly rescued his carrier and won a major battle in the Deneb Sector. Now he's spending a year touring various military bases with the TCSO, inspiring the pilots with tales of his bravery. In each system, the pilot with the best ratings gets to fly a mission with "the legendary Maniac!". Naturally Bluehair gets the honor; until Bluehair arrived on board the Peel, however, Minx had the best record, and Maniac would normally have flown with her instead. On the mission itself, Maniac steals every possible kill, and Bluehair will probably get completely blanked.

SHADOW

Peel

1

Capt. Bethany Norwood served a tour of duty in the navy when she was younger, and after retirement joined the Reserves. Two years ago, just a few days short of becoming ineligible, she was called back up for duty with the Insystem Security Service. Her term is finally over, and once the Peel arrives at the Carillon system, Norwood will be retiring from the military for good and rejoining her husband Richard (a doctor) and young son Michael in the orbital colony in the Sophie's Star system. Naturally, she doesn't make it.

Norwood is a tall woman with long dark hair, slightly shot with silver. She's not classically beautiful, but has attractive, strong features, somewhat Mediterranean in appearance.

*TURBO

Peel

4 & 5

1st. Lt. Sheldon Korvitsky enlisted in the CISS because he figured it'd be safer than the Navy. The unusually intense fighting of the past few months, and the dramatic death of Shadow, has made him very cautious.

*CIROCCO

Peel

3

If we still want an Arab wingman, we can use this person. He flies a Broadsword off the Peel. He's tall, has dark curly hair and strong features.

*BOGEY

Peel

3

1st. Lt. Luis Rojas, a native of Los Angeles. This character is mostly a blank slate right now. Johann came up with a fairly neat schtick-this guy is a 20th-century film nut, and speaks in old movie lines a good bit.

*BEAR

Peel

10

1st. Lt. Yevgeny Zaborovsky is a burly, boisterous and barbaric Georgian peasant. He is VERY young---only sixteen---and lied about his age in order to join the service. When he retires, he wants to purchase a share in a wheat commune back on Terra.

GENERIC MALE	Everywhere	All
GENERIC FEMALE	Everywhere	All
GENERIC GHORAN	Concordia	7 & 15

We will need to create VDU art and communication phrases for two generic human fighter pilots and one generic Kilrathi fighter pilot. They won't have conversations or personality, however.

Other Characters

Name	Location
*Admiral Sir Geoffrey Tolwyn	Concordia Bridge Crew

Admiral Tolwyn presided over Bluehair's court martial. He believes that Bluehair escaped a dishonorable discharge only through a legal technicality. When Devereaux demanded that Bluehair be transferred to the Concordia, Tolwyn acquiesced for two reasons: First, he fully supports his officers, regardless of their decisions; and second, he wants to give Bluehair another chance to screw up, so that justice can finally be done. Tolwyn's main fault is too strong and regimented a belief in the military system: If Bluehair was accused, he must be guilty.

1. Initial meeting, perhaps with Angel in the room? Admiral makes it VERY clear that he thinks Bluehair is a screw-up, and should've been found guilty at his court-martial.

Establish that Tolwyn is a VERY good commander, just convinced that he's right. Very protective and supportive of his own people...maybe a small speech about the team that he's forged here on the Concordia, that he doesn't want a loser like Bluehair to destroy

Build contrast between Admiral and Laramie, a good vs. bad commander.

2. Continuation of accusations, etc.?

3. Admiral's apology, perhaps when Bluehair is awarded the Pewter Planet?

Capt. James "Paladin" Taggart

Series 2

After retirement, Paladin used his mustering-out pay to purchase a small free trader, and he now flies cargo runs for the Merchant Marine.

Sergeant-Major Janet "Sparks" McCullough

Concordia Flight Deck

SgtM. McCullough, in charge of fighter maintenance on the Concordia, is famous even on other ships for her common sense and coolness under fire. She's also an expert at amateur psychotherapy, and is always ready with just the right words to calm down a nervous rookie on his first mission or console an old veteran who's just lost a wingman.

Basically, our most obvious vector for technical information. Anything other than Confed ship data, Kilrathi technical data and tactics?Main point for Sparks---reassure Bluehair that it isn't his fault...Spirit and Dallas getting killed, etc. Bluehair discusses those FIRST with Sparks before anyone else. Spirit: "She didn't want to come back, etc."

1. Sparks talking about the Admiral...a good commander, though he's a little set in his ways. In other words, prove that you're good, Bluehair, and he'll treat you right. Emphasize that Tolwyn is VERY protective and supportive of his people, especially Angel.

Her basic attitude---if Angel thinks you're all right, then you're okay in her book. But you'll have to prove yourself to the Admiral.

2. Anything else? Comments on current events, like Iceman and Tomcat duking it out on the flight deck? Spirit and Dallas's deaths, what else? These can be comments made before she starts on her in-depth technical information.

*Lt. Jan "C.J. Cherryh" Edmond

Concordia Bridge Crew

We only see her as a vidscreen image and a background figure on the Concordia bridge. She's an attractive woman in her 40's, with short dark curly hair, and vivid blue eyes. I'll provide a photoreference.

Captain Maxwell Laramie

Peel Bridge Crew

Captain Laramie is a good tactician and strategist but only a competent commander at best. Dealing with the second-best group of fighter pilots in the galaxy (the best are all in the Navy, on board ships like the Concordia) is a full-time headache, and Laramie doesn't need the hassle. He looks for and uses the easiest solution to the frequent any problem, particularly personnel management problems.

Doctor Michael Sayers

Concordia Bridge Crew

Dr. Sayers is your basic competent, no-nonsense physician.

Prince Thrakhath the Cunning

Series 15 & 16

Prince Thrakhath the Cunning, Firstborn of the Firstborn, Scourge of Mankind and Slavelord of Terra, is an honorable villain, but he is a villain nevertheless. His goal is to conquer the human race and lay claim to the worlds and fortune granted to him by his grandfather, the Emperor of Kilrah. He is highly ethical, in his way, and would never kill a worthy opponent except in battle. He does not lie or deceive, and keeps all treaties and promises-or at least he would, were he to make any such with the humans. He does use a network of human traitors, but that is a different matter altogether. Thrakhath seeks the death of Bluehair, but he refuses to have him assassinated.