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Christopher Blair, (callsign Maverick), The Heart of the Tiger and the Savior of the Terran Confederation was a hero of the Kilrathi War. A competent and cool-headed, though not unemotional, with his 'rebellious' cockpit moniker assigned him as an ironic reference to his Boy Scout personality. He is one of the top twenty aces of the war having served alongside the other top aces including Todd Marshall (Maniac), and Carl T. LaFong (Prankster), who were among disproportionate number aces served in the Rapier II squadrons.[1]

The most complete "biographies" for Christopher Blair not counting The Kilrathi Saga (which overlaps LaFong) or the WC3-4 and Telep novels (and Confederation Handbook) can be found in the Wing Commander IV and Wing Commander: Prophecy player's guides. There is still is some overlap with LaFong but they also include some additional original material as well, but only up to the start of the respective game. There is some additional material related to Prophecy in the Secret Ops communications (documentation), and foreshadowing in Pilgrim Truth to his return.

Personal Biography[]

Christopher is a calm, handsome fellow who descends from 40 generations of a family of Blairs, which maintained a tradition of wealth, influence and public service. He was originally born on Earth (or possibly Nephele, though at least spent most of his life there). His parents were Arnold Blair a great military hero and warrior of the Terran Confederation and Devi Soulsong from Peron, from whom he inherited the Pilgrim talents.[2][3][4][5]

He was born on Nephele II (though some sources claim he was from Earth).

Blair's place of birth has been listed in two different places throughout the series. The Kilrathi Saga for example places his birth on Earth, though this maybe inspired by Carl T. LaFong's biography which both partially share, with only their names switched (see Kilrathi Saga manual). While more recent sources place his birthplace on Nephele II, due to material related to Wing Commander 3 and 4 having him move to that planet after the Kilrathi War. Though in those sources its not clearly indicated that it was his 'homeplanet'. Secret Ops campaign might even suggest that New York was his home state on Earth, as he was honored there and on Nephele. Telep's novels do more specifically link his aunt and grandparents to Nephele II

When he was four his parents were both killed in the Peron Massacre,[2] during his father's unauthorized attempt to rescue his wife. As many people orphaned in a young age, he developed feelings of rejection and guilt over his parents' deaths, having the belief that he caused them to "go away" and for this he pursued correct behavior growing up to remedy his crime.[6]

The infant Christopher was smuggled off Peron and sent to live with the family of Jennifer Blair, his aunt, and Uncle Samuel on Nephele II.

During the post-war era, young Christopher learned to hate Pilgrims as evil enemies. He was filled with pride about his father who died as a war hero and was lionized by his playmates because of this. In school his grades were excellent. But that was until a reporter published a sensational story to the sector news-nets titled "War Hero's Secret Pilgrim Romance" revealing his wife's origins and their son.[6]

This created a scandal in the rural conservative community, resulting in prejudice against young Christopher who was only 8 years old; parents pulled their children away from the Pilgrim kid, he lost his friends and started to be mocked by them. This incindent caused a second significant trauma and revived his early feelings of guilt and abandonment, feelings that he would remember in detail until his adult years. During this period his grades plummeted (possibly because of his teachers' prejudice and reduced expectations and negative reports), and he began to become withdrawn, stubborn and destructive.[6]

On his eighth birthday, his uncle took him to his mother's grave on Nephele to console him to explain that his mother was a good person, and that not to believe all the stories that were told. Blair was given the Pilgrim Cross by his uncle which was found on his mother's body. Blair believed he had heard his mom's voice call out to him from beyond the grave. However, after following that in anger he may have thrown the cross the ground and stomped on it before picking it up.

But as the community got over the initial shock, Christopher was able to resume his emotional development (although the scars retarded his progress) and over the years his grades and conduct showed a steady increase. When he was 13 he determined to move beyond his parentage. The Pilgrims were no more considered the monsters they were after the war, being replaced by the Kilrathi in the collective conscience, the media were more objective and even the Terran Confederation's motivations and ethics in the conflict were questioned. In that context Christopher channeled his rebelliousness and intelligence into a pursuit for knowledge; he read voraciously on the Pilgrim Conflict, even radical revisionist propaganda and militaria, a fascination that continued to his adult years, helping him to cope with his traumas. He started to wear secretly the Pilgrim cross.[6]

His uncle was later killed in a farming accident, and Jennifer left the planet to remarry and find new work. This new "father" was a pacifist and chairman of StarPeace, she became a member of the Confederation Council.[7]

This info concerning Blair's parents and StarPeace only appears in a promotional/development source that has largely been made obsolete by later sources, and was never introduced into the main published and produced stories, so its reliability is not 100% clear. However, it's not specifically contradicted either, so might still be relevant. Though it seems somewhat unlikely that Jennifer Blair would become a member of the Confederation council, considering the remoteness and unimportance of Nephele II, what little we know about Chris's aunt's unassuming life there.

Jennifer left Christopher behind to be raised by his maternal grandparents, including his grandfather Abraham Truepath.

The details of Blair's family appears differently in different sources. One account states: Born to subsistence farmers on a remote colony world, Blair's father died in a farm-equipment accident when he was young, and his mother went off-world to find work. She later remarried, leaving Christopher to be raised by his maternal grandparents.

The second account from Wing Commander Academy and WCA Bible suggests that his family is still 'alive' and that he writes to them. One episode shows him looking at his family's photos with one of them clearly in military uniform (and him seemingly talking to his father's ghost/hallucination in another episode). However, additional backstory also mentioning his 'father' was a member of an anti-war organization, and that his mother is a member of Confed Council.

The third account from the Movie related material, says he was son of a military war hero and pilgrim (Devi Soulsong) who was killed on Peron during a Pilgrim uprising, and he was then sent to live with his aunt (sister of his father) and uncle on Nephele II.

This has had lead to much confusion in following his past, and lead to the idea that he has an 'adopted father' after his original father died.

Pilgrim Truth partially explains the information: As it turns out Chris's original parents died on Peron, he was then adopted by his aunt Jennifer Blair and her husband Samuel. Samuel was killed in a farming accident, and Jennifer left the world to remarry and find a new job. Chris was left behind in the care of his maternal grandparents: including his grandfather Abraham Truepath.


In high school his grades again rose and became a class leader and successful athlete. He was argumentative in class and kept and intellectual individualism, holding unconventional/unpopular views in his conservative community.[6]

Blair did not opt to avoid his military training, but rather volunteered for fighter training because he wanted to gain flying experience[8], and also to do his duty at the Space Naval Academy[7] although his parents objected to that decision.[9][10] He decided to apply for the Academy the day of the deadline. [6]

Cadet years[]

He did not want to become an officer until he was "certain he was 100% behind it"; but once he determined, he committed himself completely to his goal.[6]

He joined the Academy with the 201st plebe class around 2651. He was the roommate of Michael Anthony (and Carl T. LaFong).[11] A reserved and down-to-earth personality, he was often teased and provoked by his best friend, Todd Marshall aka "Maniac". After months of being a by-the-book cadet, for a first time he had to bend a rule, and Maniac jokingly told him "you are a real maverick, aren't you?" The ironic nickname "Maverick" was adopted as a callsign to contrast with his exemplary loyalty.[7] “Maverick” had suited him well during academy training, an ironic moniker since Blair had established a reputation of flying by the book.[12] As classmates in the Academy, they had been rivals in everything from the flight competitions in their final year as midshipmen to gaining the attentions of a particular young lady.[13] During his time at the academy Maniac tried to convince Blair to promise to take off his pilgrim's cross.[14]

By the end of the second academic year he was part of a class of 200. He Carl T. LaFong and Maniac would choose to transfer over to the Formidable for OJT Training. There wouldn't be a formal graduation, since their academy training would actually end while they were in space. His class, however, informally gathered before everyone took off to their assignments.

Flight School[]

During his senior year ('accelerated third year') at the academy, Maverick and Maniac were transferred to the CSF Flight School on Sirius in Sol Sector and board the TCS Formidable, an Exeter-class assigned to six months to the Sol Sector in the latter part of 2653, and assigned six months in Vega Sector in the beginning of 2654. The school was an adjunct to the Hilthros Academy during senior year. He trained in the 154th Training Wing under Major E. Gonsalas on Sirius, and Della Guardia on the Formidable. He had flown training missions off the ship and on the planet. The first half of the six month training was located in Sol Sector.

He had been on the Formidable's bridge only a few times but had seen enough to fill his heart with awe.[15] He was berthed with 17 other pilots.

Blair and Maniac would briefly return to Hilthros system in late 2653, shortly before or after the Formidable was transferred to the Vega Sector; during a routine training flight near the Hilthros system's nebula, they surprised and destroyed a Kilrathi blockade-runner.[16][17]

Maniac considered himself the best pilot and would not let go any opportunity to dare Maverick, as in during a simulation when he invited Blair to attack a Kilrathi Carrier with a Hellcat, despite the objectives of the exercise, until the simulator crashed. Blair however would not always pay attention to Maniac's games.

Maniac bullying maverick

Bullying Blair.

During his time on Hilthros he developed some interest for his coed Victoria who agreed to study Kilrathi Psychology with him.

Commodore Geoffrey Tolwyn, during his visit to the Academy, noticed the competition between the two Cadets and assigned them as leaders of opposing teams during an exercise. Maniac invited Maverick to a private dogfight far from the exercise. To teach him a lesson, Maverick kept him occupied while sending his vector trail to Victoria, allowing his Blue Team to win Maniac's Red Team. Things got complicated with a sabotage which made the ships fire lethal shots, and the presence of a Kilrathi Blockade Runner. Maniac and Maverick jointly attacked and destroyed the ship. After the exercise Tolwyn announced them that they'd continue their training on the TCS Tiger's Claw under his command. Maverick was saddened when Victoria announced to him that she'd quit her studies after realising that she can't take lives in the War.[9]

Following this action he and Maniac were offered transfers over the Tiger's Claw to continue their cadet training (Carl T. LaFong would be left behind on the Formidable).

This information from the Handbook is generally seen as a reference to the events of Red and Blue, which is supported by the novel. Therefore Blair's training in the Flight School might refer to a much earlier timeframe, near the beginning of the TV cartoon series. The novel would appear to merge the flight school and senior year into one as both are said to be in the first half of senior/graduate year in the latter half of 2653. The given dates overlap with each other. Star*Soldier places Red and Blue in 2653, but most of the other episodes mid 2654

During his training on Sirius, he was approached by Dr. Jillian Ickes (on 084, .092, .099) who seemingly conducted a research study into the early motivational factors of pilot candidates. In reality Ickes had been tasked by Tolwyn to discern whether Blair's sensitivities about his family and Pilgrim heritage might be exploited by the enemy.[6]

Blair record

Blair's Academy record

Maverick scored a record high composite flight score (97.4) and the first graduate of this institution to ever achieve a perfect score in Navigation. He graduated Fighter Pilot training with Distinction, as a member of the Q1 class of 2654.[18]

Christopher Blair officially graduated from Hilthros in February 2654.[19]

Maniac never fit in quite as well as Blair. He barely squeaked through graduation whereas Blair earned honors. [20] While most of his class to his jealousy and chagrin had been awarded prestigious assignments, he had been shuffled around for nearly a month on ships including a brief 30 hour stint on the TCS Gilgamesh, before being ferried back to the academy. The commandant had asked him to give several testimonial speeches to the new classes. But Blair felt that his wisdom had fallen on the deaf ears on the new students.[21]

Subsequently he was assigned to the Fighter Squadron of the TCS Tiger's Claw and Gonsalas recommended Blair and Marshall assigned together for their first combat tour.[17]

Pilgrim/Kilrathi Alliance[]

Blair in diligent

Piloting the Diligent

Finally as a 1st Lieutenant, he and Maniac were transferred to the Claw in the Vega Sector as replacemnet pilots. While being transported by the Diligent, he received a call from Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, transmitting him top secret information and ordering him to deliver the encrypted communications chip to Captain Jason Sansky. Tolwyn also mentions that he fought with his father in the Pilgrim Wars. Hearing these news, Captain James Taggart decides to arrive earlier than scheduled and sets course for the gravitic anomaly Scylla which connects directly with the Vega Sector. Blair displayed his dormant Pilgrim talents by instinctively punching the correct coordinations to jump the dangerous anomaly, making their way to Enyo and the Claw.

At the Claw[]

Blair meets angel

First unhappy meeting with Angel

On the Claw, Blair delivered Tolwyn's communique to Sansky, and was met with some scepticism because of his Pilgrim heritage, especially by XO Commander Paul Gerald. In the hangar he boarded his Rapier and was provoked by a woman, whom he thought a technician, before realising she was Lieutenant Commander Jeannette Devereaux, his Wing Commander. Blair found a hard time to understand the custom of "disremembering" dead pilots, like Bossman whom he came to replace and he caused some friction between Hunter and Devereaux.

After these events, Maniac reminded him to remove the Pilgrim Cross, which Blair already had promised, as it brought him trouble. Blair decided to visit Taggart in his quarters who told him more about the Pilgrims. Taggart invited Blair to the bridge where he displayed his experience (actually Pilgrim talents) to jump a pulsar and lead the Claw at the Ulysses Corridor.

Against concom

Blair and Angel against the ConCom.

Blair flew under Angel to investigate the debris of the Pegasus Station in the D-5 asteroid field, but they revealed their presence to a Kilrathi Thrakhra-class ConCom. On the Claw, Blair was considered responsible by Gerald, even as a traitor; Sansky ordered a new operation against the ConCom. Blair was assigned to the Baker Wing with Hunter, but as he denied to fly with a Pilgrim as his wingman, Blair was assigned Baker 2 under Angel. Then it was realised that Kilrathi capital ships were moving against the Claw. Angel then changed her plans and Blair with Maniac covered Broadswords against a Sivar-classbattleship which Taggart managed to destroy. However on the way back Forbes lost control of her Rapier and crashed outside the corridor. Blair held Maniac back while he was running towards the vacuum, and then dissuaded Angel from shooting Maniac as responsible.

The Claw descended in an asteroid crater and launched a decoy to lead the Kilrathi battle group away while it performed repairs. However a Destroyer nuked every crater at random, causing the hangar door to breach sucking Blair towards space; pilots acted nonchallant and Maniac had to save him alone. Blair then convinced Angel to forgive Maniac, as his talents were useless with Forbes' death in his conscience.

Blair boarding

When the ConCom approached the Claw's hideout, Taggart organized a boarding mission. Pilots and Confederation Marines boarded the Diligent and broke into the ConCom to steal fuel cells. Following Taggart's instructions, Blair discovered the Pegasus Navcom A.I. and understood that the Kilrathi had the coordinates to Charybdis and a way to Sol Sector.

This information would give the advantage to the TCS Concordia battle group as they would know where exactly to anticipate the Kilrathi. However the drones could not be programmed, so Blair was asked by Taggart to pilot a fighter and jump the Charybdis. To give him courage, he revealed his Pilgrim's Cross. When outside, Angel leaves Blair, as she had to hunt down a cloaked skipper missile running towards the Claw. Angel managed to destroy it moments before hitting the Carrier, but damaging her fighter severely, and ordered Blair to continue with his mission.

Snakeir in scylla

Reluctantly, Blair complied and jumped the quasar, making it to the Sol sector, followed by a Snakeir-class. Blair transmitted the coordinates while evading its fires. As Tolwyn was targeting at the coordinates, he could not afford sending support to Blair. Blair however lured the Snakeir towards Scylla; the Kilrathi Admiral, thinking that he leads them towards the Terran fleet followed Blair, only to be sucked by the anomaly, too late to reverse the engines.

Blair meets tolwyn

Meeting Tolwyn

Kilrathi ships emerged from the jump point one by one just to be destroyed under the fire of the Confederation ships. Blair was soon tractored and taken to the Concordia to meet Tolwyn. He learned that the Claw arrived to Sol and Angel had been rescued. Blair arrived to the hangar where Paladin brought Angel; as soon as she recovered shed shared a kiss with Blair, before being taken by the medics.


The Olympus Incident[]

On 2554.088, Blair, Maniac and James Taggart are captured and brought on board the CS Olympus. They are would still be there on the 2654.112 two days after the official start of the Vega Campaign on 2654.110, and thus missed out on the initial Enyo Series.

Blair and Maniac would escape leaving Taggart behind on 2654.128. They were left in orbit around Earth wondering what happened to Taggart, and if the Pilgrim Threat and continued threat of Kilrathi could be ended.

Tortuga Mission[]

On 2654.131 just after returning to Earth, Maverick and Maniac joins a special command leadership school called the Wing Commander Academy, and served under the Cadet Wing on the Claw'.[7] Maniac continued to dare Maverick, as in "who will reach the briefing room first". One of their first joint missions assigned by Tolwyn was to scout the M4-21a system. During that mission they witnessed a pirate raid against a Kilrathi Transport, and are captured and taken to Tortuga Base.

Eating with karnes

Being a guest of Karnes.

Maniac was amazed to see that their leader was his childhood hero, Daimon Karnes, turned pirate. In the dungeon the two pilots engaged in another brawl about who was responsible, until Karnes invited them to join a raid, which Maniac seemingly accepted. The raid however turned out to be a Kilrathi trap; when the Kilrathi boarded the Base, Maverick hid his Confederation Navy uniform, and was taken to Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka. He would allow him to live to tell the Confederation about what happens to anyone who attacks the Kilrathi. Alone in the base, he begun repairing his Scimitar and was soon joined by Maniac. Tolwyn revealed that the Confederation knew the truth about Karnes but kept this information secret as this revelation would be bad for the people's morale. He ordered them never to mention their adventure.[22]

According to Star*Soldier The Last One Left occurs during the period between the end of Pilgrim Stars and the start of Pilgrim Truth

The Claw returned to Earth for a short period and Maverick and Maniac transferred briefly to the Concordia with Tolwyn.[23]

The Return of Ivar Chu McDaniel[]

Blair and Marshall leave the Concordia and returned to the Claw, which was ordered to station over Netheranya.

Over the course of the previous months Blair and Deveraux (callsign Angel) had been fellow pilots, then a friend, and then much, much more as their romance developed.[24] Angel would forgive him for his time with the Pilgrim Karista.

Following the Pilgrim's decision to evacuate the universe. Blair and Obuntu leave from Concordia on a shuttle bound for the Tiger's Claw in Hell's Kitchen.

Diocuri Incident[]

They finally land on the Claw on 2654.163 having been stuck on the CF-229d spacecraft ferry for four days[25].

Soon after his return to the Claw, Maverick with Maniac join the Cadet Wing for a mission, and were sent with Grunt to investigate Kilrathi influence on Dioscuri II (which had started heating up around .162), Maverick was dared by Maniac to split up and investigate alone, as his wingman, Bowman, was unavailable because of her shock having to kill Blizzard. Maniac's tactic proved too risky as Maverick was attacked by Dralthis and he had to eject to the planet where he was captured by the native Dioscurans. Maniac soon followed and they were taken to a temple where they started arguing. In vain he attempted to explain to the Shaman that they are not the "Lords of Darkness" the Kilrathi told them. The two cadets then were transported to an altar to be sacrificed to the "Lords of the Sky". Then the Kilrathi emerged to receive the "sacrifice" and make the two pilots to carry the food offerings for them.

Attacking the dome

Maverick, Maniac and Grunt fire at the dome.

They escaped with help from Grunt. Maniac collected two Kilrathi rifles fell from their pursuers and the trio went to destroy the station which sent the activation signal for the Dioscuran Dralthis. They were surrouned by Kilrathi until Archer came and destroyed the installation dome. When Confederation fores arrived, Grunt was taken to an ambulance saying that they performed like Confederation Marines.[26]

Lords of the Sky occurs on a short down period between the last chapter and the epilogue of Pilgrim Truth.

Following this the Claw returns to Netheranya the same day, on the return the peace between the Pilgrims and the Terran Confederation is finalized.[27]

Vega Campaign continues[]

Despite his lack of volubility, he rises steadily into the ranks of the TCS Tiger's Claw, eventually leading his flight wing to numerous successes. Blair flew several missions during the Vega Campaign and in the Pleiades Sector in 2654, and his and others (including Carl T. LaFong and Jason Armstrong) actions at Venice ultimately won the Vega Sector for humanity. It unlikely that exact details of Blair's memoirs during this period will ever be known.[28] However, here are the known details.

Some sources note that Vega Campaign officially began around 2654.110 during the Enyo Series (around the same time that Blair, Marshall and Taggart were on board the CS Olympus), however Carl T. LaFong's memoirs place the final campaign that wins the sector towards August or September.

While no specifics of this era are given based on the WC1 game itself, a few specific sources exist in this era between the Film, Pilgrim Uprising trilogy, and Star*Soldier places much of the events of WC1 post 2654.110 the start of the Vega Campaign. However the movie and its the related novels overlap this date, and causes some issues related to location Chris Blair, Todd Marshall, and Paladin during that point in time.
Again lacking specifics some guides such as Origin's Official Guide to Wing Commander 4 (Previously... (WC4 Guide)) and the guide to Wing Commander Prophecy (Biographices (WCP Guide)), touch on Blair's existence on the Tiger's Claw. WC4 guide in particular does mention Blair at Enyo (even mentioning that his first mission was with "Spirit", something later retconned by the film & academy series), and McAulliffe, and him meeting the various characters from the game (including Bossman). The details are included below as close to intended position in relation to McAulliffe (without any specific dates, as those are not given in the guide, and indeed cannot fit with the events of the movie and its novels at the original 2654.110 date, but must occur after events of Pilgrim Truth). There are also occasional references within the novels as well, in particular the novels for Heart of the Tiger and The Price of Freedom, however, these details are somewhat limited, and sometimes offer details that do not appear in the game itself.
The Kilrathi Saga Version of Wing Commander I suggests that Christopher Blair took part in the most of the greater Vega campaign, and later campaigns. Of course with some overlap with the Wing Commander novels which causes some issues. The more specific details are left to the autobiography of Carl T. LaFong from the Wing Commander I & II: The Ultimate Strategy Guide. Though some details about his life pre-Vega are shared with LaFong with obvious names changed to Blair, do exist in the Manual for Kilrathi Saga, and indirectly hinted at in the Wing Commander Arena manual. For the most part the two characters paths diverge. There is very little information about Blair's specific actions during most of the Vega campaign (I.E. which path he went through the game).

Fully re-assigned back on board the T.C.S. Tiger's Claw, Taggart is assigned as their Squadron commander[29][30][31] Paladin once told him "Never let your people see you run, laddie."[32], it is not long before the Tiger's Claw is ordered to the Enyo System. Rumor has it that the Kilrathi have an unusually large presence there. Blair quickly becomes re-acquainted with the other pilots on board the carrier (including Spirit, Paladin, Angel, Bossman, Knight, Hunter, Iceman, and Maniac). Spirit is assigned to his wing on his first mission back on board.[33]

As noted Blair Tiger's Claw had been in Enyo at least twice before (and upwards of three separate time periods)... originally highly suggested to have been around 2654.110, but Blair could not be there as he was on the "Olympus" at that time, or at other times on the Concordia or even planet bound at times. The WC4 Guide however, specifically states that Blair did fly at Enyo with Spirit during a mission... For this to work there would have to be yet another period when Tiger's Claw was assigned to Enyo yet 'again' (after previous recorded deployments there)... before the main McAuliffe series (which Blair is more or less implied to have been according to the same guide). Note: While Enyo and start of the Vega Campaign proper is generally stated to be on day .110, the Bible timeline places at least one of these Enyo events as early as .085-03 (with Carl T. LaFong), and the movies even earlier at .074-.075 when the film/novel begins
WC3 novel mentions that Paladin had been his first squadron leader on the Tiger's Claw. No such event occurs in either the movie, tv series, or the game specifically. Though Taggart as Squadron Leader is something touched upon in Super Wing Commander in the intro.

Also, technically in the movie Paladin did fly with Maverick to the Claw (issuing orders to him until the got there), using Maverick's Pilgrim talents to enter the Charybdis quasar to deliver a message to Tiger's Claw faster, and they shared a couple more battles together in the movie, although Angel is the crew's Wing Commander in the film. In the game Paladin is one of the first two pilots met in the Bar, along with Angel, giving the player some advice.

The Wing Commander Prophecy guide also states the entire roster of pilots was under Paladin's command (which is likely a reference to the information from the novel). For this to work it would have to be a later event when Blair and Paladin had come back to serve on the ship permanently, after the events of the Novel trilogy.

In the movie trilogy novels Paladin is gone from the Claw between .088 and .163. There is no way he could be made the squadron leader until after he was reinstated back on the Tiger's Claw. This of course causes a number of issues with other timed events... even the idea that Venice (.287) could take place six months after McAuliffe is a stretch; .287 is around October, and .163 is around June (which would only be about 5 months before). Technically while he appears 'earlier' in the Claw Marks, Paladin only first appears in the McAuliffe campaign in the original Wing Commander, however he appears in Enyo campaign in the intro to Super Wing Commander already squadron leader.


Training Continues[]

Maverick was preparing for a mission to lead an exploration wing to a binary star system. Then the Claw was attacked by Grikaths and Maverick with the other pilots fought them off. While outside, he was affected by a solar flare, along with Maniac, Goetz and Price. This caused them to have delusions and hallucinations. Hearing that Payback had seen Kilrathi on the ship, he went to report it to Tolwyn, when he saw a hallucination of him talking to 3 Kilrathi.

Four mutineers

The four paranoid mutineers.

With the other three they hid in a room sharing delusional ideas believing that the Claw was overran by Kilrathi and planned to destroy the ship and escape on Broadswords. They were hunted by Archer and Hyena. Hyena managed to shoot Maverick, and the shock restored his brain functions. Later, Guthrig Andropolos did bio-electric stimulation restoring the others'.[34] Maverick had a mission with Hector Paz to explore a system, where he got the chance to know the former Confederation Marine better, and contrast their views on the war: Maverick thought that a tactical move, such as hitting the Prince's flagship, would be more important than killing 1000 troops. The two pilots engaged Kilrathi forces and Maverick had to crash on the planet, after having collected Grunt's ejection pod. Grunt suffered from neuroparalysis and Maverick had to protect him. The planet was inhabited by tentacled monsters, and he kept hostage a Kilrathi survivor, Commander Krulan nar Ragitagha. Against Grunt's reservations, Maverick attempted to befriend Krulan so that they could fight off and escape the monsters until help arrived. The trio started moving towards a volcano, not approached by the monsters.

Against krulan

Betrayed by Krulan.

Krulan asked for his weapon, and turned against them. The Kilrathi force came first and Krulan ordered them to hunt down the 2 Terrans. However a rescue team from the Claw arrived soon after and eliminated the Kilrathi and rescued the two pilots. Confronting Krulan, Maverick told him to surrender instead of throwing his life away. Nonetheless he jumped down so that not to be dishonored by his mercy. Grunt confirmed to Maverick that it would be impossible to make peace with the Kilrathi, as all of the are equally evil.[35]

Maverick had the opportunity to save Maniac's life when he was hunted by a Kilrathi jump buoy's defense systems and Maverick mocked Maniac for this, to which Maniac replied that he won't ever need him. Later, the pilots volunteered to fly a pulsar jump hypernode reconnaissane with Broadswords. Maverick was chosen with Payback. Envious, Maniac complained that Tolwyn showed favoritism to Maverick because of the Blair family connections. Preparing for the jump, tech specialist Maya McEaddens showed very concerned for this dangerous mission.

While in the other side of the jump hypernode, Maverick ordered Payback to keep the Kilrathi occupied while he'd calculate the course for the return. Payback she disobeyed Tolwyn orders of non-engagement and lost her Broadsword. Maverick quickly rescued her in her pod and jumped back. The jump route was to long and the life support systems would not last. Once they arrived, they did not detected the Claw to collect them. Maniac was unable to rescue him as this would ruin the ambush plan.

Maniac tows maverick

Rescuing Maverick and Payback.

His helpless ship was an easy target for a last Dralthi, but during a hallucnation with his father, he activated the ship's firing systems, destorying the Kilrathi and notifying Maniac he is alive. Maniac tractored the Broadword back to the Claw. In the sickbay, Blair narrated his experience to Maniac and Payback, about seeing his father, and then imagining that Maniac saved his life, which Maniac denied. Maverick told a different story to Tolwyn about how Payback lost her ship, and swore in his family name.[36]

Blair with tolwyn

Learning leadership with Tolwyn.

Stationed near that pulsar's hypernode, he was ordered by Tolwyn to be with him in order to learn what it means to command: Leaders don't share the dangers of those under their command, but their role to be right is even harder, as war doesn't forgive mistakes. Once more he was teased by Maniac for staying on the bridge during the ambush and "polishing Tolwyn's brass". Upon the arrival of Admiral Rhea Bergstrom, Tolwyn was ordered to participate in a foolish plan, using the Claw as a bait. Not trusting that Tolwyn would carry out her orders, ordered cadet Blair to spy him for her.

Blair saw that Tolwyn was not intending to carry out the orders, so during an attack mission, he revealed it all to Tolwyn, we ordered retreat, and grounded Blair. However Tolwyn soon found out that the Kilrathi had already prepared a trap on their own, and Bergstrom's task force was under attack. Tolwyn complied to her request and assisted her right before its destruction. Blair participated in the battle and rescued Bergstrom's escape pod. After Tolwyn's risky escape plan from the Kilrathi ambush, he told Blair that every time he gives an order, he doesn't know its outcome, he just risked whether the Kilrathi would retreat to allow them to escape.[37]

Maverick led a Wing to lend support to the Hospital Ship Pleiku which was ambushed by a Kilrathi advance force and escort it to the Claw. When Maverick picked a ship in his sensors, he left Maniac behind to guard the ship and miss the action, knowing that this would infuriate him. That ship was the Confederation Fighter Transport TCS Morgan and they soon realised that it was captured by Kilrathi and attempt to retreat, during which Maverick destroyed the Morgan. Then they went after Confederation ships that the Morgan launched against the Claw and joined the defense.[38]

Maverick was among those that were angered with Maniac, considered him responsible for abandoning Emil Zoharian to score a killing, which resulted to his death. When the Claw and its convoy of Achilles-class were under attack, Maverick led the force which eliminated the threat; they didn't notice a Strakha which made short work of the convoy while the pilots were celebrating.

Blair mocked

Being mocked by the pilots of TCS Trafalgar for his failure.

As a result Maverick was also grounded and he with Maniac asked the opinion of Maya McEaddence. As Tolwyn would not listen to their claims of a stealh ship, they decided to act on their own. Maya feigned a malfunction in the derelict transport TCS Suffolk and Maverick with Maniac used it as a bait for the stealth fighter.

Ferrets in hangar

Arguing who is whose wingman.

Indeed, once the transport was attacked by the Strakha, the two piots emerged and disabled the Strakha. The Kilrathi pilot refused to surrender and self-destroyed his ship. The duo were soon engaged by Sarthas. Maverick was shot but Maniac refused to leave "his wingman" behind. They were joined by Payback and Grunt. Tolwyn admitted his mistake of not believing their reports, and decided to forget the event.[39]

While the pilots were ready to descend to Oasis for a shore leave, an alien emerged from a Sleep Ship in the Claw demanding to use one of their craft. After attacking Maniac and threatening Tolwyn, Blair took a weapon to stop the alien. They fought hand-in-hand together but the alien stopped as he found Blair familiar. He was shot and took to the brig.

Shore leave

On Oasis

Listening to the Oasian legend of the Maker, Maverick wondered if it was related to the alien. He ignored Maya's romantic plans for tonight and flew to the Claw. He asked the permission of Guthrig Andropolos to inquire the alien, who, learning that his Orb is on the planet, broke the door and took Maverick as a hostage to fly a Scimitar to the planet. He flew to the summit of a spire where the Sphere was kept. They fought off Sarthas who came to steal the Sphere. Maniac lost his ship, but the Kilrathi forces were destroyed by the alien's power.[40]

Maniac with Maverick and Archer were sent to Greenhouse to investigate if the sciene base there is safe. On their way they encountered some Grikaths which Maniac happily engaged. One survivor made it to the planet with an eject pod. Not finding his trace, they spent some time in the base, and the two male pilots were infatuated by the striking leader, Bronwyn Sing, who kept the pilots occupied by encouraging their competitiveness and jealousy, and their wish to impress her. Archer noticed Sing's game and while investigating for the Kilrathi. One night, Maverick and Maniac found Archer fighting with Sing, who revealed her plan to end the war by spreading a plague among the Kilrathi, who would infect the others by escaping on Maniac's ship. They pursued the Kilrathi, who was shot down by Archer.[41]

Blair and bokh

Helped by Bokh.

When Maverick and Clipper were patrolling for the presence of a Kilrathi Carrier, he crashed on a planet. He tried to hid from the Kilrathi looking for him, but was found by Bokh nar Ragitika, who protected him, and expressed his motivation against Thrakhath and his wish to defect to the Confederation. Maniac, disobeying Tolwyn's orders, proceeded to the planet, so as to save Maverick "and remind it to him every day for the rest of his life". Maverick, contacted Maniac and coordinated an attack on the Kilrathi force so that he can escape. He told Tolwyn the news about the Kilrathi defector, but Tolwyn was sceptical, considering it an old trick to ascertain the location of the Claw. He rather set the plan for an ambush to surprise the Kilrathi Carrier. Tolwyn was angered when Blair insisted that the Kilrathi defector would prove useful, and even put him in charge of the task force. Blair even received bitter remarks from Payback, who wondered how he could lead them, being a Kilrathi sympathizer. Indeed, Blair "betrayed" Bokh and the Carrier was successfully destroyed. Tolwyn then considered to believe the information Bokh gave Blair and turn it against Thrakhath, telling him not to be troubled over a dead Kilrathi traitor.[42]

McAulliffe to Venice[]

Blair picks up real-life experience on the escort and routine duties, and soon the Claw is sent to Macauliffe -- clearing the way for an offensive strike against the Kiralthi.[43]

Blair's competition with Maniac continued on the Tiger's Claw. While aboard Tigers Claw, Marshall proved an unpopular wingman who was considered unreliable, even dangerous, by the rest of his squadron. He blamed Blair from the start for always managing to come out ahead in kills, awards, and promotions.[44]

Maverick once saw one hotshot on the Tigers Claw who’d ignored the clearing turn, then lost his engines. The sixty-thousand-ton strike carrier hadn’t left enough of the fighter to bury, much less the pilot.[45]

Maverick flew a few missions with Marshall at Gimle. Maniac would always break formation with him, and he wasn't sure he could count on him. He wished he had wingman to back him up, and not go hunting for glory, then yell for help when he gets in too deep.[46]

He continued to fly occasional missions with Jeanette Deveraux in unknown locations, and his romance continued to grow. She once told him something similar to; “When I’m out there, with that bird strapped around me and a cat in my sights that’s the only time I really feel alive."[47] James Taggart flew with them under the running name Paladin.[48][49]

At Gimle, In the game Bluehair flies with Angel, in LaFong's memoirs; Spirit flies with Angel. In WC3 novel it confirms that Blair actually flew with Marshall during that campaign. LaFong was in sickbay and missed the campaign altogether according to his memoirs.

The Vega campaign ends around 2654.287 to .325 (some six months after McAuliffe[50]) at Venice many pilots were involved. The Tiger's Claw is sent on a seek-and-destroy mission in the Vega Sector, to find the hidden location of the Kilrathi High Command. When they made a close pass to the planet Venice, they discovered the cat's lair. Some begin to hope that the war had turned around.

On Dolos[]

Blair farewells maya

Saying farewell to Maya.

On around 2654.293, Maverick participated in Tolwyn's ruse to enter the Dolos system undetected, by luring the Kilrathi guards to their destruction without reporting to the Kilrathi force. He and Grunt were assigned by Tolwyn to fly a captured Kilrathi ship to Dolos and instigate an uprising among the enslaved Dolosians before the invasion of the Marines to liberate them. Maya once more showed her concern for Maverick, who gave her a diskette with a message for his father, insisting that he wants her to do this in case he would not return. On Dolos Maverick and Grunt approached the Dolosians, however after arranging a meeting with the Dolosian leaders, they were betrayed by Vidkun and taken to Agon Ra Sivar.

Vidkun with others

With Vidkun.

However Tolwyn's main objective was to destroy the flagship, not liberate the Dolosians, and as a result, Maverick revealed mistaken information to Prince Thrakhath. During the assault to the flagship, Maverick, Grunt and Vidkun escaped and reached the Dreadnaught's bridge, and steered it towards the Kilrathi force on the planet, before escaping in a pod.

Gold wings

Reluctantly receiving the medal.

Maverick was awarded the Gold Wings of the Cadet Wing Commander for his bravery, initiative and ability. Feeling he had be used as a bait on a suicide mission, he denied the award, and threw it into space, saying that the dead of the battle deserve it.[51]

Deneb Sector: Operation Thor's Hammer and The Firekkan Missions[]

Having heard worrying news from the Goddard colony, the Claw jumped to Deneb Sector. The exact details of Christopher Blair's involvement in this era is not clear, but he flew missions in several systems here, as did Carl T. LaFong and Jason Armstrong.[52] Ultimately he took part in one of several attack wings[53] who helped destroy the KIS Sivar. He also was involved somehow during the The Firekka Missions as well. Although the only memoirs of that era have been written by Armstrong, LaFong, and Marshall, and there is an unlikelihood that Blair's will ever be published.[54]

He was on board the carrier when, the admiral made the carrier the flagship of a ramshackle squadron. He took her into action against overwhelming odds to hold off a Kilrathi fleet until Terran relief forces could arrive. At the height of the action Tolwyn relieved old Captain Thorn, the ship’s commanding officer, and filed charges against him for cowardice in the face of the enemy. Thorn had later been reinstated, but no one serving with the old man eve quite forgot the day.[55]

He was serving on the Claw when Iceman, Bossman, Knight were lost, and was it was a sad memories for him.[56]

He was serving on the TCS Tiger's Claw during the start of Operation: Crusade. His love life was barren, but pilots noted that he had extreme luck with cards. Around that time the Claw returned back to Confed space, they played poker and had an impressive hand (2 kings and 3 queens) causing dusgust and chagrin among the players and Jazz stood up. Blair invited Hunter to take his place, but on that moment Hunter was summoned to Flight Deck A-5. He shrugged wordlessly, leaving Blair sitting at the table holding the winnings.[57]

Blair (promoted to junior lieutenant at the time[58]) was on board when the TCS Tiger's Claw (with the help of Ian St. John[59], Carl T. LaFong and Jason Armstrong[60][61]) helped Hobbes defect.[62] He received a letter from Hunter detailing the surrender of Hobbes back on the Claw after he came back from R&R a few months later. Hobbes and Blair flew together back on the old Tiger's Claw a few times, it had been a time of great stress for the cat trying to prove himself.[63] Blair may have been on R&R for much of the Firekka Missions, and the months after[64].

Victory, although always welcome, is far from sweet for the crew of the Tiger's Claw. Bossman, whom Blair has known of from nearly his first day on the Claw, was dead. He was killed flying a mission as Angel's wingman. Spirit's fiancé had been captured by the enemy on a remote space station. Maniac was once again removed from the flight roster due to his increasing mental instability. Angel was transferred from the Tiger's Claw to the T.C.S. Austin, and soon followed by Spirit. It seemed that perhaps the only good thing that happened was Blair's promotion to the command of the Tiger's Claw fighter squadron.[65]

WC3 novel implies that Blair was on the TCS Tiger's Claw at the time Hobbes defected, but that hunter was involved with the defection (this maybe a loose reference to the non-important Blair in Freedom Flight). Super Wing Commander gives yet another account of how Hobbes defected with Jason Armstrong involved. In Freedom Flight it tells how Hunter was involved in the defection of Hobbes]]. In a mission in SM2 LaFong and Spirit escort Hobbes over to the Claw from the TCS Austin. The letter in The Kilrathi Saga from Hunter to Blair appears to imply that Christopher Blair was not on the ship but away on R&R at the time, or was on R&R on board the ship, and didn't experience any of the missions so that Hunter had to fill him in. The Blair in Freedom Flight does not appear in the book beyond the poker game, and may be indication that he has free time to spend while being on R&R.
Blair appears in Freedom Flight long before the name Christopher Blair had been decided upon for the character in the games (back when he was instead known as "Arturo Blair"). Blair's actions during the Firekka Missions in the book are rather minor, and Hunter more or less fills in for all the major events from the Secret Missions 2, but retold in a different way including Hobbe's defection and Hunter's involvement. The reference in WC3 novel implying he was on board the ship, when Hunter helped Hobbes defect appears to be a nod to this, but also seems to contradict The Kilrathi Saga that suggests he was away on R&R during that period. But there is also time enough in the book for him to have been on board in an earlier chapter but the had time to go on R&R afterwards (or for him to have taken his R&R onboard the Claw itself), but since he is a minor character in the book this is never mentioned.

Blair was sent a message from Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka on around 2655.200 threatening revenge for Blair's involvement during an attack on Kilrah's royal fleet, leading to the dishonored death of his father Gilkarg nar Kiranka. He is given the nickname Heart of the Tiger by the weaker warrion-clans.[66]

Vengeance of the Kilrathi[]

This is another era where Blair's specific memoirs have not been published (and often specifically mirror those of LaFong's published memoirs), although more details exist from other documents (this evidence is presented below).

The "vacation" at Firekka is over; the Tiger's Claw is needed to assist in dislodging the Kilrathi from Enigma sector. A strike planned against K'tithrak Mang, the Kilrathi headquarters, is inexplicably fumbled.[67]

When the Claw moves into the K'tithrak Mang system in 2656, to deal with a Kilrathi command post, however, his number comes up... Within moments, it seems, the Tiger's Claw is utterly destroyed. Most of its crew is gone, with the the sole exception of a few pilots, and including those who had been transferred to other ships, and Blair and Carl T. LaFong were out on patrol, the Claw is lost with all hands[68]; no one can confirm how. Blair (and LaFong)'s flight data recorders picked up odd signals that appear to be Kilrathi fighters with cloaking devices, and are damaged beyond repair when he engage them.

Around 2656.322, Blair was told he was the only survivor -- not a traditionally sympathetic role. When he arrives home, it is only to face courtmartial for negligence and cowardice under fire.[69] Christopher Blair seperated from the rest of the crew (and never did get a chance to hear LaFong's account either) was put under house arrest aboard the TCS Austin pending an internal TCSN investigation in the loss of the TCS Tiger's Claw the previous week. He was investigated by Edward Pyle (the same Major in intelligence who had also interviewed LaFong earlier, and refused to believe his stories as well). Captain Jeanette Deveraux was a close friend and frequent wingmate of his, and lover. She did not believe he was guilty.[70]

He was given a full court martial the following week (seperate from LaFongs).[71] His claims that "stealth fighters" had attacked the Tiger's Claw are not believed, and in fact are regarded as a pathetic attempt to whine his way back to his former position.[72] Despite previous encounters with stealth technology (before the Tiger's Claw's destruction), that information had been classified and sealed up (in part by Tolwyn himself) indeed those who knew about it had been banned from discussing any rumors concerning it, and most who might have known about it may have died with the Claw.[73][74]

While the court martial exonerated him, Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn claimed Blair was lying to cover his own treachery, he demoted Blair and exiled them to the under-funded and backwater research station Caernavon Station, where he was reassigned to InSystem Security.[75] The admiral thought Blair to be a turncoat, or, had worse yet incompetent, as a result of the loss of the Tiger’s Claw.[76] Blair was widely branded the "Coward of K'tithrak Mang" (and LaFong the Traitor of K'Tithrak Mang) and reviled throughout the Terran Confederation. Doomsday soon after contacted Blair to discuss the issue, and how he was in disbelief. Doomsday though still believed in him, although many didn't, and that he was right about the "stealth" technology.[77] Blair had been delighted when he and Maniac had been posted in different ships after their tour aboard the Tiger's Claw after their competition through the years had caused a falling out between them[78].

The destruction of the Tiger's Claw is where LaFong and Blair's backgrounds begin to truly shadow each other/share many of the same ideas (and Blair's name more or less 'replaces' LaFong's names in manuals and articles sources).

The Kilrathi Saga and WC Prophecy Guide for example more or less use information from LaFong material and only switch the names to Blair.

However these sources are not always consistent on the specifics... and don't always mention every detail from the guide either.

Some claim there were no other survivors of the Claw such as the WC4 guide previously... (even WC2 has a few lines that claim Hunter, Iceman died for example). LaFong's account acknowledges that at least Doomsday, and Iceman survived, and a handful of others.

Some details are completely shared such as Edward Pyle being the one who interrogated both... or sources referring to the book A Treacherous Hero as referring to both LaFong and later Blair as well.

Thad Gunderson was Blair's crew chief during his stint with the system defense forces at Caernavon Station.[79] He had been exonerated by the court-martial but his career seemed to be pretty much over. Thad held his hand and kept him from blowing his brains out until he could get back in the game.[80]

Blair was still on Caernavon, but when the TCS Concordia, Tolwyn's new flagship, jumps in-system and is ambushed, Blair singlehandedly rescues it. Cognizant of the need to keep the best pilots on the front lines, Tolwyn shifts Blair to active service aboard the Concordia, where he serves alongside a number of old friends from the Claw: Jeannette "Angel" Devereaux, Mariko "Spirit" Tanaka, Etienne "Doomsday" Montclair, defected Kilrathi pilot Ralgha "Hobbes" nar Hhallas[81][82], and Zack "Jazz" Colson. New to the roster is Dirk "Stingray" Wright, enthusiastic and brash whom Blair would help mentor[83]. James "Paladin" Taggart drops in on occasion, but Todd "Maniac" Marshall is far away doing testing on some new fighters. To dampen the mood, however, a saboteur is on the Concordia, striking material and personnel. The loss of Spirit is another blow to his moral[84]. In his time aboard the Concordia, Blair is able to finally record incontrovertible evidence of the Kilrathi Strakha Stealth Fighters, uncover and defeat the traitor; around 2667.144 the Kilrathi Stealthships are finally verified by Christopher Blair and Zach Colson (sic) during a patrol mission in the K'tithrak Mang system, both pilots on the TCS Concordia. They were able to disable six of the vessels.[85]

He helps destroy the K'Tithrak Mang outpost (unknowingly with the help of Carl T. LaFong[86][87], who was unaware at the time of Blair's involvement as well) and avenge the Tiger's Claw, and continues his romantic liaison with Angel. Blair's actions at K'tithrak Mang enables Confed to conquer the strategically-vital Enigma Sector. He is also re-promoted to Colonel by a grudgingly respectful Tolwyn. More ominously, he gains the personal attention of Kilrathi Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka; he is eventually given the Kilrathi warrior name "Heart of the Tiger".

Around 2668.111 Christopher Blair was an advisor for the A Treacherous Hero Holovid the movie production of the book about Carl T. LaFong's trial (and their punishment on board Caernavon station). He received a check for 2,022 credits for the royalty.[88]

In 2668.322 Blair received his XCU-50 Optical DataZig Console Training certification allowing him to operate consoles.

Blair subsequently becomes involved in a number of Secret Ops projects, including the TCS Gettysburg mutiny, the defense of Kilrathi rebel planet Ghorah Khar, and the testing of the new Morningstar Heavy Fighters. He fights at the Battle of Earth and is grounded with injuries for six months[89], during which time the Kilrathi push the Confederation to the wall. He resumes active duty just in time for Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger to start. All in all he spent three years on the Concordia.[90]

Heart of the Tiger[]

Blair receives a letter from Angel on their anniversary she discusses how she wants to be with him but has to finish a mission first.[91] She continues to send him another letter on 2669.210, telling Blair to be careful and stay alive for her.[92]

On around 2669.220 Christopher Blair transfers over to the Victory after receiving orders from William Eisen.[93] Blair is interviewed by Barbar Miles for Personal Point: An Interview with Confed's Top Pilot shortly before he goes on board.

With the Concordia lost in the Vespus System and his lover Angel MIA, Blair (now portrayed by Mark Hamill) is assigned to the TCS Victory, a carrier twice as old as he is (mid-30s) and being kept to the rear lines of the war. Despite the relatively unglamorous nature of his assignment, Blair, along with his wing of pilots including top aces Hobbes and Maniac, is able to provide at least some defense for the TCS Behemoth before its destruction at the hands of a traitor. It's from this point that Blair discovers what truly happened to Angel through a holographic recording. She was clawed to death by his old rival Thrakhath. An unstable Blair then leads a wing that is responsible for delivering the Temblor Bomb on the Kilrathi home planet, resulting in the death of the Emperor, as well as Prince Thrakhath (engaged and defeated by Blair in the planet's atmosphere) and is able to avenge his Lair-mate. The destruction of Kilrah lead to the immediate cessation of all hostilities between the Terrans and Kilrathi. Blair is now entitled to add a new label to his roster: "Savior of the Confederation".

Tolwyn would apologize for misjudging Christopher Blair in the Tiger's Claw destruction incident.[94]

The Price of Freedom[]

After the war, Blair attempts to return to his roots on Nephele and become a farmer. Tolwyn reactivates him during Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom, however, to investigate allegations that the Union of Border Worlds has been causing trouble for Confed shipping (claims that Confed is doing the same thing to Border Worlds shipping are ignored). A third faction is eventually implicated, and Blair succeeds in uncovering it, though he is forced to defect to the Border Worlds to do so, since the faction appears to be supported by elements within Confed. This so-called "Black Lance Affair" results in the summary disgrace and suicide of Admiral Tolwyn.

His "Last" Fairwell[]

Blair remains in the military for the rest of his life, though he accepts a transfer from the Space Forces to the Navy. He is the architect and main proponent of the 'super-carrier' plan, and is aboard the Template:TC, the first of the new class, on its maiden voyage[95]. When the ship unexpectedly encounters invaders from another part of the galaxy (codename Nephilim), the Midway single-handedly beats them back, mostly led by player character 1st Lt. Lance Casey. Commodore Blair is, unfortunately, lost in the action against the Nephilim, missing and presumed dead on a critical mission to assist Casey in destroying the aliens' galaxy-invading wormhole. His presumed death was mourned by billions all across the galaxy, by both humanity and the Kilrathi. Though his remains were not recovered, he was presumed "KIA", and memorials were held in New York City and Nephele[96].

The Return[]

At some point in the distant future; One day, long after people thought he was dead, but he hadn't died, he still lived. He lived to see the vision from his youth, given to him by his ascended mother (a vision he could not remember). Returning from the wormhole to his own galaxy. His hair had thinned and grown white. Age spots dotted his wizened forehead. His shoulders slumped and his chest sagged. Washington D.C., Earth had become a scarred and blackened landscape. Pilgrim fighters and bombers streaked overhead, dropping unceasing salvos. Fires raged around him. Pillars of smoke supported a dusty blanket of sky. The attack was not his fault.[97]There was nothing he could do to stop it.

Personality[]

An old fashioned man, a Jeffersonian gentleman, the cheerful innocent, conscientious and boyishly enthusiastic Maverick is motivated by a sense of personal and family honor, without snobbery, greed or petty ambitions. Though highly competitive, Maverick almost always maintains honesty and a sense of fair play.[98]

Blair had an orphaned, complicated childhood. He had a deep sense of personal ethics. He was reserved, especially in personal questions, and was very sensitive to comments and inappropriate remarks about about his family. Although reserved, he used to speak his mind. Because of his difficult childhood, he did not welcome personal questions.[18]

As a pilot, Maverick was confident, focused, disciplined and creative and responded well to criticism. Although he understood teamwork, he performed best when allowed to take the initiative. His talented flighting suggested leadership potential, although not a natural leader. He was controlled and disciplined in the cockpit but loved to have a reasonable degree of mission autonomy.[18]

Maverick saw Maniac both as his closest friend and a personal rival, feeling mutual respect and trust; their cooperation brought out the best in the other, making a remarkable flight team, assuming they are unbeatable.[18]

Behind the scenes[]

Homeworld[]

There is a discrepency in his homeworld, some sources state it was on Earth (Victory Streak, The Kilrathi Saga), others say it was on Nephele or Nephele II. The Price of Freedom novel suggests he was an immigrant to Nephele II who had recently chosen to move there, and the Wing Commander: The Movie novel suggests he was a native of Nephele since childhood. Both Nephele Prime, and Nephele Two are both referred to as "Nephele".  To be more precile the Movie novel and Pilgrim Truth never specifically states that he was born on Nephele but that it was the only home that he never knew (other than a brief time on Peron as a child), and that his uncle has a farm there.

Graduation date[]

There are some discrepencies to when he graduated from the academy/flightschool, etc. Some sources place it around 2653 (The Kilrathi Saga), others place it around the early part of 2654. This is not in entirely a discrepency in that it is possible that he finished up his senior year on board the TCS Formidable in 2653 and then graduation ceremonies were in 2654. Part of the issue comes down to how classes are set up in the academy as well. With year one, year two, and year three set primarily at Hilthros, and senior year traveling about on other ships; The Academy Years.

The Wing Commander Academy adds to the problem in that it sets quite a bit of the academy on board the TCS Tiger Claw (when other accounts in the games or movie material do not have him setting foot on it until after the Academy). This issue also affects Maniac's bio as well. The retcon moving much of Academy into the Vega Campaign period causes a number of other issues.

Beyond that there are discrepencies on if the Academy program was a two or three year accelerated program, or a four year proram, that adds to the confusion. 

Name[]

Because Blair is Wing Commander's player character, he had no official name for the first two installments of the series; the player was allowed to personalize the character's name and call sign.

  1. Origin Systems's in-house bible referred to him as "Bluehair", a joke about the artistic usage of blue highlights over his dark hair, a result of the lighting of the Tiger's Claw. The default name of the character by the program (eg. when jumping missions by a cheat) was "Bluehair" Our Hero
  2. Wing Commander I & II: The Ultimate Strategy Guide (1992): the protagonist's name was given as Carl T. Lafong (Prankster). This character is treated as as seperate character in Star*Soldier who happened to serve alongside Christopher Blair and Todd Marshall. The book treats the game itself as a combination of different stories by different pilots from many sources and battles during the war, turned into a holo-vid by Tristam Roberts. As such the 'players' could be 'anyone' more or less.
  3. Wing Commander I & II: The Ultimate Strategy Guide (1992): the protagonist name is given as Pitak Puzaki for the Hubble's Star and Hell's Kitchen missions. He serves on board the TCS Eagle's Talon. Treated as an alternate character, and an addition to the vid-game suggested to Tristam Roberts by Carl T. LaFong.
  4. SegaCD version (1994): When the speech cut scenes required a standard name, this was given as "Hotshot". As a note of trivia, in the Kilrathi Saga manual Larry "Tooner" Dibbles referred to Blair as "Hotshot" in the academy (although several students were vying for that title).
  5. Japanese Sega MegaCD version: He was named Lyle Starbuck
  6. Super Wing Commander (1994): The protagonist is named Jason Armstrong (Maverick). Star*Soldier also makes Armstrong a separate character to Maverick that existed around the same time, and wrote yet another memoir of that era.
  7. Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (1994): He is called "Blair", according to a rumor being a shortening of "Bluehair" from the first game. He was also given the name "Christopher" in honor of series creator Chris Roberts. The player is still allowed to assign a callsign.
  8. Kilrathi Saga (1996): In the releases of WC1 and WC2, the player defaults to Blair and Maverick in WC1, and also the first name Christopher in WC2. Maverick is default callsign in WC3.
  9. Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom (1996): The player is allowed to assign a callsign.
  10. Wing Commander Academy (1996): The protagonist of the series is referred to as Christopher Blair (Maverick).
  11. Wing Commander: Prophecy (1997): The callsign Maverick is mentioned.
  12. William R. Forstchen's novelizations described him as using the call sign "Maverick."
  13. Wing Commander film (1999): Blair is called with his full name only, his callsign "Maverick" is never heard.

The series bible indicates that other candidates for Blair's call sign included "Falcon" and "Phoenix," the latter of which saw print in the novel End Run (hough not necessarily the same character). The "Maverick" callsign is widely used in late publications. Finally, during the course of Wing Commander III, Blair finds out that he is the game's titular Heart of the Tiger, and in the The Price of Freedom novelization uses this as a public call sign (not unusual, as call signs are generally bestowed by fellow pilots or instructors to begin with). In Pilgrim Truth, the second novelization in an abortive trilogy based on Wing Commander film, Blair adopts the callsign "Pilgrim" in an acknowledgment of his ethnic roots.

Christopher Blair, Carl T. LaFong, and Armstrong as separate Characters[]

Carl T. "Prankster" LaFong was created for the Wing Commander I & II: The Ultimate Strategy Guide as the protagonist and narrator. He is representing the actual canonical "truth" behind the first two games, while the games themselves are treated as an "adaptation" of his career; as such he is represented by the (unnamed) player character. The book has details of LaFong's background outside the games, such as his enrollment to the Academy, his studies, his life between some missions and the two games, and his retirement.

Prankster is referenced as a seperate canonical character alongside Maverick (Blair) and Todd Marshal (Maniac) in Star*Soldier on page 7;

"The Rapier II replaced the aging CF-117 in 2654 and immediately made an impact: Dragon, Bandit, Maverick, Maniac, Prankster... a disproportionate number of the war’s top twenty aces served with Rapier II squadrons."

According to the writer and designers notes for understanding this reference;

"Prankster" - This isn't the last time you'll see this: as awful as it is, I find the idea that Carl "Prankster" LaFong (the character from the Wing Commander I & II Ultimate Strategy Guide) and Chris Blair are two different people hilarous."[99]

Another reference is made on page 26 of Star*Soldier

“The sheer exhilaration with which
Marshall tells his war stories gives
his book a leg up on the likes of
Armstrong and LaFong.”
—Michael Gallagher

This reference is explained by the designers and writers as such;

"Armstrong and LaFong" - I love this joke and I get the feeling everyone else hates it. Armstrong and LaFong were alternate names for Blair, used in Super Wing Commander and the Wing Commander I & II Ultimate Strategy Guide respectively. This is actually addressing a real book, since the conceit of that latter guide is that now-octogenerian LaFong has written his memoirs and you're reading them. Sorta contradicts Blair's death, too, if they're the same character...

The player character in the series was later canonized as "Christopher Blair" in Template:Wc3 and from then on, the characters have diverged and Blair was developed a different background. In the Kilrathi Saga manual there are a few references to the Guide, now mentioned to refer to Blair, like the terms "Hilthros" and "201st Class" and references of Raymond Blakely and Michael Anthony as Blair's roommate, and the Kilrathi Saga versions of WC1 and WC2 defaults to the name Blair and Maverick callsign. It seems that the Saga manual and Kilrathi Saga versions of the games intended to merge LaFong and Blair or simply rename LaFong as Blair. While Star*Soldier again makes them separate characters who often served together.

An understanding of the conceit behind the first half of the book (concerning the WC1 material) is that LaFong is telling his story, not necessarily Blair's story although they served together and presumably had missions that were very similar to each other (although specific stories for Blair during that era have never been published[100]). Wing Commander the game itself offers a number of alternate missions with similar objectives with just character and location names changed (the book points this out by suggesting that the video game is a composite of many different missions and stories from many different sources in the war, the Memoirs of Carl T. LaFong just represent experiences and the missions he specifically was on). This also plays with the fact that in WC1 during mission briefings there are a number of pilot heads who all represent pilots out on missions at the same time assigned the same or different squadrons (game limitations only allow for a wing commander and his wing mate in a mission at a time, when the stories suggest there are many more pilots out there patrolling many different points). The missions themselves are largely simple and generic and repetitive (nothing particularly iconic, and mostly the kind of missions any number of individuals could have easily experienced, at different times). Much as Star*Soldier points out there are almost no direct references to which actions Christopher Blair took during that era, and no 'memoirs' of his specific actions.[101]

As Wing Commander 2's events became a bit more problematic as they give specific references tied into hard cutscenes (dramatic situations and cinematic events), and other sources give direct references to Blair during those events (the reliability of LaFong's account is thus less clear in those chapters, and would seem less likely that he would encounter the same specific events, punishments and locations as Blair), unless he was deliberately mirroring/stalking Blair from the "shadows" so to speak. Although Star*Soldier may suggest otherwise, that any resemblance in histories is coincidental. For example, Carl T. LaFong also claims to have helped destroy the K'tithrak Mang, it can be only assumed if he is telling the truth he secretly helped Blair (likely without Blair's knowledge of it), or that he was lieing and using Blair's story as his own. But by 2701 when Star*Soldier is published the knowledge of Blair's actions in WC2, and LaFong's actions as well from his published works, no one appears to question any of the accounts of those events, and Prankster is considered one of Kilrathi Wars twenty best aces, suggesting that both accounts are true.

This wiki follows Star*Soldier in that the Memoirs are canonical in-universe documents written by LaFong, and that Blair, LaFong and Armstrong are each separate canonical characters who 'coincidently' seemingly happen to have shared the same or similar adventures (in actuality or form of plagiarism). Some fans may see the missions as referring to the actions of Blair, rather than LaFong, but this does not always work as LaFong's actions outside of the scope of game's missions are often tied back into those missions themselves, including his motives and choices, and thus are an important part of LaFong's background (but these do not necessarily fit with Blair's backstory or motives as discussed in other sources).

Technically the exact details of Blair's actions during that period have never been given in any published source. This is nodded to in Star*Soldier when it mentions the unlikelihood that Blair's memoirs would ever be published.

“Given the unlikelihood of seeing
[Blair’s] memoirs, Me: The Life and
Battles of ‘Maniac’ Marshall offers
the clearest possible picture of
the missions that defeated the Kilrathi.”
—Dr. Silas Torg, U. of Central Florida

From the developer and writer notes;

"unlikeyhood" - Is this Torg's passive-aggressive way of reminding everyone that Blair is dead, or is he still alive and just unlikely to write a memoir (like Neil ARMSTRONG)?

Also noted in Star*Soldier as part of the meta-joke is that it implies that Marshall apparently embellishes his stories and egoistically inflates his own importance during the war, possibly even going as far to insert himself where he might not have been (an accusation which may be handed towards Armstrong and LaFong as well, but is not levels specifically in the magazine).

Portrayal[]

References[]

  1. Star*Soldier, 7
  2. 2.0 2.1 Wing Commander film
  3. Novel
  4. Pilgrim Truth
  5. Chris McCubbin, Official Authorized Wing Commander Confederation Handbook, Correspondence: Taggart to Tolwyn
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Chris McCubbin, Official Authorized Wing Commander Confederation Handbook, Psychological Profile of Christopher Blair
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Wing Commander Academy: Series bible
  8. Movie novel
  9. 9.0 9.1 Red and Blue
  10. Movie Novel, pg
  11. WCTKS manual, pg
  12. Pilgrim Stars, pg
  13. WC3 novel, pg
  14. Wing Commander film
  15. Peter Telep, Wing Commander, ch. 7, 9
  16. Peter Telep, Wing Commander, ch. 8
  17. 17.0 17.1 Chris McCubbin, Official Authorized Wing Commander Confederation Handbook, Final Evaluation, Lt. Christopher Blair
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Chris McCubbin, Official Authorized Wing Commander Confederation Handbook, Final Evaluation, Lt. Christopher Blair
  19. The Movie novel, chapt 2
  20. WC3 novel, pg
  21. Peter Telep, Wing Commander, ch. 2
  22. The Last One Left
  23. Pilgrim Truth, pg
  24. WC3 Novel, Chapter 2, pg
  25. Pilgrim Truth, Chapter 15
  26. Lords of the Sky
  27. Pilgrim Truth, pg
  28. Star*Soldier, 26
  29. WC3 novel, pg
  30. Wing Commander: Prophecy Guide, pg
  31. Super Wing Commander, intro
  32. WC3 novel, pg
  33. WC4 Guide, 49
  34. The Most Delicate Instrument
  35. Word of Honor
  36. Expendable
  37. Chain of Command
  38. Walking Wounded
  39. Invisible Enemy
  40. Recreation
  41. On Both Your Houses
  42. Price of Victory
  43. WC4 Guide, pg 49
  44. WC3 novel, pg
  45. WC4 novel, pg
  46. WC3 novel, pg
  47. WC3 novel, pg
  48. WC3 Novel, pg
  49. WC3: "BLAIR (cutting him off) All those missions we flew together - - you on my wing, protecting me - - "
  50. WC4 Guide, pg 49
  51. Glory of Sivar
  52. Star*Soldier, 26
  53. W1&2G, pg 139
  54. Star*Soldier, 26
  55. WC3 novel, pg
  56. WC3 novel, chapter 1
  57. Freedom Flight, pg
  58. WC3 Novel pg
  59. WCTKS manual pg,
  60. Super Wing Commander
  61. Star*Soldier, 26
  62. WC3 Novel, pg
  63. WC3 novel, pg
  64. WCTKS, pg
  65. WC4 Guide, pg
  66. WCTKS manual, pg 49
  67. WC4 Guide
  68. WC3: "First the Tiger’s Claw, now this." PALADIN Enough! You were not to blame for either.BLAIR Some would disagree.
  69. WC4 Guide, pg
  70. WCTKS, pg 55
  71. WTCTKS, pg 55
  72. WC4 Guide, pg
  73. Super Wing Commander
  74. Wing Commander Academy
  75. WCTKS manual, pg
  76. WC4 novel, pg
  77. WCTKS manual, pg 49
  78. WC3 novel, pg
  79. WC4 novel, pg
  80. WC4 novel pg
  81. WC3 novel, pg
  82. wC3 intro: Hobbes: It warms my heart to see you again, Colonel. But I must excuse myself now, as your duty here takes precedence over our catching up on old times.
  83. Star*Soldier, pg13
  84. WC3 novel, pg
  85. WCTKS, pg 60
  86. Star*Soldier, 26
  87. WC1&2 guide, pg
  88. Kilrathi Saga, pg
  89. WC3 novel, pg
  90. Wc3 novel, chapter 1
  91. WCTKS manual, pg 61
  92. WCTKS, pg 63
  93. WCTKS, pg 63
  94. WC3 novel, pg
  95. Wing Commander: Prophecy
  96. http://www.wcnews.com/articles/sofiction/3_3_d_isdn.html
  97. Pilgrim Truth,
  98. Academy Press Kit
  99. http://www.wcnews.com/cgi-bin/searchnews.cgi
  100. Star*Soldier, 26
  101. Star*Soldier, 26
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