Wing Commander Information Center
Register
Advertisement


Space Marshal Sir Geoffrey Tolwyn, Bt. VC, MOH, DSC, KCB[1] was an Admiral of the Terran Confederation, remembered for his brilliant defense of Earth against Lord Thrakhath's, a classic example of military prowess in the face of overwhelming odds. His subsequent political actions dishonored his name and memory. Frequently he was a direct or nearly direct superior and adversary of the Colonel Christopher Blair.

Since his youth, his eloquence had always been one of his strong suits during pressure, seemingly being able to talk his way out of every trouble. But sometimes he talked himself straight into the hole.

Biography[]

Youth and education[]

The only son of a British baronet, he was born in 2612, during an era of relative peace. Tolwyn grew up as part of the last remaining vestige of nobility on Earth with estates in England and the Shetlands. Some grandfather had been Rear Admiral of the Confed Fleet, old tradition type who served 6 years before returning to the family business.

Young Geoffrey never wanted for money and had a 10000-a-year allowance. His family arranged for him a relationship with Rebecca, a girl from a very proper British family with all the right pedigrees, for whom Geoff felt a growing attachment.[2]

He attended the Confederation Service Academy where he met with other species, such as Firekkans, Varni, Hagarin, Wu and others. In spite of their peaceful ways, the Varni always made him uncomfortable owing to the primeval fear of reptiles with poisonous fangs. The years away from the comforts of his home made him understand the value of money.[2] While there he befriended Rhea Bergstrom, and in their youthful ambition they jokingly put a bet: should one becomes an Admiral first, the other would owe him 10 credits.[3]

In his 2nd year, Tolwyn studied under Vance Richards who then served as a summer flight instructor for basic subsonic atmospheric flight. He was first in his class in subsonic, sonic, and transatmosphere training. He also had several hours in the twin seat variant of the Hurricane. He admired commander Winston Turner who shaped his own thinking about the Confed Fleet, its mission, and the inner sense that the Confederation was to face a crisis unlike any before. He would never admit to anyone, his gut feeling that destiny would give him a major part to play.[4]

During those trainings, he saw fellow cadets killed in accidents. Death for him was remote, and had the form of a malfunctioning machine, or a polished coffin in the chapel. These experiences, although tragic, would not prepare him for the violent form of death he would witness later.[5]

In his youth, Tolwyn also indulged in code breaking of classified documents like many pilots and cadets. That way he read the reports of the Panama System war games.[4]

Already there he had developed his almost fanatical dedication, but because of his character he called names his superiors a couple of times; he graduated top of his class, and perhaps because of his behaviour he wasn't #1.[6]

By 2634 Ensign Tolwyn had acquired the wings of a basic fighter trainee over the left breast pocket. Tolwyn graduated during a time when many in the Confederation were questioning the very necessity of the armed forces and when Confederation senators were looking to bolster their votes by cutting "wasteful" military programs; all during the slow, steady build of tensions between the Confederation and the Empire of Kilrah.[6]

Graduation[]

Just a day before his graduation he received his official orders posting him to start orientation training for the Wildcat fighter on Lunar orbital base 5. The next day, after the graduation ceremony of that year, while going to the refreshments table to bring drinks to his parents, he heard[4] Senator Jamison More being interviewed over a controversial bill to close the Academy. Before realising it, Tolwyn approached and had a run-in with him, making the vid cams turning towards him, and brought up personal motive for the blockage of a new starfighter program to replace the aging "Wildcat" medium fighter. The awkward dialogue was witnessed by Spencer Banbridge and Winston Turner. One of the senatorial aides provoked him but Geoff ignored the bait.[6]

The senior officers knew that Tolwyn's audacity doomed his own career, so when Banbridge offered an assignment to Turner, Turner chose Tolwyn over Robert Singh, to be his admin assistant.[6] Indeed the event hit all the major vid services and More's opponents even used Tolwyn's words against the Senator. Tolwyn was summoned to the office of CICCONFEDFLT Banbridge for a loud reaming for his "insubordination", in front of More's smiling aides; following this, Geoff was "banished" to Base McAuliffe.[4]

Assignment at McAuliffe[]

He took the transport from Earth and on 2634.120 Tolwyn reached Johnson Island instructed to report to Lieutenant, Richards, who landed 2 hours later. On their way to the flight desk, he was filled with awe seeing the array of the strike force. Vance took an envelope from the main desk at the flight operations office. Geoff was a little disturbed with the inquisitive look from a marine sergeant, but he finally stiffened, acknowledging (with an apparent difficulty) that the ensign was his superior. Vance sighed reading the orders, and transmitted his confusion to Geoff. He knew that Richards would tell in time, and just followed him to the base officer's club for a drink.

Geoff brought 2 beers and waited as Vance sipped his beer scanning around. Richards told him to call him Vance when drinking together off duty, the first time he was allowed the privilege since graduation, and said that new orders wait them there. Just then they were approached by Winston Turner, whom he knew as being early retired with other professors; the coincidences made Geoff suspect that he was connected to their mission. He was relieved to hear that his fate was not to be banished to a remote outpost, but thinking that he was attached to an intellectual who was near retirement was not encouraging. Discussing the recent political situation, Geoff expressed his belief that the Varni should have taught them that the Kilrathi can attack without a warning.[4]

Geoff served as the "administrative assistant" of the team, and often quarreled with Vance, as both wanted to be top dog.

Meeting Hans Kruger[]

They ended up at the Hell Hole, the capital of the Landreich, looking for a pilot who would take them inside Kilrathi territory. On 2643.170 they met Hans Kruger at the bar. Geoff didn't talk and thought that despite his cockiness, the pilot was totally inexperienced. Winston explained that it was one of the reasons why he hired that pilot, and also told him how he failed to be accepted to the Academy years ago.

Exiting the bar, Geoff noticed a change in Winston's movements, to be followed by a shootout: gracefully Winston pulled his blaster and shot a Sarn hitman who was after Kruger, a scene that Geoff did not expect to see from the "old prof. Winnie". Turner ordered him to take 200 from his pocket and pay the bar for damages and burial. Geoff did so and realized it was first time he witnessed a violent death, smelled blood and saw a dead body (with a big hole on the chest). He sensed the fear all around the bar, and Turner surprised him once more, as he left without bothering to look back. He expressed his surprise to Vance, who called him idiot, as there had been rumors circulating about Turner's "commando stuff" he did in the past, and Geoff started to believe them.[5]

Mission into Kilrathi space[]

They begun their investigation on Gar's Emporium. There, a Kilrathi and a Jarma lizard attempted to pick Vance's wallet; Geoff shot them and the Kilrathi lost a hand (afterwards known as "Stumpie") right before nailing Vance. A Haggan then slithered up and offered them 50 credits for the body. It secured a grudging friendship between the two young officers.[7]

Tolwyn was a widower, with two sons who were lost in the course of the war.

The name of his wife is in dispute; in Action Stations his fiancee's name is given as Rebecca his engagement was one arranged by his family; End Run gives her name as Elizabeth whom he met at a party at the Academy, while in Fleet Action the same author calls her Clara. It's possible that that arranged engagement was broken off at some point, paving the way for Elizabeth/Clara. The fact that she met him at the Academy raises the possibility that she may have been a Navy officer as well.

Beginning of the Kilrathi War[]

During the Battle of McAuliffe, Ensign Geoffrey Tolwyn was a fighter pilot in the cockpit of a Wildcat, with barely five hundred flying hours under his belt. He managed to survive both of his sorties, including a battle against the then-Crown Prince of Kilrah (who committed ritual suicide because of his shame at being defeated by a "mere human"). After that battle, Tolwyn was promoted to Lieutenant and given command of a frigate.

In that first military operation, Tolwyn played a part in the incident of the "lost war orders".[8]

Rise to Flag Rank[]

From 2639 to 2654, Tolwyn rose to prominence in the Confederation Navy, rising from Lt. J.G. to Commodore.

His actions during 2654 are covered by Wing Commander Academy which retcons some elements of the established timeline and contradicted by the later Pilgrim timeline. In that series Tolwyn was the CO of TCS Tiger's Claw and responsible for the Cadet Wing. His actions culminated in a personal attack against Prince Thrakhath on Dolos. For more see Geoffrey Tolwyn/Academy.

Tolwyn was promoted to Rear Admiral and commander of 14th Fleet.

Tolwyn held the rank of Vice Admiral and served in Confederation High Command. In that capacity he sent a top priority message to TCS Tiger's Claw warning about massing Kilrathi battle fleets in the Firekka system.[9]

Vengeance of the Kilrathi[]

Tolwyn solstation

Tolwyn became Commander of the 14th Fleet. After the destruction of the Claw he believed that Blair was guilty of treason but because of lack of evidence he was convicted only for negligence. He announced to Blair that the court demoted him back to Captain. He also insisted that he resigned from the Confederation Navy but Blair refused. Therefore, he transferred Blair to Insystem Security.[10]

Tolwyn moustache

In 2661 , Tolwyn's flagship, Concordia, was commissioned. Enigma Sectors. In 2664, Tolwyn was reunited with Christopher Blair - this time under much more adversarial circumstances - and they fought together, albeit grudgingly, during the most dangerous campaigns of the war.

In 2668 he led the Earth Defense Campaign commanding brilliantly the defense of Earth against the Kilrathi great offensive. The battle was marked by the fanatical devotion the fleet under him.[1] Tolwyn wom the Battle of Earth, which was mankind's most perilous hour. However, the fleet he inherited after the battle was worn and dangerously thinned, and Tolwyn was reduced to sending decades-old light carriers to battle the Kilrathi in engagements that before would have required full fleet carriers.

Towlyn was transferred off the Concordia shortly after the battle of Earth to head the Terran Confederation Navy's Weapons Development Program at Jupiter Station. While he was away, the Concordia was fighting a rearguard action in the Vespus system when it took torpedo hits to its engines, causing it to fall out of orbit. The Concordia crashed into the massive ocean of Vespus, taking almost all her crew with her. Colonel Christopher Blair located the wreck and reported to Tolwyn that it was a 'total loss'.

In Lord Thrakhath's great offensive against the Earth in 2668, Tolwyn brilliantly led the Earth Defense Campaign, marked by fanatical devotion of nearly everyone who served under him.[8]

War's End[]

In 2669, the Behemoth Project was tested. One of the largest space faring structures ever built by the Confederation, its major weapon, a planet-killing superconducting particle beam cannon, was successfully deployed against the test planet Loki VI. However, a Kilrathi spy in the fleet leaked the weak points in Behemoth's defenses to the enemy, and a massive Paktahn bomber strike on the weapon destroyed it, along with Tolwyn's hopes of saving the Confederation. Fortunately, General James Taggart's Temblor Bomb program, the second Confed superweapon program and truly the Confederation's last hope for victory, was successfully deployed against the Kilrathi and saved the human race from annihilation. As a result, Taggart was elected to the Confederation senate after the war.

Peacetime, SRA, and Black Lance[]

File:Tolwyn04.png

Tolwyn's demise

After the end of the Kilrathi War in 2669, Tolwyn, burning with humiliation from Behemoth's destruction, was assigned to command of the Strategic Readiness Agency and promptly converted the agency into his personal fief. He was brought into the Agency's two-decade-old Black Lance Project and found that he had a personal skill for misappropriating funding from other projects to fulfill the Black Lance's agenda. Tolwyn's fanatical personality had found his ultimate fulfillment: the "perfection" of humanity into a fighting force unparalleled in the galaxy. By 2674, the biogenic plague intended to destroy the unworthy was prepared and test runs were made against planets in the Border Worlds, but before the plan could fully unfold (which included war with the Border Worlds), Colonel Christopher Blair - operating with Border Worlds forces - uncovered Tolwyn's plot and revealed it to the Senate in an impromptu but impassioned speech. It was during this Senate hearing that Tolwyn was to be given the position of "Space Marshal" (the highest rank in the Confederation military, equivalent to a Fleet Admiral or Grand Admiral) and a decision would be made on whether to declare war on the Border Worlds. With Blair's intervention, the senate voted against war in an impressive landslide. Tolwyn was arrested and arraigned on charges relating to crimes against humanity.

After being found guilty on all charges stemming from the Black Lance conspiracy, convicted and stripped of rank, Geoffrey Tolwyn was imprisoned.

His sentence differs slightly in the novelization of Wing Commander IV with him being given life imprisonment as opposed to execution.

Wilhelm Schwarzmont, the Historian of the Fleet, interviewed him in 3 occasions. Tolwyn committed suicide in his prison cell on the eve of his execution in 2674, believing he had failed humanity. After his body was removed, Schwarzmont visited his cell and found arranged on his bunk a photograph of his deceased wife and children and the wings and ensign's bars issued to him on the day he graduated from the Academy.[11]

Legacy[]

The incident of the "lost war orders" where he took part remained one of the biggest mysteries of the War that fascinated both Terran and Kilrathi historians. Schwarzmond thought that his command during the Battle of Earth "would stand for centuries as a classic example of military prowess in the face of overwhelming odds".[12]

However his subsequent political actions dishonored him for ever. He remained a controversial figure of the War; historians wrote much but few dared to approach his topic.[11]

Appearance and character[]

In times of pressure cadet Tolwyn could talk his way out of anything, but there were times when he talked himself straight into trouble as well; he didn't regret it if it was something that would serve the Fleet.[4] During his cadet years Winston Turner admired his guts, his sharpness and almost fanatical dedication to the Fleet. He also admired, but also worried for, his driven edge; he could be a scapper when necessary, even to his superiors, something that perhaps costed him his #1 position. As an Ensign Tolwyn was a good looking, tall, slender, gray-eyed.[8]

After more than 30 years of military life, in his Admiral years he existed solely for war. He had kept the wings and ensign's bars with him even until his last days, kept along with the photographs of his wife and children.[11]

Behind the Scenes[]

  • Admiral Tolwyn first mentioned in the [[Secret Missions (and box as 'vice-admiral'), he first appears in Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi.
  • In the full motion video cut scenes beginning in Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, Tolwyn is portrayed by Malcolm McDowell, who also voices him in the animated series Wing Commander Academy.
  • In the 1999 Wing Commander movie, Geoffrey Tolwyn is portrayed by David Warner, as McDowell was unavailable.
  • In the Film-related content and novels Tolwyn is an Admiral between 2654.070 to 2654.163 (if not earlier). As an Admiral explains how he is able to issue orders to Commodore Taggart in the film.
  • Star*Soldier calls him a "Commodore" during the film (but this may be a mistake or an attempt to link Academy into the period).
  • In Pilgrim Stars (and especially in Pilgrim Truth), Tolwyn does a number of actions such as making orders without the Senate or presidents support, going AWOL, or going against the Space Marshall's orders which might be enough to have him demoted back down to Commodore following the story.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SA1
  2. 2.0 2.1 William R. Forstchen, Action Stations, ch. 6
  3. Chain of Command
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 William R. Forstchen, Action Stations, ch. 2
  5. 5.0 5.1 William R. Forstchen, Action Stations, Chapter 5
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 William R. Forstchen, Action Stations, ch. 1
  7. William R. Forstchen, Action Stations, ch. 8
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named AS1
  9. Wing Commander I, Secret Missions 2 Reference Card
  10. Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi introduction
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named AS0
  12. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SA0

External links[]

Advertisement