Arnold Blair

Arnold Blair (2597-2634) was the son of Melissa Blair and a Space Force officer and scholar of the Terran Confederation. He had a sister, Jennifer Blair.

Personal biography

He was born on Earth in 2597 and studied cybernetics, earning a BA from the University of Kingston and a Masters and Ph.D. from the Sorbonne. In 2620 he was awarded the Golden Moebius for software design.

After graduation he signed on for Sung Datasystems and worked as troubleshooter around many colonies in Enigma and Argent Sectors, earning in the process two letters of commendation from Confed Colonial Services. Around this time he also received a light spacecraft pilot certification. He met a Pilgrim woman, Devi Soulsong and together they had a son, Christopher Blair, born around 2630.

When the Pilgrim War begun, his reserve commission was activated by the Space Force and he reported to Titan. He served a 25-month tour on TCS Harrison with 11 confirmed fighter kills and two capital ship kills. He was awarded the Blaze for Conspicuous Gallantry twice.

Blair had the degree of SF Major. In early 2633, Commodore Geoffrey Tolwyn picked him to join the design team of the Confed Grand Fleet and he was appointed senior cyberneticist. For his software controlling Grand Fleet maneuvers he would be eventually awarded a Conroy Medal and a Senatorial Commendation. Later that year he was assigned to TCS Foster and returned to combat duty earning 3 more confirmed kills and a citation for bravery.

A year later he flew alone above the atmosphere of Peron in a mission classified by Grand Fleet Ops, when his Merlin-class fighter was detected and destroyed by a Pilgrim automated stratospheric defense drone, as it it believed. His wife had also died recently and their son were given to the care of Jennifer. His death was reported by the Grand Fleet Information Office.

He died trying to protect his wife during the Peron massacre in an unauthorized attempt. These details were suppressed in the account of the death released to the family, apparently for compassionate reasons. Four years after his death, 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.

Wing Commander: Prophecy

An earlier 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.

This version leaves his mother alive, having remarried to someone else. Possibly leaving room for the 'Starpeace" member idea from the Academy cartoon, and for her to possibly have joined the Confederation Council. But its been reconned by them move and Star*Soldier accounts.

Wing Commander Academy

Maverick's parents

The information above refers to Christopher Blair's father according to the film's retcons (they have been adapted into overall history and in the games via Star*Soldier). In the Academy TV series which aired 3 years earlier, Christopher's parents are referred although unnamed.

According to the WCA bible (which may be outdated, and not 100% used): Christopher's "father" was the chairman of StarPeace (a civilian anti-war organization), while his "mother" was a member of the Confederation Council.

Maverick's father's ghost or hallucination.

In several episodes Maverick is seen in his quarters sending a message to his family: In the first episode it is mentioned that they objected with their son joining the Space Naval Academy.

In the next, Maverick's picture of his family (showing a man in a military uniform) falls and breaks after a deceleration shake exiting from jump space. In another, Maverick hallucinates and sees his father talking to him, saying that if he lets himself die, a line of 40 generations of Blairs will finish. (technically true if his father is 'dead', or if alive, sterile and cannot have another son.)

It's possible though perhaps not originally intended these parents may be Samuel and Jennifer Blair his aunt and uncle and foster parents. Also note that these various scenes may be referring to two different people, his real 'father' who was a military war hero, in a long line of military war heroes may be already dead (and hallucination was a pilgrim "Dead Dimension"/Tanque Dimension memory like his visions he has of his mother) and other scenes are of his later foster father an anti-war civilian who he still writes to. In the Movie novel that his uncle Samuel did not want him to join the military, and was anti-war. Tehnically if the military father was alive, even if Chris died, there would still be the possibility of the Blair line to continue. Thus if he is dead already, if Blair died the line would have ended.

Pilgrim Truth

The explanation put forth to explain these discrepancies (is included in the WC Movie Novels) which discuses how Blair was forced to be passed along to several family members after the loss of his initial parents on Peron. It discusses how he went to live with his aunt (Jennifer Blair) on Nephele II, until her husband was killed in farming accident (adapting the Prophecy account) and she decided to move off world to remarry, leaving him with his grandparents.

Behind the scenes

In the first draft for Wing Commander the movie his father was known as "Arthur Blair", and they were alive living as civilian terraformers on Agadez. He was well respected by Tolwyn. He became Arnold Blair by the second draft, and was no longer portrayed in the positive light. By the third script Arnold Blair was portrayed even more negatively by Tolwyn and others. By the shooting script Arnold was treated more objectively, positively by Tolwyn, and negatively by Gerald, and others.

The fact that his father's vision's comment about Chris Blair that Blair line will be finished if he dies off, can be interpreted to mean that his father is 'dead' (as confirmed in them movie material), and that he is the last living descendent in his family's line.

Alternatively while some interpret these scenes to be 'letters' to his father, they might actually be Blair's personal journal, recorded as if he is speaking to his deceased father. As some people speak to dead loved on occasion. This however doesn't work perfectly as in the last episode Christopher asks for the disk with the recordings to be sent to his father (which would have to be his current foster father).

Also noted in discussion here;Family