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Ten Best Heroes in Gaming
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Christopher Blair
Webster's defines a hero as a "legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength." Of these, Wing Commander's Colonel Chris Blair is none. In fact, it wouldn't be too far from the truth to say that he's probably the most boring, most down to earth of all our selections.
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Blair is an ordinary Joe. He starts off his Terran Federation career as a rookie fighter pilot in a squadron of ragtag and jaded veterans. He lacks the passionate characteristics of his wing mates: no lust for battle like Maniac, no zeal for life like Paladine, and no strength of will like Angel. Fresh out of the Academy and wet behind the ears, Blair wants to do only what he does best - fly.
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Perhaps it's this characteristic that always likens Blair to Luke Skywalker. Beyond the fact that his live-action counterpart was played by Mark Hamill in Wing Commander 3 and 4, Blair shares a lot of characteristics with the Jedi Knight, and invokes similar feelings from gamers who've grown attached to his near-decade-long run of appearances in Wing Commander titles.
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But most notable about our blue-haired hero is that throughout the Wing Commander series we see Blair's human qualities. A seemingly never-ending war and a lifetime of flying off into deep space, clashing with Kilrathi motherships, dog fighting with attackers, and lending a helpful hand to his hapless comrades takes its toll on our hero. He suffers the loss of loved ones, is forced to question his values and, and at times, trust his sworn enemies. And yet through it all, Blair manages to endure, never forgetting what he's really fighting for.
And that's a hero in anyone's book.
Manny Calavera
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