Recently I got in on a sale at best buy and was able to get the DVD set of Space: Above and Beyond for $20!

This is one of the most underrated sci-fi series ever, and like Firefly, it received the axe by Fox studios.

So I pop in the DVD and notice something seems... familiar.

I fire up the laptop and turn on Mechwarrior 4: Vengence, a PC game that was released around 2000. I bought it at best buy a couple years ago and for some reason it wouldn't run on my desktop PC, so I considered it a loss and tossed it on the shelf.

Mechwarrior 4 has a full motion video "movie" intro, with live actors. After doing come comparisons it seems that the cockpit of the "Vulture" mech in the beginning of the mini-movie is none other than the Hero cockpit from Space: Above And Beyond!


The center image is from the game movie, and all the detail inserts are from S:AAB!

Also, the Mech commander is seen wearing Starship Troopers body armor and webbing, and the pilots all wear Mobile Infantry trooper gloves!

Talk about the best of all worlds! :lol

Russ

Looks like they rented one of the S:AAB Cockpits for the game shoot.

Was there any doubt?

The cockpit used was the revised version which was used after the 3rd episode or so. The premier and 2nd/3rd eps had a couple extra controls, and a slightly different layout in a couple positions. The weapons control joystick remained however, but the trottle/thrust control lever was removed, and some additional control panel lights were added after the premier.

Very interesting stuff. I'm suprised nobody ever published detailed cockpit diagrams/photos of everything.

Of course, had the series lasted 2-3 years, that would have been another story.

Russ