Lots of famous stars in this trek towards flying fancy spaceships
Squadron 42, the singleplayer spinoff that Star Citizen devs Cloud Imperium Games have been teasing and promising and roadmapping for a loooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnngggg while, now has a Steam page. Yep, things are finally gearing up for its launch next year. Plus, there's a new trailer that emphsises for those out of the loop (me, basically), that pretty much every sci-fi celeb under the sun is set for a cameo.
The Steam page sets in stone (well, unless it ends up being delayed again) Cloud Imperium's plan to launch Squadron 42 in the second quarter of 2027, so sometime between the start of April and the end of June. "Enlist as a rookie in the UEE Navy and step into a cinematic, single-player space adventure where you are at the center of the action," it declares. "Live, work, and fight alongside your crew, brought to life by an all-star cast, as the story unfolds across fighter cockpits, capital ships, space stations, frontier outposts, and the front lines of a galactic war. Through intense combat, sacrifice, and the choices you make when it matters most, you will earn your place, your rank, and your legacy. You don’t watch the rise of a hero. You become one."
If that hasn't got you donning your finest space soldier getup and saluting the nearest model of a starship, Cloud Imperium have put out a new trailer which paints Squadron 42 as - to my eye - blending the vibes of Mass Effect and Star Trek. Basically, you're a grunt in a huge interstellar army which stores little zippy ships inside big city-sized ships, and everyone's dressed like they've been invited to have lunch at Captain Kirk's table. There's talk of serving and protecting Earth, of the reality that sometimes soldiers get left behind, and of fighting with honour.
Interspersed are shots of the player getting to do cool stuff like dogfight in their little zippy ship, talk to gruff superiors, and eat some sandwiches in a swanky canteen. As we all know, the canteen's the measuring stick for any empire's giant space vessel, and this glimpse paints the UEES Stanton in a good light.
The trailer ends with a great long list of all the famous actors who'll be cameoing in Squadron 42. I could remember that Gary Oldman was in it, but must confess to having forgotten about (takes a big breath) Mark Hamill, Gillian Anderson, Andy Serkis, Henry Cavill, Mark Strong, John Rhys-Davies, and more. Even your choice of male or female soldierperson forces you to pick between the voice of Cyberpunk 2077's Alt Cunningham and a guy who once didn't play Jesus in a movie about Jesus.
If you're intrigued by any of that, or have been waiting forever to dig into it, Squadron 42's now wishlistable.