Mark Hamill plays Lieutenant Commander Steve "Old Man" Colton in Squadron 42, the standalone single-player campaign developed by Cloud Imperium Games. Stationed aboard the UEES Stanton, an Aegis Idris-class frigate, Colton serves as your veteran wingman, mentor, and flight lead in the United Empire of Earth (UEE) Navy. His character guides you through combat sorties and naval operations during the escalating war against the Vanduul.
Hamill's involvement marks a high-profile reunion between the legendary actor and director Chris Roberts. The pair previously defined cinematic space sims in the 1990s, and Colton's grizzled, direct demeanor brings that classic pedigree into modern performance capture.
Who Is Lieutenant Commander Steve "Old Man" Colton?
In the narrative campaign of Squadron 42, Lieutenant Commander Steve Colton is introduced as one of the UEE Navy's elite combat pilots. Following the traumatic opening events of the Battle of Vega II and the player's recovery and training at the Flight Academy, you receive your military assignment in the Odin system. Upon arriving aboard the frigate UEES Stanton, Lieutenant Morrow introduces you to Colton, describing him bluntly as "one of our best."
Colton's call sign, "Old Man," reflects both his seasoned military service and his gruff, no-nonsense leadership. His opening dialogue to a newcomer—demanding "Who the hell are you?"—sets the tone for a battle-hardened superior who expects competence in a cockpit. Rather than acting as a distant commanding officer, Colton operates directly beside the player on sorties, evaluating your flight instincts and leading patrol sweeps across dangerous sectors like the Coil.
Behind Colton's weathered appearance lies an in-game asset built with extensive facial scanning. During character creation, players can even utilize elements of the cast's facial geometry pool, including Hamill's likeness, to craft their custom protagonist.
Wingman Dynamics and In-Flight Combat
Hands-on playtests and gameplay showcases demonstrate that Colton is deeply integrated into regular mission design rather than being restricted to non-interactive cinematics.
- Cockpit Comms and Formations: When flying combat operations in your Aegis Gladius fighter, Colton communicates directly via the cockpit Multi-Function Displays (MFDs). His call sign and animated video feed transmit tactical updates, orders, and reactive dialogue during maneuvers.
- Custom Ship Loadouts: While players can customize their Gladius at the Stanton's flight deck armory, Colton flies with his own signature loadout, favoring Omnisky laser cannons during space engagements.
- Coordinated Attacks: During combat encounters against outlaw factions and Vanduul raiders, Colton maintains wingman formations, engages hostile targets, and reacts dynamically to your target prioritization.
- Narrative Flight Segments: Beyond intense dogfights, Colton accompanies the player during lower-tempo traversal missions. These include investigative flights through debris fields, guiding players past space anomalies during Quantum travel, and navigating through industrial mining complexes like the Shubin station in the Odin system.
During dialogue choices on and off the ship, player responses feature timed prompts and internal monologues that shape interpersonal rapport with crew members, influencing how Colton and other officers perceive you over time.
The Wing Commander Reunion with Chris Roberts
Mark Hamill's casting in Squadron 42 directly honors his history with Cloud Imperium Games founder Chris Roberts. Hamill previously worked with Roberts in Wing Commander 3 and 4. Those games pioneered full-motion video (FMV) storytelling in gaming, establishing space flight simulations as major cinematic vehicles.
Squadron 42 reunites Hamill not only with Roberts, but also with veteran actor John Rhys-Davies. Rhys-Davies, who appeared alongside Hamill in Wing Commander 3 and 4, plays Randall Graves in Squadron 42—the security chief stationed aboard Archon base. The project deliberately taps into this dynamic, placing Hamill and Rhys-Davies in shared narrative orbits as former comrades who served together in the 118th squadron before taking divergent military and civilian paths.
Performance Capture and Studio Production
Bringing Steve Colton to life required full-performance capture at Cloud Imperium Games' studios. Unlike traditional voice acting or early FMV greenscreen shoots, Hamill performed on physical soundstages wearing head-mounted camera rigs with stereoscopic fisheye lenses and motion-tracking suits.
Rhys-Davies and the production team have noted that the head-mounted boom cameras required careful physical navigation during intense acting scenes to avoid bumping equipment during handshakes or close confrontation shots. In exchange, the technology captured subtle facial movements, eye contact, and authentic physical weight, which CIG integrates directly into in-engine cutscenes.
Hamill completed the bulk of his original motion capture and performance scenes during primary shoots starting around 2015 and 2016. Because Squadron 42 spent extensive years refining its underlying systems, lighting engine, and character shading pipelines, production teams periodically recorded pickup dialogue and wild lines to support expanding player choices. During studio preview events held at CIG's Manchester office, Hamill made surprise appearances while recording supplemental vocal sessions for the campaign's final polish phase.
Squadron 42 Celebrity Cast Overview
Mark Hamill is part of an ensemble Hollywood cast featured across the campaign's planned 40-hour military storyline:
| Actor | Character Name | Role / Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Hamill | Lieutenant Commander Steve "Old Man" Colton | Senior Pilot & Flight Mentor, UEES Stanton |
| Gary Oldman | Admiral Ernst Bishop | Second Fleet Commander, UEE Navy |
| Gillian Anderson | Captain Rachel McLaren | UEE Navy Officer / Daughter of Admiral Bishop |
| John Rhys-Davies | Randall Graves | Chief of Security, Archon Base (ex-118th) |
| Mark Strong | Captain Thomas Wade | Senior Naval Commander |
| Henry Cavill | Commander Ryan Enright | UEE Pilot / Tactical Officer |
| Liam Cunningham | Captain / Senior Officer | Mission Commander, UEES Stanton |
The campaign also features performances by Ben Mendelsohn, Andy Serkis, Jack Huston, Rhona Mitra, Harry Treadaway, and Danny Huston.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you fly missions alongside Mark Hamill's character?
Yes. Lieutenant Commander Steve Colton acts as your direct wingman and flight leader during early and mid-campaign operations, communicating via in-cockpit video MFDs and engaging hostile ships alongside your Gladius.
Does Mark Hamill voice an alien or a human pilot?
Mark Hamill portrays a human UEE naval officer named Steve Colton. The Vanduul, the primary alien adversaries of the campaign, speak their own distinct alien dialect and use spear-based melee combat and dedicated gunships.
When will Squadron 42 be released?
According to the official Steam listing and Cloud Imperium Games announcements, Squadron 42 has targeted a launch window of Q2 2027 following its extended polish and optimization phase.
