C&C 4 Global Stratospheric Transport Wallpaper & Info

[Sonic 296]

If your subscribed to the Official Command & Conquer Newsletter you may have already seen this, for the benefit of those who haven't. Behold the Global Stratospheric Transport, the massive super ship to be featured in Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight. And now you can get it as a wallpaper for your desktop. Available in a variety of screen resolutions.

 

1920 x 1200 | 1680 x 1050 | 1600 x 1200 | 1024 x 768

Global Stratospheric Transport Background Story

As a cornerstone of the post-alliance technological triptych, alongside the MVC Mk. VII "Crawler" mobile base system and the Tiberium Control Network, one would expect the Global Stratospheric Transport to have its origins in GDI skunkworks or Kane’s harnessing of ancient alien knowledge. Such supposition couldn’t be further from the truth; the GST began its life as little more than a glorified garbage scow.

GST Concept Architecture

 

As one might expect from the world’s largest ever public works project, the early days of the Tiberium Control Network’s construction were a logistical nightmare. One of the largest issues facing Idris – an independent, non-partisan organization established to construct the network and mediate between the mutually distrusting GDI and Nod leadership – was a seemingly simple one; what to do with all the construction debris?

 

Needless to say, it wasn’t as simple as stockpiling the rubble and using it for landfill or breaking it down for construction materials; much of the Earth’s surface had been significantly compromised by Tiberium in the aftermath of the Temple Prime incident in 2047, rendering much of the debris both incredibly toxic and a perfect conduit for new strains of the alien crystal. After a series of "industrial accidents", resulting in many deaths and, in one particularly unpleasant North African case, the undoing of several months of clearance work by the complete annihilation of a nearby Idris worker camp, the GDI Council was forced to take action.

You can learn more about the Global Stratospheric Transport by clicking here.

[Luk3us 63]

So we are finally starting to expand up from Earth to the stars. It was only a matter of time till C&C had starships, and this seems like the start.

[Malevolence 6]

This is what I am talking about! Big spaceships in C&C since the appearance of TS Kodiak! More pls!

[Nmenth 291]

The proposed solution was the "Stratospheric Waste Storage and Disposal System", essentially a group of gigantic flying barges designed to contain Tiberium contaminated waste for up to a month. These would roam the stratosphere, landing to collecting debris and, when full, returning to the upper atmosphere, where a powerful launcher system would be used to eject the waste deep into outer space.

...where 1000 years later, they rain down as tiberium meteors on some peaceful alien planet and doom the indigenous population to repeat the events that transpired on Earth. Too bad GDI was so stupid as to think of outer space as their infinite-capacity garbage dump a millennium before.

 

 

Big spaceships in C&C since the appearance of TS Kodiak!

It's not a spaceship. At least, if one could assume that EA understands their choice of terminology (we really can't). The stratosphere only goes up 50km before it becomes the mesosphere. The Kármán Line, which is generally considered the 'border' between Earth's atmosphere and space, is 100km up. The lowest of low Earth orbits is around 160km, so this thing is more of a high-tech airplane.

[Gben 20]

IMO... I don't like the reasoning to convert garbage ships into command vessels because of nod's guerrilla warfare style.

 

I would have preferred a dogma that realised an undefended, geo-synchronised space station had some obvious defensive flaws... and in line with the *cough* need for mobile MCV's we also need a HQ that moves not only around earth... but into space. And not just *one* location for all our generals... but spread our leaders across many ships and they can communicate via hologram like any decent Sci-Fi!

 

Maybe Kane and/or Exisitor can do something with this, but the image/design isn't *that* inspiring either.

[ORCaLoVeR 0]

Its a good looking thing for its purpose

 

But then again, if you have 11 not much used garbage ships, why not turn them into command ships?

[Silverthorn 0]

From the perspective I'm seeing in that wallpaper, it looks a little like the Terran Battlecruiser.

[PurpleGaga27 40]

I like the wallpaper. It's one of the best C&C wallpapers so far.

[Johnnyxp64 20]

yeah like terran battlecruiser but, hell its fracking gorgeous!

 

love it!

 

 

 

[Nmenth 291]

it looks a little like the Terran Battlecruiser.

Looks like the Prometheus to me...

[Sonic 296]

From the perspective I'm seeing in that wallpaper, it looks a little like the Terran Battlecruiser.

Everything looks look something else. Especially when it comes to creating futuristic sci-fi space ships. Look at some of these. Match it with the Prometheus image below, they all share similarities.

 

 

Looks like the Prometheus to me...

Yeah, I was going to say that. When I first saw the wallpaper I thought of the Prometheus from Stargate SG-1.

 

Also, these images have been updated to hi-res versions now.

 

[Silverthorn 0]

Yeah, wanted to watch Stargate & Star Trek when young, but my interest was weak and my parents don't allow me to watch it when I'm schooling and it's rated PG (It could be G, forgot the rating). So, can't say anything much, that Prometheus does look more of a Star Wars Imperial cruiser to me.

 

But anyway, the front hull's shape of that GST is a little similar to the Battlecruiser's main laser turret, that's why I just said it.

Edited February 19, 2010 by Silverthorn

[Mighty BOB! 5]

TBH I was expecting this level of tech in C&C3.

 

The images are all pretty good.

[sith_wampa 6]

TBH I was expecting this level of tech in C&C3.

 

The images are all pretty good.

Yeah, it probably would have made more sense. Keep in mind that Tiberium has seriously screwed up the rate at which new technology is made. The assimilation of Scrin technology has seemed to move things along though.

[Nmenth 291]

I don't know why I ignored this before, but I just realized how far up the vessel is from the planet in that picture...

 

That is not a 'Stratospheric' Transport, EA...

 

 

You were right, Malevolence, it is a spaceship... and I was right, we can't assume that EA understands their choice of terminology...

[sith_wampa 6]

I don't know why I ignored this before, but I just realized how far up the vessel is from the planet in that picture...

 

That is not a 'Stratospheric' Transport, EA...

Ha that blew right by me too.

[Mighty BOB! 5]

Well they could have called it the Spaceospheric Transport.