Soldier

Lore & Background

The story follows Private Adrian, a young United States Marine Corps Vietnam War-era draftee who, despite being an anti-war hippie, reluctantly reports to boot camp to fulfill his duty as an American. Adrian excels as a leader, though his pacifist ideology presents continuing conflicts between himself and his superiors. His drill instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Drake, quickly recognizes Adrian's leadership qualities but is conflicted as he grows to respect Adrian while also realizing that he represents everything Adrian opposes. At one point, Adrian points out that his love of meditation is similar to Drake's drawing to relax, indicating a sketch of a flying bird. Both are ways of finding freedom. Drake responds angrily, denying that he had drawn the picture. Throughout the training, Drake's superior, Chief Drill Instructor Master Sergeant Frank DePayster, takes an instant dislike to Adrian. Disciplinary problems with the platoon begin to arise as Adrian's influence on fellow recruits begins to have an impact on the effectiveness of Drake's instruction. DePayster repeatedly argues with Drake about Adrian, claiming that the fact that the man is performing all of his assigned tasks is not enough. He considers Adrian's attitude grounds enough for him to be set back and placed in the Motivational Platoon, a disciplinary unit for problem recruits. Drake disagrees and allows Adrian to continue training. However, during a weekend pass in San Diego, Adrian becomes disenchanted with military life and exchanges his dress uniform for civilian clothes at an Army-Navy store. Drake tracks him down and brings him back to the base to continue training. DePayster, at odds with Drake's attitude toward Adrian, goes behind Drake's back and files a complaint against both Drake and Adrian with the Company commanding officer. Without Drake's approval, the commanding officer drops Adrian from the platoon and places him in the Motivational Platoon under DePayster, where he will effectively be 'recycled' for an extended period of training time. Drake accuses DePayster of carrying out a personal vendetta, to which DePayster replies, 'I'll forget I heard that.' Drake takes the drawing of the bird from his desk drawer and hangs it up, thus signifying his own method of rebellion and freedom. The platoon graduates without Adrian. As Drake awaits a new batch of recruits, DePayster informs him that Adrian went 'over the hill' during the night.

In Their Own Story

The wind howled across the canyon rim as Kael checked his Spinfusor's charge. Below, the enemy base shimmered in the heat haze. His squad had been tasked with a diversion—draw fire while the heavies flanked. 'Standard Soldier work,' the commander had said. Kael grinned. Standard meant survival. He kicked off the ledge, skis humming over the dust, and opened fire. The first blue disc screamed past a turret, and the base erupted. He was just one Soldier in a long line of them, but tonight, that was enough.

Reader's Guide

The Soldier is the quintessential all-rounder class in the *Tribes* series, designed for players who want a balanced mix of firepower, speed, and durability. In most games, the Soldier starts with a Spinfusor (a disc-launching explosive weapon that demands leading your target), a chaingun or assault rifle for sustained suppression, and a repair pack or grenades for versatility. The class excels at medium-range combat and can hold its own in both offense and defense. Gameplay with the Soldier revolves around mastering the 'ski' mechanic—using momentum to slide across terrain at high speed. The Soldier's armor is heavy enough to absorb a few hits but light enough to let you chain jetpack boosts into long, arcing leaps. The real art lies in the 'disc jump': fire your Spinfusor at your feet mid-stride to rocket yourself skyward, clearing obstacles or reaching elevated flag stands. In combat, you're a mobile fortress—push forward to pressure the enemy flag, then fall back to repair turrets or drop a motion sensor. The Soldier doesn't excel at any one thing, but it can do everything, and that's its greatest strength.

Did You Know?

• Tribes aired on November 10, 1970, which was the Marine Corps' 195th birthday.
• The film was released theatrically in Britain and Europe under the title The Soldier Who Declared Peace.
• Tribes won three Primetime Emmy Awards: for Sound Editing, Film Sound Mixing, and Outstanding Writing.
• Jan-Michael Vincent played Private Adrian in his first major leading role.
• As of 2018, Tribes had been released on VHS but not on DVD.