diff --git a/src/components/Sky.tsx b/src/components/Sky.tsx
index 935c5a1d..b1505eab 100644
--- a/src/components/Sky.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Sky.tsx
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
-import { Suspense, useMemo, useEffect, useRef } from "react";
+import { Suspense, useMemo } from "react";
 import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { useCubeTexture } from "@react-three/drei";
-import { Color, ShaderMaterial, BackSide, Euler, ShaderChunk } from "three";
+import { Color, ShaderMaterial, BackSide, ShaderChunk } from "three";
 import type { TorqueObject } from "../torqueScript";
 import { getFloat, getInt, getProperty } from "../mission";
 import { useSettings } from "./SettingsProvider";
 import { BASE_URL, loadDetailMapList, textureToUrl } from "../loaders";
-import { useThree } from "@react-three/fiber";
 import { CloudLayers } from "./CloudLayers";
 
 const FALLBACK_TEXTURE_URL = `${BASE_URL}/black.png`;
@@ -46,6 +45,21 @@ if (USE_QUADRATIC_FOG) {
   installQuadraticFogShader();
 }
 
+/**
+ * Parse a Tribes 2 color string (space-separated RGB or RGBA values 0-1).
+ * Returns [sRGB Color, linear Color] or undefined if no color string.
+ */
+function parseColorString(
+  colorString: string | undefined,
+): [Color, Color] | undefined {
+  if (!colorString) return undefined;
+  const [r, g, b] = colorString.split(" ").map((s) => parseFloat(s));
+  return [
+    new Color().setRGB(r, g, b),
+    new Color().setRGB(r, g, b).convertSRGBToLinear(),
+  ];
+}
+
 /**
  * Load a .dml file, used to list the textures for different faces of a skybox.
  */
@@ -59,13 +73,9 @@ function useDetailMapList(name: string) {
 export function SkyBox({
   materialList,
   fogColor,
-  fogNear,
-  fogFar,
 }: {
   materialList: string;
   fogColor?: Color;
-  fogNear?: number;
-  fogFar?: number;
 }) {
   const { data: detailMapList } = useDetailMapList(materialList);
 
@@ -93,21 +103,14 @@ export function SkyBox({
 
   const skyBox = useCubeTexture(skyBoxFiles, { path: "" });
 
-  // Create a shader material for the skybox with fog
-  const materialRef = useRef<ShaderMaterial>(null!);
-
-  const hasFog = !!fogColor && fogNear != null && fogFar != null;
-
   const shaderMaterial = useMemo(() => {
-    if (!hasFog) {
-      return null;
-    }
-
-    // Skybox fog blends toward horizon
+    // Always use a shader to apply the X-axis mirror transformation.
+    // Optionally blend fog toward the horizon.
     return new ShaderMaterial({
       uniforms: {
         skybox: { value: skyBox },
-        fogColor: { value: fogColor },
+        fogColor: { value: fogColor ?? new Color(0, 0, 0) },
+        enableFog: { value: !!fogColor },
       },
       vertexShader: `
         varying vec3 vDirection;
@@ -121,53 +124,37 @@ export function SkyBox({
       fragmentShader: `
         uniform samplerCube skybox;
         uniform vec3 fogColor;
+        uniform bool enableFog;
 
         varying vec3 vDirection;
 
         void main() {
           vec3 direction = normalize(vDirection);
-          // Swap X and Z to match scene.backgroundRotation used in non-fog path
-          direction = vec3(direction.z, direction.y, direction.x);
+          // Swap X and Z, negate X to mirror across X axis
+          direction = vec3(direction.z, direction.y, -direction.x);
           vec4 skyColor = textureCube(skybox, direction);
 
-          // Fog increases toward and below horizon
-          // direction.y: -1 = straight down, 0 = horizon, 1 = straight up
-          // Use smoothstep for gradual transition (matches Three.js linear fog feel)
-          float fogFactor = 1.0 - smoothstep(-0.1, 0.5, direction.y);
-
-          vec3 finalColor = mix(skyColor.rgb, fogColor, fogFactor);
-          gl_FragColor = vec4(finalColor, 1.0);
+          if (enableFog) {
+            // Fog increases toward and below horizon
+            // direction.y: -1 = straight down, 0 = horizon, 1 = straight up
+            // Use smoothstep for gradual transition (matches Three.js linear fog feel)
+            float fogFactor = 1.0 - smoothstep(-0.1, 0.5, direction.y);
+            vec3 finalColor = mix(skyColor.rgb, fogColor, fogFactor);
+            gl_FragColor = vec4(finalColor, 1.0);
+          } else {
+            gl_FragColor = skyColor;
+          }
         }
       `,
       side: BackSide,
       depthWrite: false,
     });
-  }, [skyBox, fogColor, hasFog]);
-
-  // Update uniforms when fog parameters change
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (materialRef.current && hasFog && shaderMaterial) {
-      materialRef.current.uniforms.skybox.value = skyBox;
-      materialRef.current.uniforms.fogColor.value = fogColor!;
-    }
-  }, [skyBox, fogColor, hasFog, shaderMaterial]);
-
-  const { scene } = useThree();
-
-  // Rotate background to match the X/Z swap applied in the fog shader path
-  useEffect(() => {
-    scene.backgroundRotation = new Euler(0, Math.PI / 2, 0);
-  }, [scene]);
-
-  // If fog is disabled, just use the skybox as background
-  if (!hasFog) {
-    return <primitive attach="background" object={skyBox} />;
-  }
+  }, [skyBox, fogColor]);
 
   return (
     <mesh scale={5000} frustumCulled={false}>
       <sphereGeometry args={[1, 60, 40]} />
-      <primitive ref={materialRef} object={shaderMaterial} attach="material" />
+      <primitive object={shaderMaterial} attach="material" />
     </mesh>
   );
 }
@@ -178,21 +165,10 @@ export function Sky({ object }: { object: TorqueObject }) {
   // Skybox textures
   const materialList = getProperty(object, "materialList");
 
-  const skySolidColor = useMemo(() => {
-    const colorString = getProperty(object, "SkySolidColor");
-    if (colorString) {
-      // `colorString` might specify an alpha value, but three.js doesn't
-      // support opacity on fog or scene backgrounds, so ignore it.
-      // Note: This is a space-separated string, so we split and parse each component.
-      const [r, g, b] = colorString
-        .split(" ")
-        .map((s: string) => parseFloat(s));
-      return [
-        new Color().setRGB(r, g, b),
-        new Color().setRGB(r, g, b).convertSRGBToLinear(),
-      ];
-    }
-  }, [object]);
+  const skySolidColor = useMemo(
+    () => parseColorString(getProperty(object, "SkySolidColor")),
+    [object],
+  );
 
   const useSkyTextures = getInt(object, "useSkyTextures") ?? 1;
 
@@ -213,21 +189,10 @@ export function Sky({ object }: { object: TorqueObject }) {
       ? highVisibleDistance
       : visibleDistanceBase;
 
-  const fogColor = useMemo(() => {
-    const colorString = getProperty(object, "fogColor");
-    if (colorString) {
-      // `colorString` might specify an alpha value, but three.js doesn't
-      // support opacity on fog or scene backgrounds, so ignore it.
-      // Note: This is a space-separated string, so we split and parse each component.
-      const [r, g, b] = colorString
-        .split(" ")
-        .map((s: string) => parseFloat(s));
-      return [
-        new Color().setRGB(r, g, b),
-        new Color().setRGB(r, g, b).convertSRGBToLinear(),
-      ];
-    }
-  }, [object]);
+  const fogColor = useMemo(
+    () => parseColorString(getProperty(object, "fogColor")),
+    [object],
+  );
 
   const skyColor = skySolidColor || fogColor;
 
@@ -245,8 +210,6 @@ export function Sky({ object }: { object: TorqueObject }) {
           <SkyBox
             materialList={materialList}
             fogColor={fogEnabled && hasFogParams ? fogColor?.[1] : undefined}
-            fogNear={fogEnabled && hasFogParams ? fogNear : undefined}
-            fogFar={fogEnabled && hasFogParams ? fogFar : undefined}
           />
         </Suspense>
       ) : (