Sarah Kerrigan's debut took place back in 1998, simultaneously with the release of the StarCraft strategy. The heroine instantly won the hearts of gamers and even now, after many years, she is one of the most recognizable characters in computer games.
To understand the reason for such incredible popularity, you need to study the story of Sarah Kerrigan from beginning to end. A story filled with terrible atrocities and heroic deeds, friendship and betrayal, love and hatred.
Working on the image
Kerrigan as a playable character was created by Chris Metzen and James Finney, lead game designers at Blizzard. In her original version, Sarah was a kind of similarity to Tanya Adams, a girl operative from the Red Alert strategy.
It's hard to believe, but then the developers did not plan to give Kerrigan a significant role in the plot. She should have appeared in one or two missions and then disappeared, as is often the case with supporting characters. Fortunately, the developers liked the heroine so much that they decided to make a full-fledged story for her. This is exactly how the idea of transforming into the Queen of Blades came about.
It’s difficult to say where the image of Sarah Kerrigan, in her “Zerg” incarnation, comes from. However, one can trace some similarities between the Queen of Blades and the gorgon Medusa, who appears in the myths of Ancient Greece. The same snake-like hair, wild disposition, cunning and murderous look... By the way, you can see this for yourself by comparing Sarah Kerrigan’s photo with one of the images of the mythical ancient Greek monster.
Before infection
At a young age, Kerrigan was discovered to have high psionic abilities, which made her the target of the Confederate military. The heroine spent almost her entire childhood in a laboratory, where she was subjected to all sorts of experiments, implanted with neuroimplants, and forced to undergo various tests.
As for StarCraft, the player's introduction to Sarah occurs approximately halfway through the first campaign. Kerrigan is introduced as a twenty-six-year-old psionic girl who betrayed the Confederacy and joined the extremist Sons of Korhal movement. Having recruited former sheriff Jim Raynor into their ranks, the rebels are fighting both their former state and the zerg, aliens who unexpectedly attacked inhabited planets.
As a result, Sarah Kerrigan, as well as her allies, manage to find out that the invasion of insect-like aliens was not an accident. As it turned out, the zerg were lured by the leadership of the Confederation, using special psi-emitters for this. Finding no other way out, the rebels decide to attack the capital planet Tarsonis.
Arcturus Mengsk, head of the Sons of Korhal, fearing to lose the battle, uses a psi emitter against the Confederate army. At the same time, a Protoss fleet arrives at Tarsonis (yes, these are another aliens) and tries to destroy the zerg who have already attacked the planet.
Arcturus orders Kerrigan to stop the Protoss, and Sarah successfully completes the task. The heroine asks for evacuation, but Mengsk ignores her and leaves her to be torn to pieces by the zerg.
Birth of the Queen of Blades
Raynor, who had warmed up to Kerrigan, deserts the Sons of Korhal, and in the meantime Mengsk creates his own state - the Dominion. But as it turned out, the zerg did not kill Sarah. The aliens, following the instructions of their overlord Overmind, infected the heroine with a virus, under the influence of which she mutated into a unique creature - a hybrid of zerg and terran.
Having abandoned all human feelings, Sarah Kerrigan proclaims herself the Queen of Blades. The heroine even attacks Raynor, who arrived on the planet Char to save his former partner. However, in the end, Sarah decides not to kill Jim, not feeling that he is a threat to the Zerg Swarm.
Attracted by Kerrigan's enormous psionic abilities, the Protoss commander Tassadar arrives on Char. He distracts the Queen of Blades while his ally Zeratul destroys one of the zerg cerebrals. At the moment of impact, the Overmind establishes a mental connection with the protoss and learns the location of Aiur, the home planet of this race. Almost the entire Zerg Swarm immediately heads there, and Kerrigan remains on Char to get even with Zeratul and Tassadar.
I am Roy!
As a result of an unsuccessful attack on Aiur, the Overmind dies. The Queen of Blades, seeing the prospects that opened before her, decides to unite the entire Swarm under her command. To do this, she first teams up with the Protoss to destroy the uncontrolled zerg, and then with the Terrans to confront the forces of the United Earth Directorate. In the end, Kerrigan betrays his former comrades and defeats their armies. Thus, the zerg become the main force in the Koprulu sector.
In Starcraft 2, Sarah Kerrigan serves as one of the main antagonists. She tries to find parts of a mysterious xel'naga artifact by attacking Terran colonies and killing everyone in her path.
Jim Raynor, seeing that there is nothing human left in the Queen of Blades, decides to stop her by any means. To do this, he, joining forces with old and new allies, tries to get parts of the artifact before Kerrigan does.
As a result, Raynor manages to accumulate enough forces and attack the central planet of the zerg - Char. At the cost of many lives, he makes his way to the main hive of the Queen of Blades, activates the collected artifact and thus returns Sarah to her human form.
Rebirth
Having become human again, Kerrigan did not lose her ability to control the zerg. She was placed in a secret laboratory, where scientists began to conduct experiments on her, trying to find out Sarah's capabilities. However, after a short period of time, the complex is attacked by Dominion forces and Raynor is captured.
To save Jim, Sarah once again unites the scattered packs of zerg. She also meets Zeratul, who warns her of the coming end of the world. Seeing no other choice, Kerrigan travels to Zerus, the home planet of the zerg, where she once again becomes the Queen of Blades.
Having gathered enough strength, Sarah attacks the capital of the Dominion and kills, not without the help of Raynor, Emperor Mengsk.
Savior
In the latest, at least for now, addition, Legacy of the Void, Sarah Kerrigan does not have much story time. She only helps the Protoss fight Amun's troops in a few missions.
Already in the epilogue of the campaign, having received the power of Uros, Kerrigan becomes the xel'naga of the new cycle. Using her newfound abilities, she kills Amun and saves the world from destruction. Two years later, Sarah, in her human form, returns to Raynor. No one has seen them since then.
Male
Race: Human
Relationship: Raynor's Raiders
Alive
James Eugene (Jim) Raynor is the main character and one of the protagonists of the StarCraft series of computer games and novels.
The character's creators are game designers Chris Metzen and James Finney. In all games in the series, Raynor was voiced by Robert Clotworthy. There is no official translation of Starcraft and Starcraft: Brood War into Russian; in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty he is voiced by Vsevolod Kuznetsov.
In the original game and Brood War, Raynor appears as a supporting character; in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, he is the main protagonist.
Description from the official website
Jim Raynor was the Confederate sheriff on Mar Sara when the zerg first attacked the planet. In battles with alien aggressors, he managed to save many lives. However, after the battle at the Dalnyaya base, Raynor was taken into custody: the Confederate government charged him with the destruction of government property. He was released from prison by the revolutionary group “Sons of Korhal” under the leadership of Arcturus Mengsk. Raynor decided to join her.
Mengsk's lust for power and unscrupulousness soon began to trouble the former sheriff. When Arcturus betrayed his own comrade in arms, Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan, and unleashed the zerg on several Confederate planets with no regard for civilians, it became clear that he was no better than the dictators he sought to overthrow. These actions of Mengsk forced Raynor to organize a rebellion within the ranks of the Sons of Korhal. Capturing a small fleet, including Mengsk's flagship Hyperion, he attempted to rescue Sarah Kerrigan from the zerg planet Char. There he first came into contact with the Protoss and earned the respect of the valiant Executor Tassadar. Raynor's sincerity helped him mend the relationship between Tassadar and the Dark Templar Zeratul.
Maybe it won't happen today, my dear. While I have a whole army looming behind me, it’s unlikely. But rest assured: one day I will destroy you with my own hands. We will meet again!Raynor's men fought alongside the Protoss in several more campaigns. Without them, the Protoss would never have been able to defeat the army of the United Earth Directorate. By a strange twist of fate, Raynor once again briefly became friends with Arcturus Mengsk and the Queen of Blades - the creature into which Sarah Kerrigan was transformed by the Zerg Overmind. Mengsk and the Queen of Blades were briefly united by hatred of a common enemy, but the alliance of two tyrants is a fragile thing. Kerrigan was the first to turn against yesterday's ally. Her betrayal cost the lives of many of Jim Raynor's comrades.
Raynor himself managed to escape; he vowed to take revenge at all costs. However, his chances of withstanding the Zerg Swarm and the Queen of Blades, who had powerful psionic abilities, were slim. Exhausted by the unequal struggle, Raynor returns to the Terran-controlled part of the sector, where the Dominion under the leadership of Arcturus Mengsk is gaining strength. Raynor becomes the leader of the resistance movement. Year after year, his efforts do not bear any fruit: Mengsk has powerful tools at his disposal - oratory, the media and other forms of propaganda.
Raynor's raiders are still considered the main enemies of the state in the Terran Dominion. As long as Raynor lives, Mengsk sees him as a constant threat to his power. On the other hand, Raynor’s death would automatically elevate him to the rank of “martyr,” which would be extremely disadvantageous for the authorities. Therefore, for now, Mengsk adheres to an intermediate line: to poison and persecute Raynor and his comrades, without giving them the opportunity to regain their strength.
Over many years of exhausting skirmishes with the infinitely superior forces of the Dominion, Raynor's fighters turned into a pale imitation of themselves. To provide themselves with the basic necessities, Raynor's raiders more than once had to work as mercenaries. Apparently, such work cannot be abandoned in the future: the soldiers need supplies and weapons. Freedom is not given for free.
Today Raynor seems to be broken. He has lost faith in everything, drinks bitters and blames himself for the fact that Sarah Kerrigan was captured by the zergs. He is consumed by a fierce hatred of Mengsk. First Officer Matt Horner still believes in his captain and is committed to the ideas of the revolution, but the doubts that plague Raynor have already begun to eat away at the ranks of his associates. Horner is trying his best to maintain morale among the Raiders. He firmly believes that sooner or later Raynor will remember his past glory and lead the rebels to victory.
Raynor never studied military science, but this does not prevent him from being a good commander and an excellent tactician. All his knowledge is based on rich life experience, so he is never guided by “book rules.” Deep analysis is not his thing. He rarely plans far ahead, but is excellent at improvising and turning the situation to his advantage, acting according to the circumstances.
Raynor has a troubled past. Everyone knows that among his closest associates is the famous criminal Tychus Findlay, now serving a prison sentence. They were brought together by their service in the 321st Colonial Ranger Battalion, the Sky Devils, during the war between the Confederacy and the Kelmorian Syndicate. They met at Fort Howe on the planet Turaxis II after Findlay served a three-month sentence in an army colony for assaulting a superior officer.
Only bastards like you can fight for the Confederacy.As the Guild War drew to a close, Raynor and Findlay were accused of friendly fire during a failed mission on Turaxis II. In fact, the tragic outcome of the operation was solely a mistake of the command, but the two friends understood perfectly well that they would not see a fair trial if this could harm the reputation of the highest ranks. They spent several years on the run, subsisting on robbery. Tychus was then arrested by the Confederates and sentenced to life in cryogenic imprisonment. How Raynor managed to avoid a similar fate and subsequently become sheriff on Mar Sara remains a mystery.
Story
Jim Raynor was a senior Confederate officer on Mar Sara during the first zerg invasion of that world. Although he bravely fought the alien aggressors and saved many lives, he was arrested under the pretext of destroying Confederate property at Backwater Base. When he was subsequently freed by the Sons of Korhal - a group of anti-Confederate revolutionaries led by Arcturus Mengsk - Raynor decided to fight on their side.
Also before the last mission for the Protoss, he tells Tassadar that the zerg killed his family. In the book Liberty's Crusade, Raynor's child was taken into the Wraith school and died in an accident.
StarCraft
When the player first meets Raynor, he is 29 years old and serving as sheriff of the colonial militia. Under orders from the Confederate High Command, he escorts the colonists of Mar Sara to the wastelands, preparing for their eventual evacuation from the planet, which is under attack by the zerg.
While guarding the colonists, he receives a distress call from the Confederate outpost Backwater Station.
General Edmund Duke, commander of Alpha Squad, orders the Colonial Magistrate not to intervene as he will send help himself, but Raynor believes Duke will be too late. He and the militia attack the zerg, save the outpost and at the same time destroy the infected Command Center. Confederate forces arrive and arrest him on charges of destruction of Confederate property. Arcturus Mengsk, leader of the Sons of Korhal, frees Raynor from the prison ship, and Jim decides to go over to Mengsk's side. He convinces the Colonial Magistrate to join him. Along with the Sons of Korhal, Raynor participates in many battles against the zerg and the Confederacy. He falls in love with Sarah Kerrigan, Mengsk's second-in-command, and she reciprocates his feelings. The Confederacy suffers a crushing defeat at the hands of the Sons of Korhal on their home world of Tarsonis.
However, at the end of the first episode of StarCraft, Mengsk gives Sarah Kerrigan to be devoured by the zerg on a space platform above Tarsonis. Raynor breaks up with Mengsk because of this betrayal. Mengsk and Edmund Duke attempt to thwart Raynor by activating the orbital ion cannon. Raynor's raiders destroy the cannon and escape in Mengsk's former headquarters cruiser, the Hyperion. Having lost his homeworld and allies, Raynor begins to act on his own.
In the second episode of StarCraft, Raynor appears on the planet Char, lured there by psionic signals from the infected Kerrigan. His base was destroyed by the zerg, but the Queen of Blades (as Kerrigan is now called) leaves him alive, since he alone is not dangerous to her. Raynor was shocked to see what Sarah had become. It subsequently turned out that he escaped from Chara along with the Protoss Executor Tassadar, who was also attracted by Kerrigan's psi waves.
In the third episode of StarCraft, Raynor joins Tassadar on a space platform above Char. Tassadar is also in a very difficult position - he needs reinforcements from Aiur to save Praetor Zeratul and other dark templars. The Protoss Conclave does send forces, but only to arrest Tassadar. The Dark Templars are blocked by Kerrigan's forces inside a captured human factory.
Tassadar attacks the plant and frees Zeratul and the Dark Templars. After this, Raynor, Aldaris (a judge from the Conclave), Tassadar and Zeratul return to Aiur, where they meet Phoenix, who joins them. The Protoss Conclave does not want to have anything to do with the dark templars and declares that cooperation with the dark ones is heresy. Tassadar is forced to rebel against the Conclave, but later surrenders to end the civil war. Executor (player), Raynor and Phoenix escape. Zeratul and the Dark Templars disappear. Raynor, in command of the Hyperion, helps Phoenix and the Executor free Tassadar from prison.
At the very end of the third episode of StarCraft, Raynor and his raiders, along with Tassadar, Zeratul and other protoss, destroy the Overmind, while Tassadar sacrifices himself by sending the aircraft carrier Gantrithor directly to the Overmind.
StarCraft: Brood War
Temporarily left without a leader, the zerg take over Aiur, killing most of the inhabitants. The survivors, led by Zeratul, Aldaris and the new praetor Artanis, are evacuated through the Warp Gate to Shakuras, the homeworld of the Dark Templars. Phoenix and Raynor defend the Gate so the Protoss can escape. This was the beginning of a friendship between Raynor and Phoenix.
During the fifth episode of StarCraft, Raynor appears only to save Arcturus Mengsk from capture by the United Earth Directorate, and then escapes with him through the Warp Gate.
At the beginning of the sixth episode of StarCraft, Kerrigan asks Raynor and Phoenix to give her Mengsk. It gives all three the impression that they are united against a common enemy - the UED. Kerrigan uses them to destroy the Psi-Distructor (this device could create waves to bring chaos to the ranks of the zerg) and to capture Korhal. After, no longer needing them, Kerrigan kills Phoenix and Edmund Duke. Raynor realizes Kerrigan's duplicity and vows to kill her. He does not appear in Brood War again. After the final mission, the player is told that Raynor and Zeratul have gone their separate ways.
Other StarCraft Campaigns
Raynor appears in the StarCraft 64 map, "Resurrection 4", which takes place after Brood War. "Resurrection 4" takes place on the planet Braxis, where he rescues the zerg-infected Alexei Stukov and returns him to human form using nanotechnology.
StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty
Four years after the end of the Zerg War, Jim Raynor continues to raid and resist Dominion forces, leading uprisings in 12 colonies. The media trashes Raynor's Raiders, and Raynor drowns his sadness over Kerrigan with whiskey at Joray's on Mar Sara. One day, his old friend, Tychus Findlay, comes to him and offers to earn credits by mining rare artifacts. Raynor agrees and, without knowing it, works for the emperor's son, Valerian Mengsk and his Mobius Foundation.
Flying around different planets on the Hyperion with the support of his friends, Raynor collects an artifact, and also helps the colonists led by Ariel Hansen and meets with runaway phantoms led by Gabriel Tosh (depending on the choice offered in the company, the colonists can be destroyed, and together with the “ghost” of Nova, oppose Tosh’s troops, in which case there will be “ghosts” in Raynor’s army).
At the same time, he meets Zeratul, who gives him his Ichon Crystal, which contains the dark templar's memories of his journey and the prophecy of the return of the fallen xel'naga, Amun, who will gather a huge horde of zerg and destroy the universe along with the zerg themselves, and only Sarah Kerrigan can stop Armageddon. After several meetings with the Queen of Blades, impressed by Zeratul's memories, Raynor becomes increasingly depressed and drunk, and Matt Horner finds a way out for him, reminding him of his responsibility over the Raiders and the Koprulu Sector with the help of his old Confederate Sheriff badge.
Raynor continues his rebellion, culminating in the dissemination of incriminating evidence on Arcturus Mengsk on the official television channel.
Finally meeting with Valerian, Raynor learns that the artifact they collected belongs to the xel'naga, and with its help it is possible to return Sarah Kerrigan to her former human state. Raynor's Raiders, joining forces with the Dominion fleet led by Valerian Mengsk and General Warfield, launch a desperate attack on Char. During the battle, the artifact releases a powerful psionic charge, destroying the zerg and returning Kerrigan to her human form. Then it becomes known that all this time Tychus was working for Mengsk Sr. with the mission to kill Sarah. The Emperor placed Findlay in a Marine suit that could shut down all vital organs if he went against the mission. Tychus shoots at Kerrigan, but Raynor covers her with himself, and then fires the bullet he saved for Mengsk at his old friend. At the end, he takes Kerrigan to the Hyperion.
- Horner in the secret mission "Heart of Darkness" calls Raynor's middle name - Eugene.
- In the in-game video "Betrayal", which represents Jim's memories, he briefly flashes in his classic appearance - with short hair and no beard.
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
After Chara, Raynor brings Sarah Kerrigan to the Umojin Protectorate research center. Valerian Mengsk continues experiments on Sarah's psionic abilities, but Jim demands that all experiments stop and is going to take his beloved away from the war. On the day of their departure, the base is attacked by Dominion special forces, under the command of Nova Terra, the tame “ghost” of Mengsk, who has a grudge against Raynor because of his refusal to surrender Gabriel Tosh. Raynor is captured and imprisoned, although he is officially declared dead. News of Jim Raynor's death forces Kerrigan to reassemble the Zerg Swarm against Arcturus Mengsk. When Sara becomes a Terran-Zerg hybrid, Mengsk contacts her and threatens to kill Jim Raynor if the Swarm attacks Korhal. Through the efforts of Raynor's Raiders, Kerrigan and Roy attack the prison ship. Seeing that Sarah has once again become the Queen of Blades, Jim does not hold back his emotions and reminds of all those whom she and her Swarm destroyed. In response, Sarah Kerrigan gives Raynor his Colt. Raynor shoots all the bullets into the wall, and says that "it's over", despite Sarah's declaration of love. He later arrives on Korhal with Valerian to evacuate the civilian population, and then joins the battle with the Zerg Swarm against Mengsk. When Arcturus Mengsk tries to kill Sarah with a xel'naga artifact, Raynor, wearing a battle suit, breaks the emperor's arm and throws him to the other side of the office. Jim is about to shoot him, thereby avenging everyone who was killed by the Sons of Korhal and the Dominion, including Tychus Findlay, but at the last moment he gives this honor to Sarah Kerrigan. In the end, Jim stands in the wake of Mengsk's destroyed office, watching as his lover, Sarah Kerrigan, "rises" above the ruins of Korhal City along with her zerg. Finally, serenity is found in Jim Raynor's soul.
StarСraft 2: Legacy of the Void
According to rumors, Raynor will play one of the main roles along with Zeratul, Selendis, Artanis and Kerrigan. He will seek information about the End of the World and the ancient xel'naga deity Amun, and will also participate in the war with his army. Along with this, there is information that a new and incredibly powerful fleet of the United Earth Directorate is arriving in the Koprulu sector with an unknown superweapon capable of sweeping away entire planets with their satellites, controlling gravity and creating it “artificially”.
Critical perception
The character of Raynor was generally well received by critics and fans. Gaming's Edge describes Raynor as "an almost archetypal action hero figure" with a "healthy dose of arrogance" who, despite constantly trying to do the morally right thing, invariably ends up with "the worst possible outcome" due to circumstances beyond his control. The article also puts forward the point that "it would be difficult not to admire Raynor, if for no other reason, then for his perseverance" in the face of abandonment, isolation and betrayal. In a review of StarCraft for GamePro magazine, the reviewer noted that the character's portrayal was so good that he felt like he was "actually talking to me" and noted that he began to feel an emotional attachment to Raynor's plight, commenting: "When is the last time you could say that about a character in a strategy game?” In a GameSpot poll, readers voted Raynor one of the top ten video game heroes, praising the character for his humanity, his resilience in the face of successive losses, and his progression from backwater marshal to galactic hero. GameSpot also gave additional praise to the quality of the character's voice acting, performed by Robert Clotworthy.
« It's no secret that Jim Raynor is almost the face of StarCraft and the character with the most deeply developed lore. I will do my best not to overload you with information and convey to you everything you need.» .
Farmer, Soldier, Bandit, Marshal
James Eugene Raynor was born on the farming world of Silon in the Terran Confederacy and enjoyed a quiet country life. But the Confederacy was later embroiled in a conflict called the Guild Wars, pitting it against the neighboring Kel-Mori Syndicate. As a result of the war, the residents of Silon began to experience economic problems. One day, Raynor was visited by a Confederate recruiter who spoke about the benefits of serving and supporting the families of Confederate Marines. Hoping to help his family and leave Silon, Raynor enlisted with several of his classmates as soon as he graduated from high school.
Shortly after completing basic training, Raynor was sent to hell - the fierce battlefield of Turaxis II. Quite quickly, Raynor proved himself to be a capable leader, maintaining his sanity even as his friends from Silon died one after another. Jim was then assigned to the 321st Colonial Ranger Corps, led by the corrupt Javier Vanderspool, who was profiting from the conflict. It was here that Raynor met Tychus Findlay. The two were initially hostile to each other, as Raynor caught Tychus stealing supplies. But when his platoon fought off an attack by the Kel Morians and discovered that Vanderspool was stealing supplies, Tychus persuaded Raynor to steal them themselves and return one truck in order to become the good guys in the public eye. Raynor agreed, but he spent his share on helping civilians.
Vanderspool found out about the theft of supplies, but could not punish the culprits, since the command saw them as heroes. Instead, he transferred them to an elite unit, the Special Operations Squad, because he hoped they would die on one of the missions. However, the friends advanced in their careers, winning victory after victory. Raynor personally led a raid on the Kel-Mori military prison, infiltrating there in order to free a hostage, but was captured. Despite the torture, Raynor could not be broken, and the platoon began an assault. The group also took part in an attack on the town of Pride of the Regiment, in which the unit turned the tide of the battle. For numerous victories, the detachment was deservedly nicknamed “Heavenly Devils” and all its fighters got tattoos with this name. She can be seen in all of Tychus' bare-chested appearances.
Tired of the squad's plans to make money from the war constantly being thwarted, Vanderspool decided to create sabotage by damaging their power armor, but this information reached the squad mechanic. Upon learning of this, Tychus, Raynor, and many of the Sky Devils attacked Vanderspool, who was attempting to collaborate with the Kel-Morians and high-ranking Confederate officers to remove a valuable cargo of minerals. The battle was very difficult, and in the end only Raynor, Tychus and the squad's sniper Rick Kidd survived. Tychus shot Vanderspool and left him for dead, after which the trio fled the Confederacy, taking with them the crystals that Vanderspool had tried to steal. Thus, the Sky Devils turned from a legendary group of marines into bandits who would terrorize the Confederacy for several years. But Raynor did not know then that Vanderspool did not die in that battle.
Meanwhile, Tychus and Raynor became a formidable criminal duo. Raynor was the brains of the team, and Tychus was the force in the flesh. They robbed Confederate trains, banks, and supply lines, making them legends in the criminal underworld. Whenever possible, Raynor sent money to his parents, but he did not know at the time that his parents refused to accept his “blood money.” The duo soon settled on the planet New Sydney, where they plundered the Shell Express railroad tracks. By then, Vanderspool, hooked up to life support 24 hours a day, hired a bounty hunter named Ezekiel Doone to kill the surviving Sky Devils.
Doon foiled many of the crime duo's robberies, forcing Tychus and Raynor to seek protection. They met with the sector's most notorious kingpin, Scatter O'Bannon, who offered them refuge in exchange for doing some work. They immediately agreed, but Doon was cunning. He knew that while they were under the protection of O’Bannon, he would not be able to reach them, so he had to attack while they were doing their next dirty job. Doon's intervention led to many failures, and gradually O'Bannon became disillusioned with his new henchmen. He gave them one last chance at redemption - to rob the Bank of New Covington.
Meanwhile, Raynor briefly escaped to visit family on Silon, only to find that his father had passed away and his mother was bedridden. Thanks to the tape left by his father, Jim learned that his parents did not accept his money and that they were ashamed of the path Jim had chosen. His contact and friend, Miles Hammond, offered him a job on the frontier world of Mar Sara to clear his record. Raynor considered the offer, but knew he couldn't agree while he was working for O'Bannon.
Our criminal duo went to work with O'Bannon's best man, broke into the bank and took hostages with the help of nano-spiders. However, Raynor soon discovered that part of the money they had stolen was intended for the farmers of his home planet. Regretting the damage done and the hostages killed by O'Bannon's man, Raynor decided it was time to leave, and Tychus shot their temporary partner. The pair took off running, bumping into Doon along the way, but a lucky shot from Raynor ended the bounty hunter. They approached the evacuation point, but there was only one set of reactive armor there. Tychus wanted to do something good for his friend for once and told him that Jim should take the armor and start a new life. At first, Raynor was against it, but then he finally agreed.
Raynor, now no longer associated with the criminal underground, decided to carry out his last task. He entered Vanderspool's hideout, knowing that he would not rest as long as he lived, and despite the crippled officer's pleas, he killed him. After this, Jim contacted Hammond and accepted his offer to work as a lawman on Mar Sara.
There Raynor met a woman named Liddy. Soon they got married and settled in a small house. Raynor initially had difficulty adjusting to the role of sheriff, as his colleagues still saw him as a criminal, but his sense of justice and belief in second chances allowed him to fulfill his duty with honor. Liddy and Jim had a child named Johnny, but it soon became clear that he was a psionicist, and all psionicists were taken for training in the Confederate army. Jim was against it because he didn't trust the Confederates, but Liddy saw it as the best opportunity for her son. They sent Johnny away, but soon received notice that Johnny had died in a shuttle crash. Heartbroken, Liddy fell into a deep depression because she did not listen to Jim. She soon fell ill and subsequently died.
Jim threw himself into work to cope with his grief. And although his life had already been difficult up to this point, fate had big plans for the former bandit who became a sheriff.
The Great War and the Fall of the Confederacy
The Terran Confederacy encountered the alien race of Protoss, which burned out all life from Mar Sara's sister planet, Chau Sara. The Confederacy sealed off the planet and Raynor was tasked with rounding up refugees and civilians. He worked with the new colony magistrate (who we play as in the SC1 campaign) and UNN correspondent Michael Liberty to gather colonists, but was attacked by a beetle-like race of zerg. Raynor drove out the zerg and burned down an infected outpost, but was later arrested by Confederate forces under the command of Edmund Duke.
Soon, the Magistrate, Liberty and the extremist group "Sons of Korhal" freed Raynor. In return, Jim helped them attack a Confederate outpost to find out their plans before leaving the planet. Raynor learned that the confederation was conducting experiments on the zerg. After this, Jim left Mar Sara before the Protoss, under the command of Executor Tassadar, burned out the planet that was Raynor's home.
Raynor and Mengsk flew to the planet Antiga Prime, where they defeated Edmund Duke's troops and began a revolution against the Confederacy. There, Raynor met a female psionicist named Sarah Kerrigan. They quickly fell in love with each other and after several joint operations they began dating. However, their relationship became strained when Mengsk recruited General Duke and discovered that Raynor had stolen a psi emitter capable of luring in the zerg. Mengsk used the emitter to break out of Antiga Prime's blockade while the Confederates were distracted by a zerg attack. Raynor felt that Mengsk was going too far, while Kerrigan, although openly expressing doubts against Mengsk, still defended him.
Shortly thereafter, Mengsk launched an attack on the Confederacy's capital, Tarsonis. Raynor and Kerrigan led the ground operation while Duke led the capture of the orbital platform. It was there that Duke activated the psi emitters, luring billions of zerg. Tassadar and the Protoss under his command arrived on the planet, but this time they were ordered to kill only the zerg. Mengsk sent Kerrigan to destroy the Protoss as they were helping the Confederates escape, she landed on the surface and attacked the Protoss landing zone. But when the Zerg forces began to outnumber the Terran forces and Kerrigan requested evacuation, Mengsk gave the order to leave Tarsonis orbit, leaving Kerrigan and her forces to fend for themselves.
Angry at Mengsk for betraying Kerrigan, Raynor, as well as Michael Liberty, a former Magistrate of Mar Sara, and a pilot named Matt Horner left the Sons of Korhal and vowed revenge on the dictator for what happened on Tarsonis.
They gathered as many of Jim's loyalists and surviving Confederates as they could and broke the blockade of the planet. During the battle, Raynor reflected on how Arcturus used to be an idealistic rebel, but now he is the law and they are criminals, and regretted helping him and allowing Kerrigan to go alone. Subsequently, Liberty and the Magistrate went their own way, and those who remained with Jim formed the Raynor's Raiders detachment and chose as their goal the overthrow of the Dominion, which now included all Terran factions. The Hyperion, which was returned in battle, became their headquarters.
Among the Protoss
Soon the uprising began to gradually fade away, since due to the war with the protoss and zerg, strategically important objects lost their importance. At this time, Raynor began to have distinct dreams about the distant volcanic planet Char, to which someone was inviting him. He ordered his squad to conduct reconnaissance, and then, arriving there in person, discovered General Duke, the Dominion and many zerg on Char. After this, the Protoss, along with Tassadar, also came to the planet, trying to prevent the departure of the Terrans. Hyperion disappeared, and Raynor remained trapped on the planet.
The same strange call led him to the caves, but there the zerg were already waiting in ambush. It was then that Jim learned that it was none other than Kerrigan, changed by the zerg, who lured him here. She destroyed almost all of his troops, but allowed Raynor himself to leave, advising him never to confront the Swarm. Shocked by what he saw, Jim ran. He wandered around Char until he came across the Protoss driven by the zerg under the leadership of Tassadar. The common danger in the form of Kerrigan forced them to unite. In their travels, they met the dark Templar (that is, who left the protoss society to which Tassadar belonged) Zeratul, who, using his psionics, killed one of the zerg cerebrals. He joined Raynor and Tassadar, but did it more out of necessity, since he did not particularly trust them.
Killing the cerebral unexpectedly helped the Zerg Overmind obtain data on the location of the protoss home planet of Aiur, where the troops went, and Kerrigan remained on Char to track down Raynor’s squad. By that time, the trio had dealt with the last cerebral (the one we played as in the zerg campaign) and said goodbye to Zeratul, who went his own way, and the Hyperion and the Artanis fleet returned to Char, the purpose of which was to arrest Tassadar for ignoring the orders of the Conclave on destruction of the Terrans. However, Tassadar persuaded Artanis to join forces and find Zeratul. With Raynor's help, Tassadar infiltrated the infected Dominion base where the Dark Templar was hiding and pulled him out. Hyperion and the Protoss set out to defend Aiur from the zerg.
Upon arrival on Aiur, the Conclave demanded that Tassadar surrender and hand over Zeratul to them for execution. A battle ensued, resulting in the death of most of the Conclave, and Tassadar, unable to watch his kin kill each other, surrendered. However, Raynor, Artanis and another Protoss Phoenix did not follow his example and disappeared. During the operation to free Tassadar, Zeratul took a more cunning route: he lured Judge Aldaris into a trap and convinced him to give Tassadar the opportunity to fight the Overmind. Zeratul and Phoenix, with targeted attacks on the cerebrals, paralyzed the Overmind and made it vulnerable for a short time.
Raynor's Raiders cleared the northern sector and launched an attack. Although they caused some damage to the outer shell of the Overmind, the zerg reformed and pushed the terrans and protoss back. In a desperate move, Tassadar combined the Void energies of Zeratul and Khala and rammed the Overmind with his ship. By sacrificing his life, he destroyed the enemy, but Roy was not finished yet.
Brood War
After the fall of the Overmind, the cerebrals took command. With Aiur on the verge of destruction, Zeratul, Artanis and Aldaris transported the survivors to the Dark Templar planet Shakuras. Raynor and Phoenix desperately defended the portal, but were eventually surrounded by zerg.
Kerrigan unexpectedly came to their aid, freed from the power of the Overmind and bringing the news that a new one was growing on Char, which would again take possession of her as soon as it reached maturity. As if this were not enough, the United Earth Directorate (the faction of Stukov and Lieutenant Morales) arrived from Earth in order to establish control over the sector. The heroes decided to unite against him and the zerg.
The UED captured the capital of the Dominion, Korhal, and Mengsk, who tried to escape, was captured. The Hyperion and a small Protoss fleet broke the blockade and teleported the remnants of Arcturus' fleet to Aiur. However, the Directorate did not give up, went in pursuit and defeated Phoenix's zerg and Raynor's command center. Despite this, with the help of Kerrigan's spy, Samir Duran, they were still able to leave the planet.
The UED had at their disposal the Overmind and a weapon called a psi disruptor, which blocked Kerrigan's control over the zerg. Raynor and Mengsk destroyed it, and Sarah retained power over the packs she had left. Having accumulated enough resources, Raynor and Kerrigan attacked Korhal, destroying the UED forces and their zerg. However, the Queen of Blades had her own plans for new allies. She killed Phoenix and General Duke, and allowed Mengsk and Raynor to escape. Jim went to Shakuras, and the ships of the UED, Artanis and Mengsk were destroyed in the final attack on Char. Kerrigan, instead of declaring power over the Koprulu sector, laid down her arms. There was a temporary lull.
Growing fame
It is not known for certain how the battle with Kerrigan went, but its result was so devastating that Raynor decided to focus on Mengsk and the Dominion. For this purpose, he began gathering recruits throughout the sector, including mercenaries and people who had lost loved ones due to the dictator's brutal rule. Having Matt Horner on the team won several battles that otherwise would have ended in defeat, and over time the Raiders became folk heroes. However, victories were still not so easy, and battle losses, propaganda and Mengsk's attacks on Jim's allies seriously affected the morale of the fighters. Raynor became heavily addicted to alcohol.
After Mar Sara was captured by the Dominion, Jim went there to remember his old life and reclaim his homeland. In the process, he met his old friend Tychus, who, in exchange for release from prison, was supposed to obtain a fragment of some alien artifact for a research organization called the Mobius Foundation. The foundation also pledged financial support to Raynor's Raiders. Together with Raynor, they found him on Mar Sara, but then Kerrigan appeared on the radar again, attacking worlds throughout the Dominion. A new war has begun.
Raynor tried to wisely distribute the available resources so that they would be enough to confront the zerg, save lives, fulfill contracts and fight against Mengsk. He saved a colony called Agria under the leadership of Ariel Hanson and transferred its inhabitants to Protoss territory, but after an incident with infection and an attempt by the Protoss Executioner, Selendis entered into a confrontation with his former allies. In addition, Raynor entered into an alliance with the renegade ghost Gabriel Tosh, who helped fill the ranks of the Raiders with phantoms - powerful psionic warriors, despite all Nova's attempts to prevent this. Jim discovered evidence of Mengsk's involvement in the zerg attack on Tarsonis and, having stolen the Odin war machine, was able to report this to the entire Dominion via mass broadcast. This caused a huge commotion and uprisings broke out.
In search of fragments of the Artifact, Raynor fought the Tal'darim, and during one of the missions he met Zeratul again, who told him that Kerrigan was the only way to stop the return of the fallen xel'naga - the creatures who created the protoss and zerg and were going to destroy all life. It also turns out that the Mobius Foundation is headed by Valerian Mengsk, son of Arcturus. Raynor accepted his offer to return and heal Kerrigan, although Tychus was very angry and tried to dissuade his friend. And yet Raynor was adamant and went to Char. On the surface, Jim, Tychus, engineer Rory Swann and scientist Egon Stetmann collapsed the tunnels and cut off the zerg from possible reinforcements. As a result, the mission was a success: with the help of the xel'naga artifact, most of the zerg were killed, and Kerrigan received serious injuries, but returned to human form. And then Tychus admitted that all this time he had been working for Arcturus Mengsk and that his suit had a bomb built into it that would go off if he did not kill Sarah. Raynor finished off his friend with a bullet that he was saving for Mengsk himself. Together with Kerrigan, they left Char.
Fall of the Dominion
The situation was far from normal: although the zerg were mostly killed, they still attacked the Dominion forces, forcing them into orbit, which allowed Raynor to escape with Kerrigan. Meanwhile, Arcturus Mengsk sent a fleet to kill Raynor and Kerrigan, despite Valerian's demands to stop. A large battle soon began between troops loyal to Mengsk and the combined forces of Raynor's Raiders and Valerian's forces, but Valerian's forces were exhausted during the Battle of Char and the survivors simply boarded the first available ships and flew away, being pursued by Mengsk at every turn.
They traveled to a criminal haven called Deadport, but Mengsk soon began launching his attacks even in this inaccessible territory. Valerian was the owner of the Mobius Foundation and contacted its overseer, Emil Narud, in order for their group to take Kerrigan and the Key to a secret base. But they did not know that Emil Narud was Samir Duran, a xel'naga werewolf who worked for the fallen xel'naga Amun. He collaborated with Mengsk to create Zerg-Protoss hybrids. Duran unleashed them on Valerian and Mengsk's forces in an attempt to kill them while Mengsk's forces were arriving. But Raynor’s ingenuity allowed him to escape with Kerrigan to the secret laboratory of the Umojan Protectorate (they were in a state of cold war with the Dominion).
There they conducted tests on Kerrigan to find out the percentage of the remaining infection, but Raynor insisted that after testing them, they would leave, forget about revenge on Mengsk and live together for the rest of their lives. It was naive to think so, because Mengsk soon found them and attacked the laboratory. Raynor and Kerrigan were forced to flee, but Jim was cut off and captured by Nova. Nova shot him in the head, wounding him, and then took him to Mengsk, who sent Raynor to a prison ship called Moros, announcing throughout the Dominion that the criminal Jim Raynor was dead.
Months later, Kerrigan returned with the Zerg Swarm, having infected herself in order to take revenge on Mengsk. She helped Valerian and Matt Horner track down Raynor and attack the prison ship, freeing Jim. Raynor was shocked that Kerrigan had turned into a zerg again, claiming that she was back to being the killer she had been before.
Raynor refused to talk to Kerrigan, but she soon revealed her plan, which was to attack Korhal and kill Mengsk. But now she was working with Valerian to reduce civilian casualties. To do this, she landed her Swarm outside the city. Raynor was shocked by this act, and began to see in her the Kerrigan he once loved.
Soon the attack began. During the final assault on Mengsk's palace, Raynor, having taken Hyperion, flew to Kerrigan's aid. This attack penetrated the emperor's elite troops and destroyed the palace gates. Kerrigan personally went to kill Mengsk, but he used the Key against her, which was capable of stunning and overwhelming her with energy. But at the last moment Raynor appeared. He broke the artifact's control panel and threw Mengsk to the other end of the room. Kerrigan killed Arcturus, finally ending their long campaign against him. Kerrigan went to war against the fallen xel'naga Amon, leaving Raynor, Horner and Valerian to rebuild the Dominion.
New beginning and end
Valerian Mengsk became the head of the Dominion, and with the support of Raynor and Matt Horner, he set out to build a more just government. Raynor took over the position of commander of the Dominion forces and ensuring a smooth transition between the old government and the new.
But barely a year had passed before a new war overtook the Terrans. Amon, the fallen xel'naga, has returned with an army of protoss-zerg hybrids. Soon, these hybrids attacked the Dominion, using the Mobius Corps to attack Korhal. Raynor tried to hold off the onslaught, but was nearly defeated by the Mobius Corps. Fortunately, Artanis, who arrived on Korhal in search of the Key Stone to defeat Amun, saved the Terran army. Artanis helped prevent the orbital platform from falling onto Augustgrad. Jim then helped Artanis attack Port Bennett and take the Key Stone. The combined forces of Terrans and Protoss were victorious, but the cost was high. Raynor said that it would only get worse, and if Zeratul believed that Artanis was able to defeat Amun. Raynor shook Artanis' hand and noticed Zeratul's psionic blade. Then he realized that his old friend was gone. In parting, Raynor said: “Give them some heat.”
Soon Artanis will be able to finish off Amon and send him into the void. Two years later, Kerrigan called Artanis and Raynor and reported that a voice was calling her into the void and that Amon was still alive. In order for peace to reign in the sector, Amun had to be killed. Raynor and Artanis agreed to this and sent their forces to assist the Zerg Swarm. Together they killed Samir Duran and found a xel'naga named Ouros, who gave messages to Zeratul in the guise of the ghost of Tassadar. He needed to turn Kerrigan into a new xel'naga. Raynor was against another infection, but Kerrigan knew she had to do it.
Raynor, Artanis, and Zagara protected Kerrigan during the absorption of the essence, and although Amon tried to stop them, she still managed to become a xel'naga and took the form of a flaming angel. The three factions stood together in the final battle against Amon. After his defenses fell, Kerrigan struck the decisive blow. Amon was defeated and Raynor disappeared in a stream of white light.
Later, we are shown Raynor in a familiar bar on Mar Sara, drinking whiskey and reminiscing about his dead friends, Tychus and Zeratul. Soon the door opens and the figure that appears turns out to be... Kerrigan in the form of a man, when asked if Raynor was ready to get out of here, he responded with the famous phrase of Tychus: “Damn, it’s about time.”
Raynor has not been seen since then. Some say that the last scene was just a dream, others say that Kerrigan took him with her into the Void. Be that as it may, Raynor transformed from an ordinary guy into one of the most powerful Terrans in the StarCraft universe, whose sense of justice determined the fate of the sector for years to come.
Original
Translation:
The StarCraft 2 space opera continues. In the second part of the trilogy, the Zerg race comes to the fore. The main character of Heart of the Swarm is Sarah Kerrigan, one of the key characters in the universe. Not everyone is well acquainted with this lady, since the first one was a long time ago, little time was devoted to her, so it’s time to catch up.
This material contains facts about Kerrigan’s biography not only from games, but also from other works based on StarCraft, since Blizzard is meticulous about its universes and competently develops them in all directions.
Sarah Louise Kerrigan began her life's journey in 2473 on the planet TarCossia, which was under the control of the Terran Confederacy. Almost immediately after birth, she exhibited extraordinary psionic abilities. When Sarah was just a child, she accidentally killed her mother (essentially blowing up her brain) and inflicted severe mental trauma on her father.
The girl was noticed by Confederate agents. Already at the age of eight, she became part of the secret Ghost program. Sarah performed outstandingly. But she was forced to use her talents with maximum efficiency. She refused, citing the fact that this could lead to dire consequences. However, the pressure on her only intensified. Tensions came to a head when Kerrigan received threats to kill her father. Then she declared that she would kill herself and her father, but would not allow her power to be used. Scientists had no choice but to use a neuro-adjuster - a device that weakened Sarah’s abilities, but made her a loyal fighter. (Micky Neilson - "StarCraft: Uprising", Micky Neilson - "StarCraft: Hybrid")
Having completed her training, Carrigan received the status of “Ghost” with serial number 24601 (or simply “Ghost No. 24”). As an agent of the Confederacy, Sarah destroyed many enemies and participated in experiments using mind control. Years of torture caused irreparable damage to the girl - she turned into a withdrawn and antisocial person. At the same time, she remained a faithful performer. (Micky Neilson - "StarCraft: Uprising")
One day, the base where Kerrigan was located was attacked by soldiers of the Sons of Korhal group (a military organization created after the destruction of the world of Korhal). They manage to capture Sarah. Waking up on board a spaceship, Sarah meets the leaders of the organization. She is informed that she is a full guest and not an enemy. Also, some implants are removed from the girl’s body.
Soon it becomes known about an incident in one of the systems. Traces of aliens were found there. But the confederation tried to hide this and used weapons of mass destruction. Kerrigan gradually warmed to her new acquaintances and helped spread rumors about the appearance of aliens. In one of her many battles, she kills another "Ghost".
Kerrigan took part in a reckless but successful attack on Ghost Academy. She managed to deal with her main tormentor. Upon returning to the ship, it turns out that the head of the Sons of Korhal, Arcturus Mengsk, was driven by revenge. Kerrigan was on his list - as a "ghost", she killed Arcturus' father. But Sarah proved by her actions her loyalty to the ideals of the organization, and she was spared. (Micky Neilson - "StarCraft: Uprising")
By December 2499, the existence of the zerg was no longer a secret. Moreover, humanity encountered another race of advanced beings, later known as the Protoss. During this period, Kerrigan continues his rebel activities, in particular, providing assistance to the disgraced journalist. (Jeff Grubb - "StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade")
Then Sarah finds herself on the planet Antiga Prime. Local colonists rebelled, but Confederate troops managed to blockade the planet. While completing the mission, Kerrigan meets Jim Raynor, a newcomer to the Sons of Korhal. Despite the fact that their first meeting was not entirely friendly, Sarah and Jim managed to find a common language and they became a great team. Soon the zerg also entered the battle, significantly complicating life for both sides of the conflict. (StarCraft, Aaron Rosenberg - "StarCraft: The Queen of Blades")
The campaign on Antiga was also filled with the fact that a psi emitter was used against the forces of the confederation - a device that lured zerg from different parts of the galaxy. Kerrigan installed this death machine on the Confederate base, which predetermined the outcome of the conflict. Sarah doubted the correctness of such an action and demanded that Mengsk never use such “dirty” tactics again, but he only limited himself to lengthy phrases. (StarCraft, Jeff Grubb - “StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade”)
Sarah and Jim performed a couple more successful operations. Their relationship developed rapidly, and the heroes allowed their feelings to get the better of them. Although Raynor strongly doubted Mengsk's good intentions, Sarah believed the leader and advised Jim not to interfere in the affairs of his superiors. (Christie Golden - "StarCraft 2: Flashpoint")
Ten days after the events on Antiga Prime, the forces of the Sons of Korhal reached the capital of the Confederation, the planet Tarsonis. Everything went well, but Mengsk, without the knowledge of Sarah and Jim, resorted to the help of psi emitters. Billions of zerg literally crushed the Confederate defenses. The protoss intervened in the battle, trying to stop the spread of creatures throughout the universe. Kerrigan was ordered to protect the zerg hive while the monsters committed genocide. Sarah completes the assignment, but is betrayed and left to be torn to pieces by the brats.
Raynor, immediately after this order from Mengsk, leaves the Sons of Korhal and, together with a group of like-minded people, makes a desperate (alas, unsuccessful) attempt to save his beloved. (StarCraft, Jeff Grubb - “StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade”)
The Overmind (the supreme being who controlled the zerg) sensed Kerrigan's power, and the zerg did not kill her. Moreover, the girl is infected with an unknown virus, placed in a cocoon and transported to the planet Char. Her psionic abilities allowed her to contact Mengsk and Raynor, both of whom responded to the signal. (StarCraft, Aaron Rosenberg - "StarCraft: The Queen of Blades")
Upon arrival on Char, Jim witnesses a completely new Kerrigan emerge from the cocoon, who now calls herself the Queen of Blades. She easily dispatches the human soldiers, but allows Raynor to retreat.
In the future, Kerrigan continues to improve his skills. She becomes a ruthless, but still inexperienced warrior who acts rashly and overly self-confident. After lengthy hostilities, the Protoss kill the Overmind, who tried to destroy their home planet Aiur. (StarCraft).
At the time of the death of the Overmind, Sarah was on the planet Char and was creating her own clan. She sensed powerful energy from an ancient building located in the world of Bhekar Ro. There she entered into battle with the Protoss. No one could have foreseen what happened next. The building turned out to be a trap, the activation of which required the DNA of the Protoss and Zerg. As a result, powerful creatures were released and destroyed the Kerrigan clan. The Queen of Blades herself is once again presumed (and again wrongly) dead. (Gabriel Mesta - "StarCraft: Shadow of Xel'Naga")
The Zerg were not going to give up, and their best individuals managed to create a new Overmind. At that time, Kerrigan had already subjugated half of the Zerg Swarm, and her desire for absolute power only intensified. (StarCfaft: Brood War, Aaron Rosenberg - "StarCraft: The Queen of Blades")
Sarah comes into contact with the protoss and reports that with the death of Superrahum, she got rid of his protection. But the new Overmind will soon take control of it. Persuasion was in vain, and the Protoss refused to attack the revived zerg ruler. After assisting her former enemies in the search for relics, a series of intrigues and another destruction of the zerg on the planet Shakuras, Kerrigan is forced to retreat. (StarCraft: Brood War)
The next chapter of the war unfolded in the Koprulu Sector, where the forces of the United Earth Directorate (UED for short) invaded. They captured the capital of the Terran Dominion and nearly captured Mengsk. The former dictator fell into the hands of Raynor and Fenix (an elite Protoss warrior), who tried to take him to Aiur. The “earthlings” rushed after him. The zerg and other Kerrigan allies came to Jim's aid. Subsequently, the Queen of Blades formed an Alliance with Raynor and Phoenix.
UED Admiral Gerard DuGall captures the new Overmind on the planet Char. Kerrigan, during a meeting with the admiral, declares that she now controls all the zerg.
By that time, the Queen of Blades had become a prudent and cold-blooded warrior who did not hesitate to use any means to achieve her goal. She unites the forces of Raynor, the Protoss, and Mengsk under her command. The allies help Kerrigan in a number of forays. But, seizing the moment, Kerrigan’s troops betray everyone and carry out a real massacre. Mengsk and Raynor manage to escape. Raynor vows to take revenge on Sarah.
Through deception and blackmail, Sarah finally convinces one of the most influential protoss, Zeratul, to assist her in attacking the new Overmind. Zeratul understood that this would make Kerrigan much stronger, but he had no choice. The Supermind was defeated. Then the Queen of Blades dealt with all his minions and became the sole ruler of the Zerg Swarm. Zeratul nevertheless escaped from the clutches of the intriguer. (StarCraft: Brood War)
In the decisive battle, Kerrigan confronted the troops of the United Earth Directorate, the mercenaries of Mengsk and the protoss. The Zerg under the command of the Queen of Blades manage to defeat the superior enemy forces. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, Admiral DuGall writes a farewell letter to his family and shoots himself in the forehead. Sarah destroys the remnants of the Earth's fleet, but does not touch the protoss and Raynor, although Jim continued to throw threats at her. (StarCraft: Brood War)
After the conflict in the Koprulu sector ended, the Queen of Blades continued to develop her race and create new species. The zerg fell silent, and their motives, like those of their leader, were shrouded in darkness.
Then Kerrigan took part in attacks on the buildings of ancient races (“StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 1”). Encountered humans and protoss. The outcome of such meetings invariably led to bloodshed. But it never came to a global confrontation. (Christie Golden - StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga: Shadow Hunters, StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga: Twilight)
Although the zerg became an increasingly fearsome force under her leadership, Kerrigan became pessimistic. She knew that a new, perfect form of life was about to come to the galaxy.
Following one of the protoss, Kerrigan found herself on the planet Ulaan, where, according to rumors, an ancient prophecy was to be revealed. There she met her old friend Zeratul. The exchange of pleasantries ended with Kerrigan placing him in a psionic prison, but he escaped from captivity. The Protoss found all the fragments of the prophecy and were about to leave the planet when Kerrigan appeared on their way. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, but Zeratul escaped with the prophecy.
Zeratul did not really like the truth that was revealed. It turned out that Kerrigan is the key to saving civilizations from a race of hybrids (mutants that combine the capabilities of the protoss and zerg). Zeratul transfers this data to Raynor and asks him to protect Kerrigan. ("StarCraft 2: The Wings of Liberty")
The lull ended four years after the end of Brood War. Kerrigan once again led the zerg armies into battle. But the destruction of bases and research centers was only a cover for the search for parts of a device constructed by the long-vanished Xel’Naga race, creators of the Protoss and Zerg. By coincidence, Raynor was hunting for the same relics as Sarah. Jim and his companions turn out to be more agile and take possession of the relics. After which the onslaught of the zerg weakens, and the Queen of Blades returns to Char.
The true purpose of the device came as a surprise to Raynor. It turns out that it can be used to turn the Queen of Blades back into a human. To complete the task, Raynor went to Char. Despite the desperate resistance of the zerg and extremely difficult conditions, Jim carries out the assignment. As a result of using the artifact, Kerrigan began to look more like a human than a zerg. One of Raynor's associates tries to kill Sarah, but Jim saves his former lover and carries her out of the hive. ("StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty").
A weakened Kerrigan is taken to a Dominion ship commanded by Valerian Mengsk, the son of Arcturus Mengsk. To avoid meeting him, the former Queen of Blades is transported to the remote planet Dead Man’s Rock. Sarah's condition, both moral and physical, is noticeably deteriorating. She even tries to independently remove some of her body parts remaining from her zerg form. But over time, psionic abilities return, and Kerrigan warns Raynor of the impending attack.
The rebels and Sarah move to the Prometheus research station, where they planned to conduct a series of tests on her. But soon Mengsk also arrives there. He contacts the station and reports that he knows about Kerrigan's transformation. Hearing his voice, Sarah literally breaks loose and kills many soldiers. But a group of rebels, together with Kerrigan, escapes an unenviable fate.
Sarah's next location is the secret space station Umoja. There, Kerrigan declares that he wants to revive the Zerg Swarm and take revenge on Mengsk for everything. At the same time, she feels guilty for the events of past years. In it, two personalities fight - the ruthless Queen of Blades and Sarah Kerrigan, who is trying to find herself. In addition, she cannot forgive Mengsk for leaving her to be devoured by the zerg on Tartonis. (Christie Golden - "StarCraft 2: Flashpoint")
Sarah Kerrigan combines burning hatred for her enemies, cunning, cruelty, ambition and a modicum of compassion. She admits her crimes, but motivates them by the fact that the end justifies the means. It’s hard not to sympathize with her, because Sarah has repeatedly been deceived by her own comrades. And for the same reason it is difficult not to share her rage. Kerrigan is rightfully considered one of the most striking video game heroines. I would like to believe that her story will not end with Heart of the Swarm, and that the zerg under her leadership will shake the galaxy more than once.
In part two of our series, Brian Kindregan, co-lead writer for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and lead writer for Heart of the Swarm, answers questions about the game's story that are of most interest to our community.
Question: Before meeting Kerrigan, Jim Raynor already had a family, a wife and a son. How does it happen that Sarah Kerrigan is “the only and beloved” for him?
Answer: We didn’t talk about the fact that she is Jim’s only one.
For several years, Jim was doing just fine, but he lost everything. A new stage began in his life (or rather, everything returned to normal), and he again took up arms. The life of a soldier is full of difficulties, and the intensity of passions is simply frantic. Jim had strong feelings for Sarah, even loved her, but this did not change his attitude towards his family. People mourn the loss, but life goes on...eventually.
Question: At the end of Wings of Liberty, Arcturus Mengsk's empire was on the verge of collapse. The Zerg absorbed most of the outlying worlds and systematically approached the key planets. Raynor revealed to the citizens of the Dominion the truth that it was Mengsk who committed genocide on Tarsonis. Riots and uprisings began to flare up, people took to the streets of all major cities, including Augustgrad. The son of Arcturus then commandeered half the entire space fleet, desperately hoping to put an end to the Queen of Blades. How did Mengsk manage to maintain control of the Terran Dominion despite endless hostilities?
Answer: Mengsk maintained his power through fiendishly intricate intrigue, cruelty, and good old-fashioned cunning. The threat to his empire had not passed by the time of Heart of the Swarm, but he was not short of ingenuity, and he still had many ways to retain power. If the Swarm had started a full-scale war with the Terrans, or the Kelmorian Syndicate had been able to muster enough forces to attack, the Dominion would not have survived. Note that the Swarm attacked planets only in order to search for an artifact, and after the disappearance of the Queen of Blades, its unity was disrupted. As for the Kelmorians, they had a very hard time at that time.
Question: How did it happen that Jim Raynor was indifferent to the events of StarCraft and Brood War? Why doesn't he want to kill Kerrigan (after all, he knows about the atrocities she committed)? Did Jim fall in love with her?
Answer: First of all, you need to understand Jim's attitude towards Kerrigan. Of course, Horner, Tychus and the entire Hyperion crew saw her only as a terrible monster and wanted revenge for the crimes she had committed. For them there was no difference between Kerrigan and the Queen of Blades, and for quite a long time Jim did not see this difference either. But as soon as Valerian told him that Sarah could be saved, Jim began to have doubts. Maybe in the heart of the ruthless alien queen, who destroyed entire worlds, there is still something left of the “old” Sarah, who destroyed her opponents in cold blood, but did not enjoy killing? Is it possible? Jim didn't know for sure. He had already seen the Queen of Blades betray her allies more than once, and he did not rely entirely on Valerian’s idea. So Jim, as always, had to rely on his instincts. He had a choice to make: give in to his hatred of Mengsk and the Queen of Blades, or cling to hope and try to change everything. His instinct did not let him down, and he chose the latter.
Jim has lost too much in his life, much more than anyone else. That's why he was so attracted to the opportunity to save Kerrigan. He lost his family, friends, ideals, could not prevent the death of doomed worlds and thought that Kerrigan was also irrevocably lost to him. But then Jim learned that there was a chance to save her. For the first time he had the opportunity to make up for the loss, for the first time he could fix something, and not just try to do everything possible so as not to make it worse.
Question: How are units like the Mutalisk and Banshee able to move in a vacuum?
Answer: Another great question that we discussed among ourselves. The discussion was usually accompanied by fights using furniture. In general, mutalisks produce a specific gas that allows them to use jet propulsion while discarding part of their own mass. Thus, mutalisks can move even in a vacuum due to the thrust created by the gas exhaust. Although they cannot perform complex maneuvers, mutalisks are capable of changing the direction of movement.
In the atmosphere of planets, mutalisks simply use their wings, and the gas is intended exclusively for flight in space. Are you wondering why they keep flapping their wings even when there is no air? It's all about instincts. In the same way, a dog twitches its hind legs when you scratch its belly.
As for Terran and Protoss units, the answer is even simpler. Their equipment is additionally equipped with standard rocket engines designed exclusively for flights in airless space.
