Why Do Carriers Have Portals Inside Them?

[Visions of Khas]

I can't be the only one to notice the circular warp rift inside carriers. Maybe they store interceptors in a distant planet, or in energy form like a phase prism.

[Zoar]

I always assumed that the new smaller carriers used a teleportation rift to bring in interceptors from a factory. That way they don't need to have all the manufacturing facilities on board. Can have more carriers for a lot less resources that way.

[Nolanstar]

Going to mostly go with zoar, they probably have manufacturing facilities but warp the materials directly in, or can also warp in interceptors.

[Gradius]

So a giant ship with no armaments who's only job is to manufacture interceptors doesn't actually manufacture the interceptors? What the hell does it do then? And why is it so large? :P

My theory? It's a way for the crew to retreat and not die if the ship goes down.

[Nolanstar]

Or its the purifier beam firing slot...

[Turalyon]

I thought Carriers have onboard automated manufacturing plants in general. Like Reavers for their scarabs.

I'd imagine the warp field would have had other uses beside material transport for the production of interceptors since the Carrier was initially designed as flagship to carry out military campaigns on its own if necessary, right? For example, it could be used to ferry troops in. I'm sure there's some gameplay-lore segregation going on to justify its existence but not having a function in-game (cos it'd be OP) like how Carriers can't fire purifier beams in-game but supposedly have them.

[ragnarok]

So a giant ship with no armaments who's only job is to manufacture interceptors doesn't actually manufacture the interceptors? What the hell does it do then? And why is it so large? :P

My theory? It's a way for the crew to retreat and not die if the ship goes down.

But don't Carriers already have escape pods anyway? I thought one of the SC novels (Shadow of the Xel'Naga, I think) said they did...

[TcheQuevara]

Protoss can warp, but it's also reasonable to say they'd carry troops around. It seems Tassadar's fleet was carrying his troops with him rather than warping them from Aiur when he was dealing with the Confederacy and the Queen of Blades. I suppose those big carriers "carry" a lot of troops, vehicles, ships and base-constructing components around. Protoss are also explorers, not just warriors (that's why they have a "scout" ship). They explore places far beyong warp's reach. So just like old time, the main ships of explorers must be bigger and crouded with resources.

So a warp rift would be useful to transport stuff from Aiur to the city-like carrier and back. Also, I always thought the Carrier looks a lot like the Stargate, specially in SC I. I see no reason why they wouldn't do the same: warp in ships in the middle of space, during battles.

[ragnarok]

So a warp rift would be useful to transport stuff from Aiur to the city-like carrier and back. Also, I always thought the Carrier looks a lot like the Stargate, specially in SC I. I see no reason why they wouldn't do the same: warp in ships in the middle of space, during battles.

They probably could from a lore POV. The whole warping in ships mechanic we finally got in LotV was likely just something Blizzard wanted us to think to be new, but the Protoss had it all along. Wouldn't really be too surprising, since the Tal'darim fought in HotS already had this ability to warp in Void Rays and Carriers, even in areas without a psi field, and all their tech was merely copied off the Khalai and Nerazim, according to LotV, so this would including warping tech.

[Visions of Khas]

I wonder if your typical carrier is capable of glassing a planet, perhaps with that warp rift somehow. Maybe the warp rift connects to a gate orbiting a star and focuses that solar plasma into a beam.

[Nolanstar]

Based on photos of what we have seen the least amount of carriers we have seen glass a planet quickly is 3, but it might only take 1. It probably doesn't tap into a sun or anything (maybe, solar lance?) but is just using awesome protoss tech...

[ragnarok]

Based on photos of what we have seen the least amount of carriers we have seen glass a planet quickly is 3, but it might only take 1. It probably doesn't tap into a sun or anything (maybe, solar lance?) but is just using awesome protoss tech...

It may also depend on how quickly you want a planet burned, as well as the size of the planet itself. For example, from the photos, it's possible a single carrier's purification beam is enough to completely burn a continent the size of Asia and Europe, and if the situation isn't THAT bad, maybe they'll just let a single carrier do it because the infestation isn't spreading across the planet too quickly. But the Zerg infestation almost always goes way quicker than that, hence the need for more carriers.

[Nolanstar]

It may also depend on how quickly you want a planet burned, as well as the size of the planet itself. For example, from the photos, it's possible a single carrier's purification beam is enough to completely burn a continent the size of Asia and Europe, and if the situation isn't THAT bad, maybe they'll just let a single carrier do it because the infestation isn't spreading across the planet too quickly. But the Zerg infestation almost always goes way quicker than that, hence the need for more carriers.

I was thinking that too, as given enough time and chrono boosts a void ray could probably drill through the planet instead, and its possible that different types of carriers have different yields, etc.

Because: Of note is we now have 6 carrier variations show in legacy of the void, (including media) The ingame/main cinematic one, the daelaam carrier/selendis carrier (repair drones ingame), the Taldarim one (all the spiky things), the nerazim one (crashed on shakuras), and a design similar to the sc1 design seen alongside the sc2 carrier in reclamation. 6 types of carriers in cannon, plus 2 if you count the fleet carrier from sc1, and the original sc1 design as a supercarrier like the gantrithor.

[ragnarok]

I was thinking that too, as given enough time and chrono boosts a void ray could probably drill through the planet instead, and its possible that different types of carriers have different yields, etc.

Because: Of note is we now have 6 carrier variations show in legacy of the void, (including media) The ingame/main cinematic one, the daelaam carrier/selendis carrier (repair drones ingame), the Taldarim one (all the spiky things), the nerazim one (crashed on shakuras), and a design similar to the sc1 design seen alongside the sc2 carrier in reclamation. 6 types of carriers in cannon, plus 2 if you count the fleet carrier from sc1, and the original sc1 design as a supercarrier like the gantrithor.

Well I'm sure the Tal'darim carriers (Skylords) would have WAY more firepower, since they're designed for carnage, just like their motherships. Theirs probably can burn a planet much more quickly. I guess it'll depend on if the Protoss ever see a need to do that.

Given how little encounters the Tal'darim have had with the Zerg, they probably never needed their carriers to purify planets in the first place.