Plothole resolution in the Starcraft universe

[Hawki]

Abathur's been hiding in the tunnels of Char, surviving off small creatures. As for Tychus, I'm pretty sure his death will be touched on. After all, it's been confirmed that the issue of Fenix will be brought up.

[phazonjunkie]

With Kerrigan's assimilation, I wonder why her genes haven't been incorporated into other Zerg breeds?

You seem to have missed my first response to this question so I'll re-iterate.

It's strongly implied that her genes HAVE been incorporated into other zerg strains. The new queens, as well as brood mothers are examples of this.

[mr. peasant]

I think you've answered your own question. The real question is if Tychus knew that he was dead either way, why didn't he just kill himself thereby robbing any satisfaction Mengsk would get from it and preventing him from potentially psychologically damaging his friend by forcing Raynor to shoot him? I guess Tychus was too much of a coward to do this to himself. Hm, some delicious irony there especially considering the whole situation could've been avoided had Raynor actually tried to help his friend out of his suit.

More troubling is that the idea doesn't even seem to cross Raynor's mind - and by extension, the writers' minds. Tells me that I don't really want to be a friend of theirs.

[Turalyon]

Maybe this is something Mengsk was banking on.

You're giving Mengsk too much credit especially considering the total buffoon he is been shown to be (first) in BW and (then consolidated) in WoL.

Either way, it's a pretty lame sounding end-goal for a Xanatos Gambit don't you think? What possible beneficial outcome would there be for Mengsk if he could easily pull such intricate maneuvering just to psychologically damage his nemesis? Oh that's right, it's so Mengsk can start twirling his moustache (which I can now, sadly I might add, admit seeing him capable of doing these days)!!

I just hope Tychus isn't forgotten in HotS; Raynor needs to acknowledge the fact that he's just murdered his best friend with a bullet between the eyes. This needs to be an issue. But, of course, considering how little consequence seems to matter in StarCraft these days, well...

The sentiment is mutual. Given how little was actually conveyed throughout WoL despite its length, can we seriously expect more to be had with even less in HotS? Even more so when the focus is supposed (jury's out on this) to be on Zerg. *Sigh*

Where's Abathur been this entire time? I know one excuse is, He wasn't conceived as a character until HotS was announced. But canon-wise, I mean. Has he been in hiding? I keep hoping he was somehow in cahoots with Duran.

There is a real danger of this character of being "elevated" too far with the likes of what we already have in terms Kerrigan and the Xel'Naga in general. Given his tenuous background, Abathur can be revealed to be anything (OMG, he's really the Overmind reborn!). It would be somewhat disappointing to see Abathur revealed as yet another SC character who has enormous and ground shaking abilities that was somehow unable to influence events before and then suddenly explodes into massive importance later (ie: HotS).

More troubling is that the idea doesn't even seem to cross Raynor's mind - and by extension, the writers' minds. Tells me that I don't really want to be a friend of theirs.

Tell me about it. Raynor essentially shrugs his shoulders when told of Tychus' predicament and goes "Tychus is da man! He can take it so I won't care about it!"

It's yet another reason for Raynor to be deemed 'unlikeable' - he goes around acting like a saint to strangers but he's an utter bastard to his friends.

[Turalyon]

Alright, back on topic again! I think we've yet to reach a justifiable conclusion and consensus regarding the presence of the Psi Disruptor. However, I get the feeling that most of you feel that such technology would require someone with considerable knowledge of the Zerg (Duran) as opposed to the Confederates actually coming up with it themselves.

My original post on Page 3 listed some of the potential issues of having Duran tied to the idea of him being the originator of the device - especially those concerning whether his allegiance is to the DV, to himself or some other 3rd (4th?) party. I mentioned that if Duran is aligned with the DV, than his (potential) involvement in the creation of the Psi Disruptor seems to jar with the DV's original goals. How? It's because the the Overmind and Zerg are supposed to be the DV's ultimate plan/tool to destroy the Protoss. Why would he allow Duran to create something that can hinder such a thing? Because there is less concrete information regarding Duran atm, currently it seems to make more sense if Duran is working for himself or some other involved party. Are there any flaws with this line of thinking?

Continuing with the plothole themes regarding Duran, there is another (which may be revealed in later installment) that seems to defy explanation. How is Duran able to 'fake' infestation and more importantly, how does Kerrigan not know this? Surely, you'd think Kerrigan would've tested him out just to make sure, right? 'Infested' Duran presents as an anomaly when compared to most infested humans (yes, I know that Duran is not human, but keep up with me) because he comes across and passes off very well as a full human (ie: no Zergy bits). Is Duran unique in this trait or does Kerrigan have the ability to create other infested humans that look totally human?

The problem here is that we (the audience) have not actually seen any other fully human-looking infested terrans (given that Duran - the only example - is fake) before. It's not clear whether or not Kerrigan is aware of this fact either but the way she behaves around Duran, she seems nonplussed about it which suggests that human-looking infested terrans may have existed for awhile now(?). The "how" and "when" this was made possible is a complete mystery. As an aside, I'm not sure whether Hanson fits into this category given the open-ended nature/question (and ultimately non-canonical) as to when/how she became infested. Alternatively, if Duran is wholly unique, how did he find his way to Kerrigan and why was he chosen specifically (given that his fake Terran background is of a lowly soldier) by her to be this new (to us at any rate) form of infested Terran?

[phazonjunkie]

@Turaylon:

Do you think it might be possible that Kerrigan knew all along (or at least suspected) that Duran was more than what he appeared to be/had his own agenda but simply decided to overlook it for the time being because of how useful he proved to be in furthering her plans for the zerg?

[Visions of Khas]

However, I get the feeling that most of you feel that such technology would require someone with considerable knowledge of the Zerg (Duran) as opposed to the Confederates actually coming up with it themselves.

I'm not entirely convinced. As I said before, I think it's possible the Confederacy could have used psychics on the Zerg. Why would they? Perhaps a stroke of insight, or maybe it's common practice when the Confederacy comes in contact with new creatures? Perhaps there was an instance where they observed the Zerg displaying intelligent behavior that prompted the use of a psychic for communications purposes.

This would have revealed the Zerg's intrinsically psychic nature. Moreover, exposure to Ghosts would have revealed the Zerg's collective attraction to them. Study over the course of a few years would have revealed certain weaknesses and strengths in the Zerg's own psychic aptitude. It would have been a simple, small leap for scientists to try and interfere with their communication abilities.

In my opinion, the existence of the Emitters and Disruptors are a simple and logical product of terran weapons research and development.

[Turalyon]

@Turaylon:

Do you think it might be possible that Kerrigan knew all along (or at least suspected) that Duran was more than what he appeared to be/had his own agenda but simply decided to overlook it for the time being because of how useful he proved to be in furthering her plans for the zerg?

This is indeed a possibility but why would she? One would think (and Kerrigan would, too, I'd suspect) that infestation is the ultimate means to bend one's will to that of the Swarms (or Kerrigan's in this case). If there was any doubt to its effectiveness, would you think that Kerrigan would be the kind of person that would let something like this slide, especially when the "victim" (Duran in this case - although he turns out not to be a victim at all...) is privy to all her secret plans and supposed to be completely loyal?

It's one thing to allow Zeratul, Raynor and co. to go traipsing about doing their own things but the thing is, Kerrigan knows she can't fully control them (aside from fully subverting them through infestation if possible) and can account for their actions. Duran is supposed to be a totally obedient servant - which is what all infested things are, right? Why would she expect anything different? Why should she accept and trust someone who has the possibility of bypassing her way of fully control over them? Someone who could do that would bespeak an unknown and potentially powerful force to Kerrigan. It's hard to fathom why Kerrigan would abide to anything like that given her displays in BW.

Either way, there are too many unknown variables at this point since there isn't enough to go on to even form an accurate guess.

Perhaps a stroke of insight, or maybe it's common practice when the Confederacy comes in contact with new creatures? Perhaps there was an instance where they observed the Zerg displaying intelligent behavior that prompted the use of a psychic for communications purposes.

I didn't know there were any other significant species of aliens the Terrans came across before the Zerg or Protoss.

Anyway, we have to be wary about the power level of Terran psionics. There seems to be a mild retcon in here that has elevated what was initially supposed to be nothing more than "latent psionic potential" (Ghosts only wielded psychokinetic powers later in the novels I believe - initially they were just enhanced humans with better physical and mental capabilities than normal humans) into something much more. That's the only way this theory could work.

Study over the course of a few years would have revealed certain weaknesses and strengths in the Zerg's own psychic aptitude.

There is still the unresolved issue of timeframe. At the moment it isn't all too clear. It seems there was a lengthier time from first contact to the events of SC1 in order to allow this investigation of the Zerg to happen but initially the timeframe seemed much shorter. Another mild retcon?

This comment also feeds into my above comment on current power levels of Terran psionics. In SC1 there is a distinct feeling that Terrans are nowhere near capable of using psionics to the degree that you have just explained yet alone be aware that Zerg are also using similar psionic energy that is compatible and are easily disrupted. To get a mental picture of where I'm going with this, think of how ludicrous it is that the alien's "computers" in Independence Day were somehow compatible and vulnerable to viruses created from human computers. The leaps of logic and sheer luck for this to be even possible is astounding!

It would have been a simple, small leap for scientists to try and interfere with their communication abilities.

I had mentioned that there is a distinction between attracting and interfering with the Zerg. I would argue that the leap between the two is not simple nor small.

Zerg attraction (Psi emitter tech) is simple enough to explain. One can observe that the Zerg seem to target Terran groups with Ghosts. The difference between a Ghost and normal human is their "brainwaves". Make device that mimics Ghost brainwaves and hey presto, the Zerg get attracted by them.

Notice that this has nothing do with Ghosts actually psionically melding with the Zerg to discover how their psychic links form (or whatever you described it as). If it did, then yes it is feasible to connect the Emitter and Disruptor technologies as you've mentioned. However, I also hope you can appreciate the difficulty in explaining the connection between the two techs with my description (and I would argue, Sc1's interpretation of the Psi Emitter, too) of how the Psi Emitter works.

[DarthYam]

the thing that made me willing to swallow the over minds luck is the fact that he did the same in game 1. Kerrigan just happened to be the strongest Terran on that world. What if his ideal candidate had been on one of the protoss glassed ones? Also, it's luck that allowed him and zeratul to meld.

And for the Terrans: It's luck that the raid they conducted on an outpost just happened to have the blueprints for the psi disrupter.

The story in SC 1 always had at least some degree of dumb luck in a few areas, so having the Overmind luck out didn't really bother me. It also explained why

I also felt that the Dark Templar should have been dealt with on Aiur. The overmind knows that they will protect their homeworld. Why did he let them rampage on Aiur when he had Kerrigan to take them out? That's what a sane General would do. You do not send your trump card on a wild goose chase when the one faction that can defeat you is on your fucking doorstep. That's why I felt the Kerrigan weapon made sense. It gives him a reason not to deploy her when she might have been fucking useful. I mentioned one book when the heroes find the bad guys lair due to luck (the few records that survive happen to be useful, the records they need at point b happen to be intact because some minion got careless, or that they happened to break into the right truck, or that the hero had enough emotional ties to blackmail someone who happened to point him to the right source, who just happened to be one of the few information brokers who wasn't a complete turd.)

[Gradius]

the thing that made me willing to swallow the over minds luck is the fact that he did the same in game 1. Kerrigan just happened to be the strongest Terran on that world. What if his ideal candidate had been on one of the protoss glassed ones? Also, it's luck that allowed him and zeratul to meld.

The difference is that you have the benefit of hindsight. The Overmind wasn't counting on those things happening in SC1, but for his plan to work in SC2 he had to meet some very specific conditions when he put it in motion.

And for the Terrans: It's luck that the raid they conducted on an outpost just happened to have the blueprints for the psi disrupter.

The use of the Psi Emitters was actually pretty natural & well thought out.
1) The Zerg are only on Mar Sara because the Confederates lured them there with the emitters.
2) As such, it makes sense that the facility for creating these emitters was in the confederate installation.
3) The Sons of Korhal only came to Mar Sara because they tried to save colonists from the zerg that the emitters lured. It was only natural for them to raid the confederate installation before the planet died.

As such, the SoK could have conceivably acquired the psi emitters no matter what planet the confederates decided to lure the zerg to. Arcturus isn't exactly a genius for turning their own weapon against them.

I also felt that the Dark Templar should have been dealt with on Aiur. The overmind knows that they will protect their homeworld. Why did he let them rampage on Aiur when he had Kerrigan to take them out? That's what a sane General would do. You do not send your trump card on a wild goose chase when the one faction that can defeat you is on your fucking doorstep. That's why I felt the Kerrigan weapon made sense. It gives him a reason not to deploy her when she might have been fucking useful.

He thought the dark templar were being dealt with on Char. Otherwise, how would the Overmind know the dark templar were on Aiur? The first time they fight the Zerg on Aiur is when they actually kill some cerebrates (which we know has the bonus effect of pacifying the Overmind as well). So when we would he have time to say "hey, kerrigan, get over here, i need some halp!"