Agria Colonists Above All Others...Why?

[RetlocLive]

Just like the title says.

Zerg invasion occurs, large number of colonist worlds begin getting infected. Yet Raynor decides to help only one select group of Colonists just because some random girl named Hanson made the call.

You figure EVERYONE out there is begging for help since casualties were in the "billions" and the Dominion abandoned them to protect the core worlds. But no, Agria's Colonists are, for some reason, a step above everyone else and are apparently the only ones that recieve a helping hand.

Even makes Raynor look like an ass for taking the time to save this one particular group, but doesn't once think of helping other infected Colonist planets out there.

[Kimera757]

Raynor has limited resources. He couldn't even save the Agrian's planet, all he could do was try to keep them alive in order to evacuate. Something similar happened with Tyrador VIII.

He could only only confront the zerg on an extended basis after teaming up with Valerian Mengsk.

[RetlocLive]

Tyrador VIII's evacuation at least had recognition and priority for being where the Moebius Faction was based at time. Not to mention it was long after the invasion initially started. Agria however, was just another one of the many groups of colonists being decimated by the Zerg invasion.

Yet here's Raynor, going out and protecting this one particular group despite every other colonist faction out there being in the same boat as the Agrian colonists. And it's not like Hanson was anybody special either. She was, at the time of the distress call, just another civilian Raynor knew nothing about.

The point is, Raynor put this irrelevant group of colonists, showen to be no better then the rest, over everyone else begging for help. In fact he does it more then once. Instead of helping other colonists in need, he sticks to only the Agrian colonists; protecting them from the zombie epidemic and the Protoss debacle.

Hell, if I was a colonist not from the Agrian faction, I'd be pretty pissed that I'm not getting the same treatment from Raynor's Raiders.

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[mr. peasant]

It's simply conservation of detail. Basically, Hanson and the Agrians represent the 'common man'. It would be bad game design and storytelling to have had Raynor spend 10+ missions with a near/exact set of objectives and gameplay.

Which is not to say that he did help others and that it wasn't shown but that helping the Agrians thematically got the point across.

[Turalyon]

I agree with peasant in terms of the "conservation of detail".

It's also a tad nit-picky. We might as well complain about why Arcturus and co. decided to help the revolt specifically on Antiga Prime when there were "clearly" (it is debatable I know but that is the extent of your evidence as well regarding your issue with Agria) many other colonies chafing and chomping at the bit to revolt against the Confederates. Besides, you have to remember that Agria really did need help because of their seeming irrelevancy to the Dominion. That would be justification enough for a "hero" like Raynor to take up their cause. Whether you feel that is what the game evokes effectively is another matter...

You also have to consider that Hanson' character (what little of it there is) could've literally been anyone. To an extent that is what she's supposed to represent - a random that Raynor decided to help.

[phazonjunkie]

In with Turalyon & Mr. Peasants responses, I think a sufficient answer to question 'Why Agria?' is quite simply; 'Why not?'

[RetlocLive]

Well, all nit-picks aside. The one major problem I have with this is that Raynor is made out to look like an ass for giving the cold shoulder to everyone else by just protecting this one particular group of colonists; colonists that are showen to be no more important then every other colonist faction out there.

Sure, he protected other random colonists that were held up in Meinhoff (the day/night zombie mission), but that was only because Hanson was worried about her Agrian people stationed there. If not there then Raynor would of been off somewhere else protecting the Agrians while the other colonists hiding at Meinhoff would of been left to rot.

Long story short, he looks like an ass to everyone else for just protecting Agrians. I get that it would of been repetitive and boring to see Raynor continuously protect colonists, but JUST protecting Agrians still doesn't sit well with me.

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[Kimera757]

If Raynor had to rescue different colonists, each with a different representative, there would be no character development for those representatives. (You could argue Dr. Hanson got no development, but at least the story left that avenue open, whereas having different colonies wouldn't.)

[Turalyon]

Well, all nit-picks aside. The one major problem I have with this is that Raynor is made out to look like an ass for giving the cold shoulder to everyone else by just protecting this one particular group of colonists; colonists that are showen to be no more important then every other colonist faction out there.

Long story short, he looks like an ass to everyone else for just protecting Agrians.

You're setting yourself up with an expectation that is impossible to meet. Based on what you've just said, we can just as easily replace "Agrians" with anything else and I'm sure you'd still find it disagreeable. If we had Raynor rescuing a larger contingent of people or a more "important" faction, then you'd most likely complain that Raynor shouldn't be able to do that because he hasn't the resources/is only one battlecruiser/unrealistic for some reason or another.

Why would Raynor be an ass to everyone else for helping Agrians? Whom are you referring too with "everyone else", the audience or the other in-universe colonies? In the end, Raynor is just doing what he can when it comes, it's as simple as that. Surely, one can hardly blame him for that? Besides, isn't Raynor MO to help the "little guy"? In this case, helping the "worthless" Agrians is more than suitable for Raynor's aid. YOu also have to consider that by the end of those missions, Raynor's help of the Agrians is more than justified as he prevented either a full blown infestation and future threat or upheld the values of a saint and protected innocent people from being slaughtered.

I think your ire is somewhat misdirected. There is nothing inherently wrong with Raynor helping "Agrians" (or whoever else you think would be more/less appropriate) because it really just feels like a nitpick. If you were against how this particular part was written and portrayed, then we might have more to go on.

[solidsamurai]

Hell, if I was a colonist not from the Agrian faction, I'd be pretty pissed that I'm not getting the same treatment from Raynor's Raiders.

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Raynor isn't worried about PR. The dominion is. Raynor's only goal was to make the dominion look bad, and that's about as far as he got before the campaign was over.