Creative Development Q&A 6

[Kimera757]

Here you go: http://us.battle.net//sc2/en/blog/7922536

Questions Answered:

*The Tal'darim of Aiur versus other Tal'darim
*A lore book (no plans, at least not yet)
*Protoss technology limit
*Where do protoss build their stuff (now that Aiur has fallen)
*Why did Kerrigan go after the artifacts, and what role do they play in the future? (Only the first question was answered)
*Did Swann invent the Thor (and a lore snafu)
*Canon and retcons. (The old StarCraft RPG is not canon.)

[TcheQuevara]

Best one so far. Communicates and informs. Clean, straight to the point, with a high calorie value. Anyone else?

[Gradius]

Best one so far. Communicates and informs. Clean, straight to the point, with a high calorie value. Anyone else?

Agreed. More like these please.

But their defining feature is that they chose to leave the community of Protoss on Aiur. So they took their name ("the Forged") from an ancient sect that parted ways with the Aiur Protoss. That ancient sect is the Tal'darim you meet in Wings—a full faction.

Ok, but then what is the relationship to Ulrezaj? None?

Well, they were pretty dangerous to the Queen of Blades, as we've seen. Raynor and Moebius used them to rob her of her power. If I were the leader of the Swarm, I'd have gone after them too!

But I wouldn't stand in the artifact's blast-zone. :P

[The_Blade]

This "humble" side is what Blizzard needs. IMHO Blizzard has grown prideful over the last few years. "Blizzard quality" doesn't means the same any more.

I loved this Q&A and would love seeing more of this examples.

The Dark Voice might be a fallen "Protoss". Perhaps he leads the Tal'darim and the hybrid factions. In some way, he might have tricked Zeratul into the whole Kerrigan deinfestation (is that how we say it?) and then created the conflict that will rise him to power. At least this explains the whole idea of WoL and makes it sound less absurd. IIRC the artifacts are "newer" according to Hanson or Stetman.

Ok, but then what is the relationship to Ulrezaj? None?

Perhaps Ulrezaj has bonded with the Dark Voice [if what I said is correct], through the void. The Void doesn't work like the Khala, but a very powerful being should be able to detect distortions within its energies. This might explain, Ulrezaj's frantic behaviour during the Dark Templar trilogy. He felt the disruptions created by the Dark Voice after the Broodwar and started seaking out its source. Then, he enslaved the remaining Protoss in Aiur.

[Kimera757]

I doubt the Dark Voice is a protoss, considering he is:

A) Killing them all (and he'd be lonely, if he didn't get killed himself)
B) Supposedly has been asleep for countless ages.

[The_Blade]

I doubt the Dark Voice is a protoss, considering he is:

A) Killing them all (and he'd be lonely, if he didn't get killed himself)
B) Supposedly has been asleep for countless ages.

In a scifi universe where legendary races are mentioned but not encountered, you can't assume each individual still belongs to that same race where it originated. For example, Ulrezaj is a Protoss deviation not a Protoss. The Dark Voice might be some sort of Protoss-Xel'naga hybrid, who was a Xel'naga. In some place during the Aeon of Strife he was rejected by the Xel'naga and the Protoss, therefore creating the Tal'darim.

His purpose in life might be doing what the Xel'naga neglected to do. He wants to evolve into the perfect being, not create the perfect being. When your purpose ranges through the galactic scale, I don't think your own existance has relevance anymore.

[Gradius]

His purpose in life might be doing what the Xel'naga neglected to do. He wants to evolve into the perfect being, not create the perfect being. When your purpose ranges through the galactic scale, I don't think your own existance is has relevance anymore.

He wants to destroy the entire universe so he can clone himself.

Worst villain ever. :P

[DarthYam]

I saw it as trying to remake his species "properly". I saw has beceoming disillusioned after seeing the aeon of strife kill many xel naga. I think he is a pure xel naga. I still think that the final battle will be the good guys vs the hybrids while high above Kerrigan and the DV face off in single combat. I think Ulrezaj is just another minion he recruited. Ulrezaj was developing hybrids and was said to work for a hidden master. Obviously that's the dark one.

[Hawki]

And once again Brian Kindragen continues to twist the knife in my gut. Ugh. Anyway:

The Tal'darim of Aiur versus other Tal'darim

Glad the Tal'darim will be back, at least in LotV. But the question...well, aside from the fact that we already knew the Tal'darim were around long before the DTS, I find it iffy that the protoss actively chose the name and the Shel'na Kyras never mentioned it. I'd assumed Ulrezaj applied the name, but no, we're trying to tie stuff together and making it needlessly complicated.

A lore book (no plans, at least not yet)

Great. So, there's already a sequel to Book of Cain planned along with a Warcraft counterpart, but...meh. Beggars can't be choosers.

Protoss technology limit

Well, it's understandable. I'm sure the kalathi and tagal can rest much easier knowing how much restraint the protoss can show.

Why did Kerrigan go after the artifacts, and what role do they play in the future? (Only the first question was answered)

So, let's see. We get a question that we already know half the answer to, and are refused the second half.

Seriously, why include questions that you're not going to answer?

Where do protoss build their stuff (now that Aiur has fallen)

...Seriously? Someone asked that? I mean, it's nice to have confirmation but I'd have assumed it was self-explanatory.

Did Swann invent the Thor (and a lore snafu)

Lore snafu is right. It was one back at WoL. Yet the question is answerred...and in over two years, all we get is "well, we don't know how to solve the issue?" Gah.

Zerg sapience/sentience

More zerg stuff that it's nice to get confirmation on, but was already self-explanatory.

Canon and retcons. (The old StarCraft RPG is not canon.)

...

...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5R_pS0h5Qk

Best one so far. Communicates and informs. Clean, straight to the point, with a high calorie value. Anyone else?

...don't make me hurt you.

Agreed. More like these please.

You like twisting the knife don't you?

I loved this Q&A and would love seeing more of this examples.

That's it. Where's my rifle?

The Dark Voice might be a fallen "Protoss". Perhaps he leads the Tal'darim and the hybrid factions. In some way, he might have tricked Zeratul into the whole Kerrigan deinfestation (is that how we say it?) and then created the conflict that will rise him to power.

What about the Overmind's vision though?

He wants to destroy the entire universe so he can clone himself.

Worst villain ever. :P

Galaxy, not universe.

Honestly Gradius, get your facts right.

[Turalyon]

Man, I can't wait to see Hawki's reaction to HotS when it comes out. I can almost see the disappointment and tears of despair right now.

As for Blade's passing comment about the DV being possibly a fallen "Protoss" about long-lived individuals not being of the same originating race, I had a similar thought run through my head way back when I still had the inclination to try and think about Sc2's story in a serious way. I've since refined the possibility of the DV not being Xel'Naga or Protoss exactly (as we know them now), but rather as a failed experiment/proto-Xel'Naga reject.

Even though this cycle has continued on successfully for countless eons, the way Xel'Naga are created seem rather haphazard. Given that, isn't it entirely possible that there may have been past attempts in making near-perfect Xel'Naga that failed to reach their potential? The DV could be one such creation. The chip on his shoulder is probably an inferiority complex about the Xel'Naga themselves being supposedly more perfect than he is (and the distinct possibility of the Protoss and the Zerg being potentially proper Xel'Naga is a "twist of the knife" for him) whilst he technically isn't. Given that the Xel'Naga are no longer around (they're probably waiting for their Deus Ex Machina moment in LotV? ) anymore, the DV is probably wanting to take the limelight it was denied by taking it upon itself to be the "new" (albeit perverted) Xel'Naga.

I quite like this idea. It certainly gives his creations, the Hybrids, some better interesting poetic license if we are to think of them as reflections of the DV as "failed potential" trying to be more than what they ended up as. Whether or not this is true, it remains to be seen that SC2's writing structure (given it's narrow focus on singular characters of each main race - to the exclusion and detriment of everything else) can carry such a notion as this forward effectively.