Essence vs Form

[Articorse]

I just hope we see regular, dark and twilight archons in LotV. I mean, for fuck's sake, they introduce this awesome concept of the twilight archon in the beta, then just throw it into the trash? No way. I'm calling it now - twilight archons will be the ultimate expression of 'purity of form'.

[Telenil]

What I don't understand is: the manual says that although they took many forms and assimilate many creatures, the Zerg had kept their "purity of essence" because they kept their unity and still form a single race. So essence should be something "deep" that doesn't change with your appearance or the form you take. The hive mind certainly qualifies.

But if essence was DNA, then purity of essence would mean keeping your DNA intact, and thus not changing, and thus purity of form.

So as far as I can see, essence = DNA doesn't make any sense. The whole idea of Zerg evolution means that your DNA isn't "pure", on the contrary, you add as many strands of other organisms as you can. It is because the Zerg remained Zerg despite assimilating other species that they had purity of essence.

[Turalyon]

^ Can't agree more with this (and FT's) assessment of purity of essence.

I think there is a disconnect between those who already know that purity of essence was actually explained in Sc1 and those who did not even understand or forgot what it was plainly spelled out in the beginning. Based on all this revisionist history that Blizz is doing to Sc lore, it seems they fall into the camp of the latter (see Sandwich_Bird's comment ).

[Laurentian]

Well the zerg wanting to kill everything certainly lines up with General Ripper's idea of Purity of Essence. I'm sure they don't fluoridate their water either and want to keep their precious bodily fluids.

[mythology]

it says purity of form

when i think about that, i think of all those star trek episodes of beings attaining higher existence as energy. is existing as energy that purity of form the protoss have that the zerg can not attain? they have the essence but they are stuck in a tangible circle of evolution where there is no way further up the ladder until nature creates something higher for them to absorb into the swarm.

i think the overmind saw the protoss for what they truly represent. but now that kerrigan is in control that idea in her bias view is unthinkable and rejected and projected onto her swarm queens who now also dislike the idea as well.

for a visual coolness i would say not to look at the zealot in the editor and draw your conclusion but to look at the glow of the perseveres as maybe what the protoss really are.

what is of further interest of this form is the dark archon. is the dark archon further expansion upon of this form using the void energies or is it what you get when form meets essence? what if the dark archon wasn't starving for energy and was filled? what would it become then?

[Turalyon]

I'm doubtful that the Xel'Naga intended Protoss "purity of form" to be their potential to be Archons or to be beings of pure energy because it if that was the case, why didn't they just make the Protoss all energy beings in the first place? Following on from this, in their normal, current state can Protoss be truly said to have "Purity of Form"? Shouldn't they be instead called "Potential Purity of Form"?

Besides, something that has "form" (let alone purity of it) implies a physical structure with shape and configuration - a limitation of some sorts. Energy beings in sci-fi are generally thought to be free of such constraints and are more often than not described as being formless. Given this mutual exclusivity, how can energy beings be the purest expression of form?

[mythology]

I'm doubtful that the Xel'Naga intended Protoss "purity of form" to be their potential to be Archons or to be beings of pure energy because it if that was the case, why didn't they just make the Protoss all energy beings in the first place? Following on from this, in their normal, current state can Protoss be truly said to have "Purity of Form"? Shouldn't they be instead called "Potential Purity of Form"?

well according to the story the protoss already had "a purity of form" before the xel'naga touched them. after the xel'naga changes maybe their intent was not to turn the protoss into archons specifically but to blossom what they already had even further. that when the protoss creates a archon they merely bring out what is on the inside.

Besides, something that has "form" (let alone purity of it) implies a physical structure with shape and configuration - a limitation of some sorts. Energy beings in sci-fi are generally thought to be free of such constraints and are more often than not described as being formless. Given this mutual exclusivity, how can energy beings be the purest expression of form?

does not energy have form? a form of energy? just add psi to the categories and that the protoss have it.

maybe the protoss lost that purity when they started to diverge. maybe that explains why tassadar become so powerful because he re purified himself.

[Visions of Khas]

It would make sense if the Purity of Form of the protoss stemmed from the psychic aspect.

The Xel'Naga were overawed by their physical prowess, but it's stated several times that their communal link and psychic aptitude that really made the Protoss.

Attempting to completely sever themselves from the rest of their race, the Tribes began to lose the connection to their primal psychic link. This breakdown in the inherent empathy of the Protoss for one another did the most to dissolve the last remnants of unity and brotherhood amongst them. The severing of the psychic link was also the greatest sign, to the Xel’Naga, that the Protoss had tragically lost the most fundamental element of their greatness

We know that psionics can be channeled to augment and strengthen a body. This is the origin of the Protoss' strengths. Their energy probably brings out the best of their limited physical selves; purifies it. This natural purification repels infestation.


So, to my understanding, the definition of Essence and Form, from the Xel'Naga standpoint as applied to their creations, is this:


Essence is experience, action, history crystallized into a physical, tangible form: DNA.
From the Overlord short story -- rest Purple Eye's soul -- we know even memories can be preserved over the course of millenia.


Form is how that DNA is expressed and used. Application of psionics and will can augment the physical form, or force it to transcend its traditional limitations.
Protoss are the best at what they do because they will it so. When those physical limitations are reached, they can be broken, or in the case of an Archon, literally transcended.



All this taken together, it would make sense that the key for the rebirth of the Xel'Naga rests with the Protoss. The Zerg can try all they want to assimilate the Protoss, but until a Protoss accepts and wills it, it can never happen. Both the Zerg and Protoss take physical limitations and push them to their utmost. Together, a Protoss can unleash untold potential from the Zerg essence, and vice versa. If essence is crystallized history, then purifying and transcending it would literally become a force of nature. Peace and acceptance is the only way the Xel'Naga rebirth can be completed naturally. In LotV, I see a Protoss and Zerg character bridging this divide to re-create a Xel'Naga.

[Drake Clawfang]

I just hope we see regular, dark and twilight archons in LotV. I mean, for fuck's sake, they introduce this awesome concept of the twilight archon in the beta, then just throw it into the trash? No way. I'm calling it now - twilight archons will be the ultimate expression of 'purity of form'.

Agreed. Though given the patterns so far it's more likely we'll have to choose between normal and Twilight Archons exclusively.

Essence is experience, action, history crystallized into a physical, tangible form: DNA.
From the Overlord short story -- rest Purple Eye's soul -- we know even memories can be preserved over the course of millenia.


Form is how that DNA is expressed and used. Application of psionics and will can augment the physical form, or force it to transcend its traditional limitations.
Protoss are the best at what they do because they will it so. When those physical limitations are reached, they can be broken, or in the case of an Archon, literally transcended.

That's a good way to think of it.

I thought perhaps, though not exactly apt, Protoss "purity of form" meant their physical form. They evolved naturally over the years into powerful warriors, tall, muscular, intelligent. The Zerg on the other hand are always evolving, and Abathur or someone even says achieving perfection is impossible but they always have to try. So in a way, you could perhaps see Purity of Form as natural evolution into a honed, evolved lifeform, while Purity of Essence is forced evolution in pursuit of perfection.

[Turalyon]

does not energy have form? a form of energy?

Yes, but we're getting into semantics about terminology here (watch that we don't fall down that rabbit hole...). Suffice to say that "energy" is difficult to describe in a direct observable way no matter which "form" it takes, whilst the concept of "form" in Starcraft appears to be a more overt, direct and observable quantity.

Essence is experience, action, history crystallized into a physical, tangible form: DNA.
From the Overlord short story -- rest Purple Eye's soul -- we know even memories can be preserved over the course of millenia.

Form is how that DNA is expressed and used. Application of psionics and will can augment the physical form, or force it to transcend its traditional limitations.
Protoss are the best at what they do because they will it so. When those physical limitations are reached, they can be broken, or in the case of an Archon, literally transcended.

All this taken together, it would make sense that the key for the rebirth of the Xel'Naga rests with the Protoss. The Zerg can try all they want to assimilate the Protoss, but until a Protoss accepts and wills it, it can never happen. Both the Zerg and Protoss take physical limitations and push them to their utmost. Together, a Protoss can unleash untold potential from the Zerg essence, and vice versa. If essence is crystallized history, then purifying and transcending it would literally become a force of nature. Peace and acceptance is the only way the Xel'Naga rebirth can be completed naturally. In LotV, I see a Protoss and Zerg character bridging this divide to re-create a Xel'Naga.

I like this description given that the it implies that "form" and "essence" are somewhat interrelated and are not completely two different sets of things. Pity we had to theorycraft it into something that made sense (although I think this is rather too fanciful and convoluted for the uninitiated in the end) rather than it being simple and patent in itself.