My Review of the Original Starcraft Campaign (no Brood War yet)

[TSCR]

Um Hawki, shouldn't you create your own thread instead of hijacking someone elses?



Not quite. If we are looking purely at the name and nothing else, the name "Sons of Korhal" is pretty prosaic. The real power of the name is in the fictional symbolic weight of what Korhal represents not what Korhal specifically was. Yes, Korhal is a single place but it was also the first to rebel against the oppressive actions of the Confederacy and from which they unjustly paid the ultimate price being nuked into oblivion. The name "Korhal" is a symbol to evoke the unjustified and disproportionate retribution bringing an end to what was once an idyllic and upstanding representation of what it means to be a 'good' Terran nation. Being a "Son of Korhal" then is to be the successor of what Korhal use to represent and to continue to fight the good fight against oppression - a group for all oppressed can look to for representation and defence of their ideals.

On the other hand, one would definitely have a case for the etymology of a name like "Raynor's Raiders". Not only are they raiding (and all the negative connotations that brings) but they're doing it all for someone called Raynor. And this is supposed to represent the good guys - the ones who have a (supposed?) genuine cause for justice! There's either some interesting irony going on there or that Raynor is crap at PR.

Yeah I found Raynor's team's name to be ironic. It has been a while since I've taken a look at my Starcraft novels but I don't know, I never really got the impression that Korhal's actions were 'good'. They were being opressed and they rebelled but they never really did anything 'Raynor-eque' to make me believe they would be better than the Dominion. I mean Mengsk's father didn't even seem approving of his son's initial career goal.

That's one of he reasons I believe Mengsk became a corrupt ruler. His father, whose death encouraged him to continue the rebellion, was no different.

[Turalyon]

It has been a while since I've taken a look at my Starcraft novels but I don't know, I never really got the impression that Korhal's actions were 'good'. They were being opressed and they rebelled but they never really did anything 'Raynor-eque' to make me believe they would be better than the Dominion.

You don't need to read or know about the EU (my knowledge of the universe comes purely from the manual and the games) to understand the symbolism of what the name Korhal represents after being nuked. Anything or anyone who has ever been victim to unjust and disproportionate retribution will always be marked with tragedy and seen in a more sympathetic light even if they were not that perfect to begin with. Sure, Korhal was not "good" in the stereotypical sense, but the planet was a shining example of what the Confeds use to think as a model world. Just because is started rebelling does not make it ever morally justifiable to nuke the entire planets population into nothing. The name "Korhal" is therefore to evoke sympathy, tragedy and the unjust punishment that the Confeds wrought.

That's one of he reasons I believe Mengsk became a corrupt ruler. His father, whose death encouraged him to continue the rebellion, was no different.

My take on Mengsk becoming "corrupt" is simply that he became what he had fought for so long. You know how the saying goes, "he who fights monsters..."

Also, his "corruption" (if you want to see it that way - I like a more fluid and ambiguous interpretation) stems initially from vengeance, so there's probably a vague and hidden morality tale on the perils of vengeance, too.

HotS attempts to do this but the message is kinda muddled - sure, she loses her physical resemblance to humanity by being infested (but in a "good" way - if one can ever classify it as such) again to pursue vengeance but she still is human and the same person at heart so she is not really "corrupted" at all by her vengeance. An alternative view is that vengeance has already corrupted her and that reinfestation is just making her outward appearance resemble her inner "corruption". Either way, this is all beside the point since the game seems pretty clear that her vengeance should be deemed as justified because Mengsk is made out to be, without a doubt, evil.

Contrary to what Blizz says about Mengsk's character (that he had run his course in terms of story), I think he had a tonne of mileage as a character had they kept him more 'gray'.

[Hawki]

My take on Mengsk becoming "corrupt" is simply that he became what he had fought for so long. You know how the saying goes, "he who fights monsters..."

lso, his "corruption" (if you want to see it that way - I like a more fluid and ambiguous interpretation) stems initially from vengeance, so there's probably a vague and hidden morality tale on the perils of vengeance, too.

I'd attribute it more to vengeance. Angus Mengsk fought on principle. Arcturus only took over after learning of his family's death. Prior to that he was happy to do his own thing. His first strikes against the Confeds were based on getting revenge on the trio of Ghosts who murdered his family in addition to striking at military targets. Once vengeance is done, with Kerrigan's death and the end of the Confederacy, all that's left is power.

HotS attempts to do this but the message is kinda muddled - sure, she loses her physical resemblance to humanity by being infested (but in a "good" way - if one can ever classify it as such) again to pursue vengeance but she still is human and the same person at heart so she is not really "corrupted" at all by her vengeance. An alternative view is that vengeance has already corrupted her and that reinfestation is just making her outward appearance resemble her inner "corruption". Either way, this is all beside the point since the game seems pretty clear that her vengeance should be deemed as justified because Mengsk is made out to be, without a doubt, evil.

Oh dear, we're entering HotS, this is gonna get messy.

Concerning Kerrigan in the game, I'm kind of mixed, and I think it stems between the duel portrayal she seems to have. In the story mode space (the point and click sections), she seems interested in vengenace only, offerring flimsy justification to Lassara for her actions, or offerring no justification at all. In cinematics though I found her far more deep, the idea that Raynor was the one keeping her humanity in a sense (taking the dropship), mention of Raynor is what causes her to kill Warfield but also spare his men, post-Raynor she's giving Valerian the heads up that Korhal will be attacked but she wants to minimize innocent life losses, etc. Maybe it's a disservice to her character, that she's only fleshed out in the presence of another character (Raynor), but...meh. That's just me. I'll wait for the rebukes.

Contrary to what Blizz says about Mengsk's character (that he had run his course in terms of story), I think he had a tonne of mileage as a character had they kept him more 'gray'.

Maybe, but Mengsk stopped being "grey" to me at the end of Rebel Yell. He doesn't have to lose that greyness then, but as he offers no justification for his actions on Tarsonis, or even explaining why he never even tried to rescue Kerrigan, it's clear by then he's in it for himself, that he answers to no-one, and that he'll brook no dissent. He doesn't start acting like a tyrant until WoL admittedly in regards to his subjects (as far as games go at least), but IMO, the slide towards despot in terms of characterization began long before WoL itself.

[Turalyon]

Oh dear, we're entering HotS, this is gonna get messy.

Heck, if we're talking SC2 in general it's always guaranteed to get messy.

Maybe it's a disservice to her character, that she's only fleshed out in the presence of another character (Raynor), but...meh. That's just me. I'll wait for the rebukes.

You'll get no rebukes from me in this regard because you've pretty much got it right. Kerrigan's characterisation is based solely around another character which makes the whole thing quite vapid and that's not even going into the whole "sexist thing" about how everything she does or doesn't do is because she thinks she lost the love of a man. Yep, I think I'll be getting the rebukes now just by saying what I just did alone.

Maybe, but Mengsk stopped being "grey" to me at the end of Rebel Yell. He doesn't have to lose that greyness then, but as he offers no justification for his actions on Tarsonis, or even explaining why he never even tried to rescue Kerrigan, it's clear by then he's in it for himself, that he answers to no-one, and that he'll brook no dissent. He doesn't start acting like a tyrant until WoL admittedly in regards to his subjects (as far as games go at least), but IMO, the slide towards despot in terms of characterization began long before WoL itself.

Offering no justification for his actions on Tarsonis and not explaining why he never attempts to rescue does not = strict evidence of him being nothing but evil to the core, just easier to make a moral judgement. The opportunity for vast improvements in the lot the Terrans and increased survivability against aliens that could've curb-stopped them into oblivion at anytime is justification enough for the violent removal of an ineffective and equally oppressive governmental power structure that could not be removed by any other means. That Mengsk actually achieves both of these in spades, even despite his extreme egotism, should not be overlooked. Those gaps of no justification/explanation you mentioned could've easily been used to make Mengsk an Anti-Villain and a far more interesting character to boot than what we got in Sc2.

[TSCR]

Just for anyone who's interested my review for the first campaign of Brood War is now available:

http://videogamestoryplotnarrativean...brood-war.html

[TSCR]

In case you're interested:

StarCraft Brood War Episode V - The Iron Fist is available

[TSCR]

Final campaign review is out:

http://videogamestoryplotnarrativean...ogspot.com.au/

[benjamindean]

Thanks for the links of your reviews. Gonna check this later!