Theory: Xel'Naga and the Hybrids

[Visions of Khas]

I was browsing Reddit earlier today and came across this thread. I wanted to post it here and see what you guys think. His theory about Kerrigan merging with a Protoss character mirrors my own. Worth a quick read.





"So, before Heart of the Swarm comes out, let's do some theory-storming.

My theory is that the Xel'naga are not a distinct species as the Zerg, the Terran, and the Protoss are. Xel'naga is actually a level of sentience (and power) that is achievable in many different species. Once this level of sentience is reached then a new Xel'naga is achieved.

We already know that the Xel'naga is formed through purity of essence and purity of form, yet they are destroyed in a cyclical fashion and require a rebirth over time. If the next Xel'naga is supposed to be formed from Zerg and Protoss then it is safe to say that the Xel'naga achieve a different genetic structure (and appearance) every time they re-emerge. The conclusion is that they don't have a specific appearance, but that all races become "Xel'naga" once they've achieved that pinnacle of power and knowledge. It would make no sense in my mind that the Xel'naga can re-incarnate every few millenia and maintain the exact same physical structure and genetic makeup.

An interesting point is that, whatever the races that make up the Xel'naga (this all-knowing dominator of the universe) always eventually fall. Is this a statement about technology and progress being a dead-end and inevitably leading to downfall? Still a mystery.

However, no matter what, the Xel'naga recognize the gift of sentience and the gift of life, so they always pass on their legacy to new races during their decline.

All of this fits with why the hybrids are evil, and not the Xel'naga. They merge the Protoss and Zerg genetically, but the creations are mindless and all-consuming. It basically adds Protoss psionic power to the structure of the swarm. What they Xel'naga want is the vitality and strength of the Zerg merged with the wisdom and enlightened thinking of the Protoss.

The way the Xel'naga are set up shows that they are fallible (they made a mistake with the Zerg, who betray the Xel'naga, perhaps before the Xel'naga were ready with all their plans). They also become disillusioned with the Protoss early on as well.

Here's where the Terran come in. If the Xel'naga can be made of any combination of races that achieve a certain level of power and sentience, then what prevents the Terrans from achieving "Xel'naga" as well? Their psionic powers are rising (the ghosts), their understanding of the universe is expanding, and now they are able to merge with the Zerg as shown with Kerrigan. If Kerrigan also merges with Protoss, wouldn't she achieve the level of the Xel'naga? She wouldn't be a bastardization such as the hybrid experiments, but a true higher intelligence and greater sentience that contains the best of all three races. Thus, she would become the new Xel'naga!

For legacy of the void Protoss realize that she has become Xel'naga and they have to fight the inner turmoil realizing what the Xel'naga truly were (not a distinct race, but a state of being) and fighting their own past of blindly worshiping the Xel'naga. Ultimately Zeratul, or Artanis, or somebody will merge with Terran and Zerg, rise to the level of Xel'naga, defeat Kerrigan, and conclude the story.

This is my fantheory; hope it comes true."

[Turalyon]

It's a nice theory and a good attempt to make the current conception of Xel'Naga a bit more meaty (that the designation of "Xel'Naga" is not meant to be represent a physical embodiment but more of a state of being-like thing), not that I really like this overall direction of the Xel'Naga in general largely because of all this overemphasis on the gimmick of having "powerful ancient progenitors" with their secret and lofty "it's beyond mortal comprehension" type plans coming to haunt the present that most Sci-fi tends to gravitate towards to these days.

It's going to be a lot to convey in LotV since there's currently not much new stuff about the Xel'Naga we know about so far in the games and the subject seems a bit too rarefied for what SC2 seems to be angling for. Given that the two installments have been roughly about the personal focus/motivations of the main character to the possible detriment of the "greater scope of things", I'd imagine such revelation about the Xel'Naga would only be revealed toward the end and be largely secondary in impact and relevance to the personal focus/motivation of what drives Zeratul throughout LotV.

That said, if they were going down this path, the idea of the Protoss rejecting this "state of Xel-Naga" has merit given that the Xel'Naga were not meant to be seen as perfect/ were always fallible (which, I might add, was already something set in stone prior to the re-imagining of their reasons for creating the Zerg and Protoss mind you) with the realisation that they were really not much better/different than what they are now - both became powerful and entitled to think their meddling would be "for good" but has brought nothing but trouble and misery - only that the Xel'Naga's scope and consequences of their actions were more far-reaching.

Not sure about the "Zeratul/Artanis becoming Xel'Naga to defeat the Kerrigan Xel'Naga" though since that would defeat the purpose of the above message about being "Xel'Naga is actually a bad thing" (with Amon being the poster boy of this I suppose) and diminish any value of being a Protoss (or Zerg or Terran for that matter)/what they currently are. Besides, killing Xel'Naga shouldn't require another Xel'Naga, since the Zerg were able to do it upon starting out from Zerus and that was before they had their numbers and all the stuff they have now.

[Visions of Khas]

Not sure about the "Zeratul/Artanis becoming Xel'Naga to defeat the Kerrigan Xel'Naga" though since that would defeat the purpose of the above message about being "Xel'Naga is actually a bad thing" (with Amon being the poster boy of this I suppose) and diminish any value of being a Protoss (or Zerg or Terran for that matter)/what they currently are. Besides, killing Xel'Naga shouldn't require another Xel'Naga, since the Zerg were able to do it upon starting out from Zerus and that was before they had their numbers and all the stuff they have now.

I anticipate Kerrigan fusing with either Artanis or Zeratul in order to herald the first of a new generation of Xel'Naga and to defeat Amon. (I even have a few sketches of what it might look like. I need to scan those and display them in the SC Art thread. :P ) This would probably lead to a giant leap in the Xel'Naga lifecycle, as a third race is integrated into the mix (humanity), acting as a counterbalance to the corruption present in the other two races.

Hopefully LotV will shed light on what exactly happened on Zerus. The original Xel'Naga were probably at the nadir of their existence. This, coupled with Amon's betrayal, probably led to their downfall, and proves pivitol to Amon's grand scheme.

[Gradius]

Definitely like the first part, namely that Xel'Naga is not necessarily one species, but a "state" that they can reach.

I've never liked the idea of Kerrigan merging with a protoss. Because:
1) Lose one of their favorite characters? Blizzard won't do it. I fully expect Raynor and Kerrigan to persevere in LoTV so that Blizzard can use them in SC3.
2) Why would Kerrigan merge with anyone? She's already a human/zerg hybrid and merging with yet another species seems redundant/impossible.

If Kerrigan also merges with Protoss, wouldn't she achieve the level of the Xel'naga? She wouldn't be a bastardization such as the hybrid experiments, but a true higher intelligence and greater sentience that contains the best of all three races.

This would actually be bad, as Kerrigan is one of the most morally bankrupt characters in StarCraft, as I have previously elaborated on: http://sclegacy.com/forums/showthrea...rally-Bankrupt

[Shadow Archon]

This would actually be bad, as Kerrigan is one of the most morally bankrupt characters in StarCraft, as I have previously elaborated on: http://sclegacy.com/forums/showthrea...rally-Bankrupt

Eh...I still disagree with that, but I don't want to get into another argument about that, especially on Christmas. Pretty much I agree Kerrigan is evil, the Queen of Blades is still with her and reemerged in HotS, only it's toned back due to Kerrigan no longer being smothered in the subconscious and I feel that being sympathetic towards her isn't the point, but moral bankruptcy isn't a place she has hit yet IMHO. Kerrigan was worse in Brood War, and even then she wasn't morally bankrupt in my book given her relation to Jim and how she didn't finish the job. The only characters I can apply that definition to are sociopaths. (The Murder/Rapist protagonist in Clockwork Orange, the head of SEELE Mr. Keel, Darkseid, Aku, Giygas post Devil Machine, Griffith/Femto, etc.)

Besides that, Kerrigan I doubt would become a Xel'naga, the current state of the Protoss race just doesn't allow for it. The Khala and the Void completely block out Zerg infestation, even on the biological scale not to mention psionic. You can only infest a Protoss if you can subvert the Khala, and I doubt you can even subvert a DT's access to the Void.

The only Protoss to ever merge with a Zerg that could possibly lead to a Xel'naga is Tassadar's "spirit" or essence within the Overmind's corpse. If anything becomes the next true Xel'naga, I'd expect Tassadar to from his merging with the Overmind's corpse.

I also expect Amon to resurrect from it myself given the Overmind OM NOM NOMed the surviving XN on Zerus and we know Amon has been dead for a few millennia, but only time will tell.

[Gradius]

1) Again, my definition of morally bankrupt is not the same as yours. Stalin loved his wife and his daughter. I still think he is morally bankrupt. Kerrigan did some good things in HoTS after being cornered into it, but I still think she's morally bankrupt.
2) I said Kerrigan is one of the most morally bankrupt characters in SC. That means she is lacking morals, not totally deprived of them. She is amongst the bottom of the barrel when it comes to ethics in the SC universe, in my opinion (obviously).
3) I agree that Kerrigan is worse in BW. That has nothing to do with my point. You've glossed over the central premise of my post, that HoTS Kerrigan would actually make for a very crappy "enlightened" and "en-wizened" resurrection of the Xel'Naga.

Here's where the Terran come in. If the Xel'naga can be made of any combination of races that achieve a certain level of power and sentience, then what prevents the Terrans from achieving "Xel'naga" as well?

Well for one, I don't think they have purity of form or essence. Granted, we don't know what those things actually are anymore with Blizzard's retcons, so yeah, I guess "anything is possible". And that's a very bad thing for the story.

[TheEconomist]

Kerrigan was worse in Brood War, and even then she wasn't morally bankrupt in my book given her relation to Jim and how she didn't finish the job

This isn't April Fool's. This is Christmas. This was changed this millenia ago.

Good joke though.

Stalin loved his wife and his daughter. I still think he is morally bankrupt.

*puts on monocle and equips uptight British accent*

Yes, yes, quite right. What an astounding discovery. You simply MUST put this wisdom into a thesis!

I said Kerrigan is one of the most morally bankrupt characters in SC.

Simply commanding the Zerg, to me, is enough to make her the most morally bankrupt person in SC, regardless of any other intentions, acts, or circumstances. I could go into detail but why the hell should I? If Hitler is evil because he commanded the Nazis, then Kerrigan is evil because she commands the Zerg. And, no, her actions didn't change much post-infestation. What little good people perceive her as doing is simply the product of the story being told through her perspective. Getting something from only one person's perspective will always make it feel less evil even if simply for the justifications. There's a reason that, for the most part, evil people never see themselves as evil. It's not just because they're deuded, they have their reasons. Somehow, someway we're supposed to see Arcturus as evil because he's the villain though, but only a fool would actually see it that way. Makes me wonder if that person would be that gullible getting mainstream perspectives in the news. I hope that person refrains from voting.

Deinfestation was just another hamfisted Blizzard attempt to introduce moral choices and "character development" into the story. You'd be forgiven for not noticing though. I barely did either.

But, alas, this is not the topic for that. Gradiusberg has already argued to the point. I just don't see how people disagree ...

[Gradius]

All I'm saying is that making Kerrigan the next generation of "enlightened" Xel'Naga is like making Hitler a Pope. :P

Simply commanding the Zerg, to me, is enough to make her the most morally bankrupt person in SC, regardless of any other intentions, acts, or circumstances. I could go into detail but why the hell should I? If Hitler is evil because he commanded the Nazis, then Kerrigan is evil because she commands the Zerg. And, no, her actions didn't change much post-infestation. What little good people perceive her as doing is simply the product of the story being told through her perspective. Getting something from only one person's perspective will always make it feel less evil even if simply for the justifications. There's a reason that, for the most part, evil people never see themselves as evil. It's not just because they're deuded, they have their reasons. Somehow, someway we're supposed to see Arcturus as evil because he's the villain though, but only a fool would actually see it that way. Makes me wonder if that person would be that gullible getting mainstream perspectives in the news. I hope that person refrains from voting.

This is a good point actually. Now that I think about it, she spared people in Brood War too back when everyone agreed she was a monster. She let Zeratul and Mengsk live, and she let the Protoss and the Dominion rebuild after Omega: "I think that I shall allow my allies a reprieve."

[TheEconomist]

We didn't hear her inside thoughts so they seemed less benevolent.

Breaking Bad is an awesome example of how someone can seem like a good person (and maybe even legitimately be one) and yet do so much evil. Evil people aren't just evil by default and do evil things for the sake of evil. They have reasons. Half the time, I had to remind myself that Walter White was actually a monster, all the things he did were monstrous, but we see so much from his perspective it never seems that way. Evil, very evil, of course, but not monstrous in that he has no remorse or compassion of anykind. Yet, if we weren't given that perspective that's what we probably would have thought. His wife annoyed me to no end because everything she did seemed to be unthankful, whiney, or just overreacting (until the end) but then I had to remind myself that we're seeing it from Walter's perspective, not hers.

When we hear a person's justiffication, we sympathize or can at least agree on some levels, which makes them less evil. Hitler was definitely evil, but reading some of his writings, it wasn't that he was evil for the sake of evil or power, there were real problems that he really thought needed to be solved and he thought we was solving them, on some levels. The Jew thing though, was probably all hate though, I'd agree with that, even if he did think Jews were evil.

All I'm saying is that making Kerrigan the next generation of "enlightened" Xel'Naga is like making Hitler a Pope. :P

That's an understatement People seem to act like if an evil tyrannt does as few nice things, he's still basically a nice person, deep down inside. Weird.

[Shadow Archon]

1) Again, my definition of morally bankrupt is not the same as yours. Stalin loved his wife and his daughter. I still think he is morally bankrupt. Kerrigan did some good things in HoTS after being cornered into it, but I still think she's morally bankrupt.

Sure

2) I said Kerrigan is one of the most morally bankrupt characters in SC. That means she is lacking morals, not totally deprived of them. She is amongst the bottom of the barrel when it comes to ethics in the SC universe, in my opinion (obviously).

Okay.

3) I agree that Kerrigan is worse in BW. That has nothing to do with my point. You've glossed over the central premise of my post, that HoTS Kerrigan would actually make for a very crappy "enlightened" and "en-wizened" resurrection of the Xel'Naga.

No, no.

I agree with that, I just didn't really address it because I don't even see that path being possible for Kerrigan.