StarCraft: Evolution

[KaiserStratosTygo]

That's your problem, Stratos. You keep criticizing the whole series. Granted I too have my doubts, but it could turn out well. It'll just be weird to see the Zerg acting differently.

And I will continue to do so.

The story needs to pull an aircraft carrier out of a hat before I start giving it an inch of leeway.

[Visions of Khas]

It could be good, it could be bad. I'll wait until I see excerpts for the writing quality, and the whole work before judging the story. Zagara could be studying the terrans and protoss; she needs to learn how they behave, after all.

That's my thought. I think she's using it as a way to learn more about the Terran and Zerg. The Queen of Blades originated from "human stock", after all, and she provided immense power to the Swarm.

It could be a flat-out trap by her or renegade zerg. We know there's still feral zerg throughout the sector, and rogue brood-mothers and primal packs are hardly out of the question even if Zagara is being genuinely peaceful.

I don't think she's being peaceful. Under Kerrigan's leadership, Zagara was taught ruthlessness, deceit, along with self-improvement and "vision" (I'm guessing this just means long-term planning and lateral thinking). I think Zagara is trying her hand at being the true successor to the Queen of Blades we all knew and loved back in Brood War, and that maybe the other Swarm Queens haven't been let on to her true plan, hence their opposition. And knowing Zahn's penchant for political intrigue and twists, I see him pulling this off well.

[Turalyon]

I don't think she's being peaceful. Under Kerrigan's leadership, Zagara was taught ruthlessness, deceit, along with self-improvement and "vision" (I'm guessing this just means long-term planning and lateral thinking). I think Zagara is trying her hand at being the true successor to the Queen of Blades we all knew and loved back in Brood War, and that maybe the other Swarm Queens haven't been let on to her true plan, hence their opposition. And knowing Zahn's penchant for political intrigue and twists, I see him pulling this off well.

Political intrigue and Zerg aren't exactly a natural combination though. We already know that the Zerg are all about themselves and are already having doubts about Zagara being sincere, so it makes the whole notion of them being peaceful at all quite gimmicky.

Also, BW gets flak for the characters being dumb in how they respond to Kerrigan but at least there is at least a legitimate case of defense in that those characters had to trust the devil they know or risk potentially worse consequences in the UED. I'm not sure if this is the same thing for Valerian here though since he has more to gain if decides not to help (the murderous Zerg are weakening and he maintains good terms with the Protoss with all the benefits that brings) than the potential risks of helping (it could be a trap, it strengthens the Zerg for future possible actions against the Terrans and political fallout from within and without since I'm sure both Terrans and Protoss in general would not want to assist the Zerg). It think it'd be more palatable if it were made out as if Valerian was taking action to investigate things rather than buying into what Zagara is saying/ actually helping the Zerg.

[ragnarok]

I don't think she's being peaceful. Under Kerrigan's leadership, Zagara was taught ruthlessness, deceit, along with self-improvement and "vision" (I'm guessing this just means long-term planning and lateral thinking). I think Zagara is trying her hand at being the true successor to the Queen of Blades we all knew and loved back in Brood War, and that maybe the other Swarm Queens haven't been let on to her true plan, hence their opposition. And knowing Zahn's penchant for political intrigue and twists, I see him pulling this off well.

VoK, we know that under Kerrigan's command. But LotV gave us a completely new revelation to the Zerg, since their entire purpose had been merely to breed the master race by Amon. Now that he's gone, they can choose for themselves what to do. If they want to keep going with what they're going, that's fine too.

[Gradius]

I don't think zerg as savvy politicians is much better than the idea of peaceful zerg. It's not very in line with their theme of forced evolution through constant trials and selection pressures. Sure, maybe Kerrigan did some political maneuvering, but she's an infested human. I mean come on, the team suspects "that not all of the zerg are truly dedicated to Zagara’s dream of harmonious paradise"?" I didn't know they were a democracy. Expecting the author to salvage such an awful sounding concept is like asking a voice actor to salvage a poorly written character.

[ragnarok]

I don't think zerg as savvy politicians is much better than the idea of peaceful zerg. It's not very in line with their theme of forced evolution through constant trials and selection pressures. Sure, maybe Kerrigan did some political maneuvering, but she's an infested human. I mean come on, the team suspects "that not all of the zerg are truly dedicated to Zagara’s dream of harmonious paradise"?" I didn't know they were a democracy. Expecting the author to salvage such an awful sounding concept is like asking a voice actor to salvage a poorly written character.

I don't expect them to be politicians, unless the swarm has been weakened to the point to take desperate measures. Only THEN would they do such a thing. This was already seen in BW when Kerrigan came to Shakuras to tell Artanis and Zeratul about the 2nd Overmind.

It's not about a dream of harmonious paradise, unless Zagara's version is they will all be under Zerg rule, THAT is something everyone can see coming...

[Visions of Khas]

Also remember that the Zerg don't see their iwn actions as malevolent. At Korhal, Zagara even claimed to want to help humanity by either assimilating them or killing them. This, to her, was liberation from mental isolation. Karax touched on this perception lightly, claiming that being severed from the communal as being like flailing wildly in the depths of space. That's some existentialist shit right there.

So Zagara's idea if paradise might be a little more interesting than this outline suggests.

[Turalyon]

Also remember that the Zerg don't see their iwn actions as malevolent.

Oh, so that part of the blurb where it talks about Zerg peace is supposed to be taken to come from the Zerg "version of peace" and not at face value. Huh, should've been more clear then.

[ragnarok]

Also remember that the Zerg don't see their iwn actions as malevolent. At Korhal, Zagara even claimed to want to help humanity by either assimilating them or killing them. This, to her, was liberation from mental isolation. Karax touched on this perception lightly, claiming that being severed from the communal as being like flailing wildly in the depths of space. That's some existentialist shit right there.

So Zagara's idea if paradise might be a little more interesting than this outline suggests.

That's nothing different from Amon's view in LotV, since he's mentality was to kill them off to release them from the suffering.

[Nissa]

Given that the only SC novels I've read that didn't completely suck were Speed of Darkness and SCG Nova (it at least had a good plot), I have doubts as to how well anybody at all can pull off a good SC novel. Actually, the thing those two novels have in common is that they have minimal affect on SC lore. So basically, the best SC novels are those that are just side stories that are more about telling a story than re-explaining (and thus ruining) what SC/BW and the manual already said. This is a lore novel. Thus, it will suck.

Eh, I'll grant you, Khas, that maybe Zahn is a decent writer. However, all of the SC novels seem to have been written on a deadline and lack the kind of editing that would have rendered a product comparable to things published by a book company, rather than a gaming one. That, and lots of respectable sci fi authors have written franchise work. Heck, that's all Keith DeCandido seems to write.

....Huh, I'm kinda tempted to read some of the Zahn novels at my work and make estimates based his previous stuff.