StarCraft Retrospective

[Undeadprotoss]

So I came across this fantastic hour long video which analyzes the story, development, gameplay, etc of SC1 and SC2. I'm personally not a fan of how he characterizes the Protoss ("The one-dimensonally noble Tassadar" grrr), but I have to commend him for making what he says is a 24 page, 12 font, single-spaced script, which is more or less engaging from beginning to end. I'd highly recommend watching this, and as time goes on, I might post cool articles in this thread.

EDIT: I'd also add that I think he's being far too generous to elements of SC2, in general his best content in the video is on the cinematic aspects of the StarCraft franchise. He called SC1 Kerrigan one dimensionally evil but seems to admire HOTS Kerrigan. There's a lot of stuff like that, but it's very much worth watching and is a great video overall.

[Nissa]

Just reading what you're saying hurts me. Analysis is fun, but it's clear even from your brief description that he's coming on from the wrong angle.

I can see why he thinks Tassadar is flat, but honestly, what I love about Tass is that he's a play on the really common 80s/90s rebel trope, wherein the story goes way out of its way to make the relatively low-powered rebel more morally right and pragmatically successful than the authorities. Y'know, people like John McClane from Die Hard, Ferris Beuller, and Kirk and Co. in Star Trek 3. Tass is much in this same vein, but he's also deeply flawed, as he's so emotional he ruins his chances to be convincing (snapping at Aldaris when trying to get Aldy to do what he wants) and puts his own followers in danger by needlessly provoking a human force when a diplomatic route could have saved him trouble (snapping at Duke when he's the one at fault). Tassadar's youth and defiance enable him to be a hero, but also enable him to be hugely defiant in unnecessary ways.

[TheEconomist]

Tassadar was the definition of one-dimensional, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Three-dimensional dumb shits are overrated these days.

[Turalyon]

He called SC1 Kerrigan one dimensionally evil but seems to admire HOTS Kerrigan.

From the premise that Sc2 puts forth, Sc1/BW Kerrigan was supposedly under the influence of Amon to some unspecified degree, so it's reasonable for him to judge her as being dimensionally evil then. It also probably informs why he likes HotS Kerrigan. Because she's apparently free-for-reals-this-time and has individual agency in HotS, it supposedly helps highlight and separates her endeavours against the general goals of the Zerg collective mindset to just consume and destroy.

[TheEconomist]

So, I guess, using that logic, Cercei is more one-dimensional than Ursula (from The Little Mermaid) because in some non-headcanon spinoffs she changed character?


(ugggh, I actually had to research a female Disney villain that changed sides... ugh..)

[KaiserStratosTygo]

Obviously HotS Kerrigan is a better character.

unlike BW Kerrigan she murders people and protoss for her own personal reasons and....

...

SHE CRIES AT SOME POINT, THAT'S DEVELOPMENT RIGHT!?

Dude must love the transformers films if he thinks anything in HotS was good writing.

[sandwich_bird]

So, I guess, using that logic, Cercei is more one-dimensional than Ursula (from The Little Mermaid) because in some non-headcanon spinoffs she changed character?


(ugggh, I actually had to research a female Disney villain that changed sides... ugh..)

Ursula changed side in a spin-off? Thought she was dead after being stabbed in the boob by a boat

[TheEconomist]

She became less 'evil .. somehow .. Or at least a top ten Disney villain flip flops in straight-to-video releases told me ...

If it doesn't work, replace her with any other villain with a change of heart. I'm no Disney scholar.


EDIT: I did some research .. *sigh* ... Apparently, she has an alter ego named Vanessa who isn't that bad ... or something ... Apparently, all Ursula wanted was to be young and pretty ... So maybe the comparison to Kerrigan works better than I thought, haha

[Turalyon]

So, I guess, using that logic, Cercei is more one-dimensional than Ursula (from The Little Mermaid) because in some non-headcanon spinoffs she changed character?

Not really. Cercei isn't and wasn't (as far as we know) under the influence of some ancient god for one thing.

[GnaReffotsirk]

Off topic, just to spice things up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHbZLjDXoOs

In before CERN.