StarCraft Universe Lore Discussion - FAQ & Posting Guidelines

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StarCraft Universe Lore Discussion - FAQ & Posting Guidelines

Welcome to the StarCraft Universe Lore Discussion Forum FAQ and Guidelines! Here we try to answer all of the commonly asked questions of the StarCraft Universe Lore Discussion Forums. Please read through them if you are new to the forums. That will save us all a lot of time and unnecessary efforts. If you think of something that should be in here or something that should be changed, please contact one of the SC moderators through PM.

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Forum Posting Guidelines

See the forum FAQ for SC:L's general forum posting guidelines.

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StarCraft Reference:

See the StarCraft wiki before posting any lore questions or topics. The wiki contains an exhaustive knowledge-base of StarCraft universe lore.

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StarCraft Books:

As of now, there are several StarCraft books written by Blizzard, as well as independent authors. Any books written by independent authors should not be considered canonical.

The books published after 2006 are most closely related to StarCraft II canon.

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StarCraft II's Misconceptions:

• Duran is a Xel'Naga or is working for the Xel'Naga.
  This has been all but confirmed to be false in the novel Dark Templar Saga: Twilight. Duran is attempting to end the cycle, to the peril of the Xel'Naga. See Xel'Naga Storyline Projection 2: Twilight for more info.
• Infested Protoss = Hybrids
  At this point in time, it remains impossible for the Zerg to infest Protoss. This doesn't mean, however, that the Protoss cannot be under the control of Zerg influence. There are cases of Protoss being driven mad after coming into contact with Zerg Creep. And in the case of the Dark Templar Matriarch, Raszagal; her mind was under the control of Kerrigan, but she was not infested.
• Infestation = Assimilation
  Nope. A creature being infested by the Zerg does not guarantee their assimilation into the Zerg Swarm, although it does mark the possibility that that species could be assimilated soon. The original Overmind had the goal of assimilating the Terrans because of their growing psionic potential. Although Terrans are very easily infested, they clearly haven't been assimilated yet. When a species is assimilated, one or more of the following three things happen.
  
  • 1. The entire Zerg Swarm gains an evolutionary advantage (Example: carapaces allowing them to survive in the vacuum of space).
  • 2. A new Zerg strain is created.
  • 3. An existing strain is improved upon (Example: the addition of lurkers to the Hydralisk strain).
  
  
• Xel'Naga = Hybrids
  No. Through the information provided to us through several of the StarCraft books, including the Dark Templar trilogy, we find out that Xel'Naga are a race of ancient creatures formed through the natural fusion of two separate races, one having the purity of Form, and the other having the Purity of Essence. As the Xel'Naga race grows weak over millions of years, they undertake an experiment to create the next two races having the Purity of Form and the Purity of Essence, so that in time, the species will merge and become the next Xel'Naga. When the Zerg destroyed the majority of the Xel'Naga, they disrupted The Cycle, because the Xel'Naga were no longer present to oversee their experiment to its completion. Another unknown group/faction/race is present in the StarCraft universe, presumably those leading the efforts of Duran and Ulrezaj, that are creating Hybrids of Zerg and Protoss. These Hybrids are not the same as the Xel'Naga of the past or assumed future. All Xel'Naga races are created through a natural fusion over thousands of years (or more). The Hybrids are forced fusions due to genetic experimentation.