Duran Mystery SOLVED!

[Drake Clawfang]

I was in the bathroom trying to get a sticker off an old game cartridge, thinking about Dark Origin, and it hit me. My jaw dropped because I had an epiphany regarding Duran. I know who, or rather what, Duran works for.

The Voice in the Darkness from Frontline.

http://starcraft.wikia.com/wiki/Voic...s_%28entity%29

To begin, Dark Origin has Duran say "I've had many names throughout the millennia". The Voice in the Darkness refers to itself as just that, as well as "The Lord of the In-Between Places", the "Living Heart of the Void", and the "One True God". The Xel'naga, it refers to as "false gods". The Voice speaks through various hosts and psionically in Frontline, so rather than Duran speaking about himself in Dark Origin, it could be the Voice speaking through him.

In Dark Origin, Duran says he's a servant of "a far great power...that has slept for countless ages". The Voice was an ancient enemy of the Xel'naga that they imprisoned rather than kill.

In Dark Origin, Duran says the Hybird is "the completion of a cycle" whose role in the natural order was decided when the stars were young. The Voice hates the Xel'naga for disrupting the natural order with their experiments to reincarnate themselves. The Hybrid, as a corruption of the Xel'naga's experiments, will stop them from returning to life as they have before, effectively putting the natural order which they disrupted back in place. Also, it could be that the Hybrids will provide the Voice the durable type of hosts it needs until it can be fully freed.

And finally, during an interview with the story's author Josh Elder, he was asked about Dr. Morrigan, a terran scientist who served as the Voice's primary servant during the Frontline 4 story, and worked with a team of scientists and researchers on the crystal sealing the Voice in its prison. I quote the SC Wiki.

When Voice in the Darkness author Josh Elder was asked if Morrigan was the same "style" as Samir Duran (with the questioner suggesting Duran was a terran working with the xel'naga), Elder replied "kind of".

There's still unknown factors of course, but all in all I am certain this is the answer we've been seeking regarding Duran. Duran is an agent of the Voice in the Darkness, an ancient rival of the Xel'naga who hates them and their experiments and was bound by them millenia ago, but according to Frontline Vol 4, its binding is growing weak, which would fit in perfectly with the idea of the Hybrids awakening from their stasis. The pieces all fit perfectly.

[n00bonicPlague]

Interesting theory. Could be true.

[Gradius]

Couple problems with this:
1) Duran says "A power that has slept for countless ages. And is reflected in the creature within that cell."

For your theory and Duran's statement to both be true, the Voice in the Darkness would have to at least be a Xel'Naga creation, ignoring the other differences. But he evolved naturally out of the galaxy, and hates all "xel'naga spawn".

2) Why didn't Duran just unlock the voice himself before this story if he was working directly for him? It seems that all the Xel'Naga servants out there are working independently, and they don't really seem to be working for the voice.
3) The Voice never said he had "many names throughout the millenia" that I recall. It seems to me that the Voice just wanted to absorb religious followers, and is now mad at the Xel'Naga for imprisoning him for this. His motives seem to be alot simpler that most people think.

What I do agree with is that Duran could be a servant of another unrelated power that was locked away by the Xel'Naga, and would have a similar hatred, since Duran said he knows hatred very well in I, Mengsk. This power will probably be introduced to the player gradually throughout the game. The Voice in the Darkness is a one-off story in a manga though. But I have to refer everyone to mine & Kimera's article for my opinions on all this: http://sclegacy.com/editorials/6-spe...ion-2-twilight

[Drake Clawfang]

Couple problems with this:
1) Duran says "A power that has slept for countless ages. And is reflected in the creature within that cell."

For your theory and Duran's statement to both be true, the Voice in the Darkness would have to at least be a Xel'Naga creation, ignoring the other differences. But he evolved naturally out of the galaxy, and hates all "xel'naga spawn".

How do you figure that? The DT Saga explicitly states the Hybrid is a perversion of the Xel'naga's experiments, not the intended result. The Hybrid is the exact opposite of what the Xel'naga strived to create.

2) Why didn't Duran just unlock the voice himself before this story if he was working directly for him? It seems that all the Xel'Naga servants out there are working independently, and they don't really seem to be working for the voice.

Admittedly I don't have an explanation for that. Could be just that Duran was ordered to prepare for its eventual release rather than hasten it.

3) The Voice never said he had "many names throughout the millenia" that I recall.

He doesn't explicitly say "I have many names," but demonstrates he does.

The Voice in the Darkness is a one-off story in a manga though

And? How many characters have been introduced in the graphic novels and books that are now gonna be in SC2?

[Kknewkles]

Your research is far more insightful than mine, you gathered much more information and stuff BUT! What if Hybrids are the perfection which Xel-Naga have beem seeking, because it is the combination of "purity of form" and "purity of essence".
Then one can, like I did, assume that Duran ment Xel'Naga. But I like the Voice version more, the more characters from the lore - the better GIMME ULREZAJ NAU

Aaaand...

How do you figure that? The DT Saga explicitly states the Hybrid is a perversion of the Xel'naga's experiments, not the intended result. The Hybrid is the exact opposite of what the Xel'naga strived to create.

This ruins my version. XD

[Drake Clawfang]

Your research is far more insightful than mine, you gathered much more information and stuff BUT! What if Hybrids are the perfection which Xel-Naga have beem seeking, because it is the combination of "purity of form" and "purity of essence".

Once again, DT Saga. They state outright the Hybrids are not what the Xel'naga intended and are instead a perversion of their experiments.

EDIT - Ah.

[Gradius]

How do you figure that? The DT Saga explicitly states the Hybrid is a perversion of the Xel'naga's experiments, not the intended result. The Hybrid is the exact opposite of what the Xel'naga strived to create.

It doesn't matter. You still have to account for how the Voice is reflected within the Hybrid that Duran is making. Is the Voice a gene splice? Is the voice made by Xel'Naga? Can the Voice use Khala energies? It's a no to all. That means this theory doesn't fit.

Also, the Hybrid isn't really the "opposite" of what the Xel'Naga were trying to do. It's just a perversion (a gene splice instead of a natural merging).

Could be just that Duran was ordered to prepare for its eventual release rather than hasten it.

So why did the voice choose to stay imprisoned? Or was Duran getting orders from someone else who wanted the Voice to stay locked away? This is where this theory gets really convoluted and departures from parsimony.

He doesn't explicitly say "I have many names," but demonstrates he does.

How do you figure? I don't see why this is relevant anyway - it's Duran that had many names.

And? How many characters have been introduced in the graphic novels and books that are now gonna be in SC2?

I'm pretty sure the count so far is:
Books - a few
Graphic Novels - zero

But my point is that the Voice wasn't doing anything productive to advance the SC2 storyline, like Duran and Ulrezaj who were making hybrids. I'm not saying the Voice doesn't have a good motive to hate the Xel'Naga but all he ever did was mind control people and rot in a cosmic prison. While it makes him a cool character for a short story for a manga, it doesn't really make him a valuable character for the upcoming game.

[Drake Clawfang]

It doesn't matter. You still have to account for how the Voice is reflected within the Hybrid that Duran is making. Is the Voice a gene splice? Is the voice made by Xel'Naga? Can the Voice use Khala energies? It's a no to all. That means this theory doesn't fit.

Also, the Hybrid isn't really the "opposite" of what the Xel'Naga were trying to do. It's just a perversion (a gene splice instead of a natural merging).

The Hybrid reflects the Voice because it is a perversion of the Xel'naga's experiments, a symbol of their destruction and the end of their cycle, which the Voice considered unnatural. "reflected" could really mean anything depending on how you choose to take it.

I don't see why this is relevant anyway - it's Duran that had many names.

Unless it was the Voice speaking through Duran rather than Duran himself, as it spoke through Morrigan. Which would account for the change in Duran's voice and personality.

I'm pretty sure the count so far is:
Books - a few
Graphic Novels - zero

But my point is that the Voice wasn't doing anything productive to advance the SC2 storyline.

That we know of, we've no idea how SC2's story will go. As for the characters, Valerian, Matt Horner, and Mike Liberty for introduced. Though they were first mentioned in SC2, Gabriel Tosh, Kate Lockwell and Tychus Findlay are all being given extensive backstory in the supplementary materials. Blizzard obviously has no problem dipping into the expanded universe for ideas for the games.

[Warsaw]

Duran probably only meant reflected in power. The thing in the darkness, that which controls Duran spoke that the Xel Naga were stronger then it. I could buy the voice using duran to build hybrids because he is unable to free himself. Or is unable to give Duran the power to free him.

[Roland]

I've toyed with this idea before, but I'm not sure I buy it, obviously Blizzard could make it work if they so choose, via retcons. My primary issue with it is that Duran said his master's (plural) were reflected within the cell. The Voice has nothing in common with the hybrids, you propose them only as a tool to be used by it to destroy the Xel'naga, not as any sort reflection, or offspring of the Voice.