Possible UED return in HotS/LotV, anyone?

[Kimera757]

The objective of Dr. Narud and the Moebius Foundation was to give Raynors Raiders the artifacts. Such artifacts were used, as intended, to paralyze Kerrigan's stranglehold on the Zerg. With no leader, the Zerg are vulnerable to the Dark Voice, thus making them deadlier alongside the Hybrid forces. This will become a threat to Earth.

With the new, rouge, and Dark Voice affiliated faction of Protoss loose. This, too, is a threat to Earth.

This activity is observed by UED drones and spies, we all know these facts without hypotheticals at least.

I disagree with the last sentence. We don't know how the UED got that information. Furthermore, this information is secret. The UED didn't know about Kerrigan, so it's quite possible they wouldn't know about Narud, the Dark Voice or the hybrids. They might consider Duran to be either a traitor or an infested terran, but neither is enough reason to send a fleet - they don't know the truth about him, or the hybrids.

Unless post-infested Stukov gets his hands on a really long distance telephone

However, the speed at which the observed information is relayed, that is of issue. It took them ten years to ship the fleet to the Korprolu sector

What? No! It took them a year or less to get to the K-Sector. Chau Sara got cooked December 8th, 2499 and the Brood War took place in 2500.

but this is small information with 14 years to enhance technology. The Protoss and Zerg threat can be identified by UED, we know this much now.

No, it's only been FOUR years.

[Dean63]

I disagree with the last sentence. We don't know how the UED got that information. Furthermore, this information is secret. The UED didn't know about Kerrigan, so it's quite possible they wouldn't know about Narud, the Dark Voice or the hybrids. They might consider Duran to be either a traitor or an infested terran, but neither is enough reason to send a fleet - they don't know the truth about him, or the hybrids.

Unless post-infested Stukov gets his hands on a really long distance telephone

It's noted throughout the Brood War campagin that the UED has had several spies, and throughout the books that drones (with the hint of human operations, but no evidence) were such spies.

Regardless of whether they know such secret information is moot, because when the Zerg do come under the Dark Voice's controll and thus enmass alongside the Hybrids the drones will clearly pick it up. Acts of the Dark Voice affiliated Protoss have been wide and long, it's likely the drones would pick up this mass of troops as well.

What? No! It took them a year or less to get to the K-Sector. Chau Sara got cooked December 8th, 2499 and the Brood War took place in 2500.

You're right on the times, and I was wrong. It took only a year for them to respond.

No, it's only been FOUR years.

Though it has been the brood war time (how ever long it was) + the four years of stagnation since it ended, so that is still quite a bit of time.

Regardless, whether or not living (non-drone) spies exist (or existed), the quantity of relayed information by drones, and the quality of relayed information by drones (i.e. intercepting transmissions, processing them, and sending keywords off to UED space VS simply recording large troop movements) are all still hypothetical and up for grabs.

[Kimera757]

It's noted throughout the Brood War campagin that the UED has had several spies

No it doesn't.

and throughout the books that drones (with the hint of human operations, but no evidence) were such spies.

The UED were briefly mentioned in I, Mengsk and Ghost Academy I. In neither case were drones ever mentioned. The manual says the UPL watched the K-Sector, but didn't say how.

Regardless of whether they know such secret information is moot, because when the Zerg do come under the Dark Voice's controll and thus enmass alongside the Hybrids the drones will clearly pick it up. Acts of the Dark Voice affiliated Protoss have been wide and long, it's likely the drones would pick up this mass of troops as well.

I think you're exaggerating.

The only place the hybrids have so far been active was on Zhakul... and that was a single hybrid. (In Utter Darkness takes place sometime in the future.)

Edit: And the one at Castanar. An even bigger secret.

Regardless, whether or not living (non-drone) spies exist (or existed), the quantity of relayed information by drones, and the quality of relayed information by drones (i.e. intercepting transmissions, processing them, and sending keywords off to UED space VS simply recording large troop movements) are all still hypothetical and up for grabs.

We don't know any of that, and more to the point, this hybrid stuff is still secret. The protoss know only a little, and while Kerrigan may know a lot, unless she goes on TV and reports what she knew ("I learned this as a zerg... please listen to me!") there's nothing to suggest the UED knows any of this.

[Blizzmaniac]

I hope the UED returns in the Zerg or Protoss campaign. What about the UED technology? After Brood War the Dominion developed reapers, marauders, banshees, vikings, thors, medivac dropships, hellions, spectres, crucio siege tanks, diamondback, (even if prototypes date the Confederacy) etc....Will the UED be capable to counter these forces? Especially the Thors (on ground) and Vikings (on air) ?

[Pandonetho]

Will the UED be capable to counter these forces? Especially the Thors (on ground) and Vikings (on air) ?

The UED should have technology that vastly outclasses that stuff.

I mean, realistically, they actually have more feasible technology. Medics, Valkyrie missile frigates, range enhanced missiles (charon boosters), etc.

The Dominion came up with a Thor and a transforming fighter.

[Gradius]

I'm still somewhat dubious about the UED's real tech level. I mean, their lead flagship was just a SC-style battlecruiser (not stolen or anything, that's the ship they came there in). The K-sector colonists had all the schematics of Earth when they landed in the K-sector. They were probably just behind in manufacturing technology, not necessarily real tech.

[phazonjunkie]

I'm still somewhat dubious about the UED's real tech level. I mean, their lead flagship was just a SC-style battlecruiser (not stolen or anything, that's the ship they came there in). The K-sector colonists had all the schematics of Earth when they landed in the K-sector. They were probably just behind in manufacturing technology, not necessarily real tech.

That could probably be chalked up to the same reason Fenix never had a proper fight scene that did him justice when he first 'died'. It probably just wasn't feasible to create an entirely new set of units just for a mini campaign in the expansion.

Or it could've simply been a matter of what, logistically was more practical. Having superior tech is one thing. Having the resources/infrastructure in place to sustain it is another. Maybe the factories & production centers of the K sector were simply incapable of being adapted to use their tech.

In any case, I sort of got the feeling that the UED having a somewhat different tech tree is kinda what Blizzard was going for, at least originally. For example, In the mission briefing for 'Battle of Braxis', Artanis notes that his sensors were picking up a large terran fleet whose configuration profile didn't match any known terran faction. But the ingame units (with exception of the Valkyrie, were identical).

[Pandonetho]

I'm still somewhat dubious about the UED's real tech level. I mean, their lead flagship was just a SC-style battlecruiser (not stolen or anything, that's the ship they came there in). The K-sector colonists had all the schematics of Earth when they landed in the K-sector. They were probably just behind in manufacturing technology, not necessarily real tech.

I'm pretty sure it's because of SC's limitations. Just as how the Gantrithor was nothing more than a regular carrier, but with beefed up stats. What's less realistic is that Earth had the exact same battlecruiser as the K-sectors, who developed the schematics for it all by themselves, don't you think?

I'm just going to go by what the lore god said, that they left all their big guns at home, which I'm assuming includes their main capital ships. The Aleksander was probably an old model of a capital ship, I doubt it was even a battlecruiser, because as I mentioned, that's just silly that they'd have the exact same tech as guys 60 000 light years away.

The K-sector colonists had all the schematics of Earth when they landed in the K-sector. They were probably just behind in manufacturing technology, not necessarily real tech.

I don't think so. Or at least, not schematics for war ships. I don't see why Earth would load of a ship of colonists/prisoners/convicts who are only supposed to be 1 year away, with schematics for war ships. Plus if what you say is true, and the K-sector terrans really did have schematics for battlecruisers from Earth, that would mean Earth had battlecruisers already before the colonists were even launched off into space. Meaning they're hundreds of years ahead.

Now, I don't necessarily think the UED's technology is even near the level of Protoss tech. But I definitely think it branches vastly from K-sector Terran tech, and certainly is more advanced than them.

[Twilice]

I don't think so. Or at least, not schematics for war ships. I don't see why Earth would load of a ship of colonists/prisoners/convicts who are only supposed to be 1 year away, with schematics for war ships. Plus if what you say is true, and the K-sector terrans really did have schematics for battlecruisers from Earth, that would mean Earth had battlecruisers already before the colonists were even launched off into space. Meaning they're hundreds of years ahead.

Nice find. It sort of proves that it can't be the same schematics. Or just very very outdated.

[Blizzmaniac]

A guy is making a Starcraft 1 mod called Riot of Stars, and it shows a different tech tree for the UED (who's returning in this custom campaign). It would be awesome to see it remade in Starcraft 2, since in SC1 you have to replace existing units for new custom stuff, while in SC2 no. Take a look: http://www.moddb.com/mods/ros3dot