SC:L Retcons Analysis and Archive

[GRUNT]

Very good article .

It's heavily opinionated, but that is to be expected - I just disagree slightly here and there.

Particularly, the bit about the Xel'Naga being foregrounded more resulting in the Protoss seeming 'weak' is just a little bit too Protoss fanboy-ish, I think .

I just don't get how one can take issue with the Xel'Naga stealing the Protoss' thunder as 'the ancient race with crazy tech', when they've always been presented as such, from the beginning of SC.

Sure the Xel'Naga weren't as in the foreground as they are in SC2, but considering the inevitability of them taking a more active role in the story, I would have thought we were all more mentally prepared for it. I think that they handled it quite well, all things considered . I personally didn't feel that the Protoss' integrity was compromised in this regard.

The Overmind thing though, yeah I think that we can all agree is pretty lame .

[Gradius]

Hawki - the word "retcon" has come to include a lot more things over the years. As I said in the article:

"We will refer to retcons in this article using the word’s broadest sense - in that retcons include not only direct contradictions but changes in how previous facts were interpreted by fans."

Wiktionary for example has a good definition:

A situation, in a soap opera or similar serial fiction, in which a new storyline explains or changes a previous event or attaches a new significance to it

So the examples you claim are not retcons actually are in the broad sense. I do think that an attitude of "it's not a problem unless there is no possible explanation" is better for lore, but things like the protoss death animations clearly have massive significance to fans regardless of whether Blizzard addressed it before or not.

-I don't think Nova is mind-controlling units per se. Firstly, it's called "dominate" rather than mind-control. Secondly, it's within her range to control actions via telekinesis, if not thoughts, which is what mind control is. Notice how only one can be controlled at a time, whereas dark archon mind control is permenant.

That's a good point, I didn't actually see it that way. I'll change this part. I just have to wonder why we don't see Protoss use telekinesis, like period.

-I'm not sure why the Dark Voice and Voice in the Darkness are listed. Blizzard's statement may have gone against what some people thought, but not any raw data, so it's not a retcon per se. Then again, I doubted they were the same as well, so maybe I'm biased.

-Zeratul knowing about the preservers isn't a retcon.

The things in that section of the article weren't all retcons. It was a sort of discussion about consistency.

-Um, isn't Mohandar, like Urun, completely encapsulated in his portrait? Can't really comment on the physical aspect.

I don't have any qualms with Urun's portrait, but is Mohandar really wearing armor? It looks really strange if it is.

A year is enough time to go "rogue," to acquire Khalai tech and establish themselves on various worlds.

It's not just about acquiring Khalai tech though. Protoss actually use the Khala to power some of their tech. Dragoons and Immortals focus through the Khala in order to get attuned to their steel limbs. High Templar use the Khala to provide enough mental control to cast a psionic storm. And the Khaydarin amulet tech claims that High Templar use the crystals to channel the energies of the Khala (which we can assume the same for, say, the forearm crystals of Zealots).

Lhassir's Braken comments are problematic, but he could be either a) exagerating or b) Ulrezaj revived the cult rather than created it outright.

Which Braken comments are you referring to?

-Zeratul encountering Maar doesn't seem that big of an issue. Yes, he knows Duran is in charge of the hybrids, but that doesn't mean he's responsible for creating Maar individually. Take the hypothetical scenario of a country unleashing a virus on the world that I see the effects of (don't ask). I can say-who created this? Well, the country did, but I'm referring to the individual bastard. Bit different of coruse, but it's the same concept. Besides, Ulrezaj was creating creatures similar to hybrids, so Zeratul knew that Duran wasn't the only splicer out there.

I have to agree - but the wording is still very very strange IMO.

-The Overmind...I can understand people's reactions to it, but in regards to the information presented here, I'm reluctant to call it a retcon. Firstly, as you say, Zeratul made contact with the Overmind during the Great War, yet as you say, didn't know it was a slave. I don't see this as a retcon for two reasons-firstly, he got the info through Zasz rather than directly.

I still disagree. He did reach the Overmind through Zasz, but he directly states that he touched with the essence of the Overmind. The Overmind was able to read Zeratul's brain and extract the information he needed, so it was clearly a reciprocal exchange.

-New Gettysburg: Yeah, I never actually thought it was a space platform in the first place. Yes, it uses such a tileset, but I got the impression that it was to represent a high-tech city.

Indeed it's clear to me now that it was meant to represent such a high-tech city, but it uses a space tileset nonetheless.

During my first playthrough, I did actually get the impression that we were intercepting a fleet before they could make planetfall. Kerrigan is ordered to intercept protoss warships.

-Aeon of Strife: What we see in Firstborn is the end of AoE, not the start of it. Simply put, Aiur's landmasses are devastated in mass warfare, the protoss pound themselves back to the stone age level.

We do see the start of it actually, the bit where the Xel'Naga leave and somebody kills another protoss with a rock. "it is your fault shelak!"

Conclusion: You may notice that I disagree more often than I agree. Still, I'm an inclusionist and tend to look for mitigation rather than outright accepting retcons or even seeing them as retcons. To me personally, a retcon is a case of complete incompatability, with NO ROOM WHATSOEVER for compromise. And there aren't many cases of that.

Course there are other retcons, ranging from the minor (e.g. Korhal's destruction and population) to the major (e.g. the timeline retcon...ugh. Still got a sour taste in my mouth).

Ah yes, I forgot about Korhal's destruction. I'll edit it in. I haven't investigated the timeline much though. It seems like it really crunched down the amount of time that the Koprulu population had to grow into billions though.

really fun read, Gradius... whether one agreed or not

Thanks man.

I just don't get how one can take issue with the Xel'Naga stealing the Protoss' thunder as 'the ancient race with crazy tech', when they've always been presented as such, from the beginning of SC.

Because Protoss inventions are being retconned to actually be Xel'Naga inventions. I won't say that I'm not protoss-biased, but perhaps the background is where the Xel'Naga should stay.

[Hawki]

That's a good point, I didn't actually see it that way. I'll change this part. I just have to wonder why we don't see Protoss use telekinesis, like period.

I think the telekinesis issue was discussed before at some point. Gameplay wise, it would make things unbalanced. Lore wise, I think that for zealots for instance, their psionics are focussed on generating shields and psi-blades, not really allowing themselves any deviations for teeking.

It's not just about acquiring Khalai tech though. Protoss actually use the Khala to power some of their tech. Dragoons and Immortals focus through the Khala in order to get attuned to their steel limbs. High Templar use the Khala to provide enough mental control to cast a psionic storm. And the Khaydarin amulet tech claims that High Templar use the crystals to channel the energies of the Khala (which we can assume the same for, say, the forearm crystals of Zealots).

Good point about the Khala, I'd forgotten about that. It's still possible I suppose that the Tal'darim have recruited Khalai into their ranks (weren't overly friendly to Dark Templar in Maw of the Void, so there doesn't seem to be bias) or if they are indeed an old organization, where they had Khalai followers originally, and time to retrieve tech.

From what Metzen has said, the Tal'darim issue is still playing out, so I'm guessing that LotV will shed some light.

Which Braken comments are you referring to?

"This land was sacred to the Tal'darim before terrans even reached the stars."

Lhassir could be exagerating/lying, but it seems to imply that the Tal'darim was active pre-Ulrezaj.

I still disagree. He did reach the Overmind through Zasz, but he directly states that he touched with the essence of the Overmind. The Overmind was able to read Zeratul's brain and extract the information he needed, so it was clearly a reciprocal exchange.

The essence point is a good one, though I'd still argue that the essence is completely different than what it once was-the point a/b scenario. Still, I'm wary of discussing the Overmind-dodged the vegetables, but there's still some incoming fruit.

We do see the start of it actually, the bit where the Xel'Naga leave and somebody kills another protoss with a rock. "it is your fault shelak!"

Good point, but not really indicative. Seeing the xel'naga leave wasn't really planned, hence why the protoss wouldn't bring their tachyon lasers of doom to see them off. Want to kill a protoss but don't have your psi-blade mk. VII? Just go for a rock.

Ah yes, I forgot about Korhal's destruction. I'll edit it in. I haven't investigated the timeline much though. It seems like it really crunched down the amount of time that the Koprulu population had to grow into billions though.

Actually, the retcon expanded the ammount of time. With the timeline, I can understand/theorize as to Blizzard's motives, but I don't think any of them are really enough to justify retcons. The story works either way IMO, so why change aspects of it? Think you mentioned this before in some form, but a retcon should be done as a last rather than a first resort.

[Gradius]

"This land was sacred to the Tal'darim before terrans even reached the stars."

Ah ok, I was confused because I think you mean Bel'Shir, not Braken.

Good catch though. I thought he said "Protoss" and not "Tal'Darim".

Good point, but not really indicative. Seeing the xel'naga leave wasn't really planned, hence why the protoss wouldn't bring their tachyon lasers of doom to see them off. Want to kill a protoss but don't have your psi-blade mk. VII? Just go for a rock.

They called the Xel'Naga ship "the home that flew" (a primitive description of a spaceship) and they tried to grab onto it as it flew away, as if they didn't know that they would be sent hurtling to their deaths. I don't know, it just doesn't seem like the behavior of a high-tech civilization to me.

[Hawki]

Yeah, I met Bel'Shir rather than Braken, my bad. As for the protoss...well, you make a good point, though it's explained how the departure left a "mental wound" in the protoss. I guess they started to lose it as soon as they saw the xel'naga departing.

[Iceman_jkh]

Great write-up.
I don't really flollow SC lore unless I'm directly exposed to it, and even I was able to understand most of that article.
Well done to you, and poorly done to Blizzard.

[Sheliek]

I particularly like the constructive tone of the article. It would be great if Blizzard put one person (not the writer) in charge of managing continuity. Especially if they could spot things like old ultralisks with 4 blades and Tassadar adopting a new fashion (and voice! Whyyyyy??).

Also, what were colossi doing on Aiur?

Blizzard doesn't care in the least about voice-actor continuity. If they did, they wouldn't have fired Kerrigan's original voice-actor once they got Jim's.

Or, you know, replaced almost all of the VAs in World of WarCraft, or basically everyone else in StarCraft II. And Diablo III, since I've heard Deckard Cain's VA might be different.

They really, truly do not care about it.

[BusinessMonkey]

The mere fact that discussions like these pop up so easily just from playing the game once is proof enough of how the storytelling didn't get (I'll use a word Blizz peeps love to use) 'polished' enough in so many ways.

As the article also points towards, I'd like to mention that Blizz is really good at building the defined product up from scratch; SC1 is great in its own context, SC2 is also great in its own context, but when we're talking EPIC STORYLINES and EPIC STORYTELLING in the whole SC Universe we're bound to look at the whole in that whole's context and there, sadly, the storytelling and key elements to that story are either overused klichees that don't seem to give sense to the story or neglegtions of previous lore, key elements.

[TheEconomist]

And Diablo III, since I've heard Deckard Cain's VA might be different.

I might hafta pull a Spychi if this is true.

[BusinessMonkey]

I might hafta pull a Spychi if this is true.

*Clicks on Deckard Cain*

"Sschtay o' waiile'n'lissn'..."

*Shuts down Diablo III*