How ar the artifacts Dues Ex Machina?

[Louis]

Been hearing this a lot around the forums. Now, I like most of you, and consider this community to know basically everything there is about SC, so I'm just going to give the benefit of the doubt that I'm maybe missing something here. It's just that these accusations of Dues Ex Machina don't seem to apply to artifact, at least not the definition as I've read on tvtropes.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph.../DeusExMachina

The power of the Xel'Naga have been demonstrated to us twice before WoL (In the games alone), we knew about them in WoL since Mar Sara, we often competed against the zerg to collect the pieces, we hear reports that the dominion wants them as badly as the zerg wanted them, and narud even tells us plainly that Kerrigan is scared shittless of their power.



After all of the foreshadowing that WoL gives us I don't see how anyone could say that it was an ass pull. I guess it's possible to say it was a form of writer cop out because of the artifact shifting the focus from Arcturus to the Zerg, but as Jim rightly pointed out, disposing of Arcturus had fatal implications for terrans everywhere due to the OP state of the Zerg, and one of the very first thing we see in WoL is Jim mourning Sarah, so yeah... I'm not sure how that would qualify it for Deus Ex Machina.

I read the article, and I have a vague idea or two how it could possibly be seen as Deus Ex Machina, but I'm not an expert and am very uncertain, so I am keeping my theories to myself for now.

[GnaReffotsirk]

A miracle from some outside source.

I can't say it is simply because there was no problem present. Kerrigan being infested wasn't exposed as the central problem (driving problem) in this episode, and the artifact solved nothing as well.

So,...

[Kimera757]

It's not powerful enough to be a deus ex machina. The Raiders had to spend the important parts of the campaign collecting it, then fight a vicious battle against vastly numerically superior zerg to use it.

It's not a deus ex machina, but it is a superweapon.

The Psi Disrupter was far worse. The range alone meant it would screw over the zerg no matter what.

[Eligor]

Because it's a device that instantly restores a character's personality without any satisfactory explanation, purely for the sake of the writer's convenience (not to say whim). It resolves the issue and tragedy of Kerrigan's infestation exactly in the same way a God descending onto the stage in the last minute would've resolved it had it been an ancient Greek play, because he's a God and can make whatever he wishes to come true. The Greeks Gods were part of an established mythology and had many amazing and incredible powers, just as the Xel'Naga are part of an established mythology and have many amazing and incredible powers. Neither of those facts justifies the Gods (or Xel'Naga) being used purely as a device to solve an apparently insoluble problem in order to get a specific kind of ending, which is precisely the very definition of "deus ex machina". They're both leveraged to bend and break rules and justify the writer's unwillingless to think and come up with a true resolution to the problems he himself had set up.

[Louis]

Because it's a device that instantly restores a character's personality without any satisfactory explanation, purely for the sake of the writer's convenience (not to say whim). It resolves the issue and tragedy of Kerrigan's infestation exactly in the same way a God descending onto the stage in the last minute would've resolved it had it been an ancient Greek play, because he's a God and can make whatever he wishes to come true. The Greeks Gods were part of an established mythology and had many amazing and incredible powers, just as the Xel'Naga are part of an established mythology and have many amazing and incredible powers. Neither of those facts justifies the Gods (or Xel'Naga) being used purely as a device to solve an apparently insoluble problem in order to get a specific kind of ending, which is precisely the very definition of "deus ex machina". They're both leveraged to bend and break rules and justify the writer's unwillingless to think and come up with a true resolution to the problems he himself had set up.

I restores her by killing the non-human parts or Kerrigan. If you had a problem with this but not the tower killing all of the Zerg on Shakuras, the psi disruptor on Tarsonis and the crystals empowering the zerg to win on Aiur, I'm going to smell a conspiracy, because I'm sure that at least 1/3 of these fit yours and the tvtropes provided definition of the term (I didn't read the manuals).

I felt pretty sure that the subject of Kerrigans humanity could simply never have become a factor after BW so long as she remained infested so that probably helped me a lot in accepting it.

Although I think I agree with your general preference for Blizzard to make better use of plot devices at times. You could probably consider Zeratuls void powers to be a plot device like the crystals, but overall since it was a very major part of the development of the Protoss characters (<3 Aldaris) and civilization that the ends justified the means. I don't know if it were the most apt example, but my point is that I would have preferred an equivilent for Kerrigan of WoL rather than with a magic rock myself, and I suppose she has enough depth that HotS could continue the theme of Kerrigan finding herself and "showing us what it means to be a Zerg" if the development were well paced.

[Turalyon]

I restores her by killing the non-human parts or Kerrigan. If you had a problem with this but not the tower killing all of the Zerg on Shakuras, the psi disruptor on Tarsonis and the crystals empowering the zerg to win on Aiur, I'm going to smell a conspiracy, because I'm sure that at least 1/3 of these fit yours and the tvtropes provided definition of the term (I didn't read the manuals).

I felt pretty sure that the subject of Kerrigans humanity could simply never have become a factor after BW so long as she remained infested so that probably helped me a lot in accepting it.

Although I think I agree with your general preference for Blizzard to make better use of plot devices at times. You could probably consider Zeratuls void powers to be a plot device like the crystals, but overall since it was a very major part of the development of the Protoss characters (<3 Aldaris) and civilization that the ends justified the means. I don't know if it were the most apt example, but my point is that I would have preferred an equivilent for Kerrigan of WoL rather than with a magic rock myself, and I suppose she has enough depth that HotS could continue the theme of Kerrigan finding herself and "showing us what it means to be a Zerg" if the development were well paced.

I have to agree Eligor's interpretation of deus ex machina and how it applies to the artifact - you can foreshadow anything but to have something that ultimately has such a convenient use is lazy writing.

I also with you, Louis on Blizz's overuse of "plot devices which happen to exist that have a very important and convenient use" (my definition of deus ex machina) in BW. The Shakuras Temple and Psi Disruptor are certainly head-bangers when it comes to DEMs. The Protoss campaign, 'The Stand', hinged it's whole story on one, though I somewhat suspect that the story and the DEM was supposed to be a 'throwaway' to foreshadow Kerrigan's rise in power and influence, the real story of BW.

The Psi Disruptor is a bad DEM because it's a convenient tool to blunt Kerrigan's power. The UED's armed might itself should have been enough to cause this effect. Then again, the Psi Disruptor's presence was useful in also creating drama. It provided development of the Dugalle, Stukov and Duran dynamic. It also allowed Kerrigan to interact with her past acquaintances.
Even the Dark Templar's ability to only harm the Overmind is a DEM, but at least it was melded with a character with pathos and drove the story forward.

The artifact in WoL has no character development surrounding it that drives the story forward. It serves no purpose initially - just a means for additional funds - until it's true purpose is revealed. It's not only a DEM for reversing Kerrigan's infestation (a plot thing) but it is also DEM for Raynor's character development.

Raynor is somewhat random on his crusade against Mengsk - he's lost his faith and aimless which is why he's targetting Mengsk to try to get his mojo back. What he really needs (and what WoL's story is actually trying to say) is redemption of his perceived guilt and inability for not being able to save anyone who was close to him (his family on Mar Sara, Kerrigan, Tassadar, Fenix and God knows who else) - all of which, is symbolically represented as Infested Kerrigan. The story seems to 'begin' when we know the artifacts power. Raynor had no real chance at redemption until the artifact magically gives him an out, which he takes with both hands.

That's why the "artifact as DEM" tends to stick out more than anything else. The conceit of the artifact is that story, plot and (major) character development hinges on it's miraculous and magical abilities.

[Karass]

Actually, there is a satisfactory explanation for Kerrigan's personality being restored: she was de-infested. Just like Stukov, who commanded the New Swarm when he was infested and was restored to his original human personality upon being de-infested.

[Turalyon]

Actually, there is a satisfactory explanation for Kerrigan's personality being restored

Not quite. You should check out my comments on another thread about this. http://sclegacy.com/forums/showthrea...t=6634&page=11

[Karass]

With all due respect I don't think your comments are more canonical that the actual in-gam information. It is clear from Resurrection IV and WoL that de-infesting restores person's original personality.

[Louis]

With all due respect I don't think your comments are more canonical that the actual in-gam information. It is clear from Resurrection IV and WoL that de-infesting restores person's original personality.

Thank you for summarizing in one line what I would have rambled on in paragraphs.

I've gone through all of Starcraft several times, and Kerrigans time as an uninfested terran means had proven quite convincingly that she could either be good or bad on deinfestation. Writing off either interpretation as unthinkable just makes you look like a bit of a dick to be honest.