Fenix (StarCraft)

Fenix is a fictional character in the StarCraft universe. A Protoss Zealot, and a Praetor of the Aiur Defense Forces, Fenix personally led his fellow warriors into battle against those who called themselves the enemies of the Protoss Empire. Revered by his warrior-brethren, he was dubbed the Steward of the Templar. Though he felled innumerable enemies in his service to his race with unparalleled ferocity, he ultimately met his end at the hands of the greatest of Aiur's enemies, Kerrigan, the self-styled "Queen of Blades".

In both games Fenix is voiced by Bill Roper.

In Starcraft Map Editor, he appears as the hero version of the Protoss Dragoon or Zealot.

Biography

Fenix, aged 397 years at the beginning of StarCraft, rose up in the Templar ranks alongside his close friend Tassadar. He fought in countless battles and proved himself to be one of the greatest Protoss warriors of all time.

When the Zerg invaded Aiur, the stalwart Fenix stood in defense of Antioch Province. However, his forces were overwhelmed by the Zerg, and he was reduced to defending an outpost. The new Protoss Executor was able to rescue him, however.

When Tassadar contacted Aldaris with information about Zerg Cerebrates, a weak spot in their hierarchy, Fenix agreed to test the new strategy for Tassadar over Aldaris' silent objection. The test, however, was a failure, as they had not received complete information from Tassadar.

Aldaris ordered a strike against the Zerg forces in the province of Scion, leaving Fenix behind with a small force to defend the outpost in Antioch. During the Second Battle of Antioch, Fenix and his companions were overrun by the Zerg. Unfortunately, in the ensuing events, and a catastrophic failure of protoss blade technology, Fenix fell in battle against a Hydralisk. However, his "corpse" was recovered and placed into a modified Dragoon exo-skeleton.

Note: According to the commentary in Blizzard Entertainment's official DVD collection showcasing in-game film sequences, there was never any explanation to why Fenix's blades short-circuited on him. Put simply, there may not have been any real reason to have Fenix killed off, except to have him playable as a Dragoon as well.

Against Enemies of Aiur

File:StarCraft.Fenix.jpg

Praetor Fenix recovers in a Stasis Cell after the Battle of Antioch. Blizzard Entertainment / Samwise image.

When Tassadar returned to Aiur, Fenix reluctantly joined his rebellion against the Protoss Conclave. Fenix, along with the Dark Templar, assisted in the destruction of the Heart of the Conclave, but Tassadar surrendered and was spirited away by Aldaris, a member of the Conclave.

The Dark Templar vanished, and Fenix, who didn't trust them, wondered if it was a good idea for Tassadar to have put any faith into them. Meanwhile, Tassadar was being held by the Conclave in a Protoss Stasis Cell until they could conclude his trial for treason. Fenix believed the trial would not be fair, and they would sentence Tassadar to death. As he gathered his forces for a desperate attack, Jim Raynor decided to join him in the Hyperion.

Fenix fought alongside Jim Raynor, who taught Fenix the valor and bravery of the Terrans. With his help, along with a Dark Templar ambush, Fenix was able to rescue Tassadar.

Fenix joined in the attacks against the Zerg Cerebrates on Aiur, with the aid of Zeratul, then moved through the weakened Zerg defenses around the Zerg Overmind. The attack was failing when Tassadar sacrificed himself to destroy the Overmind.

Fenix's Alliances

A sequence of dialogue during an early mission of the Protoss campaign suggests a prior relationship between Fenix and the Executor, as Fenix remarks that it is good to meet him "once again" upon the field of battle. This implied relationship is further enhanced by a statement made by Aldaris after Fenix's "death" when he referred to Fenix as a "comrade" of the Executor.

As the story develops, so does the bond between Fenix and Jim Raynor. The friendship of Fenix and Jim Raynor became so strong that they stayed together in order to protect the Warp Gate that transported the Protoss to the planet of Shakuras when they had to retreat from Aiur. Fenix said that his duty was to Aiur, after all.

After the United Earth Directorate invaded the Koprulu Sector, Fenix and Raynor joined an unusual alliance with Sarah Kerrigan and Arcturus Mengsk to oppose them. Fenix never trusted Kerrigan, but he followed Raynor's lead.

Raynor's Raiders assisted in the destruction of the Psi Disruptor, the Directorate's powerful anti-Zerg weapon, enabling Kerrigan to rebuild her forces to attack the Directorate's forces on Korhal. In order to do so, Kerrigan needed ten thousand units of minerals to increase the size of her Zerg Swarm, and the best place to acquire that kind of wealth was Moria, one of the richest resource nodes in the sector. Of course, the Kel-Morian Combine would object to this kind of invasion.

Fenix personally led the Zerg forces in acquiring the minerals from Moria. During the battle, Fenix disdained the fuel raid he was on, wishing he could fight the huge epic battles of his youth. Raynor taunted him for sounding like a tired, old man, but Fenix said he could still throw down with the best of them.

During the battle, Fenix wondered why the Kel-Morian Combine did not oppose the United Earth Directorate, which had overthrown their former masters, the Terran Dominion. He was so offended he didn't try to stop Kerrigan from transforming Combine forces into Infested Terrans.

Khala's End

Fenix, Raynor, Mengsk and Kerrigan led their collected forces against the United Earth Directorate, which had conquered the former Dominion throne world of Korhal IV.

While they defeated the UED and the enslaved Zerg, Kerrigan and her advisor Samir Duran engineered a betrayal. Fenix called her betrayal foul, and prepared to face her forces on the battlefield.

Kerrigan said that he was so predictable, "you Protoss are your own worst enemy". This was a lesson she had learned from Fenix's old friend, Tassadar.

"The Khala awaits me, Kerrigan. And although I am prepared to face my destiny, you'll not find me easy prey!" declared Fenix. Those were his last recorded words, for he fell to the forces of the Zerg.

Upon his death, Kerrigan mocked Raynor, saying that Fenix died the way all Protoss hope to do: in combat. Raynor, in a grim mood, promised he would kill Kerrigan because of this betrayal. He has not been seen since then.

Game Unit

Fenix first appears in StarCraft as a fully upgraded Protoss Zealot warrior. His unit model is identical to that of a normal Zealot, but has triple the health, shields and power of a normal one.

As a Dragoon, he maintains the same amount of shielding and power as he did as a Zealot, although with the heavier unit armor. Although the upgrade helps in him being able to tackle air and ground units, the explosive nature of his attacks makes him more useful against heavy armor targets but shares the same weakness as other Dragoons in that he can easily be killed if overwhelmed with enemies.

In Brood War, Fenix's Dragoon has more shielding and health than normal. The player has to kill Fenix in this instance, although this challenge is easily bypassed by hitting him with Broodling spores.

Quotes

"There is no shame in defeat so long as the spirit is unconquered."

"I fear no enemy, for the Khala is my strength! I fear not death, for our strength is eternal!"

Trivia

• After his death in the early Protoss campaigns of StarCraft, Fenix is resurrected as a Dragoon and once again enters the battlefield, thus linking his name with that of a mythological bird phoenix. This could also be hinting to a new Protoss air unit in Starcraft 2 which also named Phoenix.

• The phase disruptor cannon on his Dragoon has a slightly higher fire rate than normal units of its kind. It also inflicts 45 explosive damage, more than twice the amount of damage caused by standard Dragoons.

• In the original StarCraft cinematic "The Fall of Fenix", Fenix is seen in Zealot form.

References

• StarCraft homepage at Blizzard Entertainment
• Battle.net StarCraft Compendium
• Fenix's biography
• Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.