Terran (StarCraft)
The Terrans are the name given to the human colonists in the StarCraft universe used to distinguish them from the humans of Earth. They have a genetic history of psionic power, but are generations away from reaching this full potential and most have no psionic powers at all. The Terrans have found themselves in the middle of a war between the Protoss and the Zerg, and have struggled to survive amidst the war while also dealing with civil wars. However, some have also made alliances with the Protoss.
Fictional Race History
The Fall of Western Civilization
In the centuries after the new millennium, technology made rapid advancements, and even the third-world had access to advanced computers and nuclear weapons. Fundamentalist factions began to appear, panicking over the widespread use of cybernetic enhancements and mutations. By the dawn of the 23rd century, the population of earth had bloomed to over twenty-three billion. With space, natural resources and fuel running thin, the world leaders feared that, unless the growth of mankind was halted, it would spiral into a catastrophe. Acts of terrorism and violence received mass media attention, sparking panic.
On November 22nd, 2229, the United Powers League, an organization formed on the vision of the defunct United Nations, was founded. The UPL encompassed most of humanity, with the exception of a few South American nations. Within eighty years the UPL used fascist policies to maintain order, including the abolishment of religion and language, with English becoming the common tongue. Ironically, the UPL itself had a nearly religious fanaticism over mankind's "divinity", which called for the extermination of any who were not "pure".
The UPL began "Project Purification", aimed at rounding up and killing those with cybernetics, the genetically impure, and criminals and hackers. Nearly 400 million were killed, but the media, under UPL control, downplayed the atrocity. Even during this time, space travel technology made rapid advancements. During this time, an aspiring scientist named Doran Routhe planned to gain power in the UPL by spearheading a secret initiative to colonize planets outside the Earth's solar system.
Routhe used his political power to secure 56,000 prisoners for his experiment, 40,000 of which were used. The prisoners were loaded onto four super-carrier ships that were jettisoned into space with the super-computer ATLAS. ATLAS monitored the prisoners as they were placed in a cyrogenic sleep, relaying all data on them, including their psionic potential, to Routhe. Initially designated to land on the habitable Gantris IV, ATLAS, installed aboard the lead ship Nagglfar, malfunctioned and lost the coordinates to both Earth and Gantris IV. As the other three ships were programmed to follow the Nagglfar, the ships thus barreled through space at warp-speed for thirty years.
The Koprulu Sector
The warp engines of the ships reached meltdown, forcing them to emerge into real space in the Koprulu Sector, some 60,000 light-years from Earth. The ships lost their life-support and performed emergency landings. The Reagan and the Sarengo landed on Umoja, although the Sarengo suffered critical failures during landing and crashed, killing its 8,000 passengers. The Argo landed on Moria, while the Nagglfar landed on Tarsonis.
Unaware that any of the other ships had survived, the three factions each began to colonize their world. Tarsonis, although the Nagglfar was damaged beyond repair, still was able to access ATLAS, giving them a technological edge over the other two colonies. Within sixty years the colony had sub-warp space travel, allowing them to find the other two colonies. Trade and commerce pacts helped the colonies thrive, but Tarsonis wanted a inter-planetary government - the two colonies refused.
As the colonies spread to other planets, the Tarsonis colonists founded the Terran Confederacy. Moria, fearing its plentiful resources would make them a target, founded the Kel-Morian Combine, an independent corporation that would supply military aid to any mining guild that was being oppressed by the Confederacy. The tension between the Combine and the Confederacy eventually sparked the Guild Wars, after which many of the Combine's guilds were annexed by the Confederacy, although the Combine itself maintained its independence. During this time, several key Terran weapons of war were developed: the Wraith fighter-jet, the Goliath, originally intended for crowd control, and the Siege Tank, intended to be a mobile artillery cannon. After the war, Umoja, fearing they would fall next, founded the Umojan Protectorate to ensure their safety.
As the Confederacy prospered and expanded, many pirate militias and factions rose to challenge them. What would become one of the key moments in the Confederacy's history was the rebellion of Korhal.
The Sons of Korhal
Korhal IV was a core Confederate colony, and although it contributed to the military and economic needs of the Confederacy, its citizens resented the corrupt Senators. Minor and eventually large scale riots broke out, and martial law was declared. This antagonized the citizens even more, and eventually, Senator Angus Mengsk formalized the citizen's cries for freedom and declared war on the Confederacy. Korhal quickly captured all Confederate outposts on the planet, declaring the Confederacy no longer held sway over them, garnering respect from the other colonies.
The Confederacy withdrew its forces from the planet. Although Korhal celebrated its victory, the Confederacy feared a successful rebellion would instigate others, and thus resolved to make an example of Korhal. Three deadly Ghosts, including a female operative, infiltrated the capitol of Styrling and killed the Senator, along with his wife and daughter. The death of Mengsk greatly weakened the revolt.
Arcturus Mengsk initially was embrassed by his father's actions. As a young and respected Confederate prospector, Mengsk the younger had no interest in politics, although he acknowledged that the Confederacy was corrupt. After his father's death, Mengsk took command of Korhal and formed a ragtag militia, the Sons of Korhal. After rumors of an alliance between Korhal and Umoja sprang up, the Confederacy resolved to end the conflict for good. A thousand Apocalypse-class missiles were fired at Korhal, killing most of the inhabitants and reducing the planet to a radioactive ball. Mengsk was on Umoja at the time, and resolved to destroy the Confederacy.
Rise of the Dominion
Mengsk and the Sons of Korhal struck many Confederate bases, but each attack was responded by a media that portrayed him as a madman and a terrorist. The group were declared outlaws, with many colonies refusing to associate with anyone connected with them. During this time, Mengsk made a personal goal of killing all the Ghosts who had killed his father. Although he killed two of them, one of them, Sarah Kerrigan, he instead made his second-in-command.
During this time, the sister worlds of Chau Sara and Mar Sara were under attack by mysterious organisms that had manifested on Chau Sara. However, an alien fleet appeared from warp-space and bombed the planet, destroying all life. The Confederacy raced to meet the aliens, having never encountered them before. The fleet took up orbit over Mar Sara when the Confederacy attacked. The fleet identified itself as the Protoss, and agreed to spare the colony. Shortly afterwards, insect-like aliens very different from the Protoss appeared on the planet.
- Note: the following takes place in the StarCraft storyline.
As Mar Sara was consumed by the aliens, identified as the Zerg, the colonists, including Jim Raynor, were herded into containment grounds while the Confederacy avoided action against the Zerg. Fearing the colony would be abandoned, the Magistrate (the player's character) contacted the Sons of Korhal. The bulk of the colonists escaped, although in doing so they were branded as traitors for associating with the Sons of Korhal. Mar Sara was subsequently bombed by the Protoss.
Raynor, Mengsk and his lieutenant, Kerrigan, assisted in the revolt of Antiga Prime, a Confederate world. During the revolt, the battlecruiser Norad II crashed, and its commander, General Duke, were rescued and conscripted into the Sons of Korhal, along with Duke's Alpha Squadron. Also, with Confederate blueprints stolen by Raynor during the evacuation of Mar Sara, Mengsk built a "Psi Emitter" that could lure Zerg to their signals. In a control experiment, the Emitters were used to lure Zerg to the Confederate bases on Antiga Prime and destroy them. As the Sons of Korhal left the planet, the Protoss again unleashed an attack to exterminate all life.
Moving his fleet into orbit over Tarsonis, Mengsk began the attack that would consolidate his power in the sector. Sending Duke with a repaired Norad II to the orbital platform of New Gettysburg, Duke destroyed the Confederate forces there and activated Psi Emitters. Mengsk admitted to authorizing this, shocking Raynor and Kerrigan. In the subsequent wave of Zerg, most of the citizens were killed, shattering the Confederacy's heart and establishing Mengsk as the new power.
As the Terran Dominion began to form, the Protoss took up orbit once again, but the Executor Tassadar attempted to destroy the Zerg directly to spare the Confederate survivors. Mengsk sent Kerrigan to combat the Protoss, despite Raynor's objection. The Zerg took this opportunity to overwhelm both forces. Kerrigan was abandoned as Mengsk fled the system. Raynor, having his fill with Mengsk's recent actions, took command of a small force and left on his own.
With the Dominion capitol established at Korhal, Mengsk annexed several colonies and planets, with the exception of a few Confederate forces that remained. He then set to work ensuring the safety of his rule and building up his power. Duke accompanied a small force to Char, where the Zerg had recently nested, but was forced to pull back. The Dominion continued to grow in power during the war on Aiur.
The UED
During the entire debacle, the UPL watched the Confederacy and Dominion rise to power. However, when the Protoss and Zerg were discovered, the UPL used the panic of the event to absorb all other colonies into them, reforming into the United Earth Directorate. The UED quickly took a more aggressive approach to the matter, sending a fleet under the command of Gerard DuGalle to pacify the sector.
The UED made its debut in Episode IV when they tried to blockade the Protoss 'Fleet of the Matriarch' under the Executor (the player) from leaving the planet Braxis, but under the scout leadership of Artanis, they were able to find a major weakness in the blockade and destroyed the power generators which deactivated the platforms missle turrets. With the defence's power supply down, the Executor was able to get the fleet through the UED blockade. The UED, however set up the blockade thinking the Protoss already got what they were looking for. The UED, realizing the Protoss were on their own cause, continued the pursuit on the Terran Dominion and landed upon Braxis.
The UED assaulted the Dominion Capital city Boralis On Braxis conscripting Samir Duran and his forces into their fold as they destroyed the Dominion forces there. After capturing a fleet of Battlecruisers, the UED traveled to Tarsonis where a "Psi Disruptor", a forgotten Confederate rumor based on the Psi Emitter, was found. The Disruptor had the power to disrupt Zerg communications, and as the main focus of the UED was to take control of the Zerg, Duran advised it be destroyed. DuGalle's second in command, Alexei Stukov, oversaw this.
The UED then assaulted Korhal and captured most of the cities and destroying Mengsk's core factories and military arms. Mengsk and Duke, however, escaped with the assistance of Raynor and Fenix. Tracking them to Aiur behind a Zerg force, the UED attacked and destroyed their base of operations after a vicious three-way war. However, the fugitives escaped to a Warp Gate and vanished while a Zerg attack appeared from behind UED lines, specifically from Duran's sector. Suspecting a traitor, Stukov left to Braxis, but was followed by DuGalle and Duran.
It was revealed Stukov had not destroyed the Disruptor, but moved it to Braxis. Duran convinced DuGale that Stukov had betrayed him, and DuGalle allowed Duran to enter the Disruptor and kill him. After fatally wounding Stukov, Duran vanished and was revealed as a traitor by Stukov, who begged DuGalle to make his death have meaning by completing their mission. With the Disruptor's core in overload, DuGalle narrowly saved it and used it to scatter the Zerg on Char. Capturing the Zerg Overmind, the UED used it to control the Zerg and set about pacifying all resistance.
Sarah Kerrigan, the self-proclaimed Queen of Zerg and the only being other than the UED with control over Zerg forces, then took the chance to increase her own power. Assembling Duran, Mengsk, Raynor and Fenix as allies, she used Mengsk's Psi Emitters to gather Zerg and destroy the Psi Disruptor. With her forces in their full might, Kerrigan destroyed the UED's forces on Korhal and then turned on her allies, killing General Duke and Fenix, with Mengsk and Raynor swearing revenge. Afterwards, Kerrigan's base on Tarsonis was attacked and barely saved.
Kerrigan blackmailed Zeratul into killing the Overmind, giving her full control of the Zerg and greatly weakening the UED. The UED launched an attack on Kerrigan's orbital base, allying with Mengsk and Artanis to do so. The attack failed, and Mengsk fled back to Korhal to rebuild the Dominion while DuGalle and the UED returned to Earth, but were overcome by Kerrigan and destroyed.
Future
In StarCraft: Ghost and StarCraft II, the Dominion has become the dominant Terran power again, although there is still resistance. Whether the UED will return or not is not addressed, although it is assumed that they still maintain a military on Earth.
Abilities
The Terran units all have some sort of secondary effect, with the exception of the Valkyrie and the Goliath. Terrans are inclined to either use a military comprised of entirely Infantry or entirely mechanical - these two strategies are called "M&M" (referring to Marines and Medics) and "Metal", respectively. Terrans are inclined to turtle as a result of inexpensive Turrets and fixed defensive options like Spider Mines, Bunkers, and immobile Siege Tanks. The Terrans also possess the unique power to lift off and fly many of their buildings to another location - only the Academy, Supply Depot, Armory and add-ons cannot do this. Thus, Terrans can build an entirely new base structure behind their lines and fly them to a new base site afterwards. Also, through the use of the Medic and the SCV, it is possible for any Terran unit or building, no matter how damaged, to be rejuvenated to full vitality - the Medic and SCV can Heal/Repair units and buildings even as they are under attack.
Heros and other notiable Terrans
External links
- Battle.Net: Terran
- Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
- Information on Terrans
- Terran history
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