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This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo ---> Starcraft?
  • Subject: Halo ---> Starcraft?
Subject: Halo ---> Starcraft?
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This may have already been commented on, and if it has been....o well.....

Im a pretty big fan of the BLIZZARD games, and I tend to focus on the back stories of games. I came across a little bit of the story from Starcraft, and felt it has some odd similarities to halo.

Starcraft speaks of an ancient race much like the Forerunners, known as the Xel Naga.

Although only fragmented documentation remains, ancient Protoss texts speak of a highly advanced race that ruled over thousands of worlds in the galaxy, tens of millions of years ago. This enigmatic race, often called the Xel'Naga, or "wanderers from afar", was rumored to have seeded and cultivated thousands of various species on the cold and barren worlds within their domain. Protoss traditions hold that the Xel'Naga were a peaceful and benevolent race, utterly consumed with the study and propagation of sentient evolution within the universe. Nothing is known of the origin of the Xel'Naga, save that they were not native to the galaxy over which they held sway. Obsessed with fashioning the perfect life-form, the Xel'Naga labored to create a creature that would be defined by a distinct purity of form. For thousands of years they carefully steered the delicate evolutionary processes of their budding species. Although their protracted experiments produced many intriguing deviants and mutation, the races that the Xel'Naga cultivated always fell short of their enormous expectations. Despairing at last, the Xel'Naga focused their frustrated efforts on the most promising of their engineered worlds. Aiur, a massive jungle world on the galaxy's fringe, had borne a race of highly advanced beings. These beings were incredibly adaptable to harsh natural conditions and climates. Their strength and speed were unparalleled amongst the other races known to the Xel'Naga. The race had even developed a rudimentary tribal society based upon group-hunting and warrior rule. However, their most distinct aspect was that they communicated with each other through a very complex method of instinctive telepathy, allowing them to operate communally with striking efficiency. The Xel'Naga were pleased with the progress of their latest creation and conceded that the new race was the first of all their experiments to evolve beyond the feral constraints of baser life-forms. To signify their ascension in the galactic order, the Xel'Naga gave the new race the name of Protoss, or 'the First Born'. The early Protoss lived in harmony and seclusion upon the world of Aiur for hundreds of generations, never knowing of the Xel'Naga who watched over them from afar. Although the Protoss were the most advanced species to arise, the Xel'Naga were still unsatisfied with their slow progress and saw fit to drive the Protoss' evolution even further. The Xel'Naga spent yet another millennium subtly guiding the steps of their children, eventually succeeding in leading the Protoss to the state of total sentience and awareness. The First Born gradually became highly intellectual and introspective, achieving great heights in not only their cultural advancements, but personal, individualistic advancements as well. Exhilarated by their seeming success, the Xel'Naga finally made themselves known to the Protoss, never suspecting the chaos that was to come.

The Protoss seem to be most like the covenant, worshiping the Xel Naga (like the covs worship the forerunner.)

The Xel'Naga were more successful with their second venture than they could have imagined. They labored to advance the evolution of the most insignificant life form on Zerus, a race of miniature insectoids known as the Zerg. Through Xel'Naga proto-genetic manipulations, the Zerg survived the torrential firestorms of their world and thrived. Although extremely small, worm-like, and possessing no ability to manipulate their physical surroundings, the Zerg adapted to survive. They developed the ability to burrow into the flesh of the less vulnerable species indigenous to Zerus. Feeding off the nutrients contained within the spinal fluids of their hosts, the Zerg learned to parasitically merge with their host creatures. Once they became capable of controlling the metabolic and anatomical processes of their hosts, the Zerg used their new bodies to manipulate their surroundings.

As the Zerg incorporated more and more host creatures into their fold, they began to assimilate their various genetic strains and processes. Zerg chemistry began to mutate and adapt according to the volume of new genetic material being processed. However, as diverse as the range of host creatures became, there was always the undeviating drive to consume only the most evolutionarily advanced species encountered. The Zerg were innately selective as to which species they consumed, ensuring that at every stage of their development they were at the top of the proverbial food chain. Any race that the Zerg came across that was deemed unworthy of assimilation was eradicated to further purify the strains.

The Xel'Naga soon made an alarming discovery. The original races assimilated by the Zerg were hardly recognizable after only a few generations of their inception. Somehow the Zerg had developed the ability to supercharge and steer the latent evolutionary processes within their host creatures. The host creatures fell prey to the effects of gradual physical mutations that caused all of the various strains to grow armor piercing spines, razor-sharp limbs, and ultra dense carapaces. Over a surprisingly short amount of time, the strains grew to resemble a terrifyingly ravenous and unified race.

(the above starcraft info is taken from http://www.blizzarduniverse.net)

The Zerg then proceded to destroy their creators, not with advanced technology, but with overwhelming numbers. This made me connect them with the flood. My theory is that the forerunner built halo to mutate a new species (the flood) but their curiosity was their downfall, having no way to stop the flood. Perhaps the forerunners simply fled, or were all slaughtered by the flood.

Thats enough connecting for me now...I just felt that the stories shared some similarities

  • 08.23.2004 10:42 PM PDT
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Well, while the execution is fantastic in both Halo and Starcraft, they have pretty archetypical stories (if you're into archetypes). The godlike, in trying to be godlike, are destroyed by their attempts at creation...see Frankenstein. Just a whole race of him. And the idea of a people misguidedly worshipping these godmen is familiar as well. A corrupted religion is something that attacks our very souls, as it puts forth the idea that OUR religion could be just as misguided. This folk story has been around since the invention of the tithe, hehe. On another point, everyone gets scared by unstoppable plagues, even more so when the plague attacks what is very precious to many of us, such as individuality and humanity. Both the Flood and the Zerg take that away from the creatures that they infect/assimilate. The movie Alien is similar. It is the fear of causing an unnatural birth, an inhuman birth. Something that the Forerunners and the Xel'Naga, unfortunately, did not have.

Someone once said that there are only 27 stories to tell in human experience...just infinite variations therein. I'd buy that :)P

  • 08.23.2004 11:43 PM PDT
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The United States of America-- STILL more rights than North Korea!
--New official U.S. motto.

Cronin's Law----The New Flood Drinking Game

i noticed this too, but the xel' naga were obsessed with the creation of a perfect race, and in their attempts they had two that were very close; the protoss, who had supposed 'purity of form' and the zerg, with supposed 'purity of essence'... now while the physical charachteristics of the protoss and covenant, flood and zerg, are similar (highly advanced technology for protoss/cov, purely biological for zerg/flood), look deeper into the nature of the two species and you will find just the opposite; the flood emoby chaos and hunger.... the zerg have what the xel' naga deemed 'purity of essence'... which was the loss of individual personalities to a greater whole (the overmind). the zerg have a clearly and rigidly defined heirarchy, starting with the overmind>cerebrates>queens>overlords. the zerg are highly organized, even having seperate broods which have minions specifically bred for different purposes. while the zerg did destroy their creators, it is likely they would have died off anyway. the xel'naga were obsessed with the creation of a 'perfect race'... if you read the story for starcraft you will know that they held this acheived with the zerg, as they deemed that purity of form was irrelevant, only essence was impotant for perfection. having acheived their goal, what else would they do? their entire society had been geared towards creation of the perfect race. having acheived their goal, what comes next?

on the other hand, there is no evidence that the forunner were trying to create any 'perfect species'... it seems instead that they found the flood and, discovering how dangerous they were, locked them away in the halo rings. for the flood did not destroy the forunner, for then there would be no other life either. just think, the flood on halo had been locked away for thousands (millions?) of years, with no host bodies for food, and yet they were still alive. it is viable therefore to assume that flood at large in the galaxy with entire worlds to consume would still be around.

as for the protoss/covenant... as with the flood/zerg connections, you must look beyond the physical. the covenant and protoss both, it is true have advanced technology. but again, look at their "essence" if you will. the covenant are highly religious worshipping their "gods" (the forunners). the protoss relationship with the xel'naga was (was mind you) much the same, but when the protoss allowed ego and pride to penetrate their culture the xel'naga deemed that the 'purity of essence' once possessed by the protoss had been sullied, therefore they were not perfect and not worth their time. with the xel'naga launching away into space, the sense of rejection and loss felt by the protoss caused them to turn on one another and beggining the aeon of strife, in which the protoss were anything but organized, with the protoss being extremely chaotic. what does this have to do with anything? two things:
1.religion
2.structure of society ("essence")
I'll tackle religion first. the protoss have no religion in the strictest sense of the word, instead they have more of a path they follow, similair to hinduism. this path includes a caste system and levels of advancement within one's caste. this system, the khala (or 'path of ascention')
is purely atheistic, and relies solely on the individual practicing it. this leads in turn to #2, the "essence" of the protoss. while their society as a whole is organized and efficient, the protoss themselves seem inherently chaotic this is demonstrated both by the backstory and in-game (the aeon of strife, the dark templar, the rebellion of tassadar, the slaying of the conclave, the subsequent turning of aldaris on the protos forces on shakuras, etc.).
the protoss also seem to have a disliking of other species, considering them inferior.
all this is in stark contrast to the covenant with their religious fanatacism, organized and efficient through anf through. and especially the acceptance of other races into their fold. there are similarities, such as the rigid caste system, but overall I would draw rather a comparison of flood>protoss zerg>covenant

oh another thing I just though of. the zerg are obsessively driven by the desire to be perfect... the covenant are driven by a similar desire to "become like the great ones"

--
disclaimer: just so you know about 45 mins went into writing this, i had open my SC manual, HBO story page, starcraft sires.. everything i could find on both subjects.

  • 08.24.2004 8:53 AM PDT
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I imagine that some if the ideas from Halo are taken from Starcraft, and many other things. I think that the Halo story has the most similarities with Marathon. The Forerunner disappeared long ago, as did the Jjaro. The Jjaro left outposts all around the galaxy, as did the Forerunner.The Covenant take their technology from the Forerunner, and the Pfhor take from the Jjaro. Now, the Jjaro created the Spht, and in Moo, you find an orbiting Jjaro station used to make L'howon a paradise. Maybe the Foreruner went to halo to turn basis into a habitable moon, but when they found the Flood (Or messed up with the Flood), they re-purposed it.

[Edited on 8/24/2004 2:53:07 PM]

  • 08.24.2004 2:52 PM PDT
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my brain went kablooey just for scanning that. OW. does blood coming out of your nose taste like boogers?

  • 08.24.2004 5:14 PM PDT
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The United States of America-- STILL more rights than North Korea!
--New official U.S. motto.

Cronin's Law----The New Flood Drinking Game

cmon ppl. i didnt spend forty-five minutes writing that to give you a nosebleed... talk damn you!

  • 08.24.2004 5:25 PM PDT
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Well not to sound simple or stupid but I think that its sorta expected for a company to buy the same sorta game ideas because they like them... ya that was stupid sounding but still.

  • 08.24.2004 7:33 PM PDT
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Whoa, I never took the time to connect the games like that. But, Spartan_Pride I think you made one mistake, one that really dosen't matter, but still. The homeworld of the Zerg is Char, not Zerus.

Something That I thought of that is basically similar to this is how similar the Undead (from Warcraft 3, another Blizzard game, for those who don't know) are to The Flood. With the Undead, a person will die, either from the plaque, or simply be killed, but then they will arise days later as zombies. The Flood are remarkably similar to this.

  • 08.24.2004 9:00 PM PDT
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The United States of America-- STILL more rights than North Korea!
--New official U.S. motto.

Cronin's Law----The New Flood Drinking Game

Posted by: bri_guy
Spartan_Pride I think you made one mistake, one that really dosen't matter, but still. The homeworld of the Zerg is Char, not Zerus.

no. the zerg withdrew to char after they destroyed the terrans on tarsonis. their homeworld was zerus, as per the zerg story in the manual. zerus is where the zerg were modified by the xel'naga into...waht they are. zerus was an ashworld remarkably similar to char though, which is probbrably why they chose it as a base of operations until the rebirth of kerrigan.
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good comparison between the undead and the flood, though this brings up the question: in subsequent levels the flood seem to prefer live targets, but the marine in 343GS says he played dead to avoid the flood, and they took the live ones. why in that level did they 'take the live ones?' and later on take the dead ones? was it an attempt to avoid another incident like mendoza with a weakened flood form? a dead host offers no resistance.
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cmon ppl! pleeeaaaassseee read my long theory! it took me 45 minutes to write! *runs out crying*

  • 08.25.2004 7:57 AM PDT