Protoss Technology (StarCraft)

[18-Till-I-Die]

Ghetto edit bitch!

I may be mis-remembering, however, so i would advise reading the manual yourself if you really think its wrong. But if i recall correctly well then...its freaky but there you go.

[rhoenix]

Well...Just because they were a hunter gatherer species when the XelNaga found them means nothing, as the XelNaga modified them in some way, just as they did the Zerg. And since the Zerg started out as little parasite larva, and grew into what they are now, i have no problem seeing the Protoss starting out as some humanoid species and becoming what they are now.

You do make a good point - the deus ex machina of the Xel'Naga had viewed the Protoss as the "Purity of Form" project - the Zerg "Purity of Essence" project came later.

If the Xel'Naga did change them to feed directly on energy, and seeded the planet with the crystals, then I can see how this would change things. Good point, by the way - I hadn't considered the Xel'Naga. However, as their intervention isn't recorded beyond mythic storytelling in the Protoss history, the details are sketchy.

And what i was saying was taken from the manual, so its not some fandom brain bug, though its just my recolection. But then it is the information of the people who made the game, who would know better than us.

There is that.

If their ability to feed directly on energy is indeed the case, then they are going to be an enigmatic race almost by definition, no matter how their mindset or society might change.

I believe the very intention was to make them dependant on the crystals. I mean they use them for everything, jewelry, power, you even see buildings with some crystals in them. It appears, they do have some symbiotic connection, and dependance, on the khadaryn (sp?) crystrals.

It also raises the question of how the metal is gathered for their ships, actually. According to the non-canon RIFTS conversion of StarCraft I read for the Protoss, The psytanium (sp?) is alloyed with Khaydarin crystals - but it doesn't mention a thing about where the psytanium comes from in the first place.

[18-Till-I-Die]

Well, psitanium could simply be titanium alloyed with khaydarin crystal...stuff.

Perhaps the crystals have a very high melting point, and thus the resulting metal is highy resistant to energy weapons.

Thats all speculation of course.

[rhoenix]

Well, psitanium could simply be titanium alloyed with khaydarin crystal...stuff.

That would make things exceptionally easier. I just might run with that. Or perhaps, I'll leave the mystical psytanium far behind, forcing the Protoss to infuse titanium with crystals, achieving more or less the same effect, though the metal will be more blue than pale yellow, I would imagine.

Perhaps the crystals have a very high melting point, and thus the resulting metal is highy resistant to energy weapons.

That would make sense, that a strong and light metal allowed with the crystals somehow would be more resistant to energy.

Thats all speculation of course.

What do you think I'm doing in the first place?

[Guardsman Bass]

Well...Just because they were a hunter gatherer species when the XelNaga found them means nothing, as the XelNaga modified them in some way, just as they did the Zerg. And since the Zerg started out as little parasite larva, and grew into what they are now, i have no problem seeing the Protoss starting out as some humanoid species and becoming what they are now.

You do make a good point - the deus ex machina of the Xel'Naga had viewed the Protoss as the "Purity of Form" project - the Zerg "Purity of Essence" project came later.

If that were the case, then how would you explain the Dark Templar? According to the manual, they cut off the nerve appendages that connected them to the rest of their race psychically, and cut them off from the normal Protoss psionic energies. Wouldn't they then starve, if they were in a symbiotic relationship with the Crystals?

Besides, the guide booklet makes no mention of the Xel'Naga actually doing massive genetic engineering on the Protoss; it explains that when the Xel'Naga found them, they were a primitive tribal hunting race, heavily resistant to extremes of temperature and harshness, with a strong psionic link. All the Xel'Naga did, as the book explains, is subtly guide their cultural development until they unified as one group society.

If the Xel'Naga did change them to feed directly on energy, and seeded the planet with the crystals, then I can see how this would change things. Good point, by the way - I hadn't considered the Xel'Naga. However, as their intervention isn't recorded beyond mythic storytelling in the Protoss history, the details are sketchy.

The narrator in the guide booklet doesn't seem like a mythic storyteller from the Protoss perspective, since he apparently described the engineering of the Zerg in spite of their being no witnesses except, well, the Zerg.

And what i was saying was taken from the manual, so its not some fandom brain bug, though its just my recolection. But then it is the information of the people who made the game, who would know better than us.

There is that.

If their ability to feed directly on energy is indeed the case, then they are going to be an enigmatic race almost by definition, no matter how their mindset or society might change.

Why, necessarily?

Furthermore, the Protoss, we are told, are not a prolific species. If they have all the energy they need at home (where the Khaydarin crystals are), and have to go to great lengths to draw it from their home world, why even bother expanding? Like I said, they aren't a numerous species; simply needing living space doesn't seem like a viable motive.

Rather than assuming that the Xel'Naga completely re-engineered the Protoss to rely on psychic energy for food, it seems more likely that we just haven't been shown their mouths. Perhaps they are just a slit underneath the 'jawline', and if the Protoss communicate psychically, then we would almost never see them open.

[DesertFly]

If that were the case, then how would you explain the Dark Templar? According to the manual, they cut off the nerve appendages that connected them to the rest of their race psychically, and cut them off from the normal Protoss psionic energies. Wouldn't they then starve, if they were in a symbiotic relationship with the Crystals?

It says that it cut them off from the rest of the Protoss, but if the crystals were the source of their "life force" or whatever, they could still carry those around or incorporate them into their architecture.

The narrator in the guide booklet doesn't seem like a mythic storyteller from the Protoss perspective, since he apparently described the engineering of the Zerg in spite of their being no witnesses except, well, the Zerg.

Except maybe the Xel'Naga. I know they were broken and scattered when the Zerg attacked them, but it didn't say they were completely destroyed as a species.

[Guardsman Bass]

If that were the case, then how would you explain the Dark Templar? According to the manual, they cut off the nerve appendages that connected them to the rest of their race psychically, and cut them off from the normal Protoss psionic energies. Wouldn't they then starve, if they were in a symbiotic relationship with the Crystals?

It says that it cut them off from the rest of the Protoss, but if the crystals were the source of their "life force" or whatever, they could still carry those around or incorporate them into their architecture.

No, it said that since they couldn't draw from the normal Protoss energies, they had to draw power from the 'cold depths of space.' Not to mention that we hear, over and over again in the later Protoss campaign, that the Dark Templar energy is different from normal Protoss energies.

The narrator in the guide booklet doesn't seem like a mythic storyteller from the Protoss perspective, since he apparently described the engineering of the Zerg in spite of their being no witnesses except, well, the Zerg.

Except maybe the Xel'Naga. I know they were broken and scattered when the Zerg attacked them, but it didn't say they were completely destroyed as a species.

That's certainly true (Duran seems to imply that case). Still, then it wouldn't be a mythical account, even if the observer is an ancient Xel'Naga.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

I have a question. According to the manuals, Protoss Pylons are large Khaydarin crystals that provide the psionic energy required to power Protoss buildings. The thing is, judging by both in-game graphics, and the art shown between missions, each of these things is a floating crystal about fifty feet tall.

Now, are khaydarin crystals so common that the Protoss regularly have at least a half-dozen, fifty foot tall crystals scattered around even their outlying bases, or is the crystal structure seen actually a different substance that surrounds a much smaller khaydarin core?

This is especially confusing considering that, according to the in-game cinematics, the Khaliz and (I forget the other one's name) crystals, powerful enough to activate the Zel-Naga temple in the Expansion, are small enough to be hand-held.

[Guardsman Bass]

I have a question. According to the manuals, Protoss Pylons are large Khaydarin crystals that provide the psionic energy required to power Protoss buildings. The thing is, judging by both in-game graphics, and the art shown between missions, each of these things is a floating crystal about fifty feet tall.

Fifty feet tall? That seems kind of like game mechanics to me. The thing is, we don't know for sure how large they are, or how large an area they provide power for, outside of game mechanics.

Now, are khaydarin crystals so common that the Protoss regularly have at least a half-dozen, fifty foot tall crystals scattered around even their outlying bases, or is the crystal structure seen actually a different substance that surrounds a much smaller khaydarin core?

From what the manual suggests, they must be fairly common. Either that, or the Protoss know how to make them somehow.

This is especially confusing considering that, according to the in-game cinematics, the Khaliz and (I forget the other one's name) crystals, powerful enough to activate the Zel-Naga temple in the Expansion, are small enough to be hand-held.

True, but we don't know how the technology and Crystals involved work; there may have been a serious qualitative difference between the Two Crystals and normal Khaydarins.

[rhoenix]

If that were the case, then how would you explain the Dark Templar? According to the manual, they cut off the nerve appendages that connected them to the rest of their race psychically, and cut them off from the normal Protoss psionic energies. Wouldn't they then starve, if they were in a symbiotic relationship with the Crystals?

This is a difficult one, and a two-part question I've been working with while trying to flesh out the Protoss enough for me to be satisfied.

The hypothesis to me about their nerve appendages that makes the most sense is that the Dark Templar cannot "broadcast" thoughts to anyone without the appendages, but they can still "speak" telepathically without hindrance, given the evidence in the game.

As for their "feeding" on the Khaydarin crystals, this doesn't seem to be hindered any any fashion, if their new homeworld of Shakuras is any indication. Also, Shakuras implied that the (Light) Templar and Dark Templar are simply exhibiting two sides of the same energy, much like the Force in Star Wars.

Besides, the guide booklet makes no mention of the Xel'Naga actually doing massive genetic engineering on the Protoss; it explains that when the Xel'Naga found them, they were a primitive tribal hunting race, heavily resistant to extremes of temperature and harshness, with a strong psionic link. All the Xel'Naga did, as the book explains, is subtly guide their cultural development until they unified as one group society.

A "primitive tribal hunting race that had a strong psionic link," yes. From re-reading the history and a little about the secret mission in Brood War, my tentative conclusion is still unformed about whether or not they absorb energy directly, or what.

Why, necessarily?

I was thinking of this from a societal and anthropological standpoint - the Protoss, given what we "know" so far, don't eat food, don't drink liquids, don't breathe, and don't hear. Therefore, they wouldn't have cuisine in the way most species would term it, they wouldn't have alcohol or anything similar, they wouldn't know the smell of rancid garbage from a sweet meadow, and they're oblivious to white noise. Therefore, they wouldn't have music, cuisine, fine drinks, or floral arrangements. These differences alone would alienate another species somewhat, making the Protoss somewhat...inscrutable.

Furthermore, the Protoss, we are told, are not a prolific species. If they have all the energy they need at home (where the Khaydarin crystals are), and have to go to great lengths to draw it from their home world, why even bother expanding? Like I said, they aren't a numerous species; simply needing living space doesn't seem like a viable motive.

The manual did describe the Protoss as a curious species, with one tribe of their people responsible for being the first to explore the seas, the first to explore the skies, and being the first to explore space. I get the impression that they're exploring less out of necessity, and more out of curiosity, somewhat analgous to NASA in real life here in the USA.

Rather than assuming that the Xel'Naga completely re-engineered the Protoss to rely on psychic energy for food, it seems more likely that we just haven't been shown their mouths. Perhaps they are just a slit underneath the 'jawline', and if the Protoss communicate psychically, then we would almost never see them open.

That was the main devil's advocate point I made about the Protoss and mouths too, actually - if they did have mouths, one would never observe a Protoss using them in the game.

Given the issues I listed above, I'd be more inclined to give them a full respiratory system, and a full digestive system, since that would allow them to communicate with another species more easily. They might still rely on their great psionic technological progress, but having them still eat, drink, smell and hear on a regular basis would make them less difficult to write as a people.

I have a question. According to the manuals, Protoss Pylons are large Khaydarin crystals that provide the psionic energy required to power Protoss buildings. The thing is, judging by both in-game graphics, and the art shown between missions, each of these things is a floating crystal about fifty feet tall.

Now, are khaydarin crystals so common that the Protoss regularly have at least a half-dozen, fifty foot tall crystals scattered around even their outlying bases, or is the crystal structure seen actually a different substance that surrounds a much smaller khaydarin core?

This is especially confusing considering that, according to the in-game cinematics, the Khaliz and (I forget the other one's name) crystals, powerful enough to activate the Zel-Naga temple in the Expansion, are small enough to be hand-held.

The Uraj, I believe was the name of the other crystal to complement the Khalis. But to answer your question, they appear to be basically big Khaydarin crystals cut to the proper shape. No canon source lists how fast Khaydarin crystals grow, but if Protoss technology is an indication, I can infer that the crystals do grow reasonably quickly, and can grow large enough to become a Pylon after harvest season.

Also, regarding Dark Templar energies versus (Light) Templar energies - canon sources state that after the original Dark Templar cut off their nerve appendages, they had to draw energy from "the dark energies of the void," which presumably gave rise to their Warp blades, but that aside - the differences between Light and Dark amongst the Protoss is going to be an interesting one.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Fifty feet tall? That seems kind of like game mechanics to me. The thing is, we don't know for sure how large they are, or how large an area they provide power for, outside of game mechanics.

A bit of perspective, linked due to size

Actual game image from the secret Zerg mission from the expansion set. The glowing blue objects are pylons. You can't tell for sure from the perspective, but I'd say fifty feet tall is a reasonable guess there.

[Guardsman Bass]

Yeah, that seems about right, now. Thanks, Oni.



I'm going to raise another point, here; do we have evidence that the Protoss actually communicate (as in normal speech), telepathically? I sort of assumed that to be the case, since we never seem any mouth movements, but it may not be the case.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Well, watching the character-animations in game. You notice that the only difference between 'talking' and not communicating is that their heads nod slightly, and their eyes change colour. I just always assumed it was a telepathic transmission that was simply turned into a vocalization for gameplay purposes. You notice that all Protoss appear to have the echo-effect on their voices, pretty much status-quo for sci-fi voices-in-your-head-telepathy type things.

[rhoenix]

Well, watching the character-animations in game. You notice that the only difference between 'talking' and not communicating is that their heads nod slightly, and their eyes change colour. I just always assumed it was a telepathic transmission that was simply turned into a vocalization for gameplay purposes. You notice that all Protoss appear to have the echo-effect on their voices, pretty much status-quo for sci-fi voices-in-your-head-telepathy type things.

Yes, and also accounting for the sounds and "voice quality" of the Terran troops versus Protoss - this seems silly, but the Terran voices were strongly implying radio and/or computer transmission of some sort, apparent from the sound effects. As for the Protoss, they simply had different accents and voices, but all had the "reverse-echo" quality to their voices, despite being "heard" unimpeded by the player.

Presumably, the Zerg also communicate psionically through their hive mind, but the Zerg troops don't usually appear to have strategic meetings, unless one means "meatings."

[avatarxprime]

At least how I saw it was that the Protoss were taken under the wings of the Xel'Naga while they were in the hunter-gather stage and then with exposure to the Khaydarin crystals they were force evolved into their current form where their psychic connection has become a force that sustains them. Since they are considered the perfect form I am doubtful that they lack all of our conventional senses or at least possess some kind of psionic equivalent.

The crystals themselves are a kind of gateway to the vast energies that psychics draw upon and the Protoss use them to access this and absorb it to sustain themselves. At the same time, actual Xel'Naga created Khaydarin crystals are few, but the Protoss have developed artificial ones with similar properties. These are the ones that are utilized in pylons and in all other Protoss items. Actual crystals like the Uraj and the Khalis are far more powerful than the artificial ones and used only in times when their powers are truly needed.

Access to psychic power is actually something sparked by the Protoss individual, hence why Tassadar was able to learn to use Dark Templar energies. All Protoss are able to access DT energies too, but since the they naturally accessed the High Templar energies and those are the ones that the Xel'Naga utilized with them, they thought that's all there was. DT's didn't starve on psychic energy because they simply started using this alternative, "void" energy instead of the "life" energy used by the rest of the Protoss. However, the Xel'Naga did know about this alternative psychic power since the Zerg were given it to use via the Overmind. Although they may be two sides of the same coin, they are somewhat incompatible, as the Overmind didn't want to attack the Protoss until it has access to their type of psychic power, even though it was formidable itself.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Presumably, the Zerg also communicate psionically through their hive mind, but the Zerg troops don't usually appear to have strategic meetings, unless one means "meatings."

Actually, in-game, the echo-filter and layering on the Overmind and cerebrates was more pronounced than even the Protoss. So going with the voice-effects=telepathic communication theory, it all fits. The infested Kerrigan also had a layered voice, and it's established in the game that she's a telepath, and has sent multiple messages to different people.

Likewise, near the end of the expansion, when Duran reveals his alliance with the Xel-Naga, his voice also gets the nifty layering effect.