Char

Char was once one of the thirteen core worlds of the Confederacy, but the planet is best known as the primary hive of the alien Zerg. After its discovery, Char turned out to be an inhospitable, volcanic planet; Ash covered much of the surface, obscuring the corrosive atmosphere. Extremely high levels of cosmic rays make the environment all the more dangerous.

The ash world of Char serves as the Zerg base of operations in the Koprulu Sector. The harsh volcanic landscape is dotted with sprawling hive colonies and labyrinthine tunnel systems where millions of malevolent Zerg lurk.

• Population : Estimated 10,000,000,000+ Zerg
• Affiliation : Swarm
• Diameter/gravity : 10,521 km, 0.91 standard
• Tilt / Climate : 4.1 degrees, +/- 48 degrees Celsius (average, highs of 800°C+), very low humidity
• Geography / Large settlements : 52 volcanic calderas, 18 mountain ranges (all volcanic), 38 lava lakes, 5 lava seas (variable), estimated 150 primary zerg swarm clusters, estimated 1029 tertiary zerg swarm clusters
• Moon(s) : 2: Eris, Ate (violet, small, >1000 km diameter)
• Prevailing Terrain : Volcanic
• Dominant life forms : Zerg
• Native Life Forms : None
• Imports : None
• Exports : None

Despite the hellish conditions, Char was initially settled to take advantage of the extremely rich deposits of heavy metals to further fuel the Confederation’s rapidly expanding economy. However, the planet became the source of tensions between the Terran Confederation and independent mining guilds operating outside of Moria.This is caused by the delicate interaction of Char’s binary stars, a class VI F0 subdwarf orbiting a class M8 star in an erratic orbit. Due to its elliptical orbit, entire regions facing the sun can turn into molten lakes when it comes close. If the planet drifts towards the icy border areas of the system, temporary islands form in them as a result of the rapid cooling.

As these disputes escalated into open conflict, with both sides attempting to win the planet, one of the fiercest battles of the Guild Wars erupted on Char. In areas like Death Valley and the Looking Glass Plateau, the unrestrained use of nuclear weapons brought dormant volcanoes to fiery life, adding to the already high radiation levels on the planet’s surface, deadly even to armored Marines.

In the aftermath of the Guild Wars, the Confederacy’s presence on the devastated planet was limited to sporadic maintenance teams in charge of automated mining operations. All personnel lived on a space station, Char Aleph, which was established in low orbit over the planet. Ten years later, during the Zerg invasion, Char was quickly overrun by the Swarm and the planet became the primary Zerg hive in the Koprulu Sector. It is now thought that Zerg tunnels extend under more than 40% of the planet’s surface. Char Aleph could not be saved from a contamination and soon served the Zerg as a nesting and breeding ground in orbit.

With an inhospitable wasteland on Char and no organic life forms to benefit from, many speculations have been made as to why the Zerg would want to invade this planet. Theorists are divided. It is either believed that Char provides a convenient gateway to the core worlds of Terran space and that of the Protoss, that the inhospitable environment facilitates Zerg defense, or that Char’s particularly high level of radiation in Zerg organisms promotes an increased mutation rate and thus a artificially induced evolution of separate breeds possible.

Whatever the reason, the presence of the Zerg on Char has condemned the planet to a battleground. The Protoss and Terran forces had made numerous attempts to infiltrate the planet, with more or less successful missions. When the Queen of Blades overthrew the Cerebrates that controlled the Swarm, fierce and bloody battles were fought even among the Zerg. Four years earlier, three full-fledged fleets met their demise while confronting the Queen of Blades on Char. The Queen of Blades emerged as the dominant power in the sector after an apocalyptic battle that destroyed a Terran League fleet, a Protoss armada, and ultimately the UED Expeditionary Force. Since then, the Zerg have been unusually passive. They seemed content to still be on the world they had so quickly contaminated in their original invasion.

Starcraft History

The story of Starcraft is getting more and more extensive. Already the first part and the expansion Brood War offer a lot of reading material. In addition, there are numerous Starcraft books. With Starcraft II, the story is expanded significantly. On this page we offer a lot of information about the complete Starcraft story. How the three races were created is listed here in chapters. This starts with the chronicles of Starcraft 1 and goes all the way to the campaigns of Starcraft 2.

In our summary of the Starcraft 2 prehistory we have listed information from fairs and other sources.

If you would like to know what happened in certain time intervals, our Starcraft timeline is just right for you. The most important events are listed there.

Protoss Tribes

Although the Khala demand that the Protoss abandon their old tribal communities and accept the new castes of Judicators, Templars and Khalai, many still cling to the customs and relics of the old traditions. The various tribes remain intact only to serve as a cautionary reminder of the mistakes of the old Protoss. With the rise of the Judicators as the ruling caste over all Protoss, the old dilemma of separatist tendencies and tribal claims is no longer a threat to the community as a whole. The most important aspect that has survived from ancient times is that each Protoss tribe has its own unique skin color, which can range from mottled grays to a deep blue.

Judicator Caste

• Ahra
• Shelak

Templar caste

• Akilae
• Sargas
• Auriga

Khalai caste

• Furinax

Terran Factions

Starcraft History | Protoss Tribes | Terran Factions | Zerg Races Each of the various Terran military factions benefits from the advanced hardware and weaponry produced by the colonies in the Koprulu sector. Numerous factions modify their weapons based on the particular characteristics or preferences of their fighting troops. Most Terran tanks, aircraft, and war machines were developed and produced by private corporations, but the plans and technical blueprints for them have since been stolen, smuggled out, and bartered away, ending up in the hands of scientists from a wide variety of political factions and groups.

The Confederation of Terra
Omega Squadron “The Skull Legion
Nova Squadron
Alpha Squadron “The Blood Hawks
The Pirate Militias
The Sons of Korhal
The Protectorate of Umoja
The Kel Morian Combine.

Zerg Races

Little is known about the various races that make up Zerg swarms. Terran scientists have begun to document and classify some of the larger races that have ravaged their colonies. What seems clear is that each particular race/breed is descended from a unique Cerebrate that carries out the commands of the Overmind. Each cerebrate has the power to build its own brood to carry out its tasks. While it is difficult to distinguish one brood from another, Terran scouts believe they have found that they vary in functionality and purpose. It is considered proven that certain races work so closely together as if they were intertwined extensions of a larger tactical force. Terran researchers have given the races names of monsters from ‘ancient Earth’ mythology.

The Command Wing

• Tiamat
• Fenris
• Baelrog

Primary attack units

• Garm
• Jormungand
• Surtur