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StarCraft Lore Weekly - Hydralisk Edition

Blogs > Talith
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1 2 Next All
Talith
Profile Blog Joined December 2002
United States1102 Posts
May 31 2009 02:02 GMT
#1
Being a StarCraft lore fan boy, I decided to dedicate a blog to answering some of the deeper story based questions behind the StarCraft universe. Such questions as, Why were humans exiled from Earth originally, What is the Protoss Khala, How did the events at Korhal help lead to the overthrow of the Terran Confederacy and more!

This edition will focus on something that makes me cringe every time I hear it. The method of attack that the Hydralisk uses. Sourced from the original manual it states

"The spindly, snake-like Hydralisks house hundreds of armor piercing spines within their upper carapace plates. These spines can be fired in volleys at enemies approaching from either the ground or the air, and massed groups of Hydralisks should be approached with extreme caution"


The green fluid that seems to be coming from the Hydralisk when it attacks would be the oily, lubricant that houses the spines and helps to eliminate friction. Even hovering over the attack/upgrade portrait for the Hydralisk states it's attack as "Needle Spines"!

I will try to be updating this often with insight into the depths of StarCraft lore!

*****
sixghost
Profile Blog Joined November 2007
United States2096 Posts
May 31 2009 02:07 GMT
#2
I've always wondered, marines are mostly convicts, does the same apply for the firebats/medics?
mG.sixghost @ iCCup || One ling, two ling, three ling, four... Camp four gas, then ultra-whore . -Saracen
YPang
Profile Blog Joined April 2007
United States4024 Posts
May 31 2009 02:08 GMT
#3
i think that oily shit might be hydra's spit...
sMi.Gladstone | BW: B high| SC2: gold T_T
sixghost
Profile Blog Joined November 2007
United States2096 Posts
May 31 2009 02:10 GMT
#4
On May 31 2009 11:08 YPang wrote:
i think that oily shit might be hydra's spit...

Isn't all spit basically just lubricant?
mG.sixghost @ iCCup || One ling, two ling, three ling, four... Camp four gas, then ultra-whore . -Saracen
Talith
Profile Blog Joined December 2002
United States1102 Posts
May 31 2009 02:18 GMT
#5
On May 31 2009 11:07 sixghost wrote:
I've always wondered, marines are mostly convicts, does the same apply for the firebats/medics?


Yes, many of the serious criminals, rapists, mass murderers, (think the people that were on prison colony from Alien 3) go through a process called neural resocialization. It is a method in which the person becomes totally obedient however loses much of their independent thought and higher level brain skills. They become perfect soldiers, yet when things get dicey they can often become confused and act less than proficiently (perhaps why they freak out when Jaedong sends his mutalisks ZvT!)

Firebats are also resocialized criminals. Most of the more severe cases of criminals are reserved for them as their job tends to be more... hands on!
aeroH
Profile Blog Joined February 2009
United States1034 Posts
May 31 2009 02:22 GMT
#6
i don't remember any lore behind the corsairs.. maybe i there is no cow level'd that mission...
care to explain the story behind them?
Talith
Profile Blog Joined December 2002
United States1102 Posts
May 31 2009 02:35 GMT
#7
On May 31 2009 11:22 aeroH wrote:
i don't remember any lore behind the corsairs.. maybe i there is no cow level'd that mission...
care to explain the story behind them?


I can look that up more in detail but it was originally constructed by the Dark Templar to safeguard their fleets. Ever since the ousting of the 'Dark Ones' there was a need for quick, fast, agile fighters that could use support planetary forces.
Tracil
Profile Blog Joined September 2005
Australia505 Posts
May 31 2009 02:38 GMT
#8
I would guess medics aren't criminals, unless sci-fi first-aid is totally easy.

Besides, they're officers- I doubt resocialized convicts make it to First Lieutenant.
Shooting
Tom Phoenix
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
1114 Posts
May 31 2009 02:48 GMT
#9
On May 31 2009 11:38 Tracil wrote:
I would guess medics aren't criminals, unless sci-fi first-aid is totally easy.

Besides, they're officers- I doubt resocialized convicts make it to First Lieutenant.


Just so you know, the ranks on the units are merely the remains of the veterancy model which Blizzard tested during StarCraft`s development. In the final version, they merely serve as eye candy and have no bearing on the gameplay or lore.
You and your "5 years of competitive RTS experience" can take a hike. - FrozenArbiter
SayaSP
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Laos5494 Posts
May 31 2009 02:53 GMT
#10
No, medics are crazy women!
[iHs]SSP | I-NO-KI BOM-BA-YE | のヮの http://tinyurl.com/MLIStheCV , MLIS.
cgrinker
Profile Blog Joined December 2007
United States3824 Posts
May 31 2009 02:54 GMT
#11
They come out of the shoulders in the Wc3 version of it
Talith
Profile Blog Joined December 2002
United States1102 Posts
May 31 2009 02:58 GMT
#12
Ya Medics, being part of the UED sent from Earth to fight back against the Zerg would not be resocialized. Plus, they need to be focused and be able to work when the shit hits the fan so you wouldn't want some brain panned medic injecting you with zerg blood instead of human blood! :D
SoulMarine
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
United States586 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-05-31 03:05:17
May 31 2009 02:58 GMT
#13
BYAH! Thats why it's a green fluid. I always thought "Spines, double-yew tee-eff?"

Radio free zerg ♪

and uh sci-fi first aid is quite easy.

hold up your hand and make "blum blum blum" Sounds. It should light up and your buddies will be all better!
베이비 폭스 WeMade 파이팅! ~ WeMade 팬 ~ BaBy 팬 ~ щ(゚Д゚щ) Gee Gee Gee Gee BaBy BaBy BaBy ♫♫
Lemonwalrus
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
United States5465 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-05-31 04:21:58
May 31 2009 03:23 GMT
#14
Where you getting your info?

I've read the stuff that you get with battle chest, but you seem to have more information available to you.

Did you read the novels? I've always kind of wanted to but most people say that they sucked.
Talith
Profile Blog Joined December 2002
United States1102 Posts
May 31 2009 03:26 GMT
#15
I've read many of the novels however most of them do suck. I have the original manual that came with the game back when they sold in BIG boxes and in the manual it contains all the back story and non-essential information that lore lovers like me can't get enough of!
Ghost151
Profile Joined May 2008
United States290 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-05-31 03:32:02
May 31 2009 03:30 GMT
#16
Where you getting your info?

I've read the stuff that you get with battle chest, but you seem to have more information available to you?


his blurb about the hydra spines is from a manual/storybook that comes in the original packaging and (maybe) older versions of the battlechest. I know when I bought my battlechest in like 2002-2003 that all i got was two crappy mini-strategy guides and no manual.
fuck art its a competition if you dont get pissed off when you lose you dont care enough - Idra, on the "art" of RTS games.
PH
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
United States6173 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-05-31 03:52:37
May 31 2009 03:52 GMT
#17
In the SC2 lore, it says that the spines are shot out by muscles in the upper carapace of the hydra or something like that...just to add to the OP. I think I read that on the sc2 blizz website.

The green shit is, as the OP has said, lubricant, or whatever...something that helps the hydra project the spines.

The spines are grown inside the hydra, and hydras are capable of keeping a reservoir of them.

EDIT
The only unit whose attack makes no sense to me whatsoever is the lurker...how the fuck does that unit work?
Hello
Talith
Profile Blog Joined December 2002
United States1102 Posts
May 31 2009 04:22 GMT
#18
On May 31 2009 12:52 PH wrote:
In the SC2 lore, it says that the spines are shot out by muscles in the upper carapace of the hydra or something like that...just to add to the OP. I think I read that on the sc2 blizz website.

The green shit is, as the OP has said, lubricant, or whatever...something that helps the hydra project the spines.

The spines are grown inside the hydra, and hydras are capable of keeping a reservoir of them.

EDIT
The only unit whose attack makes no sense to me whatsoever is the lurker...how the fuck does that unit work?


That's a good question about the Lurker. I assume the evolution would compound the spines into one long membrane allowing the Lurker to use the spines from the original Hydralisk carapace into a longer ranged, stealthier attack.
Archaic
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
United States4024 Posts
May 31 2009 04:33 GMT
#19
On May 31 2009 13:22 Talith wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 31 2009 12:52 PH wrote:
In the SC2 lore, it says that the spines are shot out by muscles in the upper carapace of the hydra or something like that...just to add to the OP. I think I read that on the sc2 blizz website.

The green shit is, as the OP has said, lubricant, or whatever...something that helps the hydra project the spines.

The spines are grown inside the hydra, and hydras are capable of keeping a reservoir of them.

EDIT
The only unit whose attack makes no sense to me whatsoever is the lurker...how the fuck does that unit work?


That's a good question about the Lurker. I assume the evolution would compound the spines into one long membrane allowing the Lurker to use the spines from the original Hydralisk carapace into a longer ranged, stealthier attack.


The only thing I can think of is that they expand themselves through the ground in the direction of their targets, and fire upwards.

i.e.
1. >>
2. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
3. >^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^
4. >>
Licmyobelisk
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Philippines3682 Posts
May 31 2009 04:41 GMT
#20
sweet! lore theory! :D

I'd say lurker is both a de-volution and evolution of a hydralisk.. In hydra form, it can shoot spines to aerial units, and can attack in ground form then when it evolves to lurker its needs to fucking burrow first before it can attack lol!
I don't think I've ever wished my opponent good luck prior to a game. When I play, I play to win. I hope every opponent I ever have is cursed with fucking terrible luck. I hope they're stuck playing underneath a stepladder with a black cat in attendance a
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