Tassadar

"Indeed. My friends, this is our final hour. Not all of us may survive the coming conflict. Yet, death may be a blessing should we fail here. We seek now to destroy a foe that has ravaged its way across the universe consuming all in its path. And now it has reached the end of its long journey. The Overmind has come to destroy all that we hold dear and assimilate us into itself. And I say to thee, this shall not come to pass! Aiur shall not fall! Executor, I stand ready!"

- Tassadar's inspirational speech shortly before the final assault on the Overmind

Tassadar, aged 356, was a Protoss High Templar and Executor in charge of the Expeditionary Force which made first contact with the Zerg. His forces made first contact with the Terrans by sterilizing the surface of Chau Sara in an effort to stem the growth of the Zerg. Tassadar was extremely reluctant to sacrifice the Terrans in order to destroy the Zerg. He eventually lost his position as Executor for sparing the Terrans and consorting with the Dark Templar.

Tassadar learned how to use the Dark Templar's energies and dared to bring them to Aiur. This alliance was responsible for the destruction of the dreaded Overmind, but not without Tassadar's sacrifice.

Tassadar the Warrior
Tassadar "was born into a generation that looked set for a dynamic future", yet stood as an example for a growing rift in Protoss society. Frustrated by the stoic, dogmatic view that his elders held of the past, Tassadar felt that the unbending nature of Protoss society and their inability to re-evaluate ancient traditions would lead to disaster. The Dark Templar were of special interest to him, but still stood in anathema to what he believed in. Regardless, Tassadar rose through the ranks of the Templar Caste alongside his friend Fenix, achieving the rank of Executor.

Tassadar the Executor
As the Executor of his famed Expeditionary Fleet, Tassadar encountered a deep space probe by chance while on a routine patrol within the Koprulu Sector. The strange creature was brought and examined by scientists. However, the Protoss were mystified by what they had discovered. Eventually Tassadar ordered the creature be examined with a Khaydarin Crystal. He was horrified by what he discovered - not only did they naturally react to the crystals (revealing their Xel'Naga origin) but he could read their vague thoughts - Find Humanity ... Assimilate ... Learn ... Evolve.

This was reported to the Protoss Conclave on Aiur. Tassadar argued that under the dictates of the Dae'Uhl, it was the responsibility of the Protoss to protect the Terrans. The Conclave in turn argued that if the "worthless" race of Terrans had already been infested by this new threat, they must be put to the flame and eradicated. Eventually an agreement was reached, Tassadar leading his expeditionary force in his command ship, the Gantrithor, to monitor the Terran worlds and discern the severity of the impending danger.

Tassadar approached Chau Sara, a Terran colony planet, on December 8th, 2499. The Zerg had completely covered the planet in Creep, an organic carpet, killing or infesting all of its inhabitants.As per the orders of the Conclave, he reluctantly brought his lumbering vessels into low orbit and attacked, killing virtually all life on the surface.

Unfortunately, other nearby planets had also been infested, and Tassadar was ordered to sterilize them as well. The nearest such planet was Mar Sara. Upon his approach, he was met by a hesitant Terran Confederacy fleet, but instead of attacking them, Tassadar announced himself and withdrew, unable to follow his genocidal orders.

The Battle for Koprulu
Eventually, the Confederacy pulled its military structure from Mar Sara and the Sons of Korhal evacuated the planet.

Tassadar still tried to rescue surviving Confederacy soldiers at Fire Base Chimera, who were under attack by the Zerg. The base was overrun by the time Tassadar arrived with a small escort, and Tassadar, fighting his way inside, found a sole Terran Marine inside the infirmary, Gunnery Sergeant Andre Madrid, a native of Chau Sara, who had been attacked by the Zerg and bore its virus, slowing infesting him. They had a conversation about the Protoss' anti-Zerg tactics which could have led to the deaths of many Terrans on Chau Sara, but Tassadar said that he only attacked Chau Sara when it became obvious that all the Terrans were either dead or without hope of surviving the Zerg presence. Madrid requested euthanasia from Tassadar, rather than die as an Infested Terran. Tassadar granted the request.

Only then did Tassadar attack and again sterilize a planetary surface.

Tassadar proceeded to Antiga Prime; he allowed the Terrans to escape, even offering an alliance with them. After the defeat of the Delta Squadron detachment sent to help evacuate the planet, Tassadar ordered his fleet to purge the planet of the Zerg.

The Sons of Korhal arrived at Tarsonis, the capital planet of the Terran Confederacy. After a fierce battle they activated a number of psi-emitters, luring a massive army of Zerg to the planet in order to eliminate the Confederates.

Tassadar moved his fleet into position to destroy the Zerg. He might have been successful, save for the actions of a Sons of Korhal strike force led by Sarah Kerrigan. Kerrigan believed (due to her mind-reading abilities) that the Protoss were there to destroy all life on Tarsonis, not just the Zerg. In what was ironically their first confrontation of many to come, her forces defeated his but were overwhelmed in turn by the Zerg as she was betrayed and left to die by Arcturus Mengsk. Soon after the Zerg began invading Tarsonis, Tassadar's forces then battled the Zerg all over the whole world as well as the remnants of the Confederacy.

Break with the Conclave
The Zerg secretly captured Kerrigan and transported her to Char, fleeing the blasted world of Tarsonis. Tassadar was ordered to return to Aiur. However, Kerrigan subconsciously sent psychic messages to her former allies, Arcturus Mengsk and Jim Raynor, and her psychic calls also attracted the attention of Tassadar and the Dark Templar Zeratul as well. Tassadar disobeyed his orders and traveled to Char.

When Tassadar's forces arrived, he encountered a battle between the Zerg Swarm, which was attacking the vessels of two Terran forces, Raynor's Raiders and General Edmund Duke's Alpha Squadron. Tassadar destroyed the ships to prevent the Zerg from consuming those within, but both flagships escaped.

On Char, Tassadar encountered Jim Raynor, leader of the Raiders, and explained the reasons behind the attacks. The two forces struck an alliance of sorts. Tassadar also came across the Dark Templar Prelate Zeratul, treating him as an enemy at first. Zeratul convinced him to join forces with the Protoss outcasts in order to defeat the Zerg. Zeratul believed the Zerg were controlled by agents of the Overmind called Cerebrates, and that only his Dark Templar psionic energies could permanently slay one, due to these energies' similarities to those used by Cerebrates and the Overmind. Zeratul also began teaching Tassadar how to use the Dark Templar's Void-based psionic energies, a task that was considered blasphemous by Judicator Aldaris. During the teachings, Tassadar underwent a Shadow Walk.

Tassadar planned to distract the Zerg while Zeratul slew a Cerebrate. Tassdar proceeded to challenge Infested Kerrigan to a duel in order to distract her and the Zerg, but Zasz, Cerebrate of the Garm Brood and a rival of Kerrigan's, noticed something odd or different about Tassadar. Kerrigan didn't listen to Zasz, however.

Tassadar did not actually duel Kerrigan, using an illusion to distract her while Zeratul assassinated Cerebrate Zasz. This temporarily disabled the Zerg Overmind, forcing the Zerg to eradicate Zasz' now-amok Garm Brood.

When the Overmind recovered from his long pause, the Zerg launched a retaliatory attack, led by Kerrigan, on Zeratul's and Tassdar's bases. Both of them survived, but their armies were decimated which led to the majority of the Expedtionary Force being wiped out and being forced to escape. Zeratul became separated from Tassadar and was for a while trapped inside an infested Terran installation in a desperate attempt to hide from the Zerg.

The Situation on Aiur
On Aiur, the Zerg invaded and ran amok, held back by the efforts of the new Executor and Fenix. Tassadar contacted Aldaris and his friend, Praetor Fenix, on Aiur.

Aldaris demanded Tassadar explain where he had been; Tassadar replied that, instead of return to Aiur, which the Conclave had ordered him to do, he followed a psionic call to the world of Char. The Dark Templar were attracted to this as well. Aldaris reacted poorly to this announcement, but Tassadar revealed he had learned much from their Prelate, Zeratul.

Tassadar told them that if they destroyed the Zerg Cerebrates, than the Swarms would fall. Aldaris feared the influence of the Dark Templar, telling Tassadar he could feel their influence on his mind; he felt he couldn't trust Tassadar. Fenix, however, was willing to follow Tassadar's advice. Tassadar refused to return.

Fenix's attempts to kill Zerg Cerebrate Gorn of the Baelrog Brood had been unsuccessful, as the Overmind had reincarnated the creature before his very eyes.

Stirring Rebellion
Tassadar hid out on a platform orbiting Char, along with his Terran friend Jim Raynor. The Protoss forces, led by Aldaris and the new Executor, came to arrest him because of his alliance with the Dark Templar. Tassadar was surprised; he thought defending Aiur was more important. He asked the Executor to help him find Zeratul and the Dark Templar; together, they would slay the Cerebrates and defeat the Swarm. Once this happened, he would gladly turn himself over to the Conclave's judgements. The new Executor and his forces agreed to work with Tassadar.

Aldaris tried one last appeal to the Executor and Tassadar, calling Tassadar "Aiur's favored son". Tassadar said he would rather give up that status and ally with the Dark Templar out of necessity; only Dark Templar could kill Cerebrates because they shared similar energies with the Zerg. Fenix's forces had been unable to slay the Cerebrate they had attacked because the energies they wielded were useless when used directly against the Overmind and its Cerebrates.

Tassadar and his forces descended to the surface of Char in order to rescue Zeratul, who had been imprisoned in an underground installation surrounded by Zerg Hive Clusters. During the battles with the Zerg, Tassadar encountered a ruined Terran base, presided over by General Edmund Duke of the Terran Dominion's Alpha Squadron. Duke reacted in his usual aggressive fashion. Duke's forces were defeated.

Tassadar's forces reached the installation and, allying with the desperate Terran soldiers within, defeated the Zerg, rescuing Zeratul and his Dark Templar warriors. Zeratul remarked that Tassadar had learned the Dark Templar ways. Tassadar offered to bring Zeratul to Aiur, despite what the Conclave might think, in order to save Aiur from the Swarm.

Tassadar traveled back to Aiur, where he met up with Fenix. Tassadar was surprised to find him still alive, albeit in the shell of a Dragoon, but Fenix was more interested in delivering a warning; the Conclave had branded him a traitor and sought to arrest him and execute Zeratul. Tassadar was shocked that they would "cling to their failing traditions" even as the Zerg threatened them with annihilation. Fenix stood beside Tassadar, even though this would damn him as well. Tassadar decided he would fight the Conclave.

Together, Tassadar, Zeratul, and Fenix assaulted the Heart of the Conclave, but Tassadar was distraught by the infighting and surrendered himself to Aldaris.

The Dark Templar vanished, leaving the new Executor and Fenix to continue their rebellion with little support. In this dark hour, help and hope came from an unexpected source: Jim Raynor, leading his Raiders in the Hyperion.

Fenix's forces, with the help of Raynor, attacked the Stasis Cell in which Tassadar was incarcerated and was awaiting trial and execution. Fenix and Raynor defeated the Conclave loyalist forces and destroyed the cell, freeing Tassadar. Aldaris then reappeared, leading a last-ditch attack to recapture Tassadar, but he was in turn ambushed by Zeratul and his Dark Templar.

Final Battles
Tassadar rested from his ordeal while Zeratul assaulted and slew a pair of Cerebrates, before taking flight in his Carrier, the Gantrithor, to lead the final assault against the Zerg Overmind. Before the battle began, Tassadar told the troops that the Overmind had come to Aiur to assimilate the Protoss themselves, but Aiur would not fall to the Zerg. As the Protoss forces moved into position, Aldaris contacted Tassadar, and informed that both he and the Protoss Conclave had realized that they had been wrong about him.

Aided by Raynor's Raiders, the Protoss launched a massive, full-scale offensive against the now-exposed Zerg Overmind. However, in their initial assault, the Protoss and the Terrans were only able to destroy the Overmind's outer shell. By this time the Protoss had suffered significant casualties and the Ganthritor had become critically damaged. Tassadar concentrated his psionic energies, drawn from both the Khala and the Void, into the hull of the Gantrithor and crashed it into the Overmind. The resulting explosion succeeded in destroying the Overmind, throwing the Zerg swarms across the planet into chaos and disarray. Most of Aiur had been rendered a smoldering ruin by the Zerg invasion, however, and the swarms were still running rampant across its surface, making it somewhat of a pyrrhic victory.

Legacy
Due to his selfless sacrifice, Tassadar is considered a great hero by the Protoss. In Brood War his name is invoked, usually by Artanis, in the salutation "En Taro Tassadar", comparable to the traditional "En Taro Adun". "En Taro Tassadar" is also used by the Zealots in StarCraft II.

Tassadar is set to make an appearance in the Dark Templar Saga, courtesy of the memories that Zamara possesses. He will be seen through the eyes of a close friend.

Twilight Messiah?
Tassadar was referred to as a "Twilight Messiah" at BlizzCon 2007's Lore Panel. Chris Metzen later raised the possibility that, through the Khala, Tassadar's spirit is "floating around somewhere. The concept is not entirely new; Templar Archives have long enabled Templar warriors to commune with their deceased ancestors.

Game Unit
Tassadar is notably a seasoned High Templar warrior, although he has been seen in his highly regarded Carrier form in some missions (the Gantrithor). Most intriguingly, Tassadar possesses something other High Templar do not, a regular attack, called "Psi Assault."