Protoss

"We are the protoss. Children of ancient gods. We are the Firstborn. And we shall be the last left standing."

- Hierarch Artanis

The protoss, a.k.a. the Firstborn, are a sapient humanoid race native to Aiur. Their advanced technology complements and enhances their psionic mastery.

The main protoss cultural groups are the Khalai, who adhere to the communal Khala, and the Nerazim, who reject the Khala. In addition, another branch of the protoss separate from the Khala called the Tal'darim lives in various places in the galaxy.

Protoss civilization was reunified when the Khalai and Nerazim, sundered since the Discord, were reunited after the devastation of Aiur by the zerg during the Great War.

Alongside the zerg and terrans, the protoss stand as one of the three dominant species of the Milky Way. Protoss are not found outside the Koprulu sector.

History
"Stay alert people, these guys play hardball."

- Jim Raynor The protoss are an ancient race, and they consider themselves to be the "firstborn" race of the universe.

The protoss were discovered by Amon and his followers on Aiur, a world the xel'naga had previously engineered. The xel'naga, who were nearing the end of their life cycle, were in need of a race to achieve purity of form and intrigued by their mental connection, chose to use the protoss. Amon uplifted the protoss and manipulated their essence. Pushing the evolution of the protoss, the purity of form was achieved and the xel'naga eventually descended to Aiur. The protoss, who revered the Amon and his followers as gods, learned much from them. But in time, they began to grow wary of their creators, and rebelled from them, attacking their ships and killing hundreds. Amon and his followers left the planet as the protoss fell into the Aeon of Strife, a period of brutal civil war. Until the End War, history would hold that it was the xel'naga as a whole that were responsible for this uplift.

The destructive civil war ended when Khas, using xel'naga-derived artifacts called khaydarin crystals, re-created the psionic link. It became the basis of a new philosophy called the Khala.

Approximately 1500 by terran reckoning, the Conclave attempted to exterminate rogue heretics who had deliberately cut themselves off from the Khala and would later become known as the Dark Templar. They ordered Executor Adun to execute them, but Adun refused, instead teaching the rogues to hide from the Conclave. Eventually the rogues lost control of their powers, alerting the Conclave. They were secretly banished on a xel'naga ship.

By 2499 the protoss became aware of a xenomorphic threat, the zerg, another alien species also created by the xel'naga. The zerg were attacking the terrans, a species which had traveled to the Koprulu Sector two hundred years previously. The Conclave dispatched Tassadar and a force of protoss to destroy the infestation by purifying the infested worlds.

Tassadar's force failed in its mission, and the remnants traveled to the new zerg homeworld, Char. There, Tassadar struck an alliance with the Dark Templar prelate, Zeratul. They discovered a weakness in the zerg command structure which could be exploited only by the Dark Templar, and clashed with their new leader, the Queen of Blades. Meanwhile, the majority of the zerg force traveled to Aiur. The protoss were losing the battle, but when Tassadar brought Zeratul to Aiur, a protoss civil war broke out between Tassadar's followers and the followers of the Conclave. Eventually Tassadar's faction won. Unimpeded by the Conclave, Tassadar's followers attacked the Overmind itself. Tassadar died during the battle. Seventy percent of protoss on Aiur were killed.

The protoss fled to Shakuras, followed by a zerg faction. The protoss destroyed the renegade zerg, saving themselves but advancing Sarah Kerrigan's aims. With the assistance of her enigmatic minion Samir Duran, she would later force the protoss into destroying the second Overmind for her, making her the sole leader of the Zerg Swarm. As the protoss attempted a revenge strike on Kerrigan, Duran abandoned her to conduct protoss/zerg hybridization experiments, which were discovered by Zeratul. The latter exiled himself for several years following the discovery.

The protoss spent years rebuilding the Golden Armada to retake Aiur, and in 2506, the fleet was launched to retake their homeworld. However, this coincided with the return of Amon, who corrupted the Khala and possessed every protoss connected to it. Artanis gathered the survivors aboard the arkship the Spear of Adun, and set off to find the means to fight Amon. They followed Zeratul's lead to the temple of Ulnar, but found the xel'naga there dead. Artanis then united the ancient Purifiers and the Tal'darim, and moved to reclaim their home. The attack was successful; Aiur was reclaimed and Amon was thrust back into the Void. The protoss, with the aid of the Dominion and Zerg Swarm, pushed into the Void and slew Amon, ending his manipulations of the protoss.

Physiology
"As they say, the enemy of my enemy... ...is tall, dark and ugly?"

- Jack Frost and Charlie Vane after seeing a protoss for the first time.

Protoss are about two meters (seven feet) to three meters tall, with typical heights of eight to nine feet (2.4-2.7 meters). The height of researcher Ulavu was given as two and a quarter meters. A protoss would consider a human over six feet tall to be "short".

They have two glowing eyes that blink normally, digitigrade legs, semi-permeable skin covered in scales, four digits on their hands (of which two are thumbs) and toes, broad chests and shoulders, and narrow waists with slim midsections. Extending back from the crown of the head, protoss have a bony crest. Beneath it, emerging from the back of the head, are the nerve cords, allowing them to access their racial psionic gestalt. This gestalt is the basis of the Khala.

The xel'naga considered these beings to have purity of form as the protoss are incredibly adaptable to harsh natural conditions and climates, and their strength and speed were unparalleled amongst the other races known to the xel’naga. Protoss even have sharp claws, which can be deadly weapons if a protoss is caught unarmed.

Protoss derive sustenance from light, capable of living off moonlight (reflected sunlight), and can go without light for extended periods of time. What little water they need is absorbed through the skin. The Dark Templar modified themselves biologically and used other techniques to survive on the formerly lightless world of Shakuras. Protoss describe the principle of light absorption to be the same as plants, but over a much wider electromagnetic spectrum.

The protoss used to hunt, but they did so to collect the blood and hides of animals for various purposes, not for sustenance.

Protoss hear and smell through their skin, and it is believed that their primary sense is sight. Protoss have a sense of smell sharp enough to identify other protoss and see very well at night. A protoss' skin color may change in response to changes in its emotions. They are bereft of mouths, noses, or visible ears and are without a sense of taste. They possess three hearts.

Protoss sleep and dream in a manner similar to humans. When particuarly emotional, streams of energy have been observed to stream from a protoss's eyes, similar to how a terran might cry. Eye colors include blue, green, gold, violet, and red. The proliferation of eye color corresponds to kindred; Khalai eyes are predominantly blue, Nerazim are predominantly green, and red is present among the Tal'darim, though has also been observed for the Khalai.

A protoss's maximum life expectancy is 1000 years, though exceptions exist.

Protoss are not a prolific people and the xel'naga even developed an artifact, the Kassia crystal, to counteract this. The population of Aiur, however, had reached billions. Before the Fall of Aiur, the protoss population was in decline due to systematic extermination; the protoss were passing away from sheer age. Their numbers have been further reduced through conflict, and their population continues to decline.

Protoss blood is blue or purple. As in humans, coloration is considered a sign of ethnicity, with each protoss tribe having a specific subtly differing hue or typical pattern of markings associated with it.

As with terrans and zerg, protoss genetic material consists of DNA with helix strands. There is evidence that the protoss have yet to unlock their full genetic potential, but this theory died along with the Protoss Advance/Experimental Facility.

Protoss DNA is "antithetical" to zerg DNA and cannot be combined through infestation under normal circumstances. Artificial methods can be used to generate hybrids however. A protoss may still serve as the host for a zerg parasite.

Protoss can bear birthmarks.

Protoss possess a body part called a thylar, which may be held by their hand.

Protoss skin color varies based on tribal bloodline. While the protoss are no longer a tribal society, the tribal bloodlines still run strong.

Medical Care
"There's a protoss here who needs mouth-to-mou - ooh... well... mouth to... something."

- A confused medic

On the battlefield protoss warriors are known to fight with tremendous power and grace, but despite the chaos they inflict on their enemies they are capable of being mortally wounded. When a protoss nears death, their foes often bear witness to a startling flash of bright light as the protoss warrior seemingly disappears. Primitive races are known to quail in superstitious fear upon seeing this, but it is actually another aspect of protoss technology at work rather than any sort of supernatural feat.

Protoss armor is typically equipped with a complex teleportation mechanism that can detect when its wearer is grievously injured and automatically teleports the warrior to the nearest safe haven. This of course is dependent on the mechanism being fully functional, as there is the risk of being damaged during combat.

Those protoss who are too badly injured after the battle but still wish to continue fighting are placed within the shell of a dragoon, immortal or vanguard, which allows them to serve their brethren on the battlefield. The choice is left to each individual protoss; whether to continue service or join with their ancestors in the Khala.

Protoss that suffer injuries to their psionic appendages (such as the Nerazim) attach clamps to the remnants in order to prevent energy bleed.

Terran understanding of protoss physiology is limited. Their respective biologies are similar enough for substances and drugs, such as Sundrop and a medic's medicine to affect both.

Mental Abilities
Their powerful psionic abilities extend further than that of human ghosts.

Protoss have been described as "devastatingly intelligent", and their thought processes work very differently than those of terrans.

Protoss are natural mind-readers. They must learn to filter the thoughts they read, block and release (which would prevent other protoss from reading their minds). The ability to block thoughts is compromised by the Khala, which prevents the protoss which follow that philosophy from hiding from each other. During the Aeon of Strife, Protoss regularly used their mind-screening abilities to ambush each other.

Protoss can use their psionic abilities to shield themselves, charge their tools and weapons, and to materialize, manipulate or meld matter. At least some of these abilities can only be used by a small minority of protoss without technological assistance (such as the creation of shields).

Protoss can sometimes access memories and strands of experience from protoss who have died and entered the Khala, but only preservers have full access to this knowledge. Protoss warriors can learn from the spirits of fallen warriors at the Templar Archives.

The powers of the Khala and the Void protect protoss from zerg infestation.

Communication
Protoss can communicate telepathically with each other. They can do so through "speaking", a method that transmits little or no emotional content. Using their nerve cords they can also communicate in a manner which enables them to sense each others' emotions, a key part of their psionic gestalt, the Khala. During the Aeon of Strife this ability had fallen into disuse, but was restored by the mystic Khas. Protoss who follow the Khala use both methods of communication. Dark Templar ritually sever their nerve cords, which prevents the emotional link.

Protoss can create a special kind of mind-meld deep within the Khala, where no one can lie. Protoss performing this kind of mind-meld hold up their hands and face their palms to each other; both palms softly glow. This kind of communication was also possibly held between Executor Adun and Raszagal, the latter not following the Khala.

Protoss "speak" a language called Khalani, communicating through telepathic bursts. The privacy of the conversation is up to those involved on it. Even through communication, pain can be caused via this telepathy via mental spikes. Terrans exposed to protoss communication often hear nearly meaningless sounds. However, at least some protoss have the ability to "translate" the thoughts into a form which a terran can understand. There is a limit to how far a protoss can communicate through telepathy&mdash;psychic boosters are used for ship-wide broadcasts, and psi-link spires are used for communication across interstellar distances. Protoss are capable of using their telepathic powers to directly interface with terran video communication systems.

The protoss of the Aeon of Strife did not understand the concept of non-psionic communication. Khas effectively (re-)created the concept of reading and writing, a necessity for translating some xel'naga relics.

In addition to telepathy, protoss possess a degree of body language used in conveying feelings, intent, etc. For instance, a bob of the head and movement of a protoss' nerve chords is a sign of contempt. Bowing of the head, shaking and/or mottling of the skin is a sign of emotional distress.

Culture
"If society is defined by how well its members comprehend one another's interests and culture, the protoss manage to eclipse us merely by existing. You call them detached? They connect with each other's emotions instinctively. They share dimensions of understanding as easily as we breathe. We remain so very, very alone. Our relationships are childish by comparison."

- Jake Ramsey

Protoss culture is built around core philosophies that have been rigidly adhered to for over a millennium. As such, it is difficult for their society to adapt to changing circumstances. The integration of Khalai and Nerazim is a case in point in different cultural values.

Khalai culture has its roots in the Aeon of Strife, the period of chaos following the retreat of the xel'naga. At the end of the Strife, the protoss were reunited under the precepts of the Khala ("Path to Ascension") as promoted by the mystic Khas. The Khala took advantage of the natural psionic communal link and established a caste system. Protoss can be fanatical when it comes to their religious beliefs.

Not all protoss embraced the Khala. Many outcasts, eventually known as the Nerazim, were later banished from Aiur. Yet other outcasts, the Tal'darim, use drugs to cut themselves off from the Khala.

Female protoss rarely attain positions of power, except among the Nerazim. They are rare among the Templar Caste and were never part of the Conclave. Many protoss have a prejudice against female terrans, as the only one they've had much contact with was Kerrigan (contrasted to Jim Raynor). Very young protoss are referred to as "younglings."

The protoss are considered a "warrior race", although they were not constantly at war. They trained incessantly for combat, however, and prior to the Great War warred with the kalathi and "other types" of protoss. Protoss have a strict code of justice and honor, and strongly believe in their responsibility to enforce it. They strive for glory in battle. For the protoss, discipline and advanced technology are the key to success on the battlefield, and dying with honor is preferable to surviving through cowardice.

Protoss have always been willing to sacrifice their lives for other members of their species. Protoss revel in the glory of personal combat, and consider the ranged weapons of terrans to be cowardly. Nonetheless, they recognize the necessity of ranged warfare, hence the existence of technology such as the photon cannon.

Aiur holds great, almost spiritual significance to all protoss.

The protoss, or at least the Khalai, do not not have a concept of luck, instead seeing "the synchronicity of events," and knowing there is a grander design behind them.

Among the Nerazim, family ties are important, but among the Khalai and Tal'darim, family terms are indirect, and protoss do not form terran-like family units.

Language
"Oh, good, the protoss...I was hoping to get an indulgent lecture today."

- Alexei Stukov

Protoss have a mental language, Khalani, and a written language, which the Nerazim maintained. Khalai can communicate wordlessly due to the properties of the Khala, while Nerazim must voice their words vocally.

Religion
"Faith before fear."

- Hierarch Artanis

The protoss as a whole once worshiped the xel'naga as gods. In the present day, various protoss have also referred to the xel'naga as gods, and the Tal'darim have taken a hardline approach to worship of Amon and his follower xel'naga as a deities.

Protoss Heroes
A number of protoss are highly regarded by both Khalai and Nerazim, and have become associated with honorifics (e.g. "en taro"&mdash;"in honor of"):


 * Khas – A prominent figure in protoss society, he was the charismatic and spiritual leader who brought an end to the Aeon of Strife by using ancient xel'naga artifacts, the khaydarin crystals, to unite the warring tribes by calling them into a communal telepathic matrix. The belief that this was necessary for the protoss to survive became known as the Khala, and is followed by almost all protoss factions. The Path of Khala is the sole and dominant religion in the society of the protoss of Aiur, and societal rank (for example, Templar, Judicator) and honor are linked with Khala.


 * Adun – Another well known figure in protoss culture, he is honored by Khalai and Dark Templar alike. A powerful warrior in his time, he was charged with the extermination of the rogue tribes by the Conclave. Unable to bring themselves to slaughter their kin, Adun and his troops attempted to hide the heretics. Though he failed, he would be known as a savior to the Dark Templar, and would gain similar status on Aiur after the myth of the heretics spread, revealing that he "saved" Aiur from the heretics and their "anarchist" ways. The phrase "En Taro Adun" is used by the protoss as a formal greeting or farewell, and also serves as a battlecry, while the Dark Templar use "Adun Toridas" in a similar fashion.


 * Tassadar – He led the Koprulu Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The subsequent reunification of the Khalai with the Dark Templar began with his befriending of Zeratul. This alliance allowed the protoss to slay cerebrates and the first Overmind. Tassadar sacrificed himself to kill the Overmind. For his heroic example, he serves as a contemporary example of protoss virtues. Some Templar, notably Artanis, Selendis and Zeratul have taken to saying "En Taro Tassadar".


 * Zeratul – A hero of the Great War, Zeratul taught Tassadar how to channel void energies, allowing him to defeat the Overmind. Zeratul's tireless devotion to discovering the meaning behind the hybrid and Amon gave the protoss the edge they needed in the End War. Through the conflict, Artanis took to saying "En Taro Zeratul," and in the aftermath of the conflict attributed their victory to Zeratul.


 * Artanis – After serving in the Great War and Brood War, Artanis took over the role of Hierarch of the Daelaam. When Amon returned and corrupted the Khala, he gathered what few loyal protoss remained, and struck back, bringing the ancient Purifiers and Tal'darim into the Daelaam's fleet. Artanis reclaimed Aiur, and thrust Amon back into the Void, then sending the fleet in to finally strike him down forever. "En Taro Artanis" was shouted as an honorific in the Daelaam's last stand against Amon on Aiur.

Factions
The extent to which the protoss have been a unified people has waxed and waned over time. Originally tribal based, the protoss settled under centralized rule with the coming of the xel'naga, only to revert back to tribalism in the Aeon of Strife, only to once again be unified after thousands of years. Under the Khala, the Khalai formed the caste-based Protoss Empire while those who refused to submit became the outcast Nerazim.

In the aftermath of the, both lines of protoss were united under the Daelaam. However, internal tension once again led to tribalism and their civilization fractured. In the aftermath of the End War, the Daelaam united the remaining tribes, and reclaimed Aiur as the homeland for all protoss.

The Tal'darim are a branch of protoss that were taken from Aiur during the departure of the xel'naga, and serve as a seperate culture from the Khalai and the Nerazim, unconnected to the Khala. They are warlike, and before his fall served Amon with a fanatical devotion, using terrazine to become closer to him.

While not true protoss, the Purifiers were templar designed by the protoss who rebelled over not being treated as true templar. During the End War, they were absorbed back into protoss society with the promise of equal treatment to true protoss.

Technology
"Sophisticated psionic biology. Gilded technology that defies the laws of space and time. If the Protoss are arrogant, as their detractors claim, can you blame them? They were cruising the galaxy in golden superships when humans were still digging in the dirt for grubs."
 * Main articles: Protoss Technology Listing

Protoss technology is a blend of psionics and mundane technology and has shown itself to be far more advanced than many other species of the galaxy, including humanity, which was "digging in the dirt for grubs" by the time the protoss had achieved interstellar travel. They have been referred to as "the most technologically advanced race in the universe," and their warriors are "the best trained in the galaxy."

Some protoss technology requires vespene gas as a catalyst. Protoss utilize cybernetic technology to save lives, and bolster their warriors' prowess. Battlefield communications between protoss are efficient. The use of energy for defensive purposes is a standard protoss practice.

Protoss armor contains teleportation technology which whisks the warrior away to safety when they are injured to the point of death. Injured and crippled protoss can be transformed into cybernetic warriors.

Due to their low population, the protoss frequently use robots in their military. Due to their diminished population, the protoss are in a position of not being able to waste resources.

Protoss pilots are an integral part of their ship, and using it drains their energies. Protoss aerospace craft utilize anti-gravity technology to keep them airborne when operating within a planet's atmosphere.

The protoss developed powerful crystal technology and incredibly powerful weapons of war, such as the colossus and the mothership, and could develop more powerful technology if they wished. The protoss limit their use of technology, as they are frightened of what they could do with it and feel they have perfected a slow but steady and methodical system of technological development. The longevity of protoss history has allowed them to develop incredible weapons of war over the course of it.

Despite the Fall of Aiur, the protoss can still produce starships on other planets, and they have also inventories of them in many places.

Protoss excel in energy manipulation. Arcthium gems are key to their technology.

StarCraft

 * Gameplay
 * Strategy
 * Units
 * Buildings

StarCraft: Ghost

 * Units

StarCraft II

 * Gameplay
 * Strategy
 * Units
 * Buildings

Development
"We made ours eight or nine feet tall instead of the skimpy pre-pubescent gray aliens with no muscle tone. Our Protoss have giant golden armor they have to support. Those little guys couldn’t do it, you know?"

- Samwise Didier


 * In very early drafts of the universe of StarCraft, the protoss were designed to be more insectoid, giving them more similatrity to the zerg. The idea was changed later, but some design decisions, including their head plates, use of blades as weapons, and their psychic connection of the Khala were holdovers from the idea of connecting the two races. While not specified as being intentional or a coincidence, the zerg and protoss did end up being connected through their shared history with the xel'naga.


 * While the terrans and zerg had different backstories in the first pitch for StarCraft, the protoss appear to be much like their counterparts from the end-game. In this version they were more willing to take direct action against terrans however, as demonstrated by the original Tau Ceti backstory. It was decided that the protoss would not be savage, but "primal and powerful." They were loosely based on the stereotypical grey aliens of science fiction, only the protoss would be much taller, and much more muscular. This race would have advanced technology and mysterious motives. The zealot acted as the baseline protoss unit, being "a non-wimpy grey alien wearing ornate power armor and wielding a wicked set of blades." Protoss units further up the tech tree were free to deviate from this norm.


 * Alongside the terrans and zerg, the protoss aesthetic in StarCraft was decided early on, that their structures would be elegant and rounded. The protoss's armor, buildings, and units followed the ethos set by the zealot, of all being aesthetically pleasing to the eye.


 * Most of the protoss unit lines were provided by Glenn Stafford.


 * How the protoss think and feel were mostly taken from Christie Golden's take on them in The Dark Templar Saga.


 * For StarCraft II, the protoss underwent an asthetics redesign, with more flowing shapes, less geometric angles. and a more organic feel. This was part of an unofficial retcon on Blizzard's part, an idea that protoss structures in StarCraft II had always looked the way they appeared in the game. The protoss appear more "bulked up," but this wasn't a concious decision, but more the result of using 3D models rather than sprites. Early styles bore resemblance to that of the blood elves of Warcraft due to their flashy engravings, but this art style was abandoned.


 * A challenge for writing protoss is that they do not possess the same kind or amount of body language as humans. The writers of Legacy of the Void watched episodes of ER, for as it per its nature as a medical drama, the characters' faces are often covered bar their eyes. Eye movement was studied in regards to how it could apply to protoss characters, as their eyes are their main conveyers of emotion. While the protoss are intended to be "unknowable" (in regards to humans/terrans), it was also intended that elements of humanity still shine through.


 * Blizzard refers to the protoss as their "space samurai," or "space paladins." This idea stems back to their development in the original game. In Blizzard's mind, the protoss are defined by the following traits:
 * Ancient, noble race.
 * The Khala.
 * High tech.
 * Small numbers.