Carrier

"Carrier has arrived."

- A carrier commander.

The carrier is a protoss heavy air unit.

Overview
"These magnificent capital ships are known to inspire hope in the hearts of templar&mdash;or fear in their enemies. Armed with swift interceptors, they are a formidable force on the battlefield."

- Craft description

Carriers are among the most powerful warships in the protoss arsenal, and frequently take point in fleet maneuvers. In use prior to the Discord, they serve as command centers for fleet commanders, though some terrans think this position will be taken by the void ray. Carriers made their way into the Tal'darim arsenal after their engineers re-purposed Khalai designs, and make up the majority of the Death Fleet's ships.

Carriers have forward mounted energy weapons used for purification ; they lack other armament beyond interceptors. Carriers may make warp space jumps, carry psychic boosters for communication, and can operate in both atmospheric and deep space conditions, easily descending into a planet's atmosphere if the need arises.

Design
Carriers are large, heavily armored, and are protected by plasma shields. When constructing these ships, Khalai craftsmen meticulously shape high-density alloys into thick curved plates, using extreme temperatures to remove any structural imperfections which could compromise their strength. Afterwards, the alloy is subject to a complex surface treatment that involves different gasses and substances. The resulting hull plates are not easily breached, be it through kinetic, thermal, or biological means.

Carrier commanders have private quarters. Carriers are further equipped with a bridge and teleportation platform. The carrier's hangar is capable of housing craft such as scouts, arbiters, and phoenixes. Connected to the hangar is an automated manufacturing plant that produces interceptors. Khalai engineers work in the plant, where they see to the interceptors' maintenance and launch operations. After the Great War, the protoss sought to improve carrier efficiency, which led to the installation of the graviton catapult.

Tal'darim carriers differ from the Daelaam/Khalai design; they are warships through and through.

Purifier carriers are more streamlined for automation, and possess an arsenal of deadly drone weapons.

In 2506, during the End War, phase-smith Karax was able to miniaturize the Spear of Adun's reconstruction beam technology that allowed it to remotely repair mechanical units and structures. This allowed the Daelaam to arm their carriers with automated drones that could do the same types of repairs, greatly enhancing the longevity of their carriers. Meanwhile, carriers under the control of Amon began to change in appearance due to their exposure to Void energies, with crystal structures jutting from the sides.

StarCraft

 * For StarCraft gameplay information see: Carrier (StarCraft).
 * For StarCraft in-game quotations see: StarCraft Carrier Quotations.

StarCraft: Ghost
Carriers were to appear in StarCraft: Ghost.

StarCraft II

 * For StarCraft II gameplay information see: Carrier (StarCraft II).
 * For StarCraft II in-game quotations see: StarCraft II Carrier Quotations.

Known Carriers

 * Antimond (super carrier)
 * Gantrithor (super carrier)
 * Koramund
 * Qel'Ha
 * Saalok's Eye
 *  (not to be confused with the tempest-class starship).
 * Xa'lor

Variants

 * Fleet carrier
 * Super carrier
 * Super carrier

Known Commanders

 * Executor Amur
 * Executor Andraxxus
 * Executor Clolarion (Purifier)
 * Executor Koronis
 * Executor Damiarch
 * Executor Selendis
 * Executor Tassadar
 * Admiral Urun
 * Praetor Quordas
 * High templar Mess'Ta (acting commander)