Koprulu sector

The Koprulu Sector&mdash;nicknamed the Terran Sector&mdash; is a sector in space colonized by the Terrans in the StarCraft series. Much of the series' action is set in it, and it is comprised of several planets, possibly distributed around different stars.

History
Following a period of social anarchy and the "fall of western civilization", a new world-government is re-asserted over Earth: the United Powers League (UPL). A police-state, it encompassed almost all of Earth. Rounding up "undesirables" &mdash;cyborgs, geneticly "impure" individuals, hackers, political dissidents&mdash; Project Purification was instituted: a mass genocide campaign in which millions died.

However, the dynamic scientist Doran Routhe wanted to explore deep space. It was very risky, but he had no problem with sending political prisoner lab rats to their deaths; 56,000 prisoners were secretly prepared for transport. Of these, 40,000 were loaded into four sleeper-ships designated the Reagan, the Argo, the Sarengo, and the Nagglfar and were sent on a 1 year journey into deep space to Gantris VI, an outlying planet. The Nagglfar was also equipped with an artificial intelligence called ATLAS. Routhe believed they would set up a colony and mine new resources for the United Powers League.

ATLAS scanned the prisoners, and discovered something unusual about them - a high proportion of them had a mutation leading to psionic potential. While currently weak, it would manifest in only a few generations. This information was logged and sent back to Earth. This may explain how the United Powers League came to know of this experiment.

However, the guidance computer failed, and they traveled at faster than light speeds for 28 years, travelling 60,000 light years to the far edge of the galaxy. When they awoke, the survivors had no idea where they were or where Earth was: all hope of making contact again was lost.

The Sarengo crashed on Umoja, killing 8,000 prisoners, the Reagan, which landed softly, founded the colony of Umoja, the Argo founded the colony of Moria, and the Nagglfar built the main Terran colony in the sector: Tarsonis.

As the Tarsonians had access to ATLAS, they had a technological head-start on their stellar neighbours. Even so, it took them sixty years to build second-generation subwarp engines and explore the rest of the system, discovering the other two colonies.

The Terrans of Tarsonis eventually created an interstellar Terran Confederacy, mainly through the creation of new colonies. They also came into conflict with Moria over its own colonies. The Morians founded the Kel-Morian Combine to fight back, sparking the Guild Wars, but lost.

There were roughly thirteen important Terran colony planets in the sector by the 25th century. However, war broke out with the Zerg invasion and subsequent clashes with the Protoss at the dawn of the 26th century.

A Violent Place
Various Terrans have commented on the amount of violence in the Koprulu Sector.

"Not every locale in the Koprulu sector is a hotbed of violence and mayhem. There are actually areas that are quiet, peaceful places to relax as the problems of the universe just pass you by." - Uran Golenko, leading stress therapist and featured guest on the popular "Universe Today" talk show.

"TRAVEL NOTE: A sudden influx of tourists, coupled with the discovery of considerable mineral wealth on the planet, has left the ecology of Helioc III in a less than optimal state. Once the use of tactical nuclear weaponry has subsided, geologists expect a high level of planetary recovery."

"What is it with the Koprulu Sector, anyhow? It seems like every week there's another skirmish, insurgency, sortie, planned offensive, counter strike, police action, border conflict or plain old-fashioned war breaking out. While the chaos and anarchy are great for a spacefaring merchant vessel that's willing to transport certain cargo of questionable legality, I sometimes have to stop and wonder if this madness will ever end.

-Personal entry of First Mate Norris Bailey, Recovery Vessel Starheaper."

The Koprulu Sector is a violent place, with many "small" pirate militias armed with everything from nuclear missiles to advanced battlecruisers and equipped with bootleg labs and large numbers of troops.

Planets of StarCraft

 * Tarsonis is a Terran colony, landing site of the primary supercarrier Nagglfar. The planet has a temperate climate and a core continent. It was the most advanced of the three original Terran colonies and headquarters of the Terran Confederacy, and at the beginning of StarCraft Episode I was still the intellectual and political center of the sector.

It was the base of operations of the Terran Confederacy until it was destroyed by Zerg lured there by psi-emitters planted by the Sons of Korhal at the end of StarCraft Episode I. The Zerg still visit the planet occasionally, but it is mostly empty.


 * Moria is a Terran colony, the most resource-abundant of the original three; landing site of the supercarrier Argo. The colony is defended by the Kel-Morian Combine.

It was on Moria that Jim Raynor and Fenix located all the resources for the uprising of Kerrigan against the United Earth Directorate forces occupying Korhal IV in StarCraft Episode VI.


 * Umoja is a Terran colony, one of the original three; landing site of supercarrier Reagan and crash site of supercarrier Sarengo. It is defended by the non-militaristic Umojan Protectorate.


 * Korhal IV is a Terran colony. This planet rose up against the Confederacy, and in retaliation the Confederacy launched a massive planetary bombardment of nuclear weaponry aimed at eliminating the dissents, transforming the planet into a nuclear desert and causing mutations in local organisms, such as Scantids. The survivors of the rebellion called themselves the Sons of Korhal.

By the time of the fall of the Confederacy, the planet had detoxified enough to allow resettlement. Sons of Korhal leader Arcturus Mengsk made it the throne world of the Terran Dominion, the successor to the Sons of Korhal. More recently, the planet changed hands among the Terran Dominion, the United Earth Directorate, and the Terran Dominion again. Before the devastation, its capital was Styrling. The new capital is Augustgrad.


 * Chau Sara was an outlying, but nevertheless important Terran colony. It was the first Terran planet to be invaded by the Zerg. Little is known about its current state, except that since then it has been purified of all life by the Protoss. After the bombardment, according to StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade, an ice age started on the planet, result of a nuclear winter, and the planet deviated four degrees from its orbit. This is also a testimony to the power of Protoss weaponry and technology.


 * Mar Sara was an outlying Terran colony. This planet was second to be invaded by the Zerg. Its fate was similar to Chau Sara's. Homeworld of James (Jim) Raynor.


 * Antiga Prime was an outying Terran colony, the first world to openly revolt against the Confederacy since the incineration of Korhal IV.

The renegade terrorist/freedom fighter group known as the Sons of Korhal was responsible for instigating the rebellion. During the battle of Antiga Prime, a psi-emitter was planted in the Confederate base by agents of the Sons of Korhal to attract the Zerg and destroy the Confederate forces. It is now a lifeless, purified world. It is also upon this planet that General Edmund Duke crashed and was saved and recruited by Sons of Korhal leader Arcturus Mengsk.


 * Dylar IV had been an important Terran colony, a core world of the Confederacy and home base of Omega Squadron. It is believed to have been overrun by the Zerg, and subsequently purified by the Protoss. Since then, it has been recolonized by the Terran Dominion, and several shipyards have been constructed in planetary orbit around it. Here, battlecruisers were built and repaired.

In a swift action, the United Earth Directorate stole the battlecruisers, defeated the Dominion revenge fleet, and impressed the soldiers there into their service. This was the first major spaceship battles between the Dominion and the United Earth Directorate.


 * Brontes had been an important Terran colony, a core world of the Confederacy, until it was believed to be overrun by the Zerg. Little is known about its current state.


 * Tyrador IX was an important Terran colony, a core world of the Confederacy and home of an alcoholic drink, the Tyrador Mindbender. Little is known of its current state, but it is rumored that it escaped Zerg infestation. If it is still populated, it is most likely a planet of the Dominion.


 * Braxis, a small world, possibly a moon, and a Terran Dominion colony by the time the United Earth Directorate fleet reached the Koprulu Sector. Much earlier, it had been a Protoss colony, by the name of Khyrador. Little is known about when Terran colonization started. It is presumed that it is the closest Koprulu Sector object to Earth, since the UED fleet first landed here. The Psi Disruptor was set up there once it was captured at Tarsonis and shipped to Braxis. Recently, a disaster has struck Braxis. Homeworld of the Ursadon.


 * Vyctor 5, a wasteland planet a day's travel from Umoja, which features a stable weather formation, the Fujita Pinnacle. It was a Terran Confederacy world and is featured in StarCraft: Ghost. According to StarCraft: Uprising it is found in the Koprulu star system. Its capital is Lockston.


 * Fringe Worlds comprise a belt at the farthest reaches of the galaxy's inhabitable planets. The inhabitants of these planets are generally poorly educated and isolationist; they were used as sources of cheap labor by the Terran Confederacy. Many of them follow old Earth religions or new cults as a way to escape their dreary existence. They are looked down upon by other Terrans, even those from Umoja and the Sons of Korhal. According to StarCraft: Uprising, the first Terran planets to be visited by the Zerg were a number of Fringe Worlds. The Terran Confederacy exterminated the inhabitants of the infected planets with genetically engineered plagues, claiming it was a cholera outbreak.

Outlying Worlds

 * Aiur is the homeworld of the Protoss. Jungles and oceans cover most of the planet.

It was the primary target of the Zerg infestation. All Protoss are thought to have fled the planet by now, and the Zerg have moved on, thus it probably remains idle and uncolonized, unless some Protoss have recolonized it. This remains unconfirmed.
 * Shakuras is a planet devoid of vegetation. It was the place the Protoss Dark Templar fled to when they were exiled long ago by the Conclave.

More recently, Protoss survivors from Aiur sought refuge there. Zerg infestation was cleansed with the help of an ancient Xel'Naga temple, and the twin crystals Uraj and Khalis. The Protoss race currently resides there.
 * Zerus is the planet that was the homeworld of the Zerg, located near the core of the galaxy. An inhospitable ash-world that was once full of insectoid creatures, it served as the birthplace of the Zerg race.
 * Char is a heavily volcanic planet. It is not clear whether it is officially a part of the Koprulu Sector or not.

It was the staging area of the Zerg during their search for, and consequent invasion of, the Protoss homeworld of Aiur.