Dragoon


 * "I have returned"
 * —Protoss Dragoon

The Dragoon is a Protoss quadrupedal assault and support unit.

Overview
Dragoons were cyborg troops. Within each exoskeleton was the body of a veteran warrior, transported off the battlefield upon defeat, who had resolved to continue serving despite grievous physical injury, though on occasion able Zealots would volunteer for transplantation.

The Protoss mind was bonded to the exoskeleton by mysterious essence translators, and by focusing through the Khala the 'pilot', after a degree of time, could learn to control the machine as if it were his or her own body. Dragoons were honored in Protoss society, though their status sometimes marked them as outsiders within their people.

The Dragoon is armed with phase disruptor that fires an antimatter bolt sheathed in a psychically charged field. The weapon was similar to the armament of the Photon Cannon.

As with most Protoss technology, Terran groups conducted research into the mechanics of the Dragoon. The Kimeran Pirates stole (among other things) a data file titled "Utilizing Dragoon Technology For Human Reconstruction" from a Confederate installation.

The sacred shrine dedicated to creating the Dragoons was lost with the fall of Aiur, making it difficult to create new Dragoons. To preserve their numbers the remaining Dragoons were radically upgraded into Immortals.

The Dark Templar drew inspiration from the Dragoon when they created the Stalker.

StarCraft
Dragoons serve primarily as mobile anti-air defense. It is more economical to have Zealots take the brunt of fighting enemy ground units whenever possible. Compared to Zealots, the Dragoon fires slower and has an attack optimized against only large-sized units. The relationship is similar to that between Marines and Goliaths.

Each Dragoon occupies four out of the eight slots on a Shuttle.

Upgrades

 * Ground Weapons
 * Ground Armor
 * Plasma Shields
 * Singularity Charge
 * Cost: 150 0 150
 * Upgraded at: Cybernetics Core
 * Increases Dragoon range to 6.

Quotations

 * See: StarCraft I Dragoon Quotations

StarCraft: Ghost
Dragoons appear in StarCraft: Ghost but no changes from their original portrayal have been seen, apart from a slightly more stocky appearance.

StarCraft II
The Dragoon has been replaced by the Immortal in campaign and in melee games. Dragoons will still be available in the map editor.

Known Dragoons

 * Demioch (introduced in StarCraft: Insurrection)
 * Eredas (introduced in Enslavers: Dark Vengeance)
 * Fenix
 * Sinar
 * Taldarin (introduced in Resurrection IV)