Sarah Kerrigan

Sarah Louise Kerrigan&mdash;was a Terran Ghost, later infested by the Zerg Swarm, and became better known as the Queen of Blades. She is voiced by Glynnis Talken-Campbell.

Early Life
Sarah Kerrigan was born "psychically gifted," meaning she has the ability to read minds. Terrans who are born psychically gifted were taken by the Terran Confederacy at an early age to begin Terran Ghost training. Ghosts usually serve as covert operations specialists.

Young Sarah Kerrigan had scored highly on all phases of the psi-evaluations even though she was only eight years old. She had displayed her power once, however, on TarKossia, an incident which killed her mother and damaged her father's brain. Since then, she was taken by agents of the Terran Confederacy to a training facility. Her most hated trainer was Lieutenant Rumm. He tried to break down her sense of right and wrong and tried to make her demonstrate her psionic power as his superiors wanted incontrovertible proof that she was psychic. However, she refused, as she didn't want to relive what happened to her parents.

In order to cajole her into using the power, Rumm had a kitten injected with a chemical that would cause a tumor. Then he ordered Sarah to use her power to destroy the tumor (or at least put the kitten down). She refused, and Rumm put his pistol against the kitten's head and ordered her to do so again. Sarah still refused and Rumm didn't fire. He later discovered that Sarah had used her power on his pistol, destroying the firing mechanism. Even so, there were other explanations for the pistol's malfunction so his superiors did not treat this as incontrovertible proof of Sarah's psionic powers. Shortly thereafter, the tumor killed the kitten slowly and painfully.

A technician recommended the use of a neuro-adjuster, a device which would weaken a Ghost's psionic powers and ensure their loyalty to the Terran Confederacy, but Rumm refused.

Sarah was taken to another room and strapped to a chair with a needle against her skin. In another room, she could see her brain-damaged father, similarly strapped to a chair. Rumm's scientists were about to inject her father with the same substance that caused the growth of a tumor in the kitten unless Sarah cooperated with the Confederacy. Instead, Sarah said she would kill herself and her father rather than use the power for the Confederacy. She was injected with the needle and quickly lost consciousness. Rumm felt he had no choice now but to employ the neuro-adjuster.

Secret Missions
As her training completed, Kerrigan murdered countless enemies of the Terran Confederacy, including Angus Mengsk.

Kerrigan later became part of the experiment at Vyctor 5's Fujita Complex involving Zerg. It was found that Zerg naturally responded to her telepathic commands. This training may have led to the production of the psi-emitter. It was here that she was rescued by the Sons of Korhal and her neuro-adjuster surgically removed. She eventually became Arcturus Mengsk's right-hand woman.

As part of the Sons of Korhal, she was involved in a nearly suicidal attack on the Ghost Academy on Tarsonis. She found Mr. Rumm (who had been promoted to Major) and took her rather messy revenge.

The Sons of Korhal
Kerrigan's first appearance in the game comes during the Antigan Revolt. Kerrigan - now a 26-year-old Lieutenant with the Sons of Korhal - was dispatched to Antiga Prime to scout out the terrain and make contact with the rebel leaders. She assassinated the Confederate officers in charge of the Antigan base, placing it under the player's control. Later, Kerrigan and her men were sent to place a psi-emitter in a Confederate base on the planet, luring huge amounts of Zerg to break Confederate lines in order to escape undetected.

New Gettysburg
Late in the Terran campaign in the original Starcraft, after the Zerg were lured to the Confederate capital Tarsonis through the use of the psi-emitter, Kerrigan is ordered to protect the Zerg hives from the Protoss. This action would prevent the Confederates from escaping. Jim Raynor had pleaded with her not to go to the surface, but she insisted that she had to, and Raynor wished her luck. Upon completing her mission the Terran position was overwhelmed with Zerg, and Kerrigan issued a desperate plea for evac; Raynor, anticipating this, began dispatching transports to the surface. Arcturus Mengsk, on the other hand, ordered the entire Korhal fleet to disengage from the Tarsonis system, and (to Raynor's horror) left Kerrigan and her men to die on Tarsonis. This caused a rift in Mengsk's forces, as Raynor and many men loyal to him defected.

While on Tarsonis, the Zerg Overmind sensed Sarah Kerrigan's power, and ordered the swarms to capture her. Over the course of the first few Zerg missions Kerrigan is contained within a chrysalis and taken to Char, where she uses her telepathic power to reach out and contact Jim Raynor and Arcturus Mengsk. In each case the Terrans sent out a force to recover Kerrigan, and in each case they failed. Sarah Kerrigan is reborn into the Zerg Swarms, and adopts the name "Queen of Blades" as Jim Raynor prowled Char - she let him live.

Infested Kerrigan
In-game, she is represented by a unique unit with similarities to an Infested Terran. However, instead of exploding, she is equipped with eight "tentacles" sprouting off her back, giving her powerful melee attacks. She can also ensnare opponents (like a Zerg Queen), can cloak and can even consume other Zerg to use their biological energy to increase her energy bar.

She has telomeric additions to her DNA, suggesting she is potentially immortal - she will probably never die of old age. This is revealed in one of the loading screens of StarCraft: Brood War.

The Overmind said of her: "The greatness of her spirit has been left to her; that the Swarms might benefit from her fierce example. Fear not her designs, for she is bound to me as intimately as any Cerebrate."

Kerrigan quickly developed her psionic abilities after discovering the secrets of Ghost conditioning on a Terran Science Vessel, the Amerigo. She develops numerous abilities, including the psionic storm, probably an evolution of her previous abilities. From here, she begins a campaign of terror against the Protoss, namely Tassadar and Zeratul.

Kerrigan's abilities seemed to have made her overconfident. She was able to sense the presence of the Protoss Tassadar on Char, and ignored Zasz's warning that something was strange about this Templar. She challenged him to a duel, defeating his forces in order to get to him. It turned out to be a distraction of a "weapons test" - Tassadar's ally Zeratul believed that his Dark Templar energies would enable him to permanently slay a Zerg Cerebrate such as Zasz, and he was correct. Kerrigan showed no remorse upon the death of Zasz.

Kerrigan was later ordered to take revenge on the Dark Templar. She destroyed their base and drove Tassadar and Zeratul into hiding. As she searched for them, the Zerg Overmind took the majority of its forces to Aiur as part of its campaign to assimilate the Protoss. Kerrigan was unexpectedly ordered to remain on Char and keep hunting down the Dark Templar rather than assist in the conquest of Aiur. She later captured Zeratul and a number of Dark Templar in a Terran installation, which she had stolen from Alpha Squadron. However, Tassadar eventually emerged from hiding, striking an alliance with the Terrans trapped in the installation and rescuing the Dark Templar.

Ascension
The final battle on Aiur ended when the Zerg Overmind was destroyed by Tassadar which left the Zerg Swarms extremely vulnerable. During this time, many Zerg Cerebrates desperately tried to create a new Overmind for the Swarms. However, Kerrigan began a campaign aimed at eliminating these Cerebrates in order to rule over the Swarms by herself.

As part of her plan, Kerrigan traveled to Shakuras, the secret homeworld of the Dark Templar and took control of their Matriarch, Raszagal. The Dark Templar did not suspect that there was anything different about their leader and they didn't find Kerrigan, who was in hiding.

Shortly afterwards Zeratul, Artanis and the Protoss survivors of Aiur travelled through the Warp Gate which connected Aiur to Shakuras. They were closely followed by Zerg which included two Cerebrates allied with Daggoth's new Overmind. These Cerebrates nestled around the Xel'Naga Temple, a powerful artifact capable of wiping the Zerg off of Shakuras.

Raszagal informed the newly-arrived Protoss of the Temple's powers which required the use of the two lost crystals: the Uraj and Khalis, but she ordered the Protoss to first slay the two Cerebrates around the Temple, which was done. Kerrigan made an appearance right after this event, asking to speak to the Matriarch. She claimed that with the Overmind dead, she was no longer being controlled. However, a new Overmind was growing on Char and when it reached maturity it would take control of her. The Protoss didn't trust her, but Raszagal (under her influence) welcomed her. Aldaris, a Judicator and former member of the Protoss Conclave didn't trust her at all, but because he had been at war with the other major Protoss players they didn't take his attitude very seriously.

Kerrigan was unsuccessful in convincing Zeratul in slaying the new Overmind but she did garner goodwill with the Protoss by helping them acquire the Khalis and Uraj.

Upon their return to Shakuras, Aldaris was in the midsts of launching a rebellion against Raszagal. He had discovered Kerrigan's influence on her, but he did not attempt to inform Artanis and Zeratul of this until he had been defeated. However, Kerrigan swiftly arrived and slew him before he could reveal her secret. Zeratul allowed her to leave because of the help she had delivered to the Protoss, but he warned her never to return. Kerrigan bragged that she had forced the Protoss to slay her enemies, the two Cerebrates on Shakuras, before fleeing the planet.

Raszagal was not very skilled at hiding the influence Kerrigan still had on her, but she did convince the trusting Zeratul that she was no longer under control, now that Kerrigan had left. Zeratul and Artanis activated the Xel'Naga Temple and destroyed the Zerg on Shakuras.

Against the Overmind
During StarCraft Episode V the United Earth Directorate acquired the Psi Disrupter, a powerful anti-Zerg weapon, but the leader of the UED force, Admiral DuGalle, squandered its use due to the influence and advice of Samir Duran. Vice Admiral Stukov disassembled the device and hid it from DuGalle, which would later spark charges of treason.

Exploiting the fear of the United Earth Directorate, Kerrigan put together a coalition with Fenix and Jim Raynor. She had previously been involved in a relationship with Jim Raynor, the exact nature of which is unknown, when both were members of the Sons of Korhal. This made it easy for her to manipulate them. Fenix didn't trust her at all, but Raynor's fear of the UED was strong enough for him to persuade Fenix to fight alongside him and Kerrigan.

The UED conquered Korhal IV, center of the Terran Dominion and chased its former emperor, Arcturus Mengsk, to Aiur. Mengsk had been rescued by Jim Raynor and Fenix. On Aiur, Kerrigan's Zerg, with help from Samir Duran (an Infested Terran working for Kerrigan) again rescued Mengsk and Raynor from the UED. Meanwhile, Duran betrayed the UED again. In the end, the Psi Disrupter was activated, Admiral DuGalle had Duran kill Vice Admiral Stukov, and Duran's betrayals were discovered. However, the Psi Disrupter had been reassembled on Braxis, forcing the UED to defend another critical planet besides Korhal. Activating the Disrupter had severe consequences for Kerrigan's control of her Zerg, but leaving it on Braxis with only a planetary garrison to defend it would sound the death knell of the UED's efforts in the Koprulu Sector.

Finally, the UED descended on Char, home of the new Zerg Overmind and captured it.

Kerrigan began actively fighting beside Arcturus Mengsk, Fenix and Raynor to defeat the UED. Mengsk was her prisoner, and she told him he could be emperor of his own eight-by-eight cell if he didn't agree to her proposal. The allies destroyed the poorly-defended Psi Disrupter for her and even stood aside as she infested the populace of Moria. She led the attack on the UED forces on Korhal, defeating them. However, she quickly turned against her allies when they were resting from the battle, killing both Fenix and Mengsk's general, Edmund Duke. Raynor and Mengsk were left very bitter about this betrayal, and Raynor swore he would see her dead for it.

Kerirgan managed to repel UED counterattacks as she schemed for the destruction of the new Zerg Overmind. She traveled to Shakuras and retrieved the Matriarch, Raszagal. The Dark Templar had not activated the Xel'Naga Temple, perhaps because Raszagal had ordered them not to. Kerrigan wanted Raszagal to look like she was an unwilling prisoner, so she couldn't just order Raszagal to come with her.

Kerrigan brought Raszagal to Char, followed by a vengeful Zeratul and Artanis. Zeratul demanded that Kerrigan turn over Raszagal. Kerrigan proposed a deal - she would allow Raszagal to return if Zeratul agreed to slay the Overmind. Raszagal convinced him to go, saying the Overmind was a threat to both Kerrigan and the Protoss.

Zeratul had no choice; though he knew killing the Overmind would only make the treacherous Kerrigan stronger, he consented. His Dark Templar participated in the battle, killing renegade Zerg and UED troops alike before ultimately destroying the Overmind. Then he again demanded the return of the Matriarch. Kerrigan agreed ... but Raszagal did not. Under Kerrigan's control, Raszagal said she wanted to stay. This did not fool Zeratul, who spirited her away and fled.

Kerrigan ordered her minion, Samir Duran, to assist in recapturing the Matriarch. They were almost successful, but Zeratul chose to slay Raszagal rather than allow her to live as a slave to Kerrigan. The surprised Kerrigan let Zeratul escape to live with his guilt. Meanwhile, Samir Duran disappeared.

All the Zerg in the sector fell under Kerrigan's control by this point, and after defending her world from a combined attack by the United Earth Directorate, Terran Dominion and forces led by Artanis, she became the ruler of the most powerful force in the Universe. Nonetheless, there are limits to this power that she is well aware of.

As Kerrigan says it herself in the mission briefing of Omega, the final level of StarCraft: Brood War: "At this point: I'm pretty much the Queen Bitch of the Universe."

Current Status
After her great victory, Kerrigan was unable to shake the feeling that a great threat loomed; she felt that her victory was hollow.

There is evidence to suggest that Kerrigan is unhappy with her acquisitions and longs to be human once more, most tellingly at the end of True Colors.

Kerrigan's latest projects include devising more intelligent Infested Terrans. The Zerg (most likely under her control) have also begun investigating terrazine gas, revealed in StarCraft: Ghost, four years after the Brood War.

A Call for Help
As of October 9th 2005 the Battle.net Web Site contained a hidden image of Infested Kerrigan saying "Help me Jim Raynor...you're my only hope!". The animated GIF image and the text can be found at the bottom of the main page. In order to reveal them the user has to click the round object above the Blizzard image.

Kerrigan in StarCraft II
Infested Kerrigan has made appearances in official artwork and trailers for StarCraft II; she appears walking through fire in one image and has been seen laying on the ground, "unclothed" and possibly wounded or undergoing deinfestation in others.

In the artwork and cinematic trailers brief images of Zeratul fighting a strange creature on Char (or a similar planet) appear, neither using any obvious weapons. Some fans believe the creature Zeratul is fighting is Kerrigan or a Hybrid; only the creature's limbs are visible during the battle.

Quotes
Sarah Kerrigan: "Captain Raynor, I've finished scouting out the area, and-you pig!"

Jim Raynor: "What? I haven't even said anything to you yet!"

Sarah Kerrigan: "Yeah, but you were thinking it."

(Kerrigan and Raynor "banter" on Antiga Prime).

Kerrigan: "You seem overconfident of your abilities, dark one. I am no helpless Cerebrate to be assailed under cover of darkness. I am the Queen of Blades, and my stare alone would reduce you to ashes. You and your ilk cease to amuse me. Prepare yourself for oblivion's embrace." (Kerrigan to Zeratul in Eye for an Eye.)

Kerrigan: "Once again I stand atop the broken bodies of my enemies... Victorious but not unscarred. The Earth-borne Directorate has been destroyed, and the Overmind lies dead and trampled beneath the ashes of Char. As for my unlikely allies, I think that I shall allow them a reprieve, for in time I will seek to test their resolve, and their strengths. They will all be mine in the end, for I am the Queen of Blades. None shall ever dispute my rule again." (On Char, after her victory at Omega).

External Links/References

 * Kerrigan's Biography @ Blizzard Entertainment - official site.
 * StarCraft homepage at Blizzard Entertainment
 * Battle.net StarCraft Compendium
 * Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
 * Underwood, Peter, Chris Metzen and Bill Roper. StarCraft: Brood War (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.