Glassing

Glassing, or purification, is a protoss war technique used to destroy all life on planetary surfaces, usually to eradicate the presence of zerg.

A purification attack is carried out by ships firing massive energy beams to sterilize planetary surfaces. Carriers are equipped for this purpose, and can project energy from their bows. Motherships, and possibly other large ships may also be used to purify planets.

Glassing may disperse most of a planet's atmosphere, and release magma onto the surface by burning through the crust. Minerals on glassed worlds are often altered by the attack.

Great War
"Mr. Liberty, let me make myself perfectly clear. We have made first contact with another alien civilization. This contact consisted of them vaporizing the colony of Chau Sara. They burned it to the ground, and then burned the ground beneath it."

- Alpha Squadron commander Edmund Duke

When the protoss discovered the extent of the zerg infestation of Chau Sara, Executor Tassadar reluctantly ordered his expedition's ships to power up their weapons, destroying the planet, firing at both terran settlements and other points. At least two ships, firing massive energy beams, obliterated most or all life. A small number of marines, including Andre Madrid, survived the attack by hiding underground.

Tassadar avoided attacking the next infected world, Mar Sara, until after the terrans had evacuated. Several hours after the escape, Tassadar's forces again sterilized a planet.

A large battle between the zerg, Terran Confederacy and Sons of Korhal broke out on Antiga Prime. After a particularly devastating zerg attack on the Confederacy (guided by a Sons of Korhal psi emitter), Tassadar's forces attacked Antiga Prime, purifying it.

Tassadar's fleet arrived at the Confederate capital world of Tarsonis, which had been besieged by zerg due to the Sons of Korhal's use of psi emitters. Sarah Kerrigan, a ghost, believed that the Protoss Expeditionary Force arrived with the intention of destroying the planet. Forces under her command defeated the protoss. The protoss did not purify Tarsonis. Protoss, zerg and terran forces continued to fight on the planet's surface.

Interbellum
An attack took place under mysterious circumstances on the ice world of Braxis sometime after the Brood War. The planet refroze since the incident.

The protoss also partially purified the world of Urona Sigma in 2502.

Second Great War
"The only cure for infestation is purification by fire!"

- Executor Selendis

In 2504, Dr. Ariel Hanson intended to relocate several hundred colonists to a world called Haven, a world ideal in all aspects aside from that it was very close to protoss space. After supporting Jim Raynor's campaign for a few weeks, she returned to Haven to find that the zerg had infested the world and several protoss warships had entered orbit to purify the planet. The protoss, recognizing the Hyperion, asked for Raynor to help in the purification, while Hanson asked for time to complete a cure for the infestation.

Raynor chose to help Hanson defend the colony. This angered Executor Selendis, and she sent the powerful , a mothership, to purify the terran colonies.

Raynor managed to save most of the colonists by evacuating them before his forces destroyed the mothership. Hanson departed the Hyperion to join the colonists.

Armageddon
If the prophecy imparted to the Church of Besainted Pelagius is to be believed, a "cauterization" of the universe is what awaits Creation in Armageddon. Such a technique is/will be similar to purification.

Purified Worlds

 * Main article: Purified worlds


 * Antiga Prime
 * Braxis
 * Chau Sara
 * Haven (partially)
 * Mar Sara
 * Urona Sigma (partially)