Zagara

"Zagara is different than the other broodmothers. Tougher. Meaner."

- Sarah Kerrigan

Zagara is a zerg broodmother, formerly Sarah Kerrigan's second-in-command, and the current leader of the Swarm.

Biography
Zagara was created on Char by Kerrigan. She came to see the planet as a crucible for zerg evolution.

Char
"I will let you live, Zagara. I want to rebuild the Swarm, and you are a part of that plan."

- Kerrigan takes Zagara into the fold

After Sarah Kerrigan was made human again and captured by Raynor's Raiders, Zagara struck out on her own, establishing herself and her brood in the Acid Marsh on Char. In the absence of the Queen of Blades, Zagara sought to reunite the Swarm under her own leadership. She rallied the now feral zerg of Char to her side, and managed to hold out against the forces of General Horace Warfield. However, her brute tactics prevented her from achieving victory.

When Kerrigan returned to Char, Zagara challenged her authority. Kerrigan now appeared human and therefore, in Zagara's eyes, was unworthy to lead the Swarm. Kerrigan was able to control far more zerg than Zagara anticipated however and the broodmother was defeated. Kerrigan was about to kill Zagara, who revealed that she was only doing what she was told: to be strong and to lead by force of will. Zagara said she would follow Kerrigan because her will was strongest. The broodmother was forgiven and joined Kerrigan's forces. Following her return to the leviathan, Kerrigan asked Zagara for advice regarding how to drive Warfield from his position on the Dauntless Plateau.

Zagara explained that during the battle that had led to Kerrigan's de-infestation, the terrans had flooded the Nydus Network with lava. As such, the zerg would be left exposed on the surface.

Zagara explained that during the battle that had led to Kerrigan's de-infestation, the terrans had destroyed the zerg's space platform above Char. As such, they controlled Char's skies.

Kerrigan was unfazed and decided to take on Zagara as a protégé, but was frustrated by the broodmother's lack of vision (and, for that matter, not understanding the concept at all). To this end, she sent Zagara to Abathur  for treatments to increase the size and complexity of her brain mass. After several unpleasant manipulations, Zagara's intelligence was finally sufficient to grasp Kerrigan's lessons&mdash;it was also sufficient for her to realize that she was not ready to rule the Swarm.

Kaldir
"I have always wanted to feel protoss bones snapping in my claws. May I?" "No, Zagara."

- Kerrigan keeps Zagara in check.

On Kaldir, Kerrigan arrived in search of the Nafash Brood, wanting to add it to her growing Swarm. Zagara claimed that her brood alone would be enough to take down Arcturus Mengsk, for terrans were a weak species. Kerrigan reminded her that Zagara had thought that of her on Char.

On the moon, Kerrigan defeated a Protoss Protectorate force and captured a prisoner. Kerrigan kept Zagara's sadistic urges in check, which confounded the broodmother at the notion of Kerrigan showing mercy. Kerrigan explained that violence was a tool, something to be used for the right job. Zagara maintained that this was a terran way of thinking, but Kerrigan responded that to a leader, everything and everyone was a tool to be used.

Zerus
"We came from this place? The zerg first evolved here, yes. I do not like it. A soft world. Char is far superior. Don't be so sure. Zerus may prove more dangerous than any world we've known."

- Zagara and the Queen of Blades after their arrival on Zerus

Zagara was unimpressed by Zerus and concluded that if the zerg did indeed come from the world, they had evolved a great deal. When her queen entered a chrysalis to boost her powers, Zagara defended her from attacking primal zerg. Afterwards, Kerrigan commented that as the primal Queen of Blades, she looked the role of the zerg leader, which might convince other broodmothers to return to the fold. Zagara stated that her appearence did not matter, that she had always been the leader of the Swarm, and would continue to be.

Skygeirr
Kerrigan allied with an infested terran, Alexei Stukov to destroy Skygeirr Platform, a Dominion based used to breed hybrids. Zagara could sense that Stukov was powerful, yet his mind was closed off. Kerrigan told Zagara of Stukov's history with the UED during the Brood War. As the Swarm progressed, Kerrigan commented on the base's defenses, and how the technology was beyond Mengsk's capabilities. Zagara suggested they may have had help from someone. That "someone" turned out to be Emil Narud, a shapeshifter. Kerrigan was uneasy, but Zagara pointed out that she had defeated Zurvan on Zerus. Kerrigan entered the depths of the facility and slew Narud, but not without being severely wounded in the process. Brought back to the leviathan, Zagara watched over the queen with Izsha as she recuperated, and told her that she would lead the Swarm until Kerrigan healed. When asked why she didn't take the Swarm as her own, Zagara explained that she still had much to learn from her queen.

Kerrigan recovered, and ordered that the Swarm depart Skygeirr. She explained that she had seen into Narud's mind, and had learnt that Amon was alive again. Zagara confidentally declared that he would fall before the Swarm, but Kerrigan pointed out they had no idea where he was. But before that, she wanted to finish her business in the Koprulu sector.

With Friends Like These
"I dislike space. It is cold and empty. Give me a turgid, wet hatchery."

- Zagara Kerrigan made an alliance with Raynor's Raiders to rescue Jim Raynor from Dominion captivity. Zagara disliked being in space, and wanted to go back to assaulting worlds. After Raynor was rescued, she noticed something was wrong with her queen.

Assault on Korhal
"I will remember what you told me, my queen, but now the time for words is past. Let us kill." "You're right, Zagara. And there's no one I'd rather have as my second for this battle."

- Zagara and Kerrigan before the final assault

Finally, the time had come to assault Korhal. Zagara noted that the Dominion was pulling everything back into its system to protect the world. Kerrigan stated that the planet's defenses would kill millions of zerg before they even reached the ground, but Zagara maintained that the terrans had no chance. The Swarm was numberless.

The assault began, the Swarm making landfall outside Augustgrad. Zagara informed Kerrigan of gates that led into the capital. If Kerrigan destroyed them, she could direct her brood into the capital.

The gates were destroyed. Kerrigan ordered Zagara to move her brood into Augustgrad while she focused on defending the Swarm's bile launchers.

The bile launchers were successfully defended, and the area around Augustgrad secured. Kerrigan ordered Zagara to move her forces (further) into the city and surround Korhal Palace. Zagara was confident that victory was assured, but Kerrigan warned her not to underestimate Mengsk. She ordered Zagara to take the Swarm away from Korhal and find Amon if she fell. Zagara protested that flight was not the way of the zerg, but nonetheless acquiesced to her queen's directive.

With the deployment of the Psi Destroyer, the Swarm's assault faltered. Kerrigan stated that the Dominion was about to launch an assault, and Zagara correctly guessed that it would be a feint to prevent them from dealing with the Destroyer. Kerrigan ordered Zagara to hold the middle of the invasion force while Dehaka led his primal zerg to take out the Destroyer. The manauver was successful. Zagara reported that her forces were pushing the defenders into the Imperial sector of Augustgrad.

The final assault loomed, and Kerrigan had Zagara as her second. As the final assault on the palace raged, Zagara informed her queen of entrenched positions that her forces were assaulting. If Kerrigan could clear the defenders out, her forces could join in the main assault on the palace.

The forces were destroyed, and Zagara pressed her forces forward.

The palace's defenses were breached. Mengsk was killed, and Kerrigan led the zerg away from Korhal to confront Amon.

Legacy of the Void
Zagara joined Kerrigan when she gathered forces to invade the Void and slay Amon. When Kerrigan needed to absorb the essence of Ouros to ascend into a new xel'naga, Zagara joined Jim Raynor and Artanis in defending her against Amon's forces, securing the eastern approach. The defense was successful, and Kerrigan ascended. Kerrigan gave Zagara permanent command of the Zerg Swarm, telling her to remember the lessons Kerrigan had taught her.

After the End War, Zagara stood as supreme ruler of the Swarm and forcefully laid claim to Char and the worlds surrounding it.

Heart of the Swarm
In "Domination," Zagara hunts the map for eggs. Unlike Kerrigan, who can collect eggs immediately, Zagara takes time to do so. When killed, she deep tunnels back to her base to recover before heading out again, buying time for Kerrigan.

Her unit quotes are the same as a regular queen.

Legacy of the Void
Zagara appears as a hero unit in the mission "The Essence of Eternity," commanding the zerg forces in the mission. If killed she will not respawn. She is largely the same unit as in Heart of the Swarm, but with higher HP.

Co-op Missions
"As Zagara, you’ll experience with profound clarity why the Zerg are referred to as the Swarm. You’ll multiply your economy at breakneck speeds, and spawn units in relentless waves to assault your opponents. Zagara herself will be present on the battlefield, hosting a repertoire of abilities to lend aid to your efforts. Zagara can call down sacs that rain damage and more Zerg creatures, or spawn potent Hunter Killers to take down priority targets. Zagara can even increase the combat prowess of all friendly units by sending them into a frenzy."

- Commander blurb

Zagara is a selectable commander in the Co-op Missions mode of Legacy of the Void. She is a controllable unit within missions, able to call down sacs or spawn hunter killers. She can also boost combat effectiveness of all friendly units. She is not as powerful a hero as Kerrigan, but instead specializes in overrunning her enemies with swarms of disposable units, particularly banelings.

Abilities
Zagara has the following abilities in Allied Commanders :

Talents
Zagara acquires the following talents as she levels up.

Development
Zagara's in-game model is that of a modified queen. Adjustments were made to her tail, forearm claws, head, and back wings to create a new, unique shape.

RISK: StarCraft
Zagara appears as a hero unit in RISK: StarCraft.

Heroes of the Storm
Zagara appears in Heroes of the Storm. Like in Allied Commanders, her abilities include the ability to summon sacs and hydralisks.

Personality and Traits
"Zerg queen. Believes in "the old ways" -- tradition, strength, power. She is powerful and no-nonsense. Also very intelligent."

- Character description

Zagara is tough, merciless, tenacious, ambitious, and is as vicious and resilient as any in the Swarm. She is also possessed of great cunning. Autonomic learning has convinced Zagara of the inferiority of other intelligent species, and the time she spent uniting disparate feral broods on Char only strengthened her contempt for the weakness of most races in the galaxy. Zagara is loyal to the Swarm, and works for what is best for the zerg. She believes that she will one day rule the Swarm, but for now feels that Kerrigan has more to teach her.

Zagara has expressed some pity for terrans, how while they are organized into nations, they lack a psionic link and are thus alone inside. She considers protoss-zerg hybrids to be "abominations," and dislikes being in space, finding it "cold and empty." She dislikes Dehaka and the primal zerg due to them not being part of the Swarm.

Zagara's initial tactics were little more than mass attacks. After modifications from Abathur, she gained greater tactical understanding.

Trivia
In early builds of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, the name of Zagara and her brood was spelled Za'gara.

In an early version of Heart of the Swarm, Kerrigan would repeatedly torture and kill Zagara (she was revived by Abathur) as part of instructing her on tactics.