Template:Unitboxsmall The Dropship originated as a necessity; with the expansion of the Terrans and their various governments to other worlds, some way of transporting troops from space to the surface of a planet was needed. Dropships are fully capable of both atmospheric and spaceflight.
Dropships have been described as "unreliable" and must land to release troops, as seen in several StarCraft: Ghost videos.
In-Game Unit
Dropships provide the only means to transport Terran units across water and lava, thus they are often critical elements of an attacking force. Their relatively quick speed and 8-slot carrying capacity allows then to fit several units each; a fleet of dropships is often used to offload units directly on top of or near an enemy base; these "drops" are a key strategy for many Terran players.
Upgrades
Quotes
"When removing your overhead luggage, please be careful"
"In case of a water landing, you may be used as a flotation device"
"To hurl chunks, please use the vomit bag in front of you"
"Keep your arms and legs inside until this ride comes to a full and complete stop"
"In the pipe, five by five" (From Aliens)
"Hang on, we're in for some chop" (From Aliens)
"Strap yourselves in, boys"
Trivia
The Dropship is heavily modeled after the one found in Aliens. The Dropship's design, pilot, and quotes were all borrowed from the film.
References
Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.