History Characters / StarcraftRacesAndFactions

* OffstageVillainy: The main reason some fans [[RootingForTheEmpire were rooting for them]] in ''Brood War''. Since the game focuses on the fleet sent to the Koprulu Sector and never shows how things are on Earth, their government being a ruthless, intolerant dictatorship and their objective to use their controlled Zerg to "[[WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide pacify]]" the Protoss [[AllThereInTheManual were only mentioned in support material]], leaving them with ''very'' little KickTheDog moments while their campaign focused exclusively on [[KickTheSonOfABitch beating up the Dominion and the Zerg]]. As a result, they came out as heroic, especially considering their main opponent ended up being [[CardCarryingVillain Kerrigan]].

* NonMammalMammaries: ''[=StarCraft=]: Ghost'' development renders revealed that female Protoss have breasts, despite the fact that they are aliens unable to eat solid food, being purely photosynthetic. However, ''[=StarCraft=]: Ghost'' is not considered canon, and the Protoss females so far seen in the RTS wore chestpieces that weren't shaped in a way suggesting bulges underneath. The female Protoss seen in ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' appear to be flat-chested, but again: their torsos are usually covered by armor.
** As it turns out, this was deliberate. Both races were [[spoiler: uplifted by Amon and his faction for his great plan to end all life in the universe]].
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Many Protoss are proud of their victories in battle and love to fight. Aldaris remarks in the first game when Fenix dies that he died fighting as a Templar, the greatest glory a warrior could hope for.

* BloodKnight[=/=]ProudWarriorRaceGuy: While the Protoss as a whole are this, the Tal'darim take this even further than the other Protoss factions, having a much more martial, brutal and warlike culture.
* DarkIsEvil[=/=]LightIsNotGood: They have no problem employing Khalai and Nerazim units in equal measure (though we find out the Tal'darim have been stealing technology from them). ''Legacy of the Void'' and expanded world lore establish they split off from the Protoss long before the Nerazim came around and have developed an entirely separate belief system, so [[EqualOpportunityEvil they don't care one way or the other about the divide between the two factions or the religious beliefs at play between them]], [[HatesEveryoneEqually although they do see both groups as heretics]].

* ReligionOfEvil[=/=]ScaryAmoralReligion: The Tal'darim straddle these contradictory tropes thusly: although they worship Amon while knowing full well he's an OmnicidalManiac, they consider themselves to be worshipping the ''true'' god by doing so, and they see all other Protoss as heretics with false beliefs.

* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Compared to the Swarm Zerg. The Primal Zerg believe in the survival of the fittest, live in packs, frequently express pride in how strong they are and follow AsskickingLeadsToLeadership to the letter.

* ExpendableClone: They were seen as expendable copies by the Conclave. This is only acceptable for those with Basic AI and not a templar personality.

* StarfishRobots: The disruptors, at least. Most look like robotic protoss.
* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: The Purifiers chose to rebel and killed their masters, leading to them being shut down and sealed away.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Played with from time to time. Of the Protoss in-game, most use some level of armor and footwear, but a few (such as dark templars like Zeratul) do not. Notably, one of their executors, Artanis (roughly a general), wore very little at all in his first appearance in ''Brood War'', but he's got what may very well be the best armor in the game series by Starcraft II.

The various races of the ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' series and their organizations. Click [[Characters/{{StarCraft}} here]] to return to the main index.

* PteroSoarer: The kakaru is obviously based on pterodactyls.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: They follow the "Chain of Ascension," a strict chain of command where every Tal'darim holds a rank. If they're able to kill a superior in ritual duel, everyone moves up in rank until the gaps are filled. The belief is that the continued practice of these methods will ensure the Tal'darim remain strong and any weakness in their numbers will eventually be filed down the ranks and killed.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: The packs are led by the strongest among them. [[spoiler:As a result, they end up joining the Swarm when Kerrigan converts herself into a Primal Zerg and slays their Packleaders.]]

* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Compared to the Swarm Zerg. The Primal Zerg believe in the survival of the fittest, live in packs, frequently express pride in how strong they are and follow AsskickingEqualsAuthority to the letter.

* PerfectPacifistPeople: So it seems; the Xel'Naga greatly valued life and refused to kill anything. Even [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination The Voice In The Darkness]]]]. Though they made an exception for [[spoiler:Amon, since his goal was to KillEmAll.]]

* {{Expy}}: Of [[VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} the Burning Legion]], [[spoiler: especially since Amon's motive is revealed in ''Legacy of the Void''. Led by a PhysicalGod? Check. Said PhysicalGod got dissatisfied by how life was developed? Check. Does he want to KillEmAll and remake the universe in his own image? Check. Is that PhysicalGod TheDreaded to his enemies? Check. Has beings that are NotQuiteDead when their physical body is destroyed? Only two, but check anyways. Empowered two of the playable non-Human races? Check. Requires three playable races on bad terms with each other to ally in desperation to be defeated? Check]].

* TeleportersAndTransporters: One of the Protoss' signature abilities is that they make heavy use of teleportation in many variants; both their buildings and units are brought on the field through portails rather than created and both games have them use at least one caster with a mass teleportation spell. In ''Starcraft II'', they even get an upgrade allowing them to instantly teleport fighters anywhere on the field by combining Warp Prisms, Pylons and Warp Gates.

* NotSoDifferent: Ironically, with the Zerg; both were [[TouchedByVorlons made into what they are by the Xel'Naga]], both have their own form of a PsychicLink (The Zerg's being a HiveMind), and both have two dissident factions representing the conflict between unity (the Swarm / the Khalai Protoss) and individuality (the Primal Zerg / the Dark Templar) that are eventually united into one race. Further, the Zerg operate in Broods and packs, while the Protoss never fully abandoned their tribal origins and developed a caste system on top of it.

* NotSoDifferent: With the Protoss; see the entry in the Protoss section.

* TheKingdom: A space-themed version; they're a small faction but very rich due to controlling planets full of valuable resources.

* MeltingPot: Comes with being TheAlliance. By the end of ''Legacy of the Void'', their members include Khalai from both present time ''and'' [[FishOutOfTemporalWater the time of Adun]], Nerazim, Purifiers [[spoiler:and some Tal'darim who were allowed by Alarak to stay with them]].

* WeAREStrugglingTogether: Defied ''hard''; Artanis strongly believes the Protoss' defeats in the past were caused by their constant infighting, and, when he founded the Daelaam, did his best to ''not'' repeat the mistakes and prejudices committed by [[NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering the Conclave]]. As a result, they put an emphasis on cooperation between the various tribes and are willing to break multiple traditions to solidify their alliances.

The various races of the ''Franchise/{{Starcraft}}'' series and their organizations. Click [[Characters/{{StarCraft}} here]] to return to the main index.

* GreaterScopeVillain: The Xel'Naga as a whole are an inversion of this trope, but [[spoiler:one of them, Amon, is the Greater Scope Villain of ''StarCraft II'' and, retroactively, ''StarCraftI'' as well]].

* TheMedic: The UED canonically introduced the Medic unit to StarCraft multiplayer, and UED medics effectively serve as {{Support Party Member}}s thanks to their Restore and Optic Flare abilities, whereas Raynor's Raiders and Dominion medics are basically healbots.

* HufflepuffHouse: There are three main tribes that make up the largely individualistic Nerazim: The cloth-wearing Lenassa (like Zeratul, the original Dark Templar units, and half of the StarCraft II Dark Templar units), the zerg bone-wearing Zer'atai (like Lassatar and the other half of the StarCraft II Dark Templar units)... and the Boros which apparently wear helmets and heavy armor. Unless the Boros tribe flies the void rays, they have never shown up. Meanwhile the zerg bones have become more iconic than the shrouds.