Fiction

The story and the cinematics. Terran exiles, the Zerg swarm and the Overmind, the Protoss and their fractured hierarchy; Mengsk, Raynor, Tassadar and Zeratul; and Sarah Kerrigan, who is abandoned on Tarsonis in the first game and spends the rest of the series being the consequence.

Part of StarCraft

42 moments in this segment.

1. 1998-03-31 - StarCraft Opening Cinematic. The original 1998 StarCraft intro cinematic, uploaded to Blizzard's official channel in 2009. Establishes the Koprulu Sector and the terran Confederacy on the eve of the zerg invasion.
2. 1998-11-30 - StarCraft: Brood War - Full Cinematic Sequence. A compiled run of the Brood War in-engine and pre-rendered cinematics including the terran, zerg and protoss campaign endings.
3. 1998-11-30 - StarCraft: Brood War Opening Cinematic. The opening cinematic of the Brood War expansion, in which the United Earth Directorate fleet arrives in the Koprulu Sector. Official Blizzard upload.
4. 1998-11-30 - The Death of the Overmind. The Brood War cinematic in which Tassadar sacrifices himself and the Gantrithor to destroy the zerg Overmind on Aiur.
5. 2007-05-19 - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Cinematic Trailer. The cinematic revealed at Blizzard's 2007 Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, showing a terran marine being armored up. Blizzard's own description confirms the 2007 reveal.
6. 2009 - The BlizzCon 2009 StarCraft II Lore Panel. Blizzard's story panel at BlizzCon 2009, featuring the StarCraft II voice cast including Robert Clotworthy as Raynor and Tricia Helfer as Kerrigan.
7. 2010-06-19 - The StarCraft II Voice Cast. An interview with the voice actors behind the StarCraft II characters, recorded around the Wings of Liberty launch.
8. 2010-07-21 - Ghosts of the Past - StarCraft II Trailer. Extended Wings of Liberty trailer covering Kerrigan's fall and Arcturus Mengsk's betrayal, released as a promotional unlockable before launch.
9. 2010-07-27 - Echoes of the Future - Zeratul and the Overmind's Corpse. The Wings of Liberty prophecy mission in which Zeratul reads the dead Overmind's memories on Aiur, setting up Amon and the xel'naga arc.
10. 2010-07-27 - Wings of Liberty Ending Cinematic. The closing cinematic of the Wings of Liberty campaign, in which Raynor restores Kerrigan to human form on Char.
11. 2010-07-27 - The Release of Tychus Findlay. The Wings of Liberty cinematic in which Arcturus Mengsk has Tychus Findlay armored up and released from prison to hunt Kerrigan.
12. 2010-10-22 - Kerrigan cosplay at BlizzCon 2010. A cosplayer dressed as Sarah Kerrigan from StarCraft, photographed at BlizzCon 2010.
13. 2010-11-04 - StarCraft II - Terran Overview. Blizzard's official faction overview of the terrans, narrated in character by Jim Raynor.
14. 2011 - Blizzard Publishing: So What's the Story?. The BlizzCon 2011 panel in which Blizzard's novel and comic team discuss building the expanded universe around StarCraft and its sister franchises.
15. 2011-10-21 - Terran Marine cosplay at BlizzCon 2011. A StarCraft Terran Marine costume photographed at BlizzCon 2011.
16. 2013-01-22 - StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Opening Cinematic. The opening cinematic of the zerg expansion, showing Kerrigan's re-infestation. Official Blizzard upload.
17. 2013-03-12 - Kerrigan Kills Mengsk - The Ascension Cinematic. The Heart of the Swarm ending in which Kerrigan storms Korhal and kills Arcturus Mengsk, closing the arc begun with her abandonment in 1998.
18. 2013 - A fan's StarCraft collection. A photograph of a fan's collection of StarCraft boxed games and merchandise, taken around the Heart of the Swarm era.
19. 2014-04-26 - Jim Raynor cosplay, C2E2 2014. A cosplayer dressed as Jim Raynor in Terran Marine armour at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, 2014.
20. 2014-04-26 - Terran Marine in the cosplay championships. Erin Hannah cosplaying a StarCraft Terran Marine at the C2E2 Crown Championships of Cosplay in 2014.
21. 2014-04-26 - A Terran Marine on the convention floor. A StarCraft Terran Marine cosplayer moving through the crowd at C2E2 2014 in Chicago.
22. 2014-05-17 - Terran Marines and a Ghost, Anime Central 2014. A group of StarCraft Terran Marine cosplayers, accompanied by a Ghost, at Anime Central 2014.
23. 2014-08-23 - Terran Marine at Wizard World Chicago. A StarCraft Terran Marine costume at Wizard World Chicago in August 2014.
24. 2015-05-02 - Kerrigan cosplay portrait, 2015. Cosplayer Phaleure portraying Sarah Kerrigan from StarCraft at a 2015 photo shoot in Ellicott City.
25. 2015-09-13 - StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Opening Cinematic. The protoss expansion's opening cinematic, in which Artanis leads the Golden Armada to reclaim Aiur. Official Blizzard upload.
26. 2015-09-25 - StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void - Reclamation. Blizzard's official Reclamation cinematic introducing the protoss campaign to retake Aiur, released ahead of Legacy of the Void.
27. 2015-11-10 - The Legacy of the Void Ending - Amon Exiled. The close of the protoss campaign, in which the Keystone purges Amon from the Khala and Artanis holds Aiur.
28. 2015-11-10 - Cycle's End - Kerrigan Becomes Xel'naga. The Legacy of the Void epilogue in which Ouros passes the last xel'naga essence to Kerrigan, ending the Infinite Cycle and the main StarCraft story.
29. 2015-11-10 - Alone - Artanis Becomes a Dark Templar. The Legacy of the Void cinematic in which Artanis severs his nerve cords, cutting himself from the Khala to escape Amon's control.
30. 2015-11-10 - The Death of Zeratul. The Legacy of the Void scene in which Artanis, corrupted by Amon, kills the dark templar Zeratul on Aiur.
31. 2016-03-20 - StarCraft cosplay, C2E2 2016. Terran Marine cosplay at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo in March 2016.
32. 2018-03-30 - A Brief History of All Things StarCraft. A condensed retelling of the StarCraft, Brood War and StarCraft II storylines made for the franchise's twentieth anniversary.
33. 2019-11-27 - The Entire StarCraft Timeline Explained. A chronological walkthrough of the StarCraft fiction from the xel'naga through the Legacy of the Void epilogue.
34. 2021-12-10 - The History of the Terran. The terran backstory as written in the original 1998 StarCraft manual, read out and recreated in the StarCraft II engine.
35. 2022-01-07 - The History of the Zerg. The zerg backstory from the original StarCraft manual, narrated and visualised in the StarCraft II editor.
36. 2022-02-04 - The History of the Protoss. The protoss backstory from the original StarCraft manual, covering the Khala and the xel'naga.
37. 2024-07-11 - StarCraft Lore: The History of Each Race. An explainer covering the pre-game history of the terrans, zerg and protoss, including the terran exile from Earth.
38. 2025-03-02 - The Original StarCraft Manual, Read Aloud. A complete reading of the lore sections of the 1998 StarCraft instruction booklet, the franchise's foundational written source.
39. 2026-03-09 - The Absurdly Deep Lore of StarCraft. A full-timeline lore essay running from the xel'naga and the Infinite Cycle through the protoss, terran and zerg arcs.
40. 2026-03-28 - The Guild Wars and the Great War. A detailed lore essay covering the events leading into the original StarCraft and the whole of its three campaigns.
41. 2026-04-19 - The Brood War, Explained. A lore essay covering the Brood War expansion's story, including the UED invasion and Kerrigan's consolidation of the Swarm.
42. 2026-05-22 - Heart of the Swarm, Explained. A lore essay covering the events of the zerg expansion and Kerrigan's return to the Swarm.