Kerrigan (StarCraft)

Sarah Kerrigan

from StarCraft Universe

Sarah Louise Kerrigan, the self-styled Queen of Blades, is a major character and the predominant villain in Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft series of video games and novels.

Kerrigan originally appears in StarCraft as a twenty-six-year-old female Terran psychic, trained both physically and mentally as an expert espionage agent and assassin. Initially the second-in-command of the Sons of Korhal, a revolutionary movement headed by Arcturus Mengsk against an oppressive Confederacy of Man, she is captured by the insectoid Zerg and infested, turning her into a human/Zerg hybrid completely under the control of the Zerg Overmind. She becomes one of the Zerg's most powerful agents, but during the Brood Wars she replaces the Overmind, following the Overmind's destruction at the end of the great war, and gains control of the Zerg to seek dominance over the galaxy. Kerrigan's life before her infestation is further explored in the novels Uprising and Liberty's Crusade, while Queen of Blades elaborates on her infested character. As one of the major characters of the series, Kerrigan has been critically praised for her believability and character depth; she is ranked as one of the fifty greatest female video game characters ever by Tom's Games, and a survey by GameSpot put Kerrigan as the greatest villain in computer gaming.

Personality

Having been conscripted into the Confederate ghost program as a child due to her psychic potential, Kerrigan is described in the manual for StarCraft as never been given the chance for a normal life. Her rigorous training and the use of neural implants to control her mental abilities leave her a withdrawn and introverted woman. Despite this, Kerrigan exhibits qualities of courage and daring,[13] and is an effective tactician. She is also described as a moral character, exemplified in her opposition to Arcturus Mengsk using the Zerg against the Confederacy. However, after her transformation by the Zerg, Kerrigan is freed from her inhibitions—as well as her neural conditioning—and indulges her darker traits. Her attitude is described by the publication WomenGamers.Com as "spiteful, conniving, mocking, double-crossing [and] flamboyant", which when combined with her natural intelligence makes her extremely calculating and manipulative. Kerrigan has also become far more physically aggressive, relishing in close quarters combat so much that one point in the novel Queen of Blades she begins absent-mindedly licking the blood of her victims from her fingers. The personality that Kerrigan displayed in the Heart of the Swarm Trailer seemed to be a combination of both attributes; during her conversation with Izsha the description of her crimes as "terrible" imply that to a degree she does feel genuine guilt for her crimes, and may seek to atone. On the other hand she is determined to crush opposition to her rule, and to exact her revenge on Arcturus Mengsk.

Kerrigan's infestation by the Zerg signals a major overhaul for her appearance. Despite maintaining her stature, build and facial features, she is described in Queen of Blades as having mottled green skin, covered in a glossy protective carapace. Kerrigan's eyes are bright yellow as opposed to her natural green, and her hair has transformed into stalks, described as being segmented like an insect's legs. Kerrigan's fingers are stated to now contain extendable claws. A pair of skeletal wings has also grown from her back, consisting of elongated segmented spikes that reach down to the level of her knees. Kerrigan is seen using these wings as a melee weapon, literally tearing opponents apart. (source)