With the release of Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void, signaling the end of the Starcraft
2 trilogy that began all the way back in 2010--holy crap that’s five [censored] years ago, jesus
[censored] Christ. I was 22. I was so young. So innocent. So many things have happened.
I...I need to lie down-- NOW seems like an appropriate time to take a look back on the
historical, literary and pop culture references that are found throughout the series. Even
Blizzard admits that when they began developing Starcraft it started out as nothing more than
a science fiction twist on their already popular Warcraft series. But, being Blizzard, the
level of polish, detail and care put into the series has helped it CRAFT an identity
all its own. Get it? CRAFT?! ‘cause, Starcra--I’ll just see myself out.
Let’s start out with Valerian Mengsk, the only son of the Emperor. Players first met
Valerian in Starcraft 2, but he was actually created much earlier than that by writer Christie
Golden in the 2007 novel Starcraft Dark Templar: Firstborn. Originally, the character was going
to be named Augustus after the famed Roman emperor. This idea was later dropped, but
the name “Valerian” has Roman roots as well. Valerian the Elder was also an emperor
of Rome in 253 AD and holds the dubious distinction of being the only Roman ruler to be captured
by an enemy force. His capture at the hands of the Persians caused a short era of instability
in the Roman empire. Whether a similar fate awaits Valerian Mengsk remains to be seen.
The Terran Confederacy is an obvious reference to the Confederate army of the American Civil
War. But there’s a few other references to that war as well. The planet of New Gettysburg,
where the Battle of New Gettysburg took place, was inspired by the real Battle of Gettysburg,
the defining battle of the American Civil War. Even the Terran campaign is called “Rebel
Yell”, a reference to Confederate army’s infamous battle cry.
Now let’s take a look at some of the military forces in the series. The Terran Firebat’s
hero class unit Gui Montag is named in reference to Guy Montag, the protagonist of Ray Bradbury’s
classic book Fahrenheit 451. This is fitting, since the Montag of Bradbury’s book is a
man tasked with burning books and Starcraft’s Montag is a fire unit. Tom Kazansky, the Hero
class unit of the Terran Wraith is known as “the best Wraith pilot in the Terran Dominion”.
It makes sense then that he shares his name with Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, expert fighter
pilot and Tom Cruise’s rival in 1986’s Top Gun. I wonder if he’s as good at volleyball,
though. And yes, I did just write that awkward segue so I could have an excuse to put this
clip in our show. Ah. Look at that. Mmmmm. So much testosterone. Uh. Wait. Crap. What
were we talking about? Oh right, Starcraft. The Hero class unit of the Zerg Ultralisk,
Torrasque, is believed by many to be a reference to Dungeons & Dragons’ Tarrasque. But it’s
name could also be a modified version of the name “Tarasque”. The Tarasque was a mythological
dragon-hybrid that comes from old French legends and shares a similar shell design to the Torrasque.
But that’s not all of course, calling back to the series’ ‘90s roots, the developers
at Blizzard have confirmed that the character James Raynor is a shout out to James Ryan,
or as he’s better known: Private Ryan, Matt Damon’s character in Spielberg’s World
War 2 epic, which some of you may remember as the Movie Your Dad Likes I talked about
in the 90s episode of Fallout. Don’t be salty, dad. It’s okay, I like the movie,
too. The villain in the Enslavers campaign, Alan Schezar, has a name taken from a different
source: anime. Allen Schezar is a blond expert swordsmen in Visions of Escaflowne, a Japanese
animated series from the mid 90s. The connection between the two characters may not be clear,
but it’s worth noting that both of them are quite the badass mecha pilot. Oh, and
of course Starcraft’s beloved General Duke is named after America’s most famous cowboy,
John Wayne, who was often known by his nickname: The Duke.
Lastly, a pure easter egg. What Starcraft game would be complete without a reference
to it’s sister series Warcraft? So understandably, Starcraft 2: The Heart of the Swarm includes
a reference to the classic (can we call it classic? Is it old enough yet? Sure, why not),
the classic World of Warcraft expansion Wrath of the Lich King. Where the armor of the Lich
King himself can be spotted on the side of a cliff on the frozen planet Kaldir.
Thanks for watching our first Starcraft episode Hidden History! Be sure to like and subscribe
for more Starcraft. Oh and share! We’d love to make more Starcraft videos but we need
your support to do it! If we don’t get enough views on this it’s back to the salt mines
of Fallout for me, and all the music there is from when my grandpa was 11. Alright so
last week we asked you what real-world object made the sound you hear when firing the Fat
Man Nuclear Catapult, and you didn’t disappoint! Almost all of you were right: it is the sound
of the Bethesda’s office lunch bell. Which...is kind of weird? Are the Bethesda offices in
an old high school? Why are there bells? I NEED TO KNOW. So here is a new Starcraft question
for you: Tychus Findlay is a convicted felon under the number 626. This is a reference
to what animated film? Is it: A. Treasure Planet
B. Lilo & Stitch C. Toy Story
D. Monsters Inc.