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The Confederacy
Terran Confederacy
"The Confederacy is falling apart, Duke. Its colonies are in open revolt."
— Arcturus Mengsk
The Confederacy was founded on Tarsonis by the refugees of the supercarrier Nagglfar, and was the first major government the Terrans knew in the sector. The Nagglfar computers remained operational when the supercarrier landed, allowing the settlers of Tarsonis to quickly re-establish space travel and colonize other worlds, united under one banner as the Confederacy of Man, or simply the Terran Confederacy. It was an open secret that the Confederate Senate was corrupt, and the real power in government was the "Old Families", societal elite descended from the Nagglfar commanders. The Confederate colonization of the sector that was opposed by the Kel-Morian Combine in a conflict known as the Guild Wars, and their eventual victory over the Kel-Morians established them as the dominant Terran power in the sector.
While the Confederates ruled many worlds, their corruption and oppression frequently sparked rebellion. One such rebellion was Korhal IV, led by Senator Angus Mengsk. The Confederates feared a revolt from one of their core worlds would encourage rebellious sentiment in other colonies, and decided to make an example of Angus and Korhal — the Mengsk family was assassinated by Confederate ghosts and Korhal was bombarded with nuclear warheads, annihilating all life. Angus' son Arcturus, then a freelance prospector, was off-planet at the time and took up his father's cause, founding the Sons of Korhal. Arcturus led a guerrilla war against the Confederacy that eventually culminated in a Zerg invasion of Tarsonis. With the loss of their capital planet and most of their leadership, the Confederacy was effectively destroyed, and Arcturus restructured the Sons of Korhal as the Terran Dominion, the new dominant Terran government.
- Bad Cop/Incompetent Cop: Their leadership were mostly corrupt and self-serving; most of the others had no idea what they were doing.
- Big Bad: The main antagonists of Episode I in the first game. However, Mengsk usurps them in the role for the final mission.
- Blatant Lies: Despite the Confederacy's pretensions to democracy and fairness, even its own leadership didn't do much to hide the flagrant corruption and incompetence tearing it apart at the seams.
- Color-Coded Armies: Not a universal color like the Dominion, but the Confederacy's squadrons each had their signature uniform color the player could recognize in-game. Alpha Squadron was white, Delta Squadron was orange, Omega Squadron was black (brown in-game for visibility), Nova Squadron is purple, and Epsilon Squadron is yellow. There was also Gamma Squadron as featured in some lore, but they don't appear in-game and have no assigned color as such.
- Create Your Own Villain: The Confederacy's violent silencing of Angus Mengsk and nuking of Korhal created an enemy far more dangerous in Arcturus Mengsk and the Sons of Korhal.
- Deadly Decadent Court: The Old Families, descendants of the Nagglfar officers which actually controlled the Confederacy, were by and large corrupt and conniving in their efforts to preserve their own power.
- Deep South: They have this flavor to them. Their leaders that we see are Southern stereotypes, most prominently General Duke (whose name is either a Shout-Out to The Dukes of Hazzard or, less flatteringly, to notorious Southern separatist/Klansman David Duke), their flag is the Confederate Battle Flag/Navy Jack, taken from Earth's historical archives, and to top it all off their nation is known as the Confederacy. Justified, due to a sizable portion of the Terran population hailing from the American South.
- Disc-One Final Boss: The first main antagonist, swept away in the first of the three original campaigns.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: They tried to experiment on captured Zerg when they first began appearing in the sector. Not only did they end up luring many more than they could handle, but also the research they found was turned against them by Arcturus and used to destroy Tarsonis.
- Fascist, but Inefficient: As noted above, the Confederacy was disorganized, corrupt, and pretty unpopular due to their policy of nuking planets whose populations questioned their authority. It's pretty obvious they were already starting to crumble before Arcturus unleashed Zerg on Tarsonis.
- The Federation: On paper, it's ruled by a senate and composed of numerous independent worlds. In practice, it's corrupt and inefficient, unwilling to suffer unrest from its colonies.
- Final Solution: On both the giving and receiving end. The Confederacy nuked Korhal as a way to reinforce its power over the Terran sector, and in revenge, Arcturus unleashed the Swarm on the capitol world of Tarsonis before firing his own nuclear barrage on the planet.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: Just before the Zerg began to arrive to the Koprulu sector, the Terran Confederacy was at the height of its power, but then they created the Psi-Emitters to further experiment on the Zerg and unleashed the Swarm on themselves. By Wings of Liberty, all that remains of the Confederacy are scattered groups of mercenaries and stubborn holdouts too weak to ever pose a challenge to the Dominion.
- Hufflepuff House: In-faction example: The Confederate Army is formed by at least six known squadrons: Alpha, Delta, Gamma, Epsilon, Gamma and Omega. Only Alpha, Delta and Omega Squadrons appear in the actual game, with the other three only being mentioned in the backstory.
- Just Before the End: The Confederacy at the start of the original Terran campaign is beginning its inevitable destruction spiral as the Zerg attacks, coupled with the Protoss incursions and later the gains of the Sons of Korhal broke whatever power it held in the Koprulu sector. Mengsk luring the Swarm to Tarsonis only accelerated its nigh-inevitable collapse.
- Make Way for the New Villains: They get completely obliterated by Mengsk at the end of the original Terran campaign, leading to the Dominion's uprising and the Swarm growing as the main threat.
- The Remnant: Groups of Confederate loyalists still exist years after their destruction. Some have become mercenaries for hire, others lead a more focused rebellion against the Dominion. None of the latter however are lore-significant. Wings of Liberty introduces the War Pigs, a company of mercenary marines; the Devil Dogs, mercenary firebats; the Siege Breakers, mercenary tank drivers; and crewmembers of Jackson's Revenge, a mercenary battlecruiser.
- Settling the Frontier: By the time of the first game, the Confederates have largely finished consolidating their territories, though the colonies still remain impoverished, nigh-lawless frontiers in which enterprising mercenaries could make a living.
- Starter Villain: They are introduced as the first clear-cut villains in the game (the Zerg technically appear more or less at the same time but aren't revealed to be led by a Hive Mind until their own campaign), but it's quickly made clear they are far from being the biggest threat, and it isn't long before they are exterminated to be replaced by Arcturus and the Swarm.
- Still Wearing the Old Colors: Even during the events of the second game, there remain mercenary companies and diehard holdouts that still swear allegiance to the Confederacy. The reason the Dominion hasn't clamped down on them is partly due to said remnants being smart enough not to challenge its rule and because of much greater threats at hand.
- We ARE Struggling Together: By the start of the original Terran campaign, among the only things holding the Confederacy together were institutional inertia and mutual hatred for would-be usurpers like Mengsk.
Confederate Lieutenant
A newly promoted lieutenant of Alpha Squadron commanding Alpha Squadron's detachment stationed on Chau Sara to deal with the Sons of Korhal. The Player Character of the Precursor tutorial campaign.
Provides examples of:
- Doomed by Canon: Just as with Magistrate Collins they were likely killed when the Protoss "purified" the planet.
- Jurisdiction Friction: Even as commanding officer of the garrison The Lieutenant can do little to stop the Cerberus Commander from bossing them and Magistrate Collins around.
- Player Character: They were supposed to be the first one in the game but the campaign was cut in the final release. It was added back in with the HD Re-release of Starcraft
- Video Game Tutorial: Their first mission, Boot Camp, serves as one for the character in-universe as well as one for the player.
Lester & Sarge
"I love you, Sarge."
Voiced by: Matt Samia (Lester) and James Page (Sarge)
Two dumb Confederate soldiers stationed on Mar Sara right during the Zerg invasion. Appear in a cutscene and get eaten by hydralisks in their only appearance.
Provides examples of:
- Cutscene Incompetence: Disembarking from your vehicle, unarmed, in the middle of nowhere right during an alien invasion must be a very good idea...
- Deep South: As part of the very stereotypical nature of Terrans as hicks in the early days of the series.
- Dying Declaration of Love: Lester declares his love for Sarge right as they are about to be eaten by a group of Zerg, much to the latter's disgust.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!:Sarge: It's a zerglin' Lester, smaller type o' zerg. They oughtn't be out this far unless... *hears gurgling noises behind him* Oh shit!
- Lower-Deck Episode: The cutscene they appear in.
- Monster Munch: They get devoured by Zerg.
- Redshirt: They're introduced only to be killed off.
- Too Dumb to Live: They're out in the middle of nowhere when they disembark their vehicle, unarmed, to investigate Zerg.
Magistrate Collins
"There are to be no arrests, Lieutenant. I hope you understand what I mean. I want this problem solved once and for all. Good hunting."
Voiced by: Chris Metzen
Magistrate of the Chau Sara colony and the player's mission giver in the Precursor demo/prequel campaign. Calls in Alpha Squadron to help deal with the Sons of Korhal rebellion on his planet. It went From Bad to Worse quickly.
Provides examples of:
- Butt-Monkey: He is constantly talked down to and having his authority undermined by the Cerberus Commander. Whenever he tries to speak up or offer advice to the player, he is bluntly interrupted by the commander.
- Deep South: Has a mild but noticeable southern accent.
- Doomed by Canon: In Episode I, we learn that Chau Sara was one of the first planets to be "purified" by the protoss. Doesn't bode well for poor Collins. Or so it seems...
- Jurisdiction Friction: With the Cerberus Commander. He can do little to stop him though.
- Last-Name Basis: His first name is never given.
- Leave No Survivors: As seen in his quote above, this is how he'll prefer that the rebels are dealt with.
Cerberus Commander
"Lieutenant. By edict of Confederate High Command, all matters regarding these xenomorphs are under Class 7 Seal. Do not speak of the existence of the xenomorphs or in any way relay the events surrounding their appearance on Chau Sara. Failure to comply with these orders will result in immediate termination. This conversation never took place. We were never here."
Voiced by: Unknown
Mysterious commander of the black-ops Cerberus Squad sent to deal with the Zerg infestation on Chau Sara in the Precursor demo/prequel campaign. Quickly supersedes Collins as the primary mission giver.
Provides examples of:
- Elite Mooks: Through him, you get access to some Cerberus Firebats and Cerberus Goliaths, which are much stronger than their regular counterparts.
- I Was Never Here: As his profile quote demonstrates.
- Jurisdiction Friction: With Collins and the lieutenant. It's pretty one-sided though as the Commander goes on with his operation regardless of what they think.
- The Men in Black: He and Cerberus arrive to cull the Zerg threat and make sure no one talks about it.
- My Rule Fu Is Stronger than Yours: When Magistrate Collins starts getting too much in his way, he invokes an obscure law and relives him of command.
- Never Found the Body / He's Just Hiding: According
to Word of God, not all members of Cerberus Squad were accounted for after the fall of the Confederacy. He may still be out there...
- Un-person: Heavily implied to happen to anyone who might get a little too talkative about their operations.
Pollock Rimes
A former Confederate battlecruiser commander, when it crashed on Umoja he was recruited into the Sons of Korhal with his crew, and his battlecruiser was repaired and renamed Hyperion, becoming the flagship of the rebellion for years.
Provides examples of:
- The Lancer: To Mengsk at first.
- The Mole: While he sides with Mengsk, he still works for the Confederacy and eventually betrays him.
- Small Role, Big Impact: While he only appears in one novel, his actions result in Mengsk acquiring the Hyperion and it later coming into the possession of Jim Raynor and Raynor's Raiders, where it becomes their flagship and mobile base.
Lieutenant Rumm
A member of the Ghost Academy during the reign of the Confederacy, he was in charge of training a young Sarah Kerrigan.
Provides examples of:
- Break the Cutie: His goal with Kerrigan's training.
- Karmic Death: Meets his death at Kerrigan's psionic hands.
The UPL / UED
United Powers League / United Earth Directorate
"We have come here to conquer this sector in the name of humanity. Should any of you have second thoughts about performing your assigned duties, be reminded that if we fail in our mission here, not one of us will be going home."
— Admiral Gerard DuGalle
In the 23rd century on Earth, the United Nations was effectively defunct, and overpopulation, limited resources, and cultural tensions threatened to destroy humanity. A new world government, the United Powers League, took control of Earth and instituted brutal societal reforms in the name of stabilizing civilization. As part of this, they enacted "Project Purification" — hundreds of millions of humans were rounded up for systematic extermination, including genetic mutants, the cybernetically enhanced, criminals, and political dissidents. A scientist named Doran Routhe wished to investigate the feasibility of colonizing other planets, and was granted 40,000 detainees for his experiment. Routhe had his subjects put in cryogenic sleep in four supercarriers, and sent them towards the planet of Gantris VI, but a computer malfunction caused them to arrive in the Koprulu Sector, where they began the Terran civilization.
The UPL maintained monitoring of the Terrans, but had no interest in intervening in their affairs. That changed when the Zerg and the Protoss arrived in Terran space. Mass panic ensued on Earth at the discovery of hostile alien civilizations, and the UPL decided a military response was needed to protect Earth and her interests. The few Earth nations and governments not part of them already were willing to ally against the alien menace, and the UPL reformed as the United Earth Directorate. The UED sent an expeditionary fleet to the Koprulu Sector to take command of the Terran colonies and eradicate or enslave the Zerg and Protoss, but the invasion was thwarted and the fleet destroyed. Though the UED has not gotten involved in the Koprulu Sector since, the distant human homeworld is barely a blip on the radar for those in the Koprulu Sector, and thus the Directorate remains in control of Earth, plotting their next move.
Provides examples of:
- Ambiguously Evil: While the UPL was clearly a fascistic nightmare, it's unclear if — and to what extent — these beliefs carried over to the UED when other Earth nations joined with them, plus the passing of centuries between the UPL taking control of civilization and their reformation as the UED. There's some evidence that the UED is at least somewhat more even-handed then the UPL, as its representatives met in-game show no signs of prejudice or hatred towards those the UPL demonized like psionics and mutants. Currently, Ghosts clearly serve in UED armed forces (they take part, among others, in operation on Dylarian Shipyards or disassembling the Psi Disrupter on Tarsonis) suggesting that psychics may be widely accepted now. In fact, the propaganda video at the campaign's finale clearly mentions "Directorate psychics" who help keep the Overmind in check. However, since actual life on Earth under their banner in the present day is not hinted at, it's unclear how bad they truly are.
- A Nazi by Any Other Name: Their rise to power heavily calls to mind Nazi Germany with their brutal enforced societal reformations and usurping and dissolving all rival powers to their government. The most obvious parallel is their purging of "undesirable" humans in the name of "saving" humanity through genocide. Their logo even stylistically bears a resemblance to a three-armed swastika.StarCraft 1 Manual: Project Purification. This genocidal crusade was the Government's final solution to the matter of cleansing humanity of its more degenerate facets. UPL troops scoured every nation on earth, rounding up dissidents, hackers, synthetics, the cybernetically enhanced, tech-pirates, and criminals of every kind. This planet-wide culling resulted in the eradication of nearly 400,000,000 people. The world-media, now under the strict control of the UPL, downplayed the horrific violence and kept the general populace of Earth unaware of the scope of the atrocities being committed.
- Abusive Precursors: The United Powers League and its "Project Purification" are pretty much the main reason why the Terrans are in the Koprulu Sector at all.
- Anti-Air: The main power of the UED comes from their superior aerial army and ground-to-air tactics. Brood War introduced numerous balance fixes to the Terran race, including the Goliath getting a range upgrade to its air attack along with a damage buff, and the addition of the Valkyrie frigate as an air-to-air bombardment craft: in-story these changes is explained as the UED bringing the technology to the sector and it gets copied by other factions. In missions as AI enemies they tend to favor aerial forces, their ground troops usually sticking to Marines, Medics, and Goliaths. In the eighth Zerg mission in Brood War, the UED will even combine their aircraft with mind-controlled Zerg fliers to devastating effect.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Alongside Kerrigan, they are the main antagonists of Brood War. This results in Episode VI being Evil Versus Evil with Kerrigan leading a villainous version of The Alliance against them.
- Color-Coded Armies: Their ground forces are Atlas Wing, colored brown, and their air forces are Cronus Wing, colored white. The latter is used far more often than the former, the former mostly existing due to color limitations.note
- The Dreaded: Even well into Heart of the Swarm, Terrans at large are unnerved over the prospect of facing the UED again. Stukov himself, who believes that Earth will return one day, doesn't look forward to it, knowing painfully well what the UED would do not only to Infested Terrans like himself but also to the rest of the Koprulu Sector.
- Elite Mooks: Downplayed. The expeditionary forces sent to the Koprulu Sector may not represent the full might of the UED, but they're nonetheless comprised of some of the best troops Earth has to offer.
- The Empire: Both the United Powers League in the backstory and the UED are revealed to be this, ruling the rest of humanity not only with an iron fist but with the firepower to back that up.
- Enemy Mine:
- According to the lore, this is how the UED formed out of the UPL. Several countries were not part of them when the Zerg and Protoss arrived, and the fear of the aliens galvanized them into uniting against the bigger threat.
- In "Omega", the final mission in Brood War, the UED forms a very shaky alliance with the Terran Dominion and Artanis's Protoss fleet against Kerrigan.
- Evil Versus Evil: In Brood War they end up being involved in wars against the fellow Hate Sinks of the Terran Dominion and the Zerg Swarm. While the UED does fight the not-villainous Protoss and Raynor's Raiders, these conflicts are barely depicted, if at all, compared to the Dominion and the Zerg.
- Galactic Superpower: They're the greatest power in the galaxy, second perhaps only to the Protoss Empire at its zenith. The expeditionary fleet they sent to the Koprulu Sector was a fraction of their total military might (albeit a non-insignificant fraction) and had to rely heavily on local manpower and resources. Yet despite that, as well as stolen and reverse-engineered Terran technology to bolster their numbers, they were still able to briefly rule the sector after enslaving the Zerg Swarm and seizing control of the Dominion. It's unclear how they stack up against the rebuilt Dominion and the Protoss Daelaam after the events of Legacy of the Void, but they're surely comparable to them at the least.
- Godzilla Threshold: The revelation of the Protoss and Zerg's existence came as such a shock to humanity on Earth that it led to both the world's remaining independent holdouts voluntarily joining the United Powers League, and the UPL's transformation into the UED.
- Humanity Is Advanced: Downplayed. While not on the same level as the Protoss, the UED is heavily implied to be much more advanced than what the expeditionary fleet sent to the Koprulu Sector would suggest.
- Humans Are Bastards: A look at what Project Purification entailed says much about what kind of regime the United Powers League was, while the succeeding UED ruthlessly controls a sizable portion of known space with heavy firepower and superior technology to anything the Terrans of the Koprulu Sector could muster. But unlike the Zerg and Protoss, which were influenced/tampered with by the Xel'naga and specifically, Amon, for his own designs, humanity on Earth did all that entirely on their own.
- The Medic: The UED canonically introduced the Medic unit to StarCraft multiplayer, and UED medics effectively serve as Support Party Members thanks to their Restore and Optic Flare abilities, whereas Raynor's Raiders and Dominion medics are basically healbots.
- Offstage Villainy: The main reason some fans 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, players are given a vision of the UED as lead by Reasonable Authority Figures who spend their campaign pushing around the Dominion and the Zerg. Any atrocities or oppression their government employs on Earth, or may have employed against the Terran civilians they briefly occupied, aren't brought up in-game.
- Outside-Context Villain: Until their invasion they were entirely disconnected from events in the Koprulu Sector, and they're the only major antagonist faction with no connection to Amon, either. For a while after their arrival no one knew who they were until they really began shaking things up, and the Terrans never expected an attack fleet from Earth to show up in their lifetime. This ends up working against them; the other characters don't know much about the UED, just that they're here and they're hostile, and it's this ambiguity that allows Kerrigan to convince others they're a greater threat than her and they should ally with her against them.note
- Punch-Clock Villain: Putting aside the ruthless dictatorship of their leaders back Earth, the UED troops sent to the Koprulu sector were depicted as genuinely patriotic people whose sought to bring peace to the sector and ensure Earth would never suffer Zerg invasions or Protoss orbital bombardments like the sector colonists had.
- The Remnant: A few pockets of UED troops remained stranded in the Koprulu Sector after the bulk of the fleet was destroyed. One such group, Spartan Company, appear in Starcraft II as a mercenary group; Word of God says there are surely others that may appear in the future.
- Shadow Archetype: The UED is in a sense a human mirror of the Protoss Empire at its height, albeit with its achievements done without anything comparable to the Khala or meddling from the Xel'naga.
- United Space of America: The cultural values and norms the UPL enforced on Earth to ensure peace and unity are essentially western values, such as making English the sole language and outlawing other languages, although their role and representatives call to mind Europe more than the US.
- The War of Earthly Aggression: The UED sent a fleet to the Koprulu Sector, with the aim of dissolving the Dominion, "pacifying" the other factions, and taking control of the colonies.
- Those Were Only Their Scouts: The UED fleet that overthrew the Terran Dominion, enslaved the new Zerg Overmind and the Swarm with it, and briefly skirmished with the Protoss Armada, was an expeditionary fleet. The UED leadership back on Earth didn't have the time or means to send the full extent of their military might to the Koprulu Sector, but what they did send was nearly enough to succeed in their mission. If - or when - they send a second wave to try again, it will certainly be even bigger and stronger.
- We Will Meet Again: Word of God is that, while the failed Koprulu invasion was a setback and a political embarrassment for their leadership, the UED remains secure in their power back on Earth and the defeat of the expeditionary fleet was not a huge loss. One day, when they're up to it, they'll almost certainly try another invasion — the Koprulu Sector has not heard the last of them.
Gerard DuGalle
Admiral Gerard DuGalle
"Serve the Directorate. Serve Humanity. All other priorities are secondary to victory!"
Voiced by: Jack Ritschel (English), Evgeny Sergeev (Russian)
Gerard DuGalle was the leader of the UED expeditionary force and the best friend of Alexei Stukov. Throughout the campaign, he proved to be staggeringly incompetent by listening to Duran's intelligence over Stukov's, the most prominent example being agreeing to destroy the Psi Disruptor, which later turns out to be the only reason they succeeded as well as they did. When Stukov went behind DuGalle's back to keep the Disruptor intact, DuGalle had him killed at Duran's suggestion, and quickly regretted it when he realized that Duran was a mole. Alone, he went on to successfully enslave the Zerg by controlling the Overmind, but his forces were stretched too thin trying to occupy too many worlds, and the UED fleet got mopped up systematically by an alliance of Kerrigan, Raynor, and Mengsk. After a last-ditch UED-Dominion-Protoss team-up on Kerrigan failed, the fleet fled to return to Earth, and DuGalle, overcome with guilt for how horribly he'd botched the mission and had his best friend killed, commited suicide shortly before the fleet was destroyed by the Zerg.
Provides examples of:
- A Father to His Men: Has some shades of this—when defeated, he swallows his pride and tries to surrender for their sake.DuGalle: Kerrigan, I am prepared to offer terms of surrender. It is my wish that you allow my men to live—Kerrigan: You're not in position to offer me anything, Admiral. And I don't take prisoners.
- Art Evolution: In the Remastered HD remake he looks much more wrinkled than in the original game. Given he was supposed to be sixty-four, the change is likely to make him look more elderly, whereas the original DuGalle looked middle-aged.
- Berserk Button: "I will never abide a traitor."
- Better to Die than Be Killed: He ultimately opts to shoot himself by his own hand, rather than face whatever the Queen of Blades has in store.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Along with Kerrigan, DuGalle and the UED are the antagonists of Brood War. He's the more prominent of the two, with the UED being the only threat big enough for the Zerg, Terrans, and Protoss to all unite against them, but due to making enemies of every other faction he ends up being beaten and usurped by Kerrigan.
- Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys: Averted, though his Frenchness is in name only.
- Cry for the Devil: For all of DuGalle's faults, he nonetheless earned the respect and camaraderie of his subordinates. Stukov notably still mourns for his old friend, long after the fact.
- Death from Above: In general, DuGalle champions air superiority, highlighted by hijacking Battlecruisers and the manufacturing of the Valkyries. In the climactic "To Chain The Beast", by far the easiest way to win is by using Battlecruisers to take out the enemy cerebrates. Then in Episode VI, the AI-controlled UED generally use air units mostly, and in "To Slay The Beast", they're capable of sweeping your base with a nearly unstoppable combination of Wraiths, Mutalisks, Valkyries, Devourers, and Guardians.
- Driven to Suicide: As the fleet flees the sector in the ending of Brood War, he writes a letter to his wife after his final defeat and then shoots himself in the head.
- Enemy Mine: After being forced off every previously conquered worlds by Kerrigan, he gathered up all what remained of his Battle Fleet and struck an alliance with Terran Dominion and the Protoss in one final attempt at defeating the Queen of Blades. It failed.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He’s a high ranking officer in the military of The fascistic government of Earth sent to the Koprulu Sector to conquer and enslave it. However, in his suicide note he sends to his wife before he kills himself, it’s quite clear that he genuinely loves his wife and children.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: He recognized that trying to enslave the Zerg to use them as biological weapons against his enemies was a really, really risky move, and DuGalle even argued that he'd prefer a more conventional means of conquest, but his superiors stuck to their orders. In the intro to Brood War, he makes sure Stukov understands what their mission entails.DuGalle: [to Stukov] Come, stand here. You need to see this.
Stukov: I know all about the zerg Gerard; we've all seen the tapes a hundred...
DuGalle: [grabbing Stukov] You have seen nothing! Dissecting a dead zerg in a lab is one thing, unleashing them on men is another! You must go into this with both eyes open; once started there is no going back. - Fantastic Racism: He equates the UED to humanity as a whole, implicitly derides the terrans as race traitors, and plans to wipe out the protoss despite them at this point being allied with the terrans against the zerg. He doesn't even consider negotiation with the protoss when he arrives despite how beneficial it could be to his objectives.
- Final Speech: To his wife, via e-mail:Dearest Helena,By now, the news of our defeat has reached the Earth. The creatures we were sent here to tame are untamable, and the colonies we were sent to reclaim have proven to be stronger than we anticipated. Whatever you may hear about what has happened out here, know this: Alexei did not die gloriously in battle. I killed him. My pride killed him. And now my pride has consumed me as well. You will never see me again, Helena. Tell our children that I love them, and that their father died in defense of their future. Au revoir.
- Four-Star Badass: At least on paper. DuGalle is mentioned as one of the UED's most distinguished admirals, and despite setbacks still manages to give the Koprulu Sector a tough fight.
- General Failure: Zig-zagged. During his campaign in Koprulu sector, he shows examples of both strategic brilliance and incompetence one might find shocking for an experienced and decorated officer he is supposed to be.
- On a general level, he led the UED Expeditionary Force to victory over the Terran Dominion — which was the strongest Terran force in the sector at the time — and was able to temporarily enslave the Zerg and control them to use against their other enemies, establishing the UED's dominance in the sector. Nobody can deny this is an impressive achievement.
- It could be argued that the UED's successes are due to the efforts of Stukov, Duran or the Captain, and once Stukov and Duran are out of the picture is when the UED begins to be pushed back. However, as the overall commander of the fleet, DuGalle is their superior officer and holds final authority on all battle plans and strategies, Duran and Stukov provide him intelligence and the Captain is executing his orders. Real military leaders rely on the input of their subordinate officers to advise them and command the troops in the field as well, and no one would disparage them for not doing it all on their own nor should they believe they did so afterward.
- On the other hand, DuGalle also made some awful errors as well. He established a base on Braxis without securing a supply of Vespene gas that is critical for advanced manufacturing, which indirectly led to Duran joining his forces. He also was dismissive of the Psi Disruptor's potential importance and was more concerned with the danger it could pose if their enemies acquired it. Then, when Stukov secretly dismantled the Psi Disruptor and rebuilt it, Duran easily convinced DuGalle that Stukov was a traitor and should be executed, despite the two being friends for decades. Finally, aside from Duran DuGalle never attempts diplomacy with any of the other powers in the sector, which really comes back to bite him when they all rally under Kerrigan against the UED.
- Genghis Gambit: Unfortunately, his arrival and open hostility to all other factions in the sector created one of these. Once the UED was in control of the Zerg, Kerrigan rallied Fenix, Raynor, and Mengsk against the UED, and together they turned the tide.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Thankfully, the cinematic cuts to black as he shoots himself in the head, and we don't see the aftermath.
- Grumpy Old Man: He's not as crusty or surly as Duke, but is still gruff and stern with his men.
- Irony:
- Dugalle states to Duran that he and Stukov "have been friends since long before [Duran] was born". Fast-forward to "Dark Origin", when we find out that Duran is at least a few thousand years old along with being a Xel-Naga, an ancient race.
- He was rather distrustful of Duran during the first part of the campaign, seeing him as nothing more than a traitor, he turned out to be right in more ways than one.
- The Heavy: He is acting under orders from his unnamed, shadowy superiors ruling the UED, but serves as the de facto Big Bad of Brood War because none of them put in an appearance.
- Knight Templar: He and the other UED officers are in the sector to take control of the Zerg, press the Dominion and other Terran colonies into their fold, and "pacify" the Protoss in some manner. Sounds great, but aside from Duran, DuGalle never attempts at diplomacy with anyone, resulting in him making enemies of beings that otherwise might support him if he were more moderate.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Almost his word-for-word reaction when Duran kills Stukov.
- Necessary Evil: DuGalle clearly had some misgivings over using the Zerg as weapons, and his own superiors. He nonetheless still abides by the UED's orders, in the name of protecting humanity.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: He's French and uses "au revoir" in his final letter, but he has an American accent. Justified in this case; the manual explains that the UED made English the official language of Earth and banned many other languages, so it's likely that DuGalle was brought up bilingual.
- Pet the Dog: Defied in Brood War intro. As he's watching the colonial forces being slaughtered by the Zerg (that he himself unleashed on them) along with Stukov, at some point, his deck officer Malmsteen informs him that the colonist's base will be overrun in a matter of minutes and asks whether they should intervene and save them. In response, DuGalle orders him to take the ship back into orbit, leaving the remaining soldiers down there to die. This may come off as Pragmatic Villainy, though, since those people were his enemies and had not the Zerg slaughtered them, they would probably be killed fighting the UED forces themselves.
- Pride: DuGalle's self-admitted flaw, it's not shown as prominently in the campaign but he still suffers from it in crucial moments. In fact, his arrogance was one of key reasons why he failed in his mission — he was so convinced of martial superiority of his fleet that he refused to make any allies in Koprulu sector, thus causing general fear and hatred towards the UED, which allowed Kerrigan to build a coalition which brought him down.
- Tempting Fate: During his proclamation to his troops, he declared that "if we fail in our mission here, not one of us will be going home". Guess what, none of them did.
- Unwitting Pawn: He doesn't realize that he's been played by Duran until it's too late.
- You Can't Go Home Again: During his Rousing Speech in the first UED mission, he reminds his troops that if they should fail in their mission, none of them are going back to Earth. They failed, and everyone in the expeditionary force was either killed or stranded in the Koprulu sector forever.
The Captain
The commander of the UED forces, who controls them in missions. The Player Character of Episode V.
Provides examples of:
- The Brute: While Duran provides tactical data and Stukov is DuGalle's right hand, the player commands the army.
- Player Character: And notably the only ranking UED officer who is left with DuGalle at the end of the episode. It's not entirely clear if they represent a single character, as they know all of the critical info that DuGalle is lacking but goes along with Duran's lies anyway.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: While the Captain was very likely killed with the bulk of the UED at the end of Brood War, it hasn't been stated outright, so they may still be out there among the UED remnants that turned mercenary.
Other factions
Kel-Morian Combine
"Here they were in the middle of one of humanity's darkest hours, with two alien menaces wreaking havoc on the Koprulu sector, and the Kel-Morians were busy threatening the Dominion's mining interests."
— Walden Briggs
Of the three surviving supercarriers sent to the Koprulu Sector, one landed on the world of Moria. When Tarsonis made contact with Moria and Umoja, an industrial boom took place that reshaped Moria as a hub of industry. With Tarsonis pressuring Moria and Umoja to join the budding Confederacy, the two most powerful companies on Moria — the Morian Mining Coalition and the Kelanis Shipping Guild — merged into the Kel-Morian Combine in the name of protecting Morian business interests from outside influence. The Combine and the Confederacy repeatedly butted heads over mining claims being staked across the sector, and the Confederates took any excuse they could (and when needed, made them up) to seize particularly prosperous sites. This escalated into the Guild Wars, a period of open war between the two groups.
The Guild Wars ended with a Confederate victory, and the Combine had to turn over much of their assets to the Confederates, but they remained independent otherwise and retained Moria as their de facto capital world. The Combine continued to operate through the rise of the Dominion and the UED, and are still in existence as of the time of Starcraft II. They take no active role in the conflicts of the sector, funneling resources and money to whoever happens to be in power to stay out of actual warfare.
Provides examples of:
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: The only thing the Combine's members care about is lining their own pockets, and they'll ally with or betray anyone if it helps advance that goal.
- Color-Coded Armies: Played with. They did have a faction color in the first game, teal. The catch is that teal is used in the single-player campaign for Terran and Protoss heroes, and the only missions that use it as a proper faction color assign it to a Protoss force. Ironically this means that in the single mission in the original game where you fight the Kel-Morians, their faction color is player-controlled since you have a Protoss hero, and the six Kel-Morian forces are every color except teal (and purple). In Starcraft II they have no consistent faction color.
- Continuity Snarl: Different sources provide different dates for when the Combine was founded. While the official timeline has mostly been nailed down, this bit seems to keep jumping about.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The Kel-Morian Combine is full of criminals and pirates and is a hotbed of corruption and bribery. But they're so damn rich they continue to prosper in spite of it.
- Greed: Their modus operandi is to find any planet rich with resources, take all it has to offer, and sell it to the highest bidder.Fenix: It is strange that this Kel-Morian Combine continues to operate while the UED grips the Dominion with an iron fist. I'll never underestimate the motivational effects of Terran greed again."
- Hufflepuff House: Their role in the lore for the Guild Wars has far more influence on the story than anything they've done in the games, where they've appeared in a small handful of missions and do nothing of significance in them. The famous fan campaign The Antioch Chronicles featured them prominently, but in official canon they don't get much to do.
- Meaningful Name: A mining company headquartered on a planet called Moria.
- One Nation Under Copyright: The Combine is one part company, one part government, one part political activist group. There's no point trying to distinguish how they operate as any one of these things, in practice they are all of them at once, a Megacorp that controls several planets.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: This is how they stay independent and in operation despite the many civil wars plaguing the rest of Terran space. The Combine is so rich that whatever government is in power, they bribe them to leave them alone. The Combine is more useful as an ally to extort than an enemy to fight, and they know it and exploit it.
Umojan Protectorate
During the Second Great War, Valerian Mengsk and Raynor's Raiders found shelter with the Protectorate for a time, but were forced to flee when the Dominion fleet attacked them.
Provides examples of:
- Covert Group with Mundane Front: The Protectorate fronts as a militia defense group, but controls a powerful network of spies and informants that operate across the sector.
- Elite Army: Their forces are small, but are very well-trained and have access to highly advanced technology to give them an edge in battle.
- Everything Is An I Pod In The Future: Their advanced technology is bright white and silver with glowing blue Tron Lines, which sharply constrast with the Deep South aesthetic the rest of the Terrans have. Just check out their faction skin◊.
- Face–Heel Turn: After Valerian takes the helm of the Dominion, the Protectorate not only still refuses to ally with the Dominion, but act to undermine Valerian's rule and are suspected to be stockpiling weapons and advancing their technologies in preparation for another war. An envoy who meets with Valerian directly tells him that the Protectorate doesn't care if Valerian or Arcturus is running it, either way they see the Dominion as an enemy.
- Heroic Neutral: They just want to be ruled by a peaceful and non-corrupt government, but none of the major Terran powers in the sector fit that description. By Heart of The Swarm, they're on Raynor's side. After Arcturus is deposed and Valerian takes control of the Dominion, relations are starting to progress towards something resembling an alliance, but the Protectorate is still wary of the Dominion.
- Hufflepuff House: The Protectorate has even less to do than the Kel-Morians. Until Heart of the Swarm, their sole contribution to the series is that the daughter of one of their ambassadors gave birth to Arcturus Mengsk's son Valerian. Heart of the Swarm gives them a minor role at the start of the game, where they provide Valerian with the installations and scientists to take care of a recovering Kerrigan.
- Meaningful Name: 'Umoja' means 'unity' in Swahili, and they're by far the most heroic of the extant human factions at the beginning of Wings of Liberty, other than Raynor's Raiders.
- Only Sane Man: Between the hyper-capitalistic Kel-Morian Combine, incredibly corrupt Confederacy, autocratic Dominion, and outright fascist United Earth Directorate, Umoja is notable as perhaps the only human nation not to be horribly oppressive in some way.
- The Republic: While never outright stated, Angus Mengsk, Arcturus' father, wanted to build a democratic/republican government which Umoja supported... Too bad Arcturus went off the deep end.
The Moebius Foundation
A research organization that studies the Protoss, Zerg, and Xel'Naga. Headed by Dr. Emil Narud, they are a respected and legitimate group. Like Narud, they are more than they initially appear: their research into the other races is a cover to find and secure relics of power that Narud wants for his plans in creating the Hybrid.
Provides examples of:
- Ambiguously Evil: It's unclear to what extent the group knew about Narud's true nature and motives. In Heart of the Swarm, the terrans under Narud's control are Dominion, not Moebius, but the latter works for the former so there may be overlap in their military arms. Then, in Legacy of the Void, they work for Amon, but it's stated the Hybrid are controlling their minds, so it's impossible to say how many of them are willing servants or not. The Covert Ops DLC implies that at least some of the Foundation remained loyal to the Dominion and are now aiding Nova and Valerian.
- Artifact Collection Agency: They seek out planets and relics of alien influence and secure them for study. However, it's just a cover for them to find samples of such that Narud needs for Amon.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: In Legacy of the Void, they're enthralled by the Hybrids to become a military force to serve Amon.
- Covert Group with Mundane Front: Narud uses the Moebius Foundation's legitimate research as a front for his actual plans involving the Hybrids and Xel'Naga artifacts, though it's unclear how much the rest of the organization is in on it.
- Enigmatic Institute: Despite their legitimate appearance, they are running secret projects involving the hybrids.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: Experimenting on the Hybrids ended up seriously messing them up in the end.
- Face–Heel Turn: They go from allies of Raynor and the Dominion in Wings of Liberty to enemies of the Dominion and Protoss alike in Legacy of the Void.
- Foil: To the Tal'darim. They exist in Legacy of the Void as Terran enemies for the Protoss given that Arcturus bites the dust at the end of Heart of the Swarm, much like how the Tal'darim existed in Wings of Liberty as a Protoss enemy for Raynor's Raiders to fight. Furthermore, the Tal'darim served Amon willingly, only to pull off a Heel–Face Turn in Legacy while Moebius made a Face–Heel Turn between Heart and Legacy, losing their free will to their own Hybrid subjects, and were destroyed at their last defeat at Revanscar.
- Psycho for Hire: Their forces include large numbers of Reapers and Spectres.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Their faction color is red, with black being the secondary color.
- The Remnant: Covert Ops suggests that there were some who managed to escape the Amon-induced fate that befell the rest of the Moebius Foundation, and have offered their services to the Dominion (and especially Nova) to make up for their peers' betrayal.
- Sanity Slippage: Their own Hybrid subjects ended up gradually taking over them, taking away their free will. By the time of Legacy of the Void, they have been reduced to fanatical psychopaths who happily commit suicide to serve Amon.
Defenders of Man
"The zerg have always been a threat, and today the emperor's forces have proved they are too weak to protect the people of Borea. But the Defenders of Man are here for you. We will do all we can to safeguard your future."
A new anti-Dominion faction formed after the events of Legacy of the Void, they act to protect Dominion fringe worlds that have been attacked by rogue Zerg. They are also suspected by the Dominion to be behind the capture of several Ghost agents over the past several months. They serve as the main antagonists in the Nova missions.
Provide examples of:
- Evil Counterpart: To Raynor's Raiders; like them, they are a rebellion trying to overthrow the Dominion, and in the meantime are protecting Dominion colonists from the Protoss and Zerg when the Dominion military fails them. However, they're the ones responsible for the Zerg attacks in the first place via psi emitters, and are using them to discredit Valerian's rule.
- Fantastic Racism: While not explicitly stated, it's heavily implied the group has anti-alien tendencies, as they very vocally disapprove of Valerian's diplomatic stance toward Zerg and Protoss. It's later revealed Davis and the higher up were primarily motivated by a desire to avenge Arcturus' death however, so it's unclear if they genuinely hated aliens or were just using it as an argument to discredit Valerian.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: They present themselves as the heroic faction who can defend Terran colonies against Zerg when the Dominion is too weak to do so. They are, in truth, the ones responsible for the new Zerg attacks in the first place.
- History Repeats: They intend to discredit Valerian by using Psi-emitters to make Zerg attack civilian worlds, so they can prove that they are more fitted to defend humanity than he is. This is exactly the same plan both the Confederacy and Arcturus used in the first Starcraft. In fact, only someone loyal to Arcturus would be familiar with these tactics, and it turns out to be General Davis.
- Hypocrite: Big time. The premise of their revolution is to make Valerian look as bad as his father, but they're doing the exact same thing Arcturus did when he overthrew the Confederacy. Moreover, they accuse Valerian of being a bad leader because, according to them, his diplomatic stance toward alien races put Humanity at threat. The only alien attacks Terrans have suffered since the End War are entirely their doing- they are the one attracting feral Zerg using psi-emitters, and the Tal'darim attacked solely as retaliation for the Defenders destroying one of their outposts.
- Names to Trust Immediately: Most likely invoked, as they are trying to present themselves as better fitted to defend humanity than the Dominion is.
- Obliviously Evil: It's eventually revealed that only the higher up are aware of Davis' horrifying methods; the lower ranks genuinely thought they were merely offering protection to humanity, and promptly rejoin the Dominion upon learning the truth.
- Red Herring: The first mission pack heavily hints they're Confederate loyalists — they make use of Ghosts to strike at the Dominion, they operate out of Tarsonis, they have advanced technology (some of which seems based on Confederate research seen in the "Deceptions" mission for the first game), and they use psi emitters to spark zerg invasions. Their name also echoes the Confederacy, which was sometimes called "The Confederacy of Man." The second mission pack instead reveals they're actually Dominion insurgents, specifically their leader and higher-ranked members are loyal to the previous Emperor.
- Renegade Splinter Faction: They are a splinter group of the Dominion Military, some of them being loyalists to Arcturus Mengsk. Once the lower ranked members discover Davis’ true agenda, they defect back to the Dominion.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: They are just as bad as Arcturus and the Sons of Korhal, if not worse. In fact, their highest ranking members are loyal to Arcturus himself.
- Villain with Good Publicity: They're known to civilians as a peaceful group of Dominion dissenters protecting them when the Dominion doesn't come through.
