Carrier
the protoss capital ship
The carrier was the great protoss capital ship, a mobile fortress that carried no weapons of its own but launched swarms of robotic interceptors. It served the Golden Armada, the Tal'darim, and the Purifiers across the Koprulu sector's wars.
The carrier was a protoss capital ship, one of the largest vessels the Daelaam and their kin fielded. Rather than fire upon its foes directly, a carrier launched and shepherded a complement of robotic interceptors, small craft that swarmed enemy ships and ground forces while the carrier itself hung back as a mobile fortress and command platform. Less costly to bring to a battle than the mothership, it became a mainstay of protoss fleets throughout the wars of the Koprulu sector.
Design and the interceptor swarm#
The carrier carried no offensive weapon of its own and instead relied on a complement of interceptors, small autonomous craft launched from its hull to harass and overwhelm the enemy. The bond between a carrier and its interceptors was absolute: when a carrier was destroyed, its interceptors self-destructed along with it, and no other carrier could take them up. A vessel of this size endured punishment that lesser ships could not, able even to withstand a single nuclear strike. Its sheer durability and the relentless pressure of its interceptor swarm made the carrier an anchor around which a protoss fleet could form.
Service across the fleets#
Carriers were fielded by the Golden Armada and the wider forces of the Daelaam, and the various protoss factions each maintained their own marks of the ship. The Tal'darim flew carriers among their Death Fleet, and the Purifiers, the awakened machine-warriors of the protoss, built their own. When Amon corrupted the Khala and seized control of the Golden Armada during the End War, the carriers and interceptors under his command began to change in appearance, crystal structures jutting from their sides as the Void energy of his realm reshaped them into the vessels of Amon's Armada.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a carrier in StarCraft?
- The carrier was a protoss capital ship, one of the largest vessels the Daelaam and their kin fielded. Rather than firing on enemies directly, it launched and shepherded a complement of robotic interceptors while hanging back as a mobile fortress and command platform.
- How does a protoss carrier attack?
- The carrier carried no offensive weapon of its own and relied entirely on its interceptors, small autonomous craft launched from its hull to harass and overwhelm the enemy. Its durability and the relentless pressure of the interceptor swarm made it an anchor for a protoss fleet.
- What happens to interceptors when a carrier is destroyed?
- The bond between a carrier and its interceptors was absolute. When a carrier was destroyed, its interceptors self-destructed along with it, and no other carrier could take them up.
- Which factions used carriers?
- Carriers were fielded by the Golden Armada and the wider forces of the Daelaam, with each protoss faction maintaining its own marks of the ship. The Tal'darim flew carriers among their Death Fleet, the Purifiers built their own, and when Amon seized the Golden Armada his carriers changed in appearance, crystal structures jutting from their sides as Void energy reshaped them into the vessels of Amon's Armada.
Gallery
Images via StarCraft Wiki
Sources
- WikiCarrier — StarCraft Wiki entry
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Related entries
Daelaam
The Daelaam was the unified protoss government that bound the Khalai, Nerazim, Purifiers, and some Tal'darim together after the fall of Aiur, led by Hierarch Artanis through the End War against Amon and the reclamation of their homeworld.
End War
The End War was the galaxy-wide crusade waged by the fallen xel'naga Amon after his resurrection. It saw the corruption of the Khala, the fall of Aiur and Shakuras, the unification of the protoss under Artanis, and the final destruction of Amon in the Void by Sarah Kerrigan.
Golden Armada
The Golden Armada was the greatest fleet of protoss vessels ever constructed, based on Shakuras and built by order of Hierarch Artanis to retake Aiur. After spearheading the invasion of the protoss homeworld, it was corrupted by Amon and turned against the Koprulu sector before being freed.
Khala
The Khala was the communal psionic link and guiding philosophy of the Khalai protoss, founded by the mystic Khas to end the Aeon of Strife. It bound its adherents in shared emotion for over a thousand years until Amon corrupted it, forcing the protoss to sever it forever.
Mothership
The mothership was among the most powerful warships in the protoss arsenal, a vast support vessel that served as the flagship of the Golden Armada. Designed during the Golden Age of Expansion as a deep-space explorer, it was later armed and turned to war.
Protoss
The protoss are an ancient, psionically gifted humanoid species native to Aiur, uplifted by the xel'naga and bound together by the Khala. Among the three dominant species of the galaxy, they are the most technologically advanced, and the most divided by their own history.
Mentioned in4 entries
Arbiter
The arbiter is a protoss psionic support craft that cloaks the allies around it, freezes enemies in stasis, and recalls distant friendly forces across the battlefield in an instant.
Great Fleet
The Great Fleet was the principal military space force of the protoss, the fleet that carried their power across the stars. Built around the carrier and tended by the Auriga Tribe, it was shattered in the fall of Aiur and rebuilt over the wars that followed.
Reaver
The reaver is a protoss siege construct that carries no weapon of its own. Instead it houses a micro-manufacturing plant that produces small robotic drones called scarabs, and a single reaver can level a colony in minutes.
Scout
The scout is a protoss aerospace superiority and reconnaissance starfighter that served as the point guard of the protoss fleet from the Golden Age of Expansion until it began to give way to the phoenix.
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