How Did Kerrigan Become Human Again in StarCraft 2?
Kerrigan became human again at the end of Wings of Liberty, when Raynor's forces fired an ancient xel'naga artifact on Char and its energy wave stripped away most of her zerg infestation. Here's how it worked, what it left behind and why it didn't last.
Sarah Kerrigan became human again at the end of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, when Jim Raynor and the Dominion fired an ancient xel'naga artifact at her hive on Char. Its energy wave destroyed the zerg around it and stripped away most of her infestation, leaving her more human than zerg. It didn't last: within weeks, in Heart of the Swarm, she chose to become zerg again. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty; StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm)
The artifact#
Wings of Liberty opens four years after Brood War. Raynor, drinking himself to sleep on Mar Sara, takes a job from his old friend Tychus Findlay: steal alien artifacts for the Moebius Foundation. Piece by piece, his Raiders recover the parts of a single xel'naga device while Kerrigan's Swarm hunts for the same pieces across the sector. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty)
The foundation's real backer is Valerian Mengsk, the emperor's son. When the pieces are together, he tells Raynor what he believes the device can do: purge the zerg infestation from Kerrigan. He also offers Dominion troops for an assault on Char to get close enough to use it. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty)
Why Raynor wanted to save her#
By then Raynor has another reason. Zeratul has given him a crystal holding a vision from the dead Overmind's memories, a future where every race is wiped out by Amon and his hybrids. The one who might have stopped it is Kerrigan, and in that future she has been killed. Zeratul's message is that she has to survive. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty)
Raynor never stopped caring about her either, which is the other half of the story. The vision gives the cause a galactic reason, but the game makes it clear that for Raynor, it was always personal. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty)
All In: what happened on Char#
The allied force lands on Char and takes heavy losses pushing towards the primary hive. In the final mission, All In, the engineers set up the artifact and charge it while the Swarm throws everything at the base, with Kerrigan leading the attacks in person. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty)
When the artifact reaches full charge, it releases a huge wave of energy that wipes the zerg from the area. Raynor, Tychus and a squad of marines walk into the hive and find Kerrigan lying on the ground. The shell of the Queen of Blades is gone. She's human in shape, weak and barely conscious. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty)
Then Tychus reveals the deal he made with Arcturus Mengsk: kill Kerrigan and win his freedom. Raynor shields her, then shoots him. The full story is on why Raynor killed Tychus. Raynor carries Kerrigan out of the hive. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty)
How human was she?#
Not completely. In Heart of the Swarm she still has the spines that replaced her hair, and she can still sense and command zerg with her mind. Valerian keeps her in a research station run with his Umojan allies to test exactly how much zerg is left in her. When he hands her some zerg to control, she spawns more and lets them loose to prove nobody can control the Swarm except her. (StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm)
She also remembers everything she did as the Queen of Blades. In Christie Golden's novel Flashpoint, set straight after Char, she tells Raynor she remembers the billions who died because of her, and he tells her that was the Queen of Blades, not her. The game picks up the same guilt. She tells Raynor that maybe he should have let Tychus kill her. (StarCraft II: Flashpoint; StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm)
Why it didn't last#
Kerrigan's human form lasts only weeks. The Dominion raids the research station, she's separated from Raynor in the escape, and a news broadcast announces he's been captured and executed. Kerrigan takes back command of the Swarm. On Zerus she lets the first spawning pool remake her as the Primal Queen of Blades, knowing it means giving up her humanity again. The page on why Kerrigan became zerg covers both times. (StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm)
There is a coda, though. At the end of Legacy of the Void, after she becomes a xel'naga, she appears to Raynor looking exactly as she did before she was ever infested. See what happened to Kerrigan after Legacy of the Void. (StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void)
The artifact comes back too. Legacy of the Void calls it the Keystone, and the protoss use it to purge Amon from the Khala. (StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void)
Read more in the full Sarah Kerrigan biography and StarCraft II story explained. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty)
Frequently asked questions
- What made Kerrigan human again?
- A xel'naga artifact that Raynor's Raiders spent Wings of Liberty collecting in pieces. Fired at the zerg hive on Char in the final mission, All In, its energy wave wiped out the nearby zerg and left Kerrigan mostly human.
- Was Kerrigan fully human after Wings of Liberty?
- Not quite. She looked human but kept some zerg traits, most obviously the spines she has in place of hair, and she could still command the zerg with her mind.
- How long did Kerrigan stay human?
- Only weeks. In Heart of the Swarm, after she hears Raynor has been executed, she takes back the Swarm and lets the primal zerg remake her on Zerus.
- Is the artifact in Wings of Liberty the Keystone?
- Yes. Wings of Liberty mostly calls it the xel'naga artifact. Legacy of the Void calls it the Keystone and uses it again, this time to drive Amon out of the protoss Khala.
Sources
- GameStarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Blizzard Entertainment, 2010
- GameStarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, Blizzard Entertainment, 2013
- GameStarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, Blizzard Entertainment, 2015
- BookStarCraft II: Flashpoint, Christie Golden, Gallery Books, 2012
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
What Happened to Kerrigan After Legacy of the Void?
Kerrigan became a xel'naga, killed Amon, handed the Swarm to Zagara and later came back for Raynor in human form. Here's what Legacy of the Void's ending shows, what it leaves open and where she is in the stories that followed.
Why Did Kerrigan Become Zerg in StarCraft?
Kerrigan became zerg because Arcturus Mengsk abandoned her to the Swarm on Tarsonis and the Overmind chose to infest her rather than kill her. Years later, in Heart of the Swarm, she chose to become zerg again. Here's what happened both times and why.
Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades
Sarah Kerrigan was a psychic terran who began as a Confederate ghost, rose to be second-in-command of the Sons of Korhal, and after Arcturus Mengsk abandoned her on Tarsonis was captured and infested by the Zerg Swarm to become the Queen of Blades.
Why Did Raynor Kill Tychus in StarCraft 2?
Raynor killed Tychus to save Kerrigan. Tychus had made a secret deal with Emperor Mengsk to assassinate her in exchange for his freedom, and when he aimed at her on Char, Raynor shot him. Here's the deal, the scene and what each side's choice meant.
Amon
Amon was a malevolent xel'naga who turned against the Infinite Cycle of his kind and sought to end all life and remake it in his image. He created the Overmind and the Zerg Swarm, enslaved the Tal'darim, and was finally destroyed in the Void by an ascended Sarah Kerrigan during the End War.
Char
Char was an inhospitable volcanic planet in the Koprulu sector that became the primary hive world of the zerg. It was the site of Sarah Kerrigan's rebirth as the Queen of Blades and, years later, of her restoration to human form.
Mentioned in5 entries
Keystone: the artifact that banished Amon
The Keystone was a xel'naga relic split into five pieces. It partly de-infested Kerrigan at Char, fed Amon's resurrection, then banished him from the Khala.
Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades
Sarah Kerrigan was a psychic terran who began as a Confederate ghost, rose to be second-in-command of the Sons of Korhal, and after Arcturus Mengsk abandoned her on Tarsonis was captured and infested by the Zerg Swarm to become the Queen of Blades.
Why Did Kerrigan Become Zerg in StarCraft?
Kerrigan became zerg because Arcturus Mengsk abandoned her to the Swarm on Tarsonis and the Overmind chose to infest her rather than kill her. Years later, in Heart of the Swarm, she chose to become zerg again. Here's what happened both times and why.
Why Did Kerrigan Kill Warfield?
Kerrigan killed General Warfield on Char because he stood between her and the Swarm she needed for her revenge on Mengsk, and because he threw Raynor's name in her face. Then she let his wounded go. Here is what Heart of the Swarm shows in the cinematic Conscience, and what it means.
Why Did Raynor Kill Tychus in StarCraft 2?
Raynor killed Tychus to save Kerrigan. Tychus had made a secret deal with Emperor Mengsk to assassinate her in exchange for his freedom, and when he aimed at her on Char, Raynor shot him. Here's the deal, the scene and what each side's choice meant.
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