Protoss technology

Protoss technology was the body of science and craft developed by the protoss, widely regarded as the most technologically advanced race in the galaxy. It was a blend of psionics and material engineering, far in advance of terran work and rooted in learning passed down from the Xel'Naga, and it furnished the protoss with energy weapons, life-saving cybernetics, anti-gravity craft, and the crystal sciences on which much of their power rested.

A blend of psionics and engineering#

The protoss were the most technologically advanced race in the galaxy, their technology a blend of psionics and conventional engineering that stood far ahead of other species. By the time the protoss had achieved interstellar travel, humanity was still, in their estimation, "digging in the dirt for grubs." Their weaponry was energy-based, and despite their advantage they constantly strove to enhance their weapons and armor. Some protoss technology required vespene gas as a catalyst, and the use of energy for defensive purposes, such as shields, was standard practice.

Protoss technology was functional as well as artistic, and so refined that some terran scientists felt that classifying it as "technology" at all was inadequate, given the cognitive, almost spiritual bond the protoss displayed with their cybernetic machines. Protoss metals were particularly durable, neither decaying nor eroding after centuries of neglect; even battlefield scraps kept their shine without pitting, scarring, or scorching.

Cybernetics and the preservation of warriors#

The protoss used cybernetic technology both to save lives and to strengthen their warriors' prowess. Protoss armor was typically equipped with a complex teleportation mechanism that detected when its wearer was grievously injured and automatically teleported the warrior to the nearest safe haven, provided the mechanism remained functional and had not been damaged in combat. To uninformed observers, the resulting flash of light as a dying protoss vanished from the field could appear a supernatural feat, but it was another aspect of protoss technology at work.

Those too badly injured to fight on in their own bodies, yet unwilling to join their ancestors in the Khala, could be placed within the shell of a construct such as the dragoon, immortal, or vanguard, continuing to serve on the battlefield. The choice was left to each individual. Protoss who suffered injuries to their psionic appendages attached clamps to the remnants to prevent energy bleed.

Craft, constructs, and robotics#

Protoss aerospace craft used anti-gravity technology to remain airborne within a planet's atmosphere. Protoss pilots were an integral part of their ships, and operating them drained the pilot's energies. Because of their low and declining population, the protoss frequently turned to robots in their military, fielding automated war constructs and machines such as the colossus so they would not waste the lives they could ill afford to lose. The longevity of protoss history had allowed them to develop extraordinarily powerful weapons of war over the ages, including constructs like the mothership.

Crystal sciences and xel'naga heritage#

The protoss excelled in energy manipulation, with arcthium gems described as key to their technology and crystal technology forming a central pillar of their science. Much of this heritage descended from the Xel'Naga. The khaydarin crystals, artifacts of xel'naga origin, were the instrument by which the mystic Khas re-created the psionic link binding the protoss together, ending the Aeon of Strife and laying the foundation of the Khala. The same crystal sciences ran through protoss weaponry and infrastructure long afterward.

Restraint in power#

For all their advantage, the protoss deliberately limited their use of technology. They were frightened of what they might do with the power they could develop, and felt they had perfected a slow, steady, and methodical system of advancement rather than racing ahead. They believed they could build more powerful technology if they chose, but their caution and their dwindling numbers kept them from doing so. Even after the Fall of Aiur, the protoss could still produce starships on other worlds and maintained inventories of them in many places, the durability of their craft and the depth of their accumulated knowledge outlasting the loss of their homeworld.