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, robotic war machines, and the crystal sciences on which much of their power rested. (StarCraft (manual); The Cinematic Art of StarCraft)

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. (StarCraft (manual); The Cinematic Art of StarCraft; Unit Spotlight: Protoss)

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. (StarCraft II: Nature of the Beast; StarCraft Field Manual; In the Dark)

Cybernetics and the preservation of warriors#

The protoss used cybernetic technology both to save lives and to strengthen their warriors' prowess. (StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void)

Those too badly injured to fight on in their own bodies could be placed within the shell of a construct such as the dragoon or immortal, continuing to serve on the battlefield. Fenix, ruined at Antioch, was rebuilt this way inside a dragoon. (StarCraft; StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void)

Craft, constructs, and robotics#

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. Even their labourers are machines, with the probe mining resources and warping in buildings in place of living workers. Over their long history they built extraordinarily powerful weapons of war, including constructs like the mothership. (StarCraft (manual); StarCraft; StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga: Twilight)

Crystal sciences and xel'naga heritage#

The protoss excelled in energy manipulation, with 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. (StarCraft (manual); StarCraft)