Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Tassadar
Tassadar is a fictional character in the StarCraft universe. He is a Protoss High Templar and piloted the Gantrithor, a Protoss Carrier.
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Tassadar the Executor
Tassadar, aged 356, bore the title of 'Executor' until he was ostracised by the Judicator Caste for disobeying the orders of Aldaris, a member of the Protoss Conclave and a religious and military leader of the Protoss people. Unlike Aldaris, Tassadar believed in the need to respect the lives of the Terrans on Chau Sara in their quest to eradicate the Zerg.
Tassadar's Expeditionary Force made first contact between the Protoss and the Zerg when he discovered organic space probes floating in deep space. He had them brought aboard a ship for study, and eventually subjected them to an analysis with Khaydarin Crystals. He was horrified by what he discovered - not only did they naturally react to the crystals (revealing their Xel'Naga origin) but he could read their vague thoughts - Find Humanity ... Assimilate ... Learn ... Evolve.
This was reported to the Protoss on Aiur, who ordered him to remove the xenomorphic threat immediately.
Tassadar approached Chau Sara, an infected Terran planet. The Zerg had completely covered the planet in Creep, killing or infesting all of its inhabitants. He reluctantly brought his lumbering vessels into low orbit and attacked, killing virtually all life on the surface.
Unfortunately, other planets had been infested, and Tassadar was ordered to sterilize them, too. The nearest infected planet was Mar Sara. Upon his approach, he was met by a clumsy Terran Confederacy fleet, but instead of attacking them, Tassadar announced himself and withdrew.
Eventually the Terrans evacuated the planet, and only then did Tassadar attack, once more sterilizing a planetary surface.
Tassadar did the same thing at Antiga Prime, where the psi-emitter was first used by the Sons of Korhal.
Finally the Sons of Korhal brought psi-emitters to Tarsonis, the capital planet of the Terran Confederacy and activated them, luring massive amounts of Zerg to the planet in order to attack the Confederates.
Tassadar moved his fleet in to destroy the Zerg. Perhaps he would have been successful in this, but the Sons of Korhal actually defeated his fleet in order to protect the Zerg.
Break with the Conclave
The Zerg captured Sarah Kerrigan and transported her to Char, taking them away from Tassadar's fleet in the process. Tassadar was ordered to return to Aiur. However, Kerrigan started sending psychic messages to her former friends, Arcturus Mengsk and Jim Raynor while on Char, attracting the attention of Tassadar and Zeratul as well. Tassadar disobeyed his orders and travelled to Char, while Aldaris returned to Aiur.
On Char, he encountered the Dark Templar prelate Zeratul. Zeratul convinced him to join forces in order to defeat the Zerg. Zeratul believed the Zerg were controlled by agents of the Overmind called Cerebrates, and that only his Dark Templar psionic energies could permanently slay one, due to its similarities to the energies used by Cerebrates. Zeratul also began teaching Tassadar how to use Dark Templar psionic energies, a task that was supposedly impossible, according to Artanis.
Tassadar challenged Infested Kerrigan to a duel to distract her and the Zerg, but Zasz noticed something odd about Tassadar (probably his ability to use Dark Templar energy).
Tassadar didn't actually duel Kerrigan, only using an illusion to distract her while Zeratul assassinated Zasz. This temporarily disabled the Zerg Overmind, forcing the Zerg to destroy Zasz' Garm Brood .
As the majority of the Zerg travelled to Aiur, Sarah Kerrigan hunted down the Protoss still on Char, preventing as many Dark Templar as possible from escaping. However, both Tassadar and Zeratul fled. Kerrigan later captured Zeratul in a Terran installation, while Tassadar contacted Aiur and alerted his friend Fenix to the capabilities and weaknesses of Zerg Cerebrates. Fenix's attempts to kill Zerg Cerebrate Gorn of the Baelrog Brood were unsuccessful, however, as the Overmind reincarnated the creature before his very eyes. Tassadar said that only Dark Templar could permanently slay a Cerebrate.
The Protoss Conclave considered Tassadar's disobedience to be a betrayal, made worse by his "treachery" and consorting with Dark Templar.
On Aiur, the Zerg rampaged, held back by the efforts of the new Executor and Fenix. Unfortunately, the Zerg managed to mortally wound Fenix, and he was placed into a Dragoon. His continued existence was kept secret from the Protoss Conclave.
Stirring Rebellion
Tassadar hid out on a platform orbiting Char, along with his Terran friend Jim Raynor when the Protoss came to arrest him. Aldaris said that Tassadar had claimed the Zerg all left Char, but clearly some remained. However, Tassadar convinced the new Executor to work for him. With these reinforcements, Tassadar was able to descend to the surface, rescue Zeratul and flee to Aiur.
Upon landing on Aiur, the Protoss Conclave stood in his way of destroying the Zerg, so Tassadar began a civil war with the help of the Dark Templar. This could not have helped his image, as most Protoss on Aiur were loyal followers of the Khala, but he gained the support of Fenix. His forces attacked near the Protoss Conclave while Zeratul's Dark Templar dealt the final blow, destroying the physical embodiment of the Conclave. Aldaris led an ambush there, and Tassadar, unable to deal with slaying his own people, surrendered.
The Dark Templar vanished, leaving Fenix to continue his rebellion with little support. Worse, the Furinax Tribe , a member of the Protoss Khalai Caste , were also willing to fight against him. As the Khalai represent the majority of the Protoss people, this was very bad news. He did gain support from Jim Raynor and the Hyperion, however.
Fenix's forces attacked the Stasis Cell that Tassadar had been imprisoned in for trial (the verdict for treason being death). Fenix and Raynor defeated the Furinax Tribe and Judicator Caste forces and broke the Stasis Cell. Aldaris appeared, leading an ambush to recapture Tassadar, but he was in turn counter-ambushed by Zeratul and his Dark Templar, who had arrived in support of Tassadar. Aldaris lost the encounter.
Final Battles
Tassadar rested from his ordeal in the next battle, in which Zeratul slew two Zerg Cerebrates, and finally Tassadar, taking flight in his carrier, the Ganthrithor, led the final assault against the Zerg Overmind. Before the battle began, Aldaris contacted Tassadar, and in the transmission revealed that both he and the conclave were wrong about Tassadar, that he represented what was greatest in them all, and that everyone's hope for a resolution to the conflict now rested on his men.
Aided by James Raynor the Protoss and Terran forces launched a full scale offensive against the Zerg. During this battle the Ganthritor took critical damage and was about to crash. Tassadar began charging the ship's hull with Dark Templar psionic energies, killing himself, and used the carrier as a kamikaze against the Overmind. The Overmind attempted to escape by creating a portal to another dimension, but the Ganthrithor was too fast. The resulting Dark Templar energy explosion slew the Overmind. This would have disastrous consequences for the Protoss and Zerg alike in the hours and days to come.
Due to his selfless sacrifice, Tassadar considered a saint of sorts to the Protoss. In StarCraft: Brood War, his name is invoked in the salutation En Taro Tassadar, by analogy with the traditional En Taro Adun.
References
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