Samir Duran
|
|
StarCraft.Brood_War.Samir_Duran.jpg
Samir Duran —better known as Duran or Lieutenant Duran— is a character in the StarCraft universe. Duran was introduced as a Terran Lieutenant who was later infested by the Zerg and turned into a Zerg/Terran hybrid.
| Contents |
Biography
Little is known about Duran, except what he has said about himself. By his own account, Duran, 33, served in the Alpha Squadron of the Terran Confederacy before Arcturus Mengsk brought it down. Duran then led a small commando squad called the Confederate Resistance Forces that was dedicated to striking at Mengsk and his new Terran Dominion. Though most of his comrades regard Duran as a sly and cunning leader, few believed the truth about his mysterious nature.
Special Advisor
When the United Earth Directorate launched its first attack against the Terran Dominion, Duran offered his services to Vice Admiral Stukov. Stukov accepted, because both men had the same enemy, and because Duran could prove to be a valuable asset, but he was suspicious. This was not a deal that Admiral DuGalle approved at first glance, because in his eyes Duran was merely a traitor to the Dominion. However, DuGalle later ordered Duran to assassinate Stukov, after making a series of strategic mistakes due to the advice of Duran. Template:StarCraft
Infestation
Duran is revealed to have been infested by the Zerg, possibly in the final stages of Episode V, turning him into an Zerg/Terran Hybrid. This transformation was expected to make Duran a servant of the infested Sarah Kerrigan in the same manner that all the Zerg Swarm becomes. Stukov believed that Duran may have been infested even before he met the United Earth Directorate expedition, in part because he tried to get DuGalle to destroy the Psi Disruptor.
Duran becomes represented in-game by a new unit, called Infested Duran. He has more hit points and a carapace (although it's not very obvious). He still uses a canister rifle, however, and his cloaking device is obviously a technological device, as it makes a "high-tech sound" when he consumes a Zerg, somehow feeding it's biological energy into the device. His voice changes to that of an Infested Terran.
The Mystery Deepens
At one of the final stages of Episode VI, Kerrigan loses all her psionic links with Duran for no explained reason. Later, Zeratul discovers that Duran was secretly (and under unknown orders) breeding a Zerg/Protoss Hybrid. From the manner in which Duran replied to Zeratul, claiming to be many millenia old (and having had many names over these millenia) and serving "a higher power", Duran's background became even more enigmatic. Was Duran really a Terran, a Xel'Naga, a servant thereof, or some other, unknown species? Did Duran use Kerrigan? Had he somehow infiltrated the Swarm? Was one of his former names Doran Routhe? Is he a shapeshifter, a mutant, or a possessing spirit? The questions remain unanswered.
References
- StarCraft homepage at Blizzard Entertainment (http://www.blizzard.com/starcraft/)
- Battle.net StarCraft Compendium (http://www.battle.net/scc/)
- Duran's Biography @ Blizzard Entertainment (http://www.blizzard.com/broodwar/heroes/duran.shtml) - official site.
- Underwood, Peter, Chris Metzen and Bill Roper. StarCraft: Brood War (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.