Felon's Femme Fatales: Sarah Kerrigan

Time for another Femme Fatale! And today, I've chosen to talk about Sarah Kerrigan from the Starcraft PC games. As always, there are some story spoilers here. BEWARE!

Kerrigan as her human self.

Kerrigan is another one of my absolute favorite video game villainess'. Maybe it's because she was a heroine before she was corrupted. Or maybe it's because she is a great example of a strong female character. In any case, she is manipulative, deadly, and powerful.

Kerrigan after she is infested.

Kerrigan did not start out bad. She was initially one of the main characters involved in the Terran missions in the first Starcraft game. She was a Ghost, a psychic human. During the course of the Terran missions, she is betrayed and left for dead by her leader, Arcturus Mengsk, the commander of the Sons of Korhal. It is then that she is taken by the Zerg and transformed into the Queen of Blades (as she calls herself), a cross between human and Zerg. She starts out under the control of the Overmind, the being that controls the Zerg Swarm. She willingly serves the Overmind until the point that the Overmind is destroyed (at the end of Starcraft). Kerrigan then spends most of Broodwar ensuring that she alone is in control of the Zerg. She is also still out for revenge on Arcturus for leaving her to the Zerg. She spends most of the Broodwar expansion manipulating both the Terran and Protoss into eliminating her existent and potential threats, namely a new and growing Overmind, which would enslave her mind once again, and the United Earth Directorate whom are also trying to control and harness the power of the Zerg as a biological weapon. The other characters are ever suspicious of her and yet she still prevails in convincing them to help her. Of course, her goals are never what she makes them seem, but this just shows how truly cunning Kerrigan is. And even when her plans are laid bare, she is merciless in order to  have her goal accomplished, such as when she holds a Protoss character hostage in order to ensure the new Overmind is destroyed.
It's true, Kerrigan is ruthless like any villain. And yet periodically, you are still allowed to see some of her humanity, hidden under her venomous shell. On at least a couple occasions Kerrigan has the opportunity to kill Jim Raynor, a Terran man she was close with, and yet she lets him live. The storyline suggests that it could be because she sees him as no threat, or because she still harbors feelings towards him underneath. This possibility gives her even more depth as a villain. She kills and manipulates to reach her goals, and yet she is not completely disconnected from her human life and bonds. It gives her character more depth.

There is a lot of storyline with Kerrigan through out the current Starcraft games, so much so that I feel like I really can't do her justice. The best way to truly see why she is one of the top rated computer game villains is to play through the games. I'm also excited to see what else is in store for her in Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm. In any case, play the games and see why she's one of my all-time favorites!