Jim Raynor
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"I knew I should've stayed in bed this morning." -Raynor
James "Jim" Raynor is a fictional character in the StarCraft universe. He is a Terran, originally from the colony of Mar Sara.
| StarCraft character | |
| Jim Raynor | |
|---|---|
| Position | Leader of Raynor's Raiders |
| Species | Terran |
| Affiliation | Raynor's Raiders |
In StarCraft and , Raynor is voiced by Robert Clotworthy.
Biography
When we first encounter Raynor in-game, he is a 29-year-old marshal on Mar Sara and part of its colonial militia. Under the orders of the Terran Confederacy, he escorts colonists of Mar Sara to the wastelands, in preparation for their eventual abandonment of the planet, which is under attack by the Zerg.
While safeguarding these colonists, he receives a distress signal from a Confederate outpost named Backwater Station. Alpha Squadron General Edmund Duke tells the colonial magistrate not to interfere, as he will send help, but Raynor believes Duke will take too long. He takes the local militia to fight against the Zerg, defeating them and destroying their Infested Command Center. The Confederacy arrests him, ostensibly for destroying Confederate property. Arcturus Mengsk and the Sons of Korhal free him from the Confederate prison ship, however, and Raynor decides to work with them. He persuades the colonial magistrate to ally with them as well. Raynor takes part in many battles with the Sons of Korhal against the Zerg and the Terran Confederacy. He sparks a friendship with Mengsk's second-in-command, Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan, as well. The Terran Confederacy is defeated at their homeworld of Tarsonis by the Sons of Korhal.
Towards the end of Episode I, however, Mengsk leaves Sarah Kerrigan to her death at the hands of the Zerg on a space platform over Tarsonis, and Raynor severs his ties with Mengsk for this act of betrayal. He and the commander leaves in Mengsk's former command ship, the Hyperion. Mengsk and Edmund Duke try to prevent them from fleeing from Tarsonis using an Ion Cannon. Raynor's Raiders destroy the cannon and escape. Having lost his homeworld and now alienated by the leader of the remaining Terrans, he strikes out on his own.
In Episode II, Jim Raynor is drawn to the planet Char by the psionic emanations of Sarah Kerrigan, but his base is overrun by the Zerg under the command of Infested Kerrigan. Raynor is shocked to see her alive ... and in this condition. Kerrigan defeats his forces, but allows Jim and any survivors to leave. Later it is discovered that Raynor was rescued from Char by Tassadar, a protoss executor who was also drawn to char by Kerrigan's psyonic eminations.
His next appearance is in Episode III, when it is revealed that he has joined forces with the Protoss Tassadar on a space platform over Char. Raynor indicates that Tassadar saved his life down on the planet.
Tassadar is also in a weak position, and needs the help of the Protoss reinforcements from Aiur (who were initially sent to arrest him) in order to rescue Zeratul and the Dark Templar. The Dark Templar are imprisoned in an abandoned Terran facility by Infested Kerrigan, because she and the Zerg fear the Protoss' ability to slay Cerebrates. Raynor and Tassadar debate an attack on the facility. While Raynor still has feelings for Kerrigan, Tassadar says he will kill her if he finds her there. Raynor does not personally take part in the mission, and Tassadar does not encounter Kerrigan. After rescuing the Dark Templar, Aldaris, the Executor, Tassadar, Raynor, Zeratul and the Dark Templar all return to Aiur, where they meet Fenix, who he became good companions with. The Protoss Conclave wants nothing to do with the Dark Templar, and tells Tassadar that teaching Templar warriors to use their powers in tandem with Dark Templar is treason and heresy. Tassadar is forced to rebel against the Conclave, but later surrenders, though the Executor, Raynor and Fenix escape. Zeratul and the Dark Templar disappear, and Raynor, commanding the Hyperion, helps Fenix and the Executor to get Tassadar out of the Conclave's custody.
At the end of Episode III, Raynor is present at the final attack on the Zerg Overmind. His forces are instrumental in the defeat and death of the Overmind, for which Tassadar sacrifices himself.
The temporarily leaderless Zerg rampage over Aiur, killing 70% of its inhabitants. The Protoss make the decision to evacuate Aiur through a Warp Gate to Shakuras, homeworld of the Dark Templar. Raynor and Fenix stay behind on Aiur to guard the Aiur side of the Warp Gate so that the surviving Protoss can escape. This is the beginning of Raynor's friendship with Fenix. This unlikely bond between a Terran and a Protoss is one of the strongest and most enduring in the entire storyline of StarCraft.
During Episode V, Raynor makes only a brief appearance when he rescues Arcturus Mengsk from being captured by the United Earth Directorate and later escapes with him through the Warp Gate. At the beginning of Episode VI, Kerrigan asks him and Fenix to bring Arcturus Mengsk to her. Kerrigan deceives all three into thinking they are allied against a common enemy - the UED. Kerrigan uses them to help her destroy the UED's Psi Disruptor, as well as retaking Korhal for Mengsk. Then, when Kerrigan has no more use for them, she has Fenix killed. Raynor finally realizes Kerrigan's treacherous nature, swears to kill her, and strikes out on his own again. For the rest of Brood War we see no more of Raynor, and after the final mission we are told that "James Raynor and Zeratul went their separate ways, and have not been heard from since their departure."
Later Appearances
Raynor made an appearance in the StarCraft 64 map, Resurrection IV, which takes place after the end of Brood War. Here he works with Artanis and other Protoss to right a grievous wrong on the world Braxis.
He also makes appearances in the poorly-received StarCraft: Alternity game product.
Raynor is one of the very few major Terran character in StarCraft to be fundamentally good all the way through, even when he assisted Kerrigan, it was to overthrow the UED, which he suspected would enslave/kill all 3 races in the sector (in essence, he chose what appeared to be the lesser of two evils). Raynor is also the only Terran closely associated with, and trusted by, the Protoss.
As of April 7th, 2006 the Battle.net Web Site contains a hidden image of Infested Kerrigan saying "Help me Jim Raynor...you're my only hope!". The animated GIF image and the text can be found at the bottom of the main page. In order to reveal them the user has to click the round object above the Blizzard image. This is a reference to Star Wars specifically, Princess Leia's message inside R2-D2.
Game Unit
Jim Raynor appears in StarCraft and in three separate units. We first see him piloting a Vulture hover cycle. He raids the Jacobs Installation as a Marine, and he commands the Hyperion, a battlecruiser, during StarCraft Episode III as he fights alongside the Protoss.He appears in all three forms in as well.
Raynor in the novels
In Liberty's Crusade we also find out he had a psionically gifted son, who was killed in 'an incident' during the Confederacy's intense Terran Ghost training."Queen of Blades" presents a slightly different account as to the whereabouts of Raynor during Act II (involving a long trek through underground tunnels and no base initially established on Char), although all crucial events remain true the game.
Trivia
Though Raynor appears throughout the various episodes in Brood Wars he is not a playable Hero, except for a few brief moments in the opening Episode 4 mission, when he helps Zeratul and the Khali escape from Aiur. This is also notably the only time players can command an invincible Hero.
In the Blizzard MMORPG World of Warcraft, players can encounter a Human guard named "Deputy Raynor" at the Forest's Edge near Westfall, clearly based off of Jim Raynor.
References
- (2001) ISBN 0671041487
- [StarCraft homepage at Blizzard Entertainment]
- [Battle.net StarCraft Compendium]
| StarCraft | |
|---|---|
| StarCraft Universe
| Gameplay of StarCraft • StarCraft storyline • StarCraft units and structures • Psionic technology (StarCraft)>Psionic technology |
| Factions and Organizations
| Dark Templar • Judicator Caste • Kel-Morian Combine • Khalai Caste • Protoss • Protoss Conclave • StarCraft Pirate Militias>Pirate Militias • Raynor's Raiders • Sons of Korhal • Templar Caste • Terran • Terran Confederacy • Umojan Protectorate • United Earth Directorate • Xel'Naga • Zerg • Zerg Brood |
| Locations
| Aiur • Antiga Prime • Braxis • Char (StarCraft)>Char • Chau Sara • Korhal • Mar Sara • Moria • Shakuras • Talematros • Tarsonis • Umoja • Zerus |
| Characters
| Aldaris • Artanis • Admiral DuGalle>Gerard DuGalle • Edmund Duke • Samir Duran • Fenix • Sarah Kerrigan • Arcturus Mengsk • • Raszagal • Jim Raynor • Alexei Stukov • Tassadar • Zeratul • Zerg Overmind • Minor Characters |
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