Jim Raynor

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Captain Jim Raynor
Raynor as he appears in StarCraft II.
Game series	StarCraft series
First game	StarCraft (1998)
Created by	Chris Metzen James Phinney
Designed by	Chris Metzen
Voiced by	Robert Clotworthy
Information
Species	Terran
Affiliation	Raynor's Raiders
Position	Captain of the Hyperion Leader of Raynor's Raiders

James "Jim" Raynor is one of the central characters and primary protagonists in Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft series. The character was created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney,^[1] with his physical appearance having been designed by Chris Metzen.^[1] In both StarCraft^[2] and its expansion Brood War,^[3] Raynor is voiced by Robert Clotworthy.

Initially appearing in the original game as a twenty-nine year old^[4] Terran, Raynor is a marshal on a backwater colony world, later joining in a revolution against the oppressive Confederacy of Man before becoming disillusioned with its cause and forming his own paramilitary group.^[5] His character is further developed through the novels Liberty's Crusade and Queen of Blades. Raynor normally appears in-game piloting a vulture scavenger bike, although he has also appeared in-game as a marine unit and as the commander of the Behemoth-class battlecruiser Hyperion. As one of the main characters of StarCraft, Raynor has been critically praised for character depth and the quality of Clotworthy's voice acting; one survey by GameSpot put Raynor as one of the top ten heroes in video gaming.^[6]

Contents 1 Character design 2 Attributes 2.1 Personality 2.2 Outward appearance 3 Appearances 3.1 StarCraft 3.2 StarCraft: Brood War 3.3 StarCraft II 3.4 Other appearances 4 Reception 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Character design

The character of Raynor was originally devised by Chris Metzen^[1] and James Phinney,^[1] with his depiction as a rough-living and dangerous man developed through various pieces of concept art by Metzen. In an interview, Raynor's voice actor Robert Clotworthy - for whom Raynor was the first video game character he had the opportunity to voice - cited one piece of this concept art in how he decided to voice the character. The art, showing Raynor on a hoverbike and outfitted with futuristic weaponry, gave Clotworthy the impression that as Raynor was someone people "wouldn't mess with", he would not have to raise his voice as "other characters [would] shut up and listen" or face the consequences.^[7] Clotworthy also stated that in the event that a StarCraft film was produced, he believed Clive Owen would be the perfect choice to play Raynor due to him "being dangerous".^[7]

In StarCraft II, Raynor's character is based on a character of the same name in the film Rush, whom Chris Metzen describes as a "gritty, undercover cop". Metzen also explains that the fact that as Raynor has personally met and worked with the most influential characters in the series, despite only being an ordinary man, this makes him a personal favorite character of his.^[8] During the single player demonstration of StarCraft II at BlizzCon in August 2007, Raynor was not voiced by Clotworthy; Blizzard Entertainment has since explained that Clotworthy is willing to return and that they understand the fan connection to his work, but they also enjoy the new voice actor they've found, and the final decision has not been made yet.^[8]

[edit] Attributes

[edit] Personality

Despite an often laid back and sarcastic demeanor,^[4] Raynor is described in the novel Liberty's Crusade as a decent and honorable man.^[9] Robert Clotworthy noted that as such, Raynor is always willing to do the right thing, no matter how difficult it may be. His assertion to kill Sarah Kerrigan - the series' main antagonist - despite his former love for her early in the story arc is one of the sacrifices that in Clotworthy's eyes makes Raynor a "true hero in the purest sense of the word".^[7] He is also described as being fiercely loyal to his friends and his cause,^[4] willing to put it all at risk for the protection of those who cannot defend themselves.^[10] It is this loyalty that causes deep resentment in Raynor when he is betrayed by those he had once trusted.^[8] Although often displaying an overzealous attitude, Raynor is well respected by his men as a dynamic and reliable leader^[4] who always tries to ensure his troops survive the day, even when Raynor is responsible for getting them into a bad situation.^[11] Raynor himself acknowledges that he is not the most intelligent man there is,^[12] but is shown as being extremely resourceful and persistent in the face of unfavourable odds.

[edit] Outward appearance

Raynor is only ever depicted by his unit portrait through the course of StarCraft and Brood War, although he is shown in StarCraft II as a physically strong yet casually dressed character, wearing his combat gear over his normal clothes,^[5] which are described in the novels as well-worn and rough in appearance.^[13] Raynor has a neatly-trimmed moustache and beard,^[14] which by the time of StarCraft II are beginning to grey. His StarCraft II model also reveals the presence of tattoos on both his arms.^[5] In addition, a number of pieces of concept art depict Raynor smoking.^[15] Unlike other characters, Raynor isn't seen wearing a uniform at any point during the series, with the rare exceptions of when he is encased in marine combat armour. Raynor is often depicted riding a modified vulture hovercycle, which he uses for transport^[16] and in open land combat.^[17]

[edit] Appearances

[edit] StarCraft

Raynor first appears during Episode I, the Terran campaign of StarCraft, where he is a Confederate marshal on the fringe colony of Mar Sara.^[4] The early missions center on his attempts to protect the colony from the Zerg, but he is quickly arrested for doing so.^[18] During his time in prison, the magistrate governing the colony makes a deal with the Sons of Korhal, an anti-Confederate rebellion, for evacuation in order to escape the Zerg infestation. Arcturus Mengsk, the rebels' leader, has his men rescue Raynor from the prison for political reasons.^[19] Raynor, now a commander in the Sons of Korhal, is sent to the Confederate colony of Antiga Prime, where he assists in helping the colony overthrow the Confederate government and reluctantly participates in ensuring the defection of Edmund Duke, a Confederate general.^[20] During this time, Raynor becomes infatuated with Mengsk's psychic second-in-command, Sarah Kerrigan.^[21] Towards the end of Episode I, the Sons of Korhal attack the Confederate capital world Tarsonis, and after ruthlessly using Confederate technology to lure the Zerg to the planet, Mengsk abandons Kerrigan to die at the hands of the Zerg. As a result, in the final mission of Episode I, Raynor abandons Mengsk with the men still loyal to him.^[22] The group, eventually labeled "Raynor's Raiders", are able to hijack Mengsk's flagship, the Hyperion, to serve as their mobile base of operations. The Raiders become a major opponent to Mengsk's new Terran Dominion.

Rather than being killed, Kerrigan is captured by the Zerg and taken to Char. In Episode II, Kerrigan calls out to Raynor for help via telepathic dreams, but by the time he arrives she has been fully infested by the Zerg. She destroys Raynor's base camp, but allows him and his surviving troops to leave.^[23] However, the rebels are stranded on the planet with the high templar Tassadar and the dark templar Zeratul. In the middle of Episode III, a Protoss force under command of the Protoss executor Artanis^[24] rescues Raynor and Tassadar from the planet. Raynor and his remaining forces accompany a fleet loyal to Tassadar to the Protoss homeworld of Aiur to assist against an invasion by the Zerg, where they participate in the final mission of the game against the Zerg Overmind.^[25]

[edit] StarCraft: Brood War

Although Raynor makes only sporadic appearances in Brood War, he still has a major role in the progression of the story. In the Protoss campaign, Raynor remains on Aiur with the templar Fenix to assist the Protoss evacuation to the dark templar homeworld Shakuras, later locking down the linking warp gate^[26] to prevent Zerg pursuit. During this time, the two become good friends despite being different species. In Episode V, they are contacted by Kerrigan, who convinces them that the invasion by the United Earth Directorate is a greater threat than her.^[27] As a result, Raynor and Fenix kidnap Mengsk from right under the UED's fleet,^[28] gaining his support in their campaign against the UED. The allied forces led by Kerrigan then recapture the Terran Dominion throne world Korhal IV from UED control in Episode VI.^[29] Afterward, Kerrigan betrays the alliance by killing Raynor's friend Fenix.^[30] In his final Brood War appearance, an outraged Raynor vows that Kerrigan will die by his hands.

[edit] StarCraft II

Raynor and his Raiders will be the focus of the Terran campaign in StarCraft II. In a single-player demonstration shown at BlizzCon in August 2007, the crew of the Hyperion is overworked and underpaid and although Raynor's first officer Matt Horner still has faith in him, some members of the crew are considering mutiny.^[31] After the events of Brood War, Raynor returns to Dominion space to wage war against Mengsk, but his forces have gradually been weakened in their struggle against the Dominion's seemingly inexhaustible resources. As a result, Raynor's Raiders are forced to take up occasional mercenary work to fund their campaign. Raynor has started drinking heavily, blaming himself for losing Kerrigan to the Zerg, with his hatred of Mengsk constantly being fed through a stream of Dominion propaganda attacks on him and his men.^[5] Chris Metzen has explained that in the years before StarCraft II Raynor has slowly become jaded and bitter to the point where "he's still trying, but he's a little lost" although Metzen also confirmed that the game will turn Raynor into a "true" hero.^[8]

[edit] Other appearances

Raynor participates in a secret mission exclusive to StarCraft's Nintendo 64 version, set after the conclusion of Brood War.^[32] Artanis sends Raynor with Taldarin,^[32] a veteran Protoss dragoon, to Braxis to rescue and deinfest a resurrected Alexei Stukov, the vice-admiral of the UED fleet who had previously been killed in Brood War. With the assistance of Stukov's former Terran allies and through the use of an experimental Protoss treatment, Stukov's humanity is restored and he leaves the planet with Raynor.

Several StarCraft novels also feature Raynor; he is a prominent character in Liberty's Crusade, which reveals that Raynor had a wife and son.^[33] His son exhibited psychic potential and consequently is conscripted for the Confederate ghost program, where the intense training ultimately kills him.^[34] Afterward, Raynor's wife Liddy dies after a period of depression and illness.^[33] As a result, Raynor immerses himself in his work and develops a penchant for operating alone. He is also the primary protagonist in Queen of Blades, a novelization of the events of StarCraft's Episode II in which Raynor attempts to rescue Sarah Kerrigan from the Zerg on Char^[35] and eventually allies with the high templar Tassadar and renegade dark templar Zeratul, facilitating the reconciliation between the two estranged Protoss.^[36]

The tactical shooter StarCraft: Ghost was to feature Raynor as Clotworthy stated he was brought in to voice the character;^[7] however, the game has been postponed indefinitely and Raynor's role has not been revealed. However, Bill Roper, Blizzard North's former vice president, stated that the game would not center on Kerrigan or Raynor.^[37]

[edit] Reception

The character of Raynor was generally well received by critics and fans alike. The site Gaming's Edge described Raynor as an "almost prototypical action movie figure" with a "healthy dose of arrogance" who despite always attempting to do the morally right thing invariably ends up with "the worst end of the deal" due to circumstances beyond his control. The article also puts forward the case that "it would be difficult not to admire Raynor, if for no other reason than his persistence" in the face of abandonment, isolation and betrayal.^[38] In the review of StarCraft for the magazine GamePro, the reviewer stated that he felt that the portrayal of characters was so good that he felt they "were actually talking to me" and expressed that he began to feel an emotional attachment to the plights of Raynor, commenting "When was the last time you could say that about a character in a strategy game?"^[39] A reader's poll for GameSpot voted Raynor one of video gaming's top ten heroes, complimenting Raynor's character on his humanity, his resilience in the face of consistent loss, as well as his progression from backwater marshal to galactic hero. GameSpot also gave additional praise to the quality of Robert Clotworthy's voice acting.^[6]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Jim Raynor's biography on the official StarCraft II website.

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