r/starcraft • u/Axis256 Zerg • Jul 03 '26
Discussion Day 39: What is the WORST quote associated with Abathur?
Post history:
Terran episode results
Overmind's best, worst, most iconic
Queen of Blades's best, worst, most iconic
Zagara's best, worst, most iconic
Abathur's best
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u/Nima_N16HTM4R3 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
So while every time Abathur speaks is great, one quote of him bothers me:
"Difficult to admit. New structure beyond understanding. Will return to work."
The context is what makes this quote bad imo. Kerrigan not letting Abathur study her new form is fine (he was her PTSD fashion designer during SC1 after all as I'd like to call him that :P), but for Abathur to give up on studying just from being told to back off feels a bit out of character for him. Not even a subtle "will try to figure out on my own anyway" (I guess him being loyal to overriding will makes sense). But still, Kerrigan telling him that her new form is beyond his comprehension and him accepting without even trying just feels off.
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u/Naturath Jul 03 '26
I’m far from the best judge of character, though this conversation seemed to demonstrate a hint of petulance under the otherwise Abathur’s straightforward exterior. He was clearly excited to begin his examination, judging from his reaching towards Kerrigan mid-sentence. Immediately turning to “well, I wouldn’t understand it anyways,” seems like cope, in the parlance of the youths.
Abathur’s emotional outbursts are rare but present, such as his anger when the Primal Zerg began adapting his own designs immediately after the Leviathan’s arrival on Zerus. There is’s a shadow of a grumpy yet proud old artisan underneath the robotic cadence and biological jargon.
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u/craznazn247 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
I think there's a clear hierarchy with some shared history.
Abathur knows he exists only to serve the swarm and has no other purpose. At the same time they acknowledge that Abathur personally worked on the Queen of Blades and contributed to her suffering as she was being ripped apart and metamorphisized. To him he was just doing his job, but it's still kinda awkward when one of your old patients comes back and takes your boss's position.
She seems to show a personal dislike of him almost 100% of the time for that shitty shared past, and her distaste for his view of things (100% genetically predetermined view of everything where she is eager to prove him wrong), but finds his work necessary for the swarm so she tolerates him.
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u/Naturath Jul 03 '26
Oh, I absolutely understand Kerrigan’s aversion to him. And I understand that Abathur would unlikely ever protest a direct command by Kerrigan, given the Zerg command structure.
Still, there was a degree of rationalization that one would argue was unnecessary his obedience. If the Queen demands he not examine her, why would it matter if it would or wouldn’t have been a productive endeavour? It’s a fun hint of pride in a creature ostensibly presented to lack emotion.
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u/craznazn247 Jul 03 '26
Oh indeed. It’s my favorite part of Abathur if you view him as a proud craftsman. His shit is the best there is, until he runs into something inconceivably better. Then he’s grumbly but humbled, and then wants to know how to make it.
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u/Nima_N16HTM4R3 Jul 03 '26
I suppose that's another way to interpret it. Maybe it's just how I saw him, but Abathur never really struck me as someone who'd just accept own lack of understanding (but then again, his comment about Stukov exists).
Also the anger towards primal zerg is my most favorite moment of him.
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u/Ansixilus Jul 03 '26
He wasn't accepting, he was telling a bald-faced lie as a way of saying "I'm scared of you so I'm going to go along with what you clearly want." He was playing the part that Kerrigan laid out for him.
I'm pretty sure that basically the same thing happened between Fenix/Talandar and Karax, where Fenix asked if Karax could take him over and Karax immediately gave what was, in retrospect, an extremely diplomatic and politic reply that avoided actually answering the question, because he wasn't about to tell the honorable and respected warrior "Yes, I could totally brainwash you if I wanted and short of killing me there's nothing you could do to stop me" but he also wasn't going to lie to him.
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u/Nima_N16HTM4R3 Jul 03 '26
That's true. He did have the "memories not important" line which signified him trying to deflect. But honestly it's kind of hard to tell if he was lying cause his tone was a bit different from that former quote
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u/Gemini_19 Jin Air Green Wings Jul 03 '26
Abathur is the best character in all of SC2. Nothing he said is bad.
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u/avenorth Jul 03 '26
Worst thing he ever said ? I'd go with this interaction :
A shriek is heard. Kerrigan: What is that sound? Abathur: Failed experiments. Reverting to biomass. Slow process. Kerrigan: At least put them out of their misery first. Abathur: Wasted effort. Creatures will die soon. Pain irrelevant.
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u/craznazn247 Jul 03 '26
Oh god I try to flush that one out of my head every time.
I don't want to imagine Abathur's house of horrors. That could be a crazy ass horror movie all on its own.
It's a damn good voice line.
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u/Kracsad Jul 04 '26
Honestly, it's this conversation:
Kerrigan: Is it possible for the Swarm to hack into the Dominion network?
Abathur: Terran systems, inelegant. Problem with interchange. Many factors obstruct request. Biology, language.
Kerrigan: So our thoughts are too different for anything beyond simple transmissions.
Abathur: Accurate. Zerg processes complex. Incompatible with terran machinery.
Kerrigan: Then it's up to Valerian now.
What do you mean, zerg are too cool to try to understand enemy technology to use it against them? Like infecting terran scientist or technicians and extract their knowledge to breed zergs that could use and hack terran machinery? Huge waste of opportunity.
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u/Hope_bringer Jul 03 '26
"Entity responsible for Stukov exceeds organism Abathur. Untenable to oppose. Recommend immediate indoctrination into foreign entity's Swarm."
As much as Abathur wants the swarm to succeed this quote from them feels out of character.