Mar Sara
Astrographical
Region	Fringe Worlds/Outer Colonies
Sector	Koprulu sector
System	Sara system
Moon(s)	Pyramus Thisby [1]
Physical
Diameter	9,265 km[1]
Climate	+/- 34 Centigrade [93 °F], very low humidity[1]
Axial Tilt	13.5 degrees[1]
Gravity	1.09 standard[1]
Dominant terrain classification	Wasteland Mountain Desert
Tileset(s)	Badlands, wasteland
Geography	18 small dust seas 28 upland regions (17 volcanic)[1]
Points of interest	Backwater Station Jacobs Installation Turtle Island Vespene Refinery BF 1138 White Rock Base
Species
Dominant	Xel'naga (formerly) Terrans (formerly) Zerg
Indigenous	Rhynadons (all killed in the protoss bombardment)
Other	Lyotes
Societal
Affiliation	Terran Confederacy (?—December 18, 2499) Kel-Morian Combine (2502[1]—2504) Terran Dominion (2504)[2] Zerg Swarm
Population	2504 – 80,000+ terrans; unknown zerg[1]
Capital	Mar Sara City
Settlements	12 major settlements (destroyed) 86 mining outposts 12 refineries[1]
Major space platforms/ stations	At least one
Imports	Mining equipment Personnel Food Water[1]
Exports	Refined minerals Unrefined ore Vespene gas Terrazine gas Scrap salvage[1]
Status	Salvaged mining planet

Mar Sara is a planet in the Sara System.

HistoryEdit

Early HistoryEdit

In antiquity, the xel'naga set foot on Mar Sara. Some of their relics still remain.^[3][4]

In the 25th century, the planet was catalogued by freelance terran prospectors and colonized by an expedition from Tarsonis several years later. Mar Sara formed the eighth of the thirteen core worlds of the Terran Confederacy. Although Mar Sara was always a backwater colony compared to its more prosperous sister planet, Chau Sara, its mining industry was seen as a key strategic asset.^[1]

Mar Sara's populace consisted of a mix of former prospectors and soldiers, along with a couple of religious types who didn't agree with the Confederacy's tolerance for other faiths.^[5]

The Beginning of the EndEdit

In 2499, Mar Sara was one of the first planets to be infested by the zerg when they appeared in the Koprulu Sector.^[1] Sons of Korhal leader Arcturus Mengsk claimed that the Confederacy deliberately sacrificed the planet in order to test the psi emitter to put and end to their rivals^[6] or to improve the Confederates' standing with the populace (by showing them "valiantly" fighting off a pocket plague).^[5] However, Sons of Korhal agent Merdith Jernic claimed that she stole and activated a psi emitter in order to attack or denigrate the Confederacy.^[7]

After the protoss destruction of the Chau Sara colony on December 8, the Koprulu Expeditionary Force approached Mar Sara. The Confederacy launched a clumsy counter attack as its executor, the high templar Tassadar, commanded his ships to pull away and withdraw, for he couldn't bring himself to destroy Mar Sara or the fleet that had come to protect it.^[8] At the same time, the Confederacy sent a new Colonial Magistrate to safeguard the colonists and keep their state of panic from escalating any further.^[9]

The Confederacy quarantined the entire planet. Forty-eight hours before they were to proceed with a lock-down, Edmund Duke, commanding officer of the Confederate fleet in the Sara System, ordered the new Magistrate to relocate the core colonists to the Wasteland. They were escorted by Marshal Jim Raynor.^[9] Soon, Backwater Station was attacked by the zerg and a distress beacon was activated. Instead of waiting for Confederate reinforcements, Raynor saved Backwater Station with the help of local militia forces sent in by the Magistrate. Duke subsequently arrested Raynor and his men for destroying an infested Confederate command center.^[10]

Confederate/Sons of Korhal ConflictEdit

Soon, sixteen outland stations reported sightings of the zerg, but the Confederates continued to avoid action against the zerg. Three stations fell to the zerg before Mengsk offered to send down a number of transports to evacuate any survivors. The Magistrate accepted his help, fending off the zerg attack on the Evacuation Zone long enough for the dropships to arrive.^[11]

In truth, the Sons didn't believe they could evacuate the city in time, and made the offer for the propaganda value. However, the 417th Confederate Marine Platoon was involved in a mission which would unexpectedly buy the Sons the time they needed. The platoon was seeking the psi-emitter which Sons of Korhal-affiliated engineer (and minor psychic) Merdith Jernic had activated. They arrested her, but the Confederacy attempted to destroy them with a nuke. Upon discovering the truth, the remnants of the platoon used the emitter to lure the zerg to their position, keeping the majority of the airborne zerg away from Mar Sara City by sacrificing themselves.^[7] The Mar Sara Colonial Militia was thus able to defend the city long enough for the Sons of Korhal transports to arrive.^[11]

At the same time, the Sons of Korhal released Raynor and his men from the Confederate prison ship.^[12] Edmund Duke refused to fire on the fleeing civilians.^[5] Raynor and the former Magistrate became commanders in the Sons of Korhal (with Raynor receiving the rank of captain).^[12]

The EndEdit

Three hours after colonial evacuation, Mar Sara was almost completely overrun by the zerg. Both the Confederates and the Sons of Korhal were abandoning the planet. Before leaving, Raynor and a group of his men liberated information from a top-secret Confederate research facility on Mar Sara called the Jacobs Installation, where the Confederates had been experimenting with captured specimens.^[12]

Thirteen hours after the evacuation of Mar Sara, the protoss fleet incinerated the planet from orbit, extinguishing all life upon the surface.^[12][13]

The ReturnEdit

Prospectors from the Kel-Morian Combine found that minerals on Mar Sara had acquired unique properties due to the protoss bombardment. Shortly thereafter, the Combine staked a claim to mining and salvage rights over the planet. In 2502, independent and indentured contractors terraformed Mar Sara and soon began strip-mining the planet of its resources.^[1] Due to the influx of miners with too much spare time on their hands, numerous shanty towns have sprung up with little enforcement of law.^[13]

Many of the original colonists returned in order to terraform the planet.^[2]

Burrowed dens of zerg continued to be found out in the wastelands years after the incineration, allowing for the Annual Hydralisk Derby to occur.^[14] The zerg may have reinfested the desolate world some time after the protoss bombardment.^[1]

Dominion ActivityEdit

The Terran Dominion also showed a renewed interest in the planet and established outposts there such as White Rock Base. The Combine claimed that these outposts were established at their invitation due to security issues with piracy and mining camp revolts.^[1] The Dominion restricted access to these sites, sometimes turning them into dead spots and putting information on them under level Black censoring. One of these sites was raided by renegade Thor pilot Sandin Forst.^[13]

Dominion TakeoverEdit

In 2504,^[15] the Dominion annexed Mar Sara, and its Repopulation Commission began a public relations campaign to boost local support. However, its heavy-handed military tactics upset the locals, creating a fear of an uprising.^[2] For months, Dominion engineers excavated a xel'naga artifact at White Rock Base. The Dominion forcibly shipped citizens there from Backwater Station to dig it up.^[14]

Dominion forces set up a logistics headquarters in Backwater Station, which become the hub for all operations on Mar Sara. The people of Backwater Station were known to be anti-Dominion. But they lacked weapons and organization. That all changed shortly after the Dominion pulled troops out of the city. Raynor and his marines destroyed the logistics headquarters with help from the locals.^[16] Raynor then seized weapons and distributed them to the local populace,^[17] inciting an open revolt against Mengsk.^[14]

At Joeyray's Bar, Tychus Findlay informed Raynor of the artifact, which the Dominion was getting ready to move off-world. The Dominion attacked a rebel base south of White Rock Base, but Raynor's marines intervened. The rebels returned the favor by helping them attack White Rock Base. The Dominion deployed hellions to stop them, but they were unsuccessful. White Rock Base was destroyed and Raynor's Raiders seized the artifact.^[14] In the meantime, news of the unrest on Mar Sara began tricking through to the Dominion public.^[18]

When the zerg landed at the abandoned dig site, Raynor had his marines man bunkers and hold two bridges at Backwater Station. They held out long enough to be extracted by Matt Horner on Raynor's ship, the Hyperion.^[19] The attack coincided with zerg attacks on other fringe worlds, personally led by the Queen of Blades.^[20]

GeographyEdit

Although Mar Sara was mainly covered by hard-baked mud and scrub, irrigation techniques such as waterfarms enabled agriculture to develop and there was significant potential for mineral exploitation.^[5] The planet's sky is a dusty orange and it has two moons.^[21] At night, sandstorms often sweep across the planet's surface.^[7] Canyons can be viewed on the planet's landscape.^[20]

In ancient times, it is likely that a significant portion, if not all of Mar Sara's surface was covered in iron-rich oceans. By the time of terran settlement however, these oceans had mostly receded, leaving behind a rust ingrained surface, courtesy of oxidation (similar in principle to the ancient oceans of Earth and Mars).^[7] A significant portion of the planet was still covered in water however, the planet possessing oceans^[5] and a main continent in distinction.^[22] Due to the spread of zerg creep^[5] and the protoss bombardment, these oceans appear to have been vaporized.^[23]

LocationsEdit

EstablishmentsEdit

• Grand Hotel
• Joeyray's Bar

InstallationsEdit

• Dominion Shipment Center
• Mar Sara Marshal's Office
• Mar Sara Starport
• Office of the Colonial Magistrate
• Vespene Refinery BF 1138 (actually a terrazine refinery)

LandformsEdit

• Arid Plateau
• Backwater Gulch
• Basin
• Dust Bowl
• Mount Jacobs
• Sand Canyon
• Stonewall Peaks
  • Molly's Nipple
• The Boneyard
• Turtle Island

Military BasesEdit

• Backwater Station
• Blue Base
• Bunker Complex 3847
• Camp McIntyre
• Fire Base Chimera
• Jacobs Installation
• Mar Sara Base
• Red Base
• White Rock Base

RegionsEdit

• Blistering Sands
• Diamondback Wastelands
• Hinterland
• Out Country
• Salvage Survey 3R-122V
• Salvage Survey 11-4A
• Salvage Survey 11-4C
• Wasteland

SettlementsEdit

• Anthem Base
• Mar Sara City
• Oasis Station
• Riksville

Other AppearancesEdit

	This article or section contains information about StarCraft: Ghost, which has been declared non-canon. Elements may be taken as 'flavor lore' however. The content may be significantly out of date. Please do not add speculation to this article, and remember to cite a published source for details.

Mar Sara was to play a role in StarCraft: Ghost.

The Terran Dominion established a secret terrazine refinery there. To disguise its true function, it was designated "Vespene" Refinery BF 1138.^[24]

The refinery came under zerg attack. A Dominion Marine Corps force accompanied by a black ops team (including a ghost named Nova) was sent to investigate, engaging in battle with the zerg.^[21]

During the conflict, two opposing terran factions waged an important battle in the barrens of Mar Sara. The resources of both sides were all but depleted, and a single unclaimed mobile factory stood to turn the tide.^[25]

Notes Edit

• The Blue terran faction is identified as the Mar Sara Colonial Militia in StarCraft. This remains the case into StarCraft: Brood War (even when the forces are clearly not from Mar Sara).
• "Mar Sara" is Portuguese and Spanish for "Sarah Sea" or, in the context of onomastics, "Sarah's Sea".
• The orbital view of Mar Sara is identical to the orbital view of Moria.
• The quote "They come at night... mostly" is a reference to the film Aliens.
• Maps that take place on Mar Sara often have signs planted near terran installations that say "Mar Sara: Shake and Bake Colony". This is another reference to Aliens.

ReferencesEdit