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Norad III was the Terran Dominion flagship before and during the Brood War.

A top of the line battlecruiser, it could carry over a thousand soldiers and two dozen starfighters.[1]

History

The Great War

"It's the Norad III, sir."
"Great."

- Matt Horner and Jim Raynor after seeing the Norad III at Char(src)

During the middle stages of the Great War, Alpha Squadron under Duke's command was deployed to Char to retrieve Sarah Kerrigan, who had been abducted by the zerg. The Norad III was Duke's flagship during the battle. However, the zerg attacked and defeated the terran fleet, and things weren't made easier when the Protoss Expeditionary Fleet arrived and destroyed most of the terran ships.

Though Duke's fleet suffered great losses during its attacks on Char, the Norad III managed to escape.[1]

Bhekar Ro

Main article: Battle of Bhekar Ro

After the Great War, the Norad III led Alpha Squadron to Bhekar Ro, a backwater colony world which had then discovered a xel'naga temple. The Squadron's fleet was destroyed or disabled fighting the protoss and zerg attempting to secure the temple, and temporarily stranding the survivors[2]. The Norad III was subsequently repaired and returned to service.[3]

The Brood War

The Dylarian Shipyards

General Edmund Duke led the Dominion Armada to the Dylarian Shipyards from the Norad III in a reprisal against the UED Expeditionary Fleet which had commandeered a number of battlecruisers in dry-dock. The Dominion fleet was repelled.[4]

Siege of Augustgrad

"Captain, I'm tracking the Dominion flagship, Norad III, in low orbit. Emperor Mengsk may be attempting an escape. Receiving incoming transmission."

- A UED adjutant(src)

NoradIII SC1 Game1

The Norad III flees Korhal

With the fall of Augustgrad to the UED, Emperor Arcturus Mengsk attempted to escape aboard the Norad III but was headed off by the Aleksander. The ship was rescued by Commander Jim Raynor and escaped via dimensional recall along with the Hyperion and a small protoss fleet.[5]

The Last Battle

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Kerrigan. I had a feelin' we'd be meetin' each other again. You've got a lot to answer for, little girl."

"General Duke. You know I always wanted to have you killed. This is kind of exciting for me."

"Do your worst then, girl. You ain't takin' Edmund Duke without a fight!"

- Duke's last stand(src)

BattlecruiserMutalisk SC1 Game1

Last stand of the Norad III

The Norad III returned to Augustgrad after the liberation of Korhal, but was ambushed by Sarah Kerrigan's forces shortly after the zerg launched a sneak attack on Mengsk's base of operations. The ship was destroyed and Duke killed.[6]

Game Unit

The Norad III is represented by the original Norad II unit in-game, renamed to Norad III. Its stats other than name are unchanged from the Norad II in the mission "Emperor's Fall", but it is given different stats in "True Colors". These stats make it the most powerful battlecruiser in the game, eclipsing both the Hyperion and the Norad II. Within the mission, it is guarded by two fellow battlecruisers.

Abilities

The Yamato Gun is a powerful weapon that focuses a nuclear explosion into a beam using magnetic fields. It deals 260 damage.

Usage
Hotkey Y
Cost 150 Energy
Range 10
Acquisition
Purchased from Physics lab
Hotkey Y
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 120seconds
ve

Upgrades

  • +1 bonus to attack per level for Wraith ground attack and Valkyrie attack.
  • +2 bonus to attack per level for Wraith air attack.
  • +3 bonus to attack per level for battlecruiser attack.
Acquisition
Purchased from Armory
Hotkey S
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 267seconds
Level 2
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 300seconds
Required Science facility
Level 3
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 333seconds
Required Science facility
ve
Acquisition
Purchased from Armory
Hotkey H
Level 1
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 267seconds
Level 2
Cost 225 Minerals 225 Vespene gas 300seconds
Required Science facility
Level 3
Cost 300 Minerals 300 Vespene gas 333seconds
Required Science facility
ve

Quotations

Quotes
Selected Confirming order
Repeatedly selected
Other lines

Notes

  • In Shadow of the Xel'Naga, the Norad III was an extensively refitted and renamed Norad II. All of Alpha Squadron's battlecruisers were destroyed during the Battle of Bhekar Ro; if taken to mean the ships were unsalvageable this would preclude Norad III's appearance in StarCraft: Brood War.[2]
  • Firstborn stated that merely most of Alpha Squadron's ships were destroyed at Bhekar Ro. This allows the Norad III to survive either by reflecting subsequent salvage or by retconning Shadow of the Xel'Naga's battlecruiser statement.[3]
  • North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a joint Canadian/United States military organization.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Rosenberg, Aaron (May 23, 2006). StarCraft: Queen of Blades. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0-7434-7133-6.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Mesta, Gabriel (July 1, 2001). StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0671-04149-6.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Golden, Christie (May 22, 2007). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7125-3.
  4. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Dylarian Shipyards (in English). 1998.
  5. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Emperor's Fall (in English). 1998.
  6. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: True Colors (in English). 1998.
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