My favorite imaginary couples - Part 1. Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan
Frankly speaking, I'm not a fan of books, movies or any other oevres with a strong focus on romance. Moreover, it's my personal belief that all this romantic stuff is quite overrated in our culture. However, I quite appreciate it when love becomes a strong means to open up the character or a source of conflict to blast your brains up.
I was quite surprised to discover a dramatic love story in the StarCraft space strategy . But Hell! – it's hard not to be impressed by the strange love affair between the rebel leader Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan, the elite “ghost” soldier consequently transformed into the ruthless Zerg Queen.
According to the StarCraft lore, Jim and Sarah used to be allies, fighting side by side against the corrupt Confederation. Due to vicious political game and treason, these two didn't have much time to hold hands. Most of the time, we see them involved in the planet-crushing battles against each other. If you're not familiar with the game, you'll be surprised, but more than once Jim has risked being killed by the vicious creature that Sarah had become.
While the space outlaw Raynor is an ordinary man, though extremely smart and brave one, Sarah is remarkable for her telekinetic and telepathic powers even in her human form. When at the head of the innumerable Zerg Swarm, the new, monstrous Kerrigan turns into a dire threat to any other intelligent race in the galaxy. So, Raynor, the only one capable of defeating his former lover, has to take a decision about their future fate.
Raynor and Kerrigan are seldom shown together in the game, but the moments dedicated to their love and сonfrontation will smite you under the fifth rib. Like in a good old fairy-tale, after numerous heroic deeds, Jim Raynor succeeds to “unspell” Sarah, making her human again and liberating her mind from the power of the “fallen” xel'naga Amon. But no “happily ever after” followed... Perhaps, the most powerful moment in the game was the desinfested Sarah's decision to turn back into the horrible Queen of Blades in order to revenge the death of her beloved one. The end scene is also overwhelming, but I shall not describe it here.
What makes their story so captivating? It is based on a permanent competition in willpower and intellect combined with the readiness to literally turn the world upside down for each other, as we can see it in StarCraft II. It implies that men have no reason to be afraid of stronger and smarter girls – if they are ready to evolve and keep up. What's the lesson for the ladies? You don't have to be "nice" and "sweet" to be loved, but you certainly need to be a character. And even dark sides of yours, if accepted and tamed, may also be attractive.
The permanent lack of time makes Sarah's and Jim's moments of happyness especially precious: the two are always hungry for each other and just have no possibility to feel bored. I don't remember any of them ever saying “the magic three words”, but this is exactly the case when the story speaks for itself.
