Brood War

What is the Brood War?

The Brood War is the major conflict that follows the original StarCraft and tests whether the newly created Terran Dominion can survive at all. The war brings the UED into the Koprulu Sector and forces old enemies into temporary alliances.

For Dominion history, it is the first proof that Arcturus Mengsk has won a government but not yet secured uncontested control of the sector.

Why does the UED attack the Dominion?

The United Earth Directorate sends a powerful expedition from Earth into the Koprulu Sector. The force captures psi-disruptor technology and launches a successful assault on Korhal, catching Mengsk’s Dominion off guard.

The attack demonstrates how vulnerable the young Dominion still is after the collapse of the Terran Confederacy.

What happens on Char?

After Korhal, the UED pushes toward Char and succeeds in subjugating a developing Overmind. This briefly gives the expedition control over part of the zerg Swarm.

That changes the strategic situation for every faction in the sector.

Why does Kerrigan cooperate with Mengsk and Raynor?

Sarah Kerrigan recognizes that the UED is a threat to her own power. She convinces former enemies—including Mengsk and Jim Raynor—to cooperate against the Earth expedition.

The alliance is temporary. Once Kerrigan has rebuilt enough strength, she betrays her allies and moves to eliminate the UED-controlled Overmind.

How does the Brood War end?

The UED loses control of the situation, the Overmind under its command is destroyed, and Kerrigan becomes the dominant power over the zerg.

A combined force of UED, Dominion, and protoss ships later confronts her, but Kerrigan prevails.

The Dominion survives, but it emerges from the war weakened and forced into a long period of rebuilding.

What does the war change for the Dominion?

The aftermath explains why later StarCraft II material focuses on Mengsk rebuilding fleets and strengthening the state. Blizzard’s developer commentary notes that the Dominion has several years to reconstruct large fleets, improve technology, and learn more about fighting the zerg before the next major phase of war.

That rebuilding connects directly to the later campaigns involving Battlecruisers, Valerian Mengsk, and the invasion of Char.

Continue with the Dominion timeline and StarCraft story order for the full sequence.