Project Blackstone – Enter: Project Gestalt

Project Blackstone entry log # 6 is Dr. Talen Ayers’ personal journal.

He isn’t comfortable with co-workers Dr. Held and Jake Ramsey and writes down his thoughts about this situation as a way to drain his frustration out.

What I find truly interesting is the continuity nods in this story. I finished the StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm single-player campaign, and I have to admit this Project Blackstone is still an enigma to me.

Did Cameron Dayton and the Creative Team meant Project Blackstone to be a StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm teaser? Or is Project Blackstone somewhat related to whatever Blizzard Entertainment is announcing at PAX East on Friday, March 22nd?

Only a week to find out the latter, but I can assure you Project Blackstone and none of the characters are mentioned in the StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm single-player campaign.

Back to continuity nods, first Jake Ramsey (from StarCraft: Dark Templar Trilogy by Christie Golden) shows up out of the blue as new member of Project Blackstone. Now Dr. Talen Ayers mentions Dr. Warren G. Held (Xenobiologist, Senior Protoss Specialist) was part of the Project Gestalt!

Now this is EXTREMELY interesting. Project Gestalt was introduced into the StarCraft universe in the pages of TOKYOPOP manga StarCraft: Frontline Volume 3 (Story: Do No Harm by Josh Elder — published on July 14, 2009).

Dr. Stanley Burgess was the Terran Dominion scientist in charge of Project Gestalt, where Dr. Held worked.

Project Gestalt was a Korhal IV Primary Resocialization Center where Protoss specimens were held captive to conduct experiments. Project Blackstone now has living Protoss specimens in captivity too.

Basically, Project Gestalt added spliced protoss DNA and protoss appendage implants on Terran Dominion ghosts with the intention of allowing the ghosts to become powerful warriors with psi-blades and access to the Khala, but under the controlled environment of the Terran Dominion’s neural inhibitors.

There was only one successful specimen: Gestalt Zero — a Terran/Protoss hybrid. He destroyed Project Gestalt and killed Dr. Burgess. Finally, Gestalt Zero joined the Protoss. Nothing has been known of him afterwards either in printed media or in-game. I remember telling Chris Metzen at the Irvine Headquarter this character reminded me of Rexxar, but there are no plans to bring him to StarCraft II as a character. Who knows, he might actually show up in printed media or future StarCraft-related games.

During our video interview with Chris Metzen, he said the following when I asked him about Gestalt Zero:

Press-only StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Single-player Hands-on event (July 2009)

Blizzplanet: There is an interesting concept played out through the short story Do No Harm by Josh Elder. A Terran Dominion scientist has been capturing Protoss and experimenting with their DNA to create a Human-Protoss hybrid prototype. There have been other previous prototypes, but this one in particular is pretty strong and uses Ghost technology to stealth. The Terran Dominion plans to create an army of these hybrids to protect the core-worlds. Are we going to see a follow-up of this play out into the Single Player? This guy is pretty much the Rexxar of Starcraft.

Metzen: I think that one, for now, is kind more of a one-off. I don’t think there’s any plans to follow up on that theme anytime soon in terms of the game itself, in terms of the game story. But I dig that story a lot that I think it’s more of just a really cool story by itself.

Visit the Project Blackstone website.