Original artwork, not a still
The Terran adjutant in StarCraft (1998)
Insufficient vespene gas.
— StarCraft · 1998
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the sound of a resource economy saying no. The adjutant never raises its voice, which is exactly why a stalled build order feels so personal: the whole game is a race to turn minerals and gas into an army, and this is the game telling you that you mis-timed it. Together with its mineral and supply cousins, the line became the shared language of StarCraft's frantic macro play.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for StarCraftShow the scene
In the original StarCraft, the Terran player is backed by an adjutant, one of the non-sapient artificial intelligences humans use for administration and navigation, and it is the voice that reports when your commands can't be carried out. Order a unit or building that needs more vespene gas than you have in the bank and it answers in this flat, polite refusal. Vespene is the refined geyser gas that advanced units, flyers and spellcasters cost most of, so the line is heard most often just as a build moves from marines into tech.
Sources (2)
- StarCraft wiki: AdjutantOverviewReference checked
- StarCraft wiki: Vespene gasStarCraft sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
