Forum post of the day: Are the Naaru evil?
by Eliah Hecht 
Apr 30th 2007 at 4:34PM
Quick, name the least evil (i.e. most "good") groups of beings in the current World of Warcraft universe. Naaru and/or Draenei, right? We've already talked about how the Draenei are almost too nice, and as for the Naaru, that just seems obvious. They're big glowy friends to all, who want nothing but happiness and the absence of the Burning Legion. There's been speculation that M'uru, the Naaru that the blood elves hold captive to power their Paladins, is faking it, but even that lie would be, presumably, for the reason of brining the blood elves closer to the light or helping them fight the Burning Legion.But Roam, of Bloodscalp, doesn't trust the big guys at all. From his post titled "Who else thinks the Naaru are probably evil:"
Call me a sceptic, but I've played too many video games to EVER trust a unidentified and unquestioned holy force.
The Naaru seem like good guys and all... but why? Why bother with us at all?
They creep my out. Sound like windchimes and "make you feel safe"... ugh sounds like a fricking trap!
And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense -- if this wasn't a Blizzard game. I agree with later posters that Blizz is just too generally straight-ahead with its story-telling to make the Naaru have been deceiving us. But hey, you never know; as a responder added, "I, as a general rule of thumb, never trust luminescent beings." Words to live by. What do you think? Are the Naaru benevolent creatures, or deceptive forces sent to destroy us?
[thanks, Justin]
Filed under: Odds and ends, NPCs
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Frogs Apr 30th 2007 4:51PM
It's always possible that Blizzard got lazy in their writing and just made a "Definite Good" faction to be against the "Definite Bad" of the Burning Legion, but I think in a good story, there would be a hidden motive behind these seemingly flawless beings.
Orwinsteel Apr 30th 2007 4:52PM
The Naaru remind me too much of the Vorlons from Babylon 5. Maybe the Naaru are hiding in a pocket dimension to purge all life if the Horde and Alliance can't or won't destroy the Burning Crusade.
Flit Apr 30th 2007 4:53PM
Maybe if we get what we always hope for (a more dynamic world) the next x pac will destroy shatt, with a world event where an aldor and scryer battle breaks out, revealing the nature of the naaru when they turn on both sides, reveal themselves as agents of the burning legion.
yeah, right. if only wow was that dynamic.
Fooliecoolie Apr 30th 2007 4:53PM
Burning Legion, I mean.
Kyle Apr 30th 2007 5:06PM
Personally, I think they are nuclear bombs just waiting to blow the entire world to shit. But thats just my interpretation...
Banana Kid Apr 30th 2007 5:06PM
I would guess they have some motive for wanting the Burning Legion destroyed, but I doubt they're all bad.
TonyB111 Apr 30th 2007 5:13PM
I don't think blizzard would ever make them become evil since it would change too much but it would be interesting if at some point we came across an evil Naaru, maybe one that turned away from the rest of them. Would make an interesting boss...
Quoi Apr 30th 2007 5:41PM
I have difficulty believing that they are pure good, since they are pitting two factions against each other, but we will have to wait and see.
Andrew Apr 30th 2007 5:13PM
*cough* Stargate *cough*
anowack Apr 30th 2007 5:22PM
If the Naaru are secretly evil or have ulterior motives are what have you, it would be painfully predictable and boring, in my opinion.
At one time maybe powerful, benevolent beings of Pure Good were the boring cliche, but if so that cliche has been so often and so frequently subverted that it's actually novel and refreshing to see a "straight" take on it for once.
haujob Apr 30th 2007 5:49PM
I'm not sure I understand this disdain for "good" things. Does it perhaps stem from some crazy equivalence of the god of Abraham or Krsna figure to all that good can be? I dunno. I dunno where you cats get these ideas.
The Burning Legion is evil. Oh, I'm sorry, that's Evil. Like on a Cthulhu scale. Why does your logic break down in assuming there is an equally good group of folk? For every world the Legion burns to take out, can't the Naaru want to save one? I know balance is lost on your westerners, but, really, you eat up the ultimate evil, but you're wary of the ultimate good?
What does that say about you?
Westley Apr 30th 2007 6:22PM
Oh noes! I'm Exalted with the Devils!
The Cannabis Connoisseur Apr 30th 2007 5:50PM
If people think they're evil solely because they "sound like windchimes" and are luminescent please seek immediate psychological help asap. There are no ulterior motives, you're all simply paranoid. Listen to Dr. Greenthumb and lay of the ganja for a bit...
Andrew Apr 30th 2007 5:53PM
Seriously, nobody else is seeing the parallels to the Stargate universe (the movie and TV show, not the upcoming MMO that I'm suspecting will suck horribly).
orionriver Apr 30th 2007 5:55PM
I agree with the above poster about the reference to Vorlons. To those of oyu who havent seen any Babylon 5, the Vorlons were uber-powered beings with jazzy organic technology vastly superior to that of everyone else out there. Everyone assumed that they were instruments of good, but as the plot progressed, another force was revealed; the Shadows. The Shadows were dark, and sinister, cunning, and they could turn invisible. (neat, eh?) Everyone started fighing the shadows whenever possible, at the Vorlon's insistence, but the Vorlons would only give second-hand resistence to the Shadows; building ships, supplying information/commands, etc. Eventually, it was revealed that the Vorlons and Shadows were left behind in the galaxy after all the other really powerful races left, to watch after the developing races and cultures. The two had opposing ideologies, not of good and evil, but of chaos and order. A variety of events began to show the sinister side of the Vorlons: They had manipulated our (collective non-elder races) minds and beliefs to appear as angels and gods when seen unshielded; they inserted telepathic genes into the human populace, and so on. These actions were used as a method for shaping the lesser races into weapons to fight the war against the shadows for them, to weaken them so that the Vorlon armada would emerge victorious. But after the various younger races threw off their ties with the Vorlons, the two elder fleets began circling eachother, destoying planets where their opponents still held sway. Eventually, the forces met, and through a dramatic scene, the Vorlons and Shadows were told to leave the galaxy, and not to come back; the children of the Milky Way no longer needed their guidance.
This is what the Vorlons are, and if Blizzard has the balls to use their army of story writers to the best of their capacity, this is what will happen. Sargeras, leader of the Burning legion, is just one force, one who fights against the creations of the Titans, and the Naaru are another, who seek to enstate peace, and unity throughout the world. The two are opposed, diametrically and violently, but neither is necessarily good or evil.
I hate to make another geeky reference, but if you think that the entatement of "peace and unity" is an absolutely noble goal, watch the Justice League episode "A Better World". I think it is on YouTube.
RogueJedi86 Apr 30th 2007 5:57PM
The Naaru aren't like the Goa'uld. When did the Goa'uld of Stargate ever claim to be or act good? They posed as gods, but that was it. And the Naaru never claimed to be gods.
Andrew Apr 30th 2007 5:59PM
@ #15 - Not the Goa'ulds, the ascended ancients - beings of "pure energy"
Kuro Apr 30th 2007 6:06PM
Evil good guys?! Where have we seen that one before? I mean, the Humans DONT have a book in their libraries that says "We know the orcs arent evil, but we kill them anyway."
Actually the book doesnt say that exactly, but come on now, its says it subconciously.
James Apr 30th 2007 6:09PM
Andrew, are you referring to the Ori or Goa'uld, or both? Well, anyway, be that the case, that'll be another very powerful group that will reveal themselves as hell bent on wiping everyone out, and that group is getting pretty big at this point (Burning Legion, Old Gods, Deathwing's minions, and all of the various groups who are allied or who serve those mentioned). The problem is that the field of bad guys is a bit crowded, and adding the Naaru is just going to make things more confusing.
Thing is, they've been protecting the Draenei for tens of thousands of years, and have yet to hint of any wickedness, and unlike say, the Goa'uld they're pretty forgiving in the free-will department. No one is being forced to worship them, and they aren't out enslaving new planets.
Now, I am willing to bet we see Dark Naaru, or whatever you want to call them. Blizzard seems pretty fond of doing that, and it is a reoccuring theme with many of the other races: Dwarves vs Dark Iron Dwarves, Gnomes vs Irradiated Gnomes, Tauren vs Grimtotem, Draenei vs Eredar.
-T- Apr 30th 2007 6:12PM
i think the intend Stargate reference was that of the ori in that they act good and do good things but really just want followers cause it makes them more powerful and really never intend to give any one the ultimate destiny in stargate it was acention in warcraft i guess its that army of the light we have yet to see