Starfield Could Spice Up its Universe by Breaking One Tenet of Hard Sci-Fi

Starfield takes players to the Settled Systems in the distant future. Along with the space exploration group Constellation, players search the cosmos for strange artifacts. There's a massive universe to explore, but surprisingly, humans are the only intelligent life form around.

This is something Starfield could change. It would be really amazing if an intelligent alien species was introduced for players to interact with. Fortunately, there are ways for this to happen, but it would require the game to break one of the tenets of hard sci-fi.

Starfield and Hard Sci-Fi vs Soft Sci-Fi

Hard science fiction is a form of sci-fi that aims to follow the natural laws of physics of the real world. It veers far away from fantasy and strives for realism. This is in contrast to soft science fiction, which is less rigorous. It focuses on what is dubbed the "soft sciences," which includes subjects such as psychology, political science, and sociology. Because intelligent life is so seemingly rare in the real world, it is rarely found in hard sci-fi. In contrast, it is not uncommon for soft sci-fi to feature intelligent life to make commentary on human society.

Popular hard-sci writers include authors like Arthur C. Clarke, while soft sci-fi is usually attributed to writers like Ursula Le Guin. It should be noted that not everybody agrees with this dichotomy, and find it to be unhelpful in understanding science fiction. Others, however, see it as a vital way of delineating sci-fi that deals with the hard sciences with those that deal with the soft sciences.

Is Starfield Hard or Soft Sci-Fi?

Currently, Starfield is a mix of hard and soft sci-fi and doesn't fall neatly into either category. It attempts to be scientifically accurate in some aspects, including the nature of the alien planets players can explore and the kind of alien life that is encountered, which is rather primitive in most instances. However, there are elements of soft sci-fi with its exploration of science versus spirituality, and its artifacts which grant superpowers.

Starfield and Intelligent Life

Starfield, at present, has no intelligent life except for humans, which makes The Settled Systems feel like a very lonely place at times. There are forms of alien life present, but they are not intelligent. Some of them include:

• Ashta - A very violent and dangerous creature that is found on the planet Akila.
• Terrormorph - Another dangerous creature that is found on Mars and Tau Ceti 2.
• Metropus Floater - These alien creatures float in the sky and are mostly harmless.
• Mossgnath - This is a dinosaur-like creature that is large but peaceful.

To shake things up, Starfield should feature intelligent life. It would change things for humans and give something for Constellation to explore. With over 1,000 planets and moons in Starfield's universe, there are more than enough places for intelligent life to be hidden.

Alternatively, future expansions could extend beyond the Settled Systems into areas of space that have yet to be explored. This could be where players find intelligent alien life. If this is the case, Starfield should avoid the common trope of having sentient alien life be humanoid in nature and instead should opt for something a little more creative. The game has already shown that it can get creative with the types of alien life it reveals, and this shouldn't stop with intelligent life.

How Can Starfield Introduce Intelligent Life?

A future expansion could see the introduction of intelligent alien life forms. It probably won't be the Shattered Space expansion which is set to release in 2024, as it appears to be focused on the House Va'ruun faction. However, that won't be the last expansion for Starfield. Alternatively, it could be up to the modding community to introduce intelligent alien life. This will be made easier thanks to the modding support that Starfield has.

Ultimately, intelligent alien life may have to be an idea left for a sequel where it can be explored fully. The implications of humans not being alone with their intelligence are vast, and it opens up many questions, perhaps too many to be answered in a mere Starfield expansion. The downside to this is that fans will be waiting a long time before they get their smart aliens, but it may be worth the wait if it is implemented correctly.

It will be no easy task throwing in intelligent alien life. Bethesda will have to decide on exactly how intelligent the species will be in comparison to humans. The studio will also have to decide whether the species is friendly or hostile. With friendly intelligent alien life, players could cooperate and trade with them for cool gear and valuable information regarding the cosmos. However, with hostile intelligent alien life, players will have to take a more violent approach to their sentient counterparts and always be on the lookout for them. Whichever direction the studio goes, intelligent aliens will be a game-changer for Starfield and may just increase its popularity many-fold.

The trailer for Shattered Space has revealed that there's more to Starfield's universe than initially revealed. It holds secrets that are yet to be unlocked. Hopefully, one of those secrets is the existence of intelligent alien life forms.