WARNING: MAJOR STORY SPOILERS AHEAD forStarfieldand the novelAnathem. Proceed at your own risk.
Summary
As players make their way through the sprawling narrative at the center ofStarfield’s campaign it’s easy to find numerous callbacks to some of the classics of sci-fi film and literature. From theSpace Western cliches ofStarfield’s Akila Cityto the deep space pirates of the Crimson Fleet faction, Bethesda’s latest RPG draws on some of the genre’s most well-known tropes for inspiration. The most surprising sci-fi connection inStarfielddoesn’t become apparent until the game’s final acts, though. In the game’s closing hours,Starfield’s story takes an unexpected turn that channels author Neal Stephenson’s underrated sci-fi classic,Anathem.
One of the most respected authors working in sci-fi, Neal Stephenson has had an indelible influence on the popular genre. Well-known to sci-fi fans and VR gamers alike for popularizing the concept of a Metaverse in his seminal1992 novelSnow Crash, a frantic mash-up of influences ranging from ancient Sumerian mythology to cutting-edge cryptography, Stephenson’s impact on pop culture and gaming is hard to overstate. Though his writing is most commonly associated with the cyberpunk genre he helped to popularize, it’s the decidedly low-tech world of Stephenson’sAnathemthat bears some striking similarities toStarfield’s biggest reveal.
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Neal Stephenson’s Influence Is Sprinkled Throughout Starfield
Long before any connection to the low-tech world ofAnathemappears inStarfield,it’s already possible to see the influence of the author’s writing on the world Bethesda has created. One of the best examples of this isStarfield’s Neon City, which is decked out in the cyberpunk aesthetic that pervadesSnow Crash.ThoughSnow Crashmostly takes place in 21st-century Los Angeles, the influence of the novel’s design language onStarfield’s extraplanetary pleasure city is hard to miss.
Traces of Stephenson’s work can also be seen in the game’s malevolent megacorporation, Ryujin Industries. The high-tech world of hacking and corporate espionage are frequent themes in Stephenson’s work, makingStarfield’s Ryujin Industriesfeel like it would fit in perfectly in one of his novels. Compared to these technologically oriented influences the relatively low-tech world ofAnathem, which focuses on the adventures of a monk-like character called Fraa Erasmas living in a monastery on the fictional world of Arbre, seems like an odd thematic pairing withStarfield. The connection between the seemingly disparate duo only becomes evident whenStarfield’s central mystery is finally revealed.
Starfield and Anathem’s Finales Both Center Around Multiversal Meddling
Over the course of the final fewmissions ofStarfield’s campaign, players learn of the existence of the Starborn, technologically advanced entities that have their own designs on the game’s mysterious artifacts. The connection toAnathemcomes when it’s revealed that the Starborn are alternate-universe versions of characters familiar to the player who have been using the artifacts to manipulate the course of human events. Much like inStarfield¸ Anathem’s closing acts unexpectedly introduce the concept of a multiverse and the ability of some previously established characters to travel through it.
While the high-level monks of Fraa Erasmas’ order who are capable of dashing between dimensions inAnathemhave arguably altruistic reasons for their interdimensional meddling, doing so with a goal of saving their way of life from destruction by the outside world, the same can’t necessarily be said for theStarborn inStarfield. Rather than manipulating the flow of events for the good of humanity, the Starborn’s actions across the multiverse are designed to further their own goals. Whether the Starborn’s goals are malevolent or benevolent is ultimately left to players to decide, but it’s clear that their very existence challenges the idea of humanity having control over its fate.
Starfield’shard sci-fi setting and Neal Stephenson’s high-conceptAnathemmake for an unlikely pair, but both explore how interdimensional travel could allow those who knew its secrets to influence events on a grand scale. More importantly for gamers and readers, though, their multiversal narrative mechanics elevate what could otherwise be a straightforward story into something truly thought-provoking.
Starfieldis available now for PC and Xbox Series X|S.
