For Starfield, space is not the final frontier; it's the first. From the details Bethesda have released so far, it seems like humanity might be new to the stars in the upcoming game. The game is Bethesda's first original IP in over 20 years, so it might seem odd for the studio to not go the extra step and create alien races. Some of the most interesting parts of the Elder Scrolls franchise come from interactions between the series' imaginative races and cultures. As such, some fans may well be expecting a diverse range of aliens in Starfield. However, that might not quite fit with the style the game is going for.
Understanding why there might be minimal extraterrestrial content in Starfield requires a bit of digging into science fiction as a genre. It seems like Bethesda is not aiming for the spacefaring, extraterrestrial high camp of other sci-fi games like The Outer Worlds. Instead, the studio appears to be approaching Starfield with more realism. Not only that, but the game is likely set early into mankind's journey into space exploration. The importance of managing space travel resources effectively has been mentioned by Todd Howard, which could skew the game's focus away from the "space fantasy" elements of popular sci-fi.
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While these elements might make an encounter with the wildest aliens unlikely, fans should not despair. Plenty of superb science fiction entirely eschews the extraterrestrial encounter. Moreover, the E3 2021 Starfield trailer includes the line, "That's why we're here… To discover what's out there."
Starfield will probably be a game about discovery, and if aliens do factor into the game somehow, it will probably be a a brief but important meeting. The chance of humanity ever finding aliens is next-to zero, so it might not happen so early into mankind's spaceward sojourn.
A name like Starfield invites a few comparisons to very popular modern science fiction franchises. Chief among these, of course, are Star Wars and Star Trek. The variety of alien life populating the stars of these series leads audiences to expect certain things of modern science fiction. However, not all spacefaring sci-fi focuses on the comings and goings of alien multitudes – some are more interested in the way humans interact with the future. While not exclusively the case, a lot of "hard science fiction" centers the realistic experience of humans using futuristic technology.
Starfield is apparently going to feature a lot of space travel, and will focus down on a lot of the very real concerns with that mode of transport. That's not exactly surprising, as the meaning of Starfield's name is a legitimate astronomical term. In scientific circles, the word describes a cosmically significant area of space as viewed through a telescope. As such, it would make sense for the game to focus more on the human perspective of the universe and space travel, as opposed to interaction with aliens.
SpaceX's impact on Starfield was apparently significant. Howard's comments show Starfield's focus on how difficult space flight can be, so it seems like the game is much more interested in creating a sense of realism in how it deals with exploring the universe. Other sci-fi games like No Man's Sky establish the decentralization of the human perspective, even in their titles.
On the other hand, Starfield's brand of sci-fi is likely to be closer to the one shown in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. Foundation deals with how human colonies among the stars deal with legacy and preservation, and it looks like Bethesda's new title is primarily concerned with the context of a plucky human race in the early era of its exploration.
Another interesting factor that might cause a lack of extraterrestrials in Starfield is its competition. While No Man's Sky might already scratch the sci-fi itch for a lot of gamers, that's not Starfield's biggest concern. Obsidian Entertainment has The Outer Worlds 2 in the works, which will be releasing on Xbox and PC. Due to both companies being owned by Microsoft, the games will undoubtedly have an overlapping playerbase. Not only that, but The Outer Worlds did the Fallout/Elder Scrolls style of immersive action-RPG in space first, so already has an established demographic.
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The success The Outer Worlds will likely impact the development of Starfield in some way. A game's context, competition, and peers often play into what it chooses to focus on. The Outer Worlds was not shy about showing players basic alien life, but did not have many chances for meaningful interaction with intelligent aliens. In fact, some quests revolve around this, with one scientist in particular convinced of an upcoming alien invasion. Eschewing aliens meant the game could focus on meaningful interactions between humans, much like the hard science fiction of Asimov in the Foundation series and other works.
It would be no surprise, then, to see Starfield take a similar approach. The game will need to differentiate itself from Obsidian's offering to stand out. However, this difference could well be the hyper-focus on space exploration. Taking this path would provide a compelling contrast to The Outer Worlds' focus on navigating established human settlements across space.
Finally, what Starfield represents for Bethesda could play into the role aliens have in the game. Unlike Bethesda's first sci-fi game 10th Planet, the trailer for Starfield does not focus on an intergalactic battle against a force of alien aggressors. Instead, cosmic curiosity takes center stage. This makes sense, all things considered. The game is Bethesda's first original property in over two decades, so of course it is going to look to the stars and the most ambitious future possible.
There is a chance that aliens will appear in some form in Starfield. It would, however, be more likely that they appear in some kind of "first contact" scenario, rather than being prominent NPCs or an option for player characters. If Starfield wants Skyrim's huge lifespan, it needs to know how to pace its content. Maybe aliens will appear in DLC or updates, or even in sequels, but may not appear as commonly as fans might want.
Starfield launches November 11, 2022, on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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