With the recent announcement of a remake, Dead Space fans are excited to once again assume control of Isaac Clarke and explore the series' deep lore. Like many great science fiction stories, Dead Space features futuristic and imaginative settings, particularly the massive spaceships players can explore. Particularly in stories of an infestation or plague, the science fiction setting can utilize the isolation and claustrophobia of a vessel floating in the vast vacuum of space. For Alien, this was achieved abroad the Nostromo, and for Dead Space, the USG Ishimura is the essential location in creating a claustrophobic horror.
Within the lore of the Dead Space series, the USG Ishimura is a cutting-edge "Planet Cracker" ship, which means that it can harvest entire planets and moons for resources. The trouble for this ship begins when it picks up the Red Marker, which causes the Necromorph infection to spread. The events of this infestation that occur prior to the events of the first Dead Space game are covered in the tie-in animated film, Dead Space: Downfall. Though the history and significance of the Markers stretch far beyond just the Ishimura, this ship is the catalyst of the events of the Dead Space series and appears across various Dead Space-related media.
Dead Space: Before Isaac's Arrival on the Ishimura
As mentioned, the USG Ishimura is tasked to retrieve the Red Marker from the planet Aegis VII. During this covert operation, it becomes clear that something horrific has happened to the colonists that reside on Aegis VII. Multiple surviving colonists attempt to board the Ishimura via shuttles, and one particular shuttle contains Colin Barrow, his wife's corpse, and a hidden Infector. Barrow's shuttle crashes into the hangar bay, the Infector escapes and makes its way to the Ishimura's morgue; unfortunately for the crew, the Ishimura's morgue is filled with corpses from Aegis VII and these corpses reanimate into Necromorphs.
Necromorph attacks begin as the crew slowly becomes aware of the threat onboard. The spatiality of the ship focalizes the sci-fi horror of Dead Space. The Necromorphs can easily take out many of the Ishimura's crew, as they can quickly travel through the vents. This gives the Necromorphs the element of surprise, while the crew quite literally has nowhere to escape to. It's the perfect recipe for anxious horror that makes space travel terrifying rather than exciting.
Abroad the Ishimura is Isaac's girlfriend, Nicole Brennan, who sends out a message which will eventually lead Isaac to the Ishimura. While the crew continues to be picked off by the Necromorphs, all escape shuttles are mysteriously jettisoned. A final distress signal is sent out by Chief Security Officer, Alissa Vincent, and is received by the USG Kellion.
Dead Space: Aboard the Ruined Ishimura
During the events of the first game, Isaac boards the decaying Ishimura. The ship has been deteriorated by Necromorph biomass, and Isaac is forced to repair various parts of it while fighting off Necromorphs and dealing with hallucinations of his now-deceased girlfriend. Naturally, these events are pretty traumatic for Isaac and he deals with the aftermath of this in the second game.
The ability of the Marker to not only create Necromorphs, but also manipulate and cause hallucinations in humans, makes it a destructive and lethal threat. This adds a psychological element to the already anxious and claustrophobic horror of Dead Space, and the Ishimura becomes a deceptive and confusing place. The Marker eventually manipulates Isaac into bringing it back to Aegis VII, but thanks to an earlier sabotage attempt working out, Isaac is able to destroy the Marker and escape Aegis VII. The Ishimura is left floating in space in a state of disrepair.
Following The Events of Dead Space
While this ends Isaac's time on the Ishimura for now, many of the tie-in books, movies, and games give more detail on what happens to the Ishimura after Dead Space. Immediately following the events of the first Dead Space game, the events aboard the Ishimura are covered up by the Earth government and falsely declared a terrorist attack. The graphic novel, Dead Space: Salvage tells the story of scavengers discovering the Ishimura.
The scavenger group known as the Magpies, the Earth Defense Force, and a mysterious religious group known as the Oracles are all drawn into a bloody confrontation aboard the Ishimura. They are slaughtered by Necromorphs, leaving a sole survivor, Schneider. Schneider informs the Earth government of the location of the Ishimura, which is then transported to Titan Station, otherwise known as the Sprawl, and the setting of Dead Space 2.
The Sprawl is where Isaac awakens three years after the events of the first game. While this game explores much more than the Ishimura, Isaac is forced to take a detour through the docked ship and fight many Necromorphs along the way. By this point in the series, Isaac's mental state is severely deteriorating following the events of Dead Space, and being back on the Ishimura, the start of his woes, obviously only worsens his condition. However, when Isaac later destroys the Sprawl, it is assumed the Ishimura is destroyed too.
The Ishimura is a central element of the Dead Space series, becoming almost a character in itself. Like Rapture in BioShock, the setting of the first Dead Space game is vital in creating the anxious and enclosed atmosphere that sets the tone for the whole series.
For Isaac, the ship is obviously a place of deep trauma as the setting for his first encounter with the Necromorphs. However, it is also Isaac's last connection with his girlfriend, Nicole. The hallucinations of Nicole begin to torment and haunt Isaac, and in the final confrontation of Dead Space 2, Isaac must free himself of the hold the Marker has over him through using Nicole's image. It is no coincidence then that when Isaac does finally begin to heal from Nicole's death, the Ishimura is destroyed.
The spaceship will always be a huge element in any science-fiction narrative, and the Dead Space series successfully utilizes the claustrophobic horror of being in an enclosed metal container in the vastness of Space. Hopefully, the upcoming remake of the game will take a similar approach to the setting.