Fans of Destiny 2 are delving into the new story and challenges of the new expansion with gusto. There is a lot to love about Beyond Light, but there are also some things that are not so great. And one of the things Bungie seems to have bungled is the death of an interesting and important character in the story of Destiny 2.
For the most part, when an important character dies a permanent death in the world of Destiny, usually they are honored with a story arc of some kind, or at least a cutscene. Although fans still want a more permanent memorial for Cayde in the game, his death was at least given lore and meaning. The death of Sagira, however, was just glossed over.
Sagira was the Ghost of Osiris, one of the major characters in Destiny 2. The Guardian/Ghost pair of Sagira and Osiris were one of the more controversial teams in the Destiny world. While most players know them best from the Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2, they play a big part in the story. Sagira especially was a big part of Destiny 2's Year 1 events. She took over the player's Ghost at times, and moved the story along as one of the deeper characters in Bungie's lore. But her death was barely even mentioned in the game, and she didn't get the cutscene or recognition she deserved.
In a Destiny 2 short fiction on Bungie's blog posted November 16th, 2020, Sagira sacrificed herself to save Osiris. In the last few paragraphs of the story, called IMMOLANT PT. 2, Sagira was written out of the game like this:
"What are y—"
"Shut up! Listen to my words!” Her iris is bright with Light. “There are great things still left for you; don't lose hope in the darkness." She is luminant.
Osiris breathes the word, as if he could hold it back: "No." He would understand in time. She had seen it.
Blinding Light erupts from Sagira’s core as she splits apart. A wave of Light surges and tears across the chasm. Her sacrifice cleanses every trace of Xivu Arath’s presence. The sigil: erased. The cryptolith that supported her projection: destroyed.
Osiris draws breath. Alone.
The aegis of Sagira’s Light stands strong in the shadow of the Pyramid for days.
In Zevala's office, Sagira is mentioned again as a heart-broken Osiris calls for the Young Wolf.
This isn't the first thing in Beyond Light to upset fans of the series. The sunsetting of many exotics in Destiny 2 has already made a lot of gamers unhappy with the new expansion. But this disregard for a beloved and interesting character felt like a slap in the face to some.
User SteelPaladin1997 wrote:
"When something manages to get off a plot-armor-piercing round, it's narratively worthy of some attention, even if it's not a 'rare' occurrence in-world. More than that, it's not just some random Warlock's Ghost. This is Sagira, Ghost of Osiris, one of the most powerful, controversial, and just generally well-known Guardians in existence. That's front-page, headline news."
And many on the Destiny subreddit agreed. It should have been headline news.
The voice actress of Sagira is Morena Baccarin, and some think she may just be too busy to reprise the role, which led Bungie to kill her character off-stage. Morena Baccarin of Firefly and Deadpool movie fame has been filming several new projects in 2020, including an episode of the Twilight Zone and several movies. She may not have had time to come back and voice Osiris' Ghost one last time, or Bungie may not have had the budget.
But Bungie has had to improvise with missing voice actors before, like when it had Ghost's voice actor step in for the Drifter. A sound-a-like for Morena Baccarin could have used or previous voice lines could have been repurposed. Or Bungie could have done an animated cutscene with Osiris narrating. Many fans would have preferred anything but just letting this important moment slip by with barely an acknowledgement.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.