Today is a big day for Starfield, which was finally shown at this year's E3 during the Bethesda-Xbox showcase. Todd Howard briefly introduced the new Bethesda game, branding it as a whole new universe to explore. Starfield received a new in-engine teaser trailer instead of a full gameplay trailer, and that is probably going to be shown next year when the game is closer to its November 11, 2022 release date.
Despite the lack of in-depth details provided by Todd Howard on the game, the new trailer for Starfield does provide a few clues on what the background of the main character could be, and how that ties into game mechanics. The trailer's protagonist is an unnamed character whose story is unknown, but there are several clues left around their spaceship, that range from a "Nova Galactic" flight manual, to sort-of memos left on post-it notes or written on the furniture. What does this mean, though, and what are the implications for Starfield's story?
How Starfield's Protagonist Background May Tie In With The Tutorial
First off, the fact that Starfield is a space adventure RPG means it may or may not go heavy on these elements, both with character creation and the way the story is told. This is important because Bethesda RPGs usually have a premise that allows players to create their own character by customizing appearance and possible character traits/abilities. This could be the case for Starfield too. For example, Fallout 4's premise is that players can create their own character, choosing between the mother or the father from a suburban family, and their baby is a key plot element.
This is relevant because of the parallel with Starfield's main character, which was likely either born in space or at least grew up on the spaceship. All those notes left by someone, the manual, the Spacefarer's Guide, and more all seem like something a parent would leave their offspring to have them ready for the hardships to come in a life eternally space bound. The character gamers will play as in Starfield is likely not an expert astronaut and space traveler, but they may be more inexperienced and yet kind of independent in daily life.
There would be no reason to show all those tips and instructions on the spaceship if this wasn't at least partly relevant to the story, and this seems to be the most reasonable explanation for that. The trailer's narrator does say that this is the last journey of mankind, which could further indicate that whole families have left Earth to explore space or find a new home. That, in turn, may mean that entire generations were born and died in space, because there is really no indication of how advanced the technology is in the universe of Starfield.
The fact that the main character may be inexperienced as a background trait could pan out very well with Starfield's tutorial, meaning that players could end up learning the ropes alongside the character. This technique is widely used in video games, and it is an effective storytelling tool as well. Furthermore, Todd Howard did say in the past that Starfield's space travel is akin to flight in the '40s, and that means dangerous.
This could tie very well with the fact that the character and players alike will make mistakes, and that is justified because of their lack of experience playing. Overall, Starfield does seem to be a huge game that has a lot of potential, but gameplay details remain sparse for the time being.
Starfield will release on November 11, 2022, for PC and Xbox Series X/S.