Starfield Player Poses Wild Theory About Endgame Image

An endgame image displayed at the completion of a run of Starfield, displaying the galaxy laid out in hues of blue and red, is prompting discussion among fans as to just what sort of message or meaning there is behind the visualization. While there are plenty of theories about the celestial picture the game displays upon your passage through The Unity, one player has presented an interesting idea that ties into the player character’s impact on the reality they’re leaving behind.

As posted in the NoSodiumStarfield Reddit, the theory, presented by user NoBoromirNo, suggests that the image may in fact be a heat map of all the places across Starfield’s massive galaxy that the player has visited — or at least passed through — during their run of that particular reality. “Essentially what that means is, my travel is overlaid onto the map of the universe,” They stated in their post. “The whispy [sic] bits definitely overlay with my frequent travel spots versus the places I rarely go.”

The image shows three red or orange hot spots, with the largest in the upper left section of the map and two more brightly colored ones further to the upper right and far right, in higher-level star systems, where no major centeres of human population are present. Assuming the image uses the same scale and orientation as the game’s star map, and that if the image does end up being a heat map, a quick look at the star map shows that the player would have spent a limited amount of time in the Alpha Centauri system, where the United Colonies capital of New Atlantis is located. However, the map’s largest “hot spot” area could include the Cheyenne system, where Akila City is found, possibly pointing to a more Freestar Collective-centric character.

Other Possibilities Are Out There

While there’s no indication whether the theory will prove correct, several people responding to the original post have their own ideas about its possible meaning. Reddit user Rocking_the_Red reported having heard a theory that the image is an indication that Jinan Va’ruun, the founder of the Va’ruun theocracy, which worships the Great Serpent who will devour all nonbelievers, had already visited The Unity. “If you look at the right side of the picture, it does kind of look like a serpent,” they stated.

Another Reddit user, gnosisong, said they assumed the image was indicdative of another universe being born as a result of the playter passing through The Unity, which results in the endgame of the player’s current run and generates a new galaxy for the player to experience in New Game Plus. “[A]nd if you zoom way out on the universe I think you may see these kinds of structures which reminds me of how they describe galactic filaments,” they noted.

Still others are showing a belief that people are looking for deeper meaning where none exists, using the popular “The Curtains Are Blue” analogy — a literary critique that warns against searching for meaning in places that the author never intended to contain meaning. Whether Bethesda intended any deeper meaning behind the blue and red image of the galaxy at Starfiel’s endgame, the space exploration RPG is still a hot topic four months after its launch, despite its many criticisms, and players are sure to be pulling back blue curtains with a lot more fan theories.

Starfield

Released

September 6, 2023