WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD forStarfield’s First Contact quest
Summary
Found floating above the planet of Paradiso inthe Porrima star system, the mysterious ECS Constant plays home to one of the most unique sidequests inStarfield. Featuring a story with some decidedly dark undertones,Starfield’s First Contact questcenters around a generation ship that’s been cut off from contact with humanity for 200 years. The ancient ship initially seems like little more than a living time capsule staffed by a good-natured, albeit stir-crazy, crew. But as players learn more about the ECS Constant and the strictly regimented lives of its inhabitants, it becomes clear that life on board isn’t as idyllic as it first appears.
Players discover the ECS Constant the first time that they warp into the skies above Paradiso. Featuring an unusual appearance that immediately sets it apart from otherships inStarfield, the mysterious vessel fails to respond to hails from either the player or Paradiso’s frightened chief of security. Once on board it’s revealed that its inhabitants are descendants of humans who’d left Earth two centuries earlier, whose tragic tale offers some scathing social commentary about the dangers of money and power.
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The ECS Constant’s Centuries-Long Mission Has Troubling Roots
At first, the ECS Constant seems like a surprisingly tranquil home in the stars, one free from the influence of factions likeStarfield’s United Coloniesand staffed by a crew dedicated to reaching a new home for humanity. Scenes like a classroom full of schoolchildren excitedly asking to watch a superhero movie to learn more about ancient Earth paint a rosy picture of life on board the ship, but cracks quickly begin to appear in this idyllic facade. Speaking to the crew reveals that those on board have little control over their lives for reasons that become clear when players meet the ECS Constant’s captain.
The ship’s strange social structure has a lot to do with its seemingly underqualified captain, Diana Brackenridge. The ECS Constant was the brainchild of her ultra-wealthy ancestor Rupert Brackenridge who, likecontroversial billionaire Elon Musk, believed humanity needed to expand to the stars in order to survive. Instead of using his immense wealth to help save life on Earth, Brackenridge gathered his fellow wealthy elites along with scientists, artists, and academics to flee the planet. The Brackenridge family has controlled the ECS Constant for generations by the time players find it, all the while imposing rigid and sometimes deadly restrictions on their shipmates.
Life and Death on the ECS Constant Are a Means of Control
While the descendants of Rupert Brackenridge have captained the ECS Constant since it left Earth long beforethe start ofStarfield, others on board are assigned a job during childhood regardless of their interest in or aptitude for the role. This lack of agency over their own lives extends beyond having their profession decided for them and reaches deep into their personal lives. The ability to have children is also largely out of their control, with some crew members being prevented from procreating to keep the ship’s population in check.
Just as birth on the ECS Constant is strictly regulated, so is death. By speaking to the ship’s nurse players learn about the frightening flip side of population control on board, with older crew members expected to end their own lives to make room for subsequent generations. While most seemingly make the choice to do so willingly and are honored for their sacrifice, it is heavily implied that the crew has resorted to murder on multiple occasions when someone refused this act of self-sacrifice.
By telling a story of people who used their privilege to help themselves rather than those they left behind on Earth, the strange saga of the ECS Constant stands as a warning about the dangers of unchecked wealth and power. While it may not have the over-the-top action of some other missions found inStarfield, it’s definitely one of the most memorable.
Starfieldis available now for PC and Xbox Series X|S.
