What Is an Easter Egg?
Little chocolate eggs that the Easter bunny brings, of course! No, we kid, they are in-game hidden secrets, references or even callbacks to previous titles. Some of the most fun can be had coming across these when exploring, and no, we won't be counting bugs or glitches as easter eggs. Intentional ones only!
Without further ado, here are all Starfield's currently known easter eggs.
The Adoring Fan
This 'lovable' companion will follow you to the ends of the galaxy and back if you let him. First appearing as a wood elf in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, he has come to the far reaches of space to be there for you.
In Oblivion, you unlocked the fan by becoming the grand master of the arena, after which he followed you wherever you went. In Starfield, the adoring fan is tied to the trait Hero Worshipped and can be removed by certain means.
Depending on how long you can tolerate his constant narration, the adoring fan could bring some humour into your adventures. If he turns out anything like his Elder Scrolls counterpart, he may not be too handy in battle. In a nice return, Craig Sechler, the original voice actor, has done the voice for this version of the fan as well.
Real-life Astronauts and Scientists as Planets and Star Systems
Bethesda pays homage to real-life scientists and explorers who have contributed to the advancements of the human race by naming several planets after them. You can find planets named after the following personalities in various systems.
- Chawla - Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian female NASA astronaut in space.
- Faraday - Michael Faraday, an English scientist known for his study of electromagnetism.
- Feynman - Richard Feynman, an American theoretical physicist and mentor.
- Gagarin - Yuri Gagarin, the Soviet cosmonaut who became the first man in space.
- Heisenberg - Werner Heisenberg, a German physicist and one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics.
- Jemison - Mae Jemison, the first Black female NASA astronaut in space.
- Newton - Isaac Newton, an American scientist and a pioneer of Classical Physics.
- Olivas - John D. Olivas, a NASA Astronaut known for the STS-117 Atlantis mission.
- Schrodinger - Erwin Schrödinger, an Austrian scientist who won the 1933 Nobel Prize for his work in Quantum Mechanics.
Literary Work References
For literature fans, you can find several real-life literary works of well-known authors like H.G. Wells, Charles Dickens, and Herman Melville in Starfield. Some of the books we’ve discovered are Oliver Twist, Moby Dick, and War of the Worlds.
In fact, we have found a copy of Dicken’s Great Expectations next to a Scroll Holder, a potential reference to people’s hype for Bethesda’s next major title, Elden Scrolls 6.
Star Trek References
Star Trek fans are surely going to enjoy the Kids Stuff trait since the Mom and Dad characters are voiced by Nana Visitor and Tim Russ, respectively. Both are iconic Star Trek actors, with Nana Visitor playing Kira Nerys in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Tim Russ starring as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager.
Cowboy Bebop
If you’ve seen the popular Japanese neo-noir space Western anime Cowboy Bebop, you can understand how much weight the words “See you, space cowboy” hold.
It is possible for you to say this line in Starfield, as a dialogue option, during the main quest Missed Beyond Measure.
Lord of the Rings Potatoes
If you read the item description of potatoes in Starfield, it reads, “Can be prepared many ways.
Boiled, mashed, used in a stew - the recipes are nearly limitless.” This line is a direct reference to Samwise Gamgee’s hilarious narration of potatoes in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers that goes like this, “Boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew.”
Hours Without Incident Counter
The city of Cydonia on Mars has a neat little “Hours Without Incident” counter. What’s so fun about this feature is that it gets updated in real-time. You can test it out yourself by attacking a civilian and then watching the counter reset to zero. Just be sure to save ahead of time.
Alex Hay’s Goodbye Tribute
You have likely come across the story of Alex Hay, a game developer with a passion for Bethesda RPGs. Sadly, he passed away battling with lung cancer at the age of 35, ahead of Starfield’s launch. Bethesda has included a heart-warming note in his memory, which you can find in the Eye.
Earth Landmarks
Although Earth has become uninhabitable in Starfield, Bethesda has still kept some of its landmarks intact, highlighting human achievements throughout history. You can discover these landmarks during your nostalgic visit to humanity’s home.
The places we found in our gameplay include the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Empire State Building in New York, The Shard in London, and the pyramids outside of Cairo.
Batman Reference
You can find a couple of Batman references in Starfield during the Mantis side quest. All you have to do is solve the frustrating Mantis floor puzzle to discover an area that oddly resembles the Batcave. You can even find a spacesuit and a ship, which are reminiscent of Batsuit and Batmobile, respectively, as rewards for this quest.
John Williams Tribute
Bethesda pays homage to John Williams, the iconic composer and conductor from the US. You can find a poster in Starfield featuring John Williams. As the composer of some classical sci-fi movies like Star Wars and Jurassic Park, it is fitting to see him referenced in Starfield as an easter egg.
Doom and Quake Reference
If you’ve heard the robot Noam on Cydonia, the city on Mars, say “No doom with this quake” during one of the tremors and haven’t put two and two together, this line is a reference to the masterclass FPS franchises of id Software, Doom and Quake. It makes sense for the developers to add this little treat since Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax Media, also owns id Software.
Apollo 11 Mission Landing Site
Apollo 11 mission was one of the hallmarks of human achievements that took humanity to the Moon’s surface for the first time. Bethesda has made sure to celebrate mankind’s giant leap by including the Apollo 11 landing site in the game. Learn how to unlock the Moon Landing site.
Meridia’s Beacon
If you have seen the Space Rock in Starfield that speaks the phrase “Awaken, my champion.” when interacted with, congratulations, you have just discovered one of the biggest Skyrim memes in Starfield. This Space Rock resembles Meridia’s Beacon from Skyrim, an artifact that is cherished among The Elder Scrolls community.
Historical Figures as Clones
During the mission Operation Starseed, you will run into various famous characters from history, including Franklin Roosevelt, Genghis Khan, Amanirenas, Ada Lovelace, HH Holmes, and, of course, Amelia Earhart.
Learn how to find and complete this unique quest and add Amelia Earhart to your crew.
Opportunity Rover
If you’re a Mars exploration enthusiast, you’re about to have a field day with this easter egg. Yes, it is possible to find the Opportunity rover in Starfield, a homage to the rover sent by NASA to explore Mars' surface way back in 2003. It performed its duties for 14 years until all communication with the rover was ceased due to a planetary dust storm in 2018.
Opportunity rover’s mission may have been concluded, but its valuable research lives on, and Starfield reminds you of its accomplishments with a small tribute.
Star Wars Blue Harvest Reference
If you’re surprised that there are no Star Wars references in Starfield, despite it being the biggest space opera franchise, well, there may just be one that eluded most players. You can find a poster in the game advertising Blue Harvest. What’s interesting is that Blue Harvest was the working title of the 3rd instalment of the original Star Wars trilogy before it was released under the name Return of the Jedi.
The Face on Mars
If you've come across a creepy statue in Mars’ city Cynonia, you’ve just discovered the Face on Mars reference.
It hints at an image of Mars' surface taken by NASA’s Viking Orbiter in 1976, which depicts a rocky surface resembling a human face.
Sweet Rolls
What started as a useful consumable item in The Elder Scrolls: Arena, Sweet Rolls has become a running joke in Starfield. Although most players know this dessert from Skyrim, it has made its way into Starfield to become the most delicious in the Settled Systems.
You can find the Sweet Rolls in various cafeterias across different planets and use them to restore 8 HP, a true delicacy indeed!
Todd Howard’s Voice
If you’re wondering about which Starfield voice actors you’ve heard of before, how about starting with the man himself, Todd Howard? The director of Bethesda is known to have voiced some minor characters in past games in a comical fashion. This is possibly true for Starfield as well. It is believed that the Dr. Wynn recordings you find early on in the game, along with Stroud-Eklund AI voice, were provided by the company’s chief, Todd Howard
Nirnroot
Nirnroot is a plant found near rivers in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The plant glows at night and can be used to make potions and poisons. They appeared in the Starfield Direct on one of the spaceships. Perhaps they can be farmed in this game and used in recipes or potion-making.
Arrow in the Knee
One of the most famous memes to come from Skyrim is the line: " I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee". Starfield pays homage to the classic quote with its own version shown above.
We would be shocked if there weren't hundreds more easter eggs in Starfield, with nods and references to the sci-fi genre throughout the galaxy. If there isn't a Star Trek or Star Wars mention, at minimum, we will eat our space hats. Be sure to check back after launch, as this list will be expanded significantly once more secrets are found.
While you are here, why not check out some of our other guides and articles like Starfield - Quests or How Starfield's Backgrounds Systems Work ?
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