Last year, Bethesda characterized Starfield as possessing an “NASA-Punk” aesthetic. This term, ingeniously crafted by the development team, is employed to delineate “a sci-fi universe that is somewhat more down-to-earth and relatable”. Fundamentally, Bethesda aspires for its game to embody a fusion of realism and grittiness. It achieves this by amalgamating the practicality of real-life space technology with the aesthetic essence of Punk culture.
Now, this design choice has garnered the endorsement of the European Space Agency. Emmet Fletcher, the head of branding and partnerships at the agency, informed me that he deems Starfield’s NASA-Punk aesthetic as “humanizing” the game.
“This is the aesthetic where you essentially have a futuretech that is worn yet cherished? In actuality, if you scrutinize some of the items we possess, it is somewhat similar to that already,” he disclosed to me from his office in Paris earlier this week. “We have objects that, if they function, they continue to operate. And there is no necessity to modify them. It pertains to reliability, and if it is reliable, it persists.”
Fletcher contemplated on ESA’s Rosetta mission, a venture in which the agency trailed a comet in its orbit around the Sun, among other remarkable achievements. The Rosetta mission entailed a decade of development, and subsequently, it took another ten years for the satellite to actually reach the comet.
“You are contemplating at least a 20-year development period. Thus, you can perceive that a considerable number of the utilized items will appear rather outdated, but in reality, they are the elements that functioned and facilitated our arrival there,” he stated. “Therefore, I believe that ‘NASA-Punk’ – or perhaps it should be ESA-Punk? Space-Punk? – that sort of concept actually imparts a degree of humanity to it.”
Fletcher asserted that this design represents a “distinct perspective on the Star Treks of this world”, where everything frequently appears “immaculately clean” or as if it is “self-healing”.
“I contend that the reality is likely to be closer to the NASA-Punk domain, where things are employed, and they are not absolutely super lustrous,” he remarked. “Certain areas are – when you enter a clean room, it is impeccably spotless. It is truly immaculate. However, you are aware that your spanner is likely to have scratches on it, and screwdrivers might have a bit of tape wrapped around them, because in that manner, you obtain a better grip, as people are pragmatic. And it is more of a human trait… And I appreciate that sort of aspect.”
Fletcher noted that other entertainment media have previously employed this sort of futuristic yet gritty design, citing the 1982 sci-fi cult classic Blade Runner as an exemplar.
“I believe [Starfield’s NASA-Punk aesthetic] has humanized the situation, rather than it being solely composed of straight lines and shine,” Fletcher concluded.
You can peruse more from my conversation with Fletcher, where I discover what video games accurately represent about space, and, more intriguingly, what they misinterpret, here.
