Bethesda recently gave us a huge lore-dump regarding Starfield, giving us the developer’s vision of human history from 2050 to when our story begins around 2330.
There is much to sift through in the timeline, including the establishment of colonies light years away from Earth, wars and the creation of Constellation. There is much to get through, but if you are looking for an abbreviated version of the timeline with all the important information, look no further as we dive deep into the lore of the distant future.
Our story begins in 2050, when humanity first lands on Mars. This begins our efforts to colonize actual space, and by 2100 humans began living in space. From there, it takes only 56 years to arrive at Alpha Centauri, which is a whopping 4.37 light years from Earth. Humanity establishes its own society there and colonizes the distant galaxy while forging a new civilization.
In 2159 the United Colonies are established and in 2160 New Atlantis is founded. By the following year, it is the capital of the United Colonies. More major cities are established during this period. In 2167, for example, the planet Cheyenne is inhabited by Solomon Coe, who founds Akia City on it. Things quiet down for about 20 years until, in 2188, Coe invites Volii to join Cheyenne in a new alliance, known as the Freestar Collective, which is formed in 2189. This shows that although the United Colonies are a major force in humanity’s new home, it is not the only force and many planets are not part of it.
The United Colonies run into a bit of trouble when they place a new star station around Deepala in the Narion system in 2194. The people of Narion do not take this lightly and demand that the station be removed. The United Colonies refuse, and so Narion joins the Freestar Collective to protect the system in 2195. As tensions rise and fleets are moved, the Narion War begins in 2196. It takes 20 years until public opinion sours so much that the Treaty of Narion is signed by Freestar and the United Colonies. This ends the conflict and formalizes the term “fixed systems.
In 2221, knowing that war could very well come back to the galaxy, the Freestar Collective found the Freestar Rangers. They are an elite fighting force dedicated to all citizens of the Freestar Collective.
About 50 years pass before we get our next big step forward in the galaxy’s timeline, but in 2275, Constellation is founded by Sebastian Banks. By the time we enter the game, it is a legendary organization, but when it was formed, it had a simple goal of helping humanity explore the deepest reaches of space. It still asks the question “What is there?” even centuries after humanity has gone out into the stars. The original members are veteran physicist Chloe Bao, Sebastian’s protégé Aja Mamasa, botanist and specialist in xeno-flora Darius Andris, wealthy heiress and adventurer Bernadette Laurent, former smuggler Everado Gil and biologist and physician Kadri Toma. These founding members create The Lodge in New Atlantis as a base of operations for Constellation.
30 years later, in 2305, Barrett joins Constellation. Then, looking back to the wider galaxy, in 2307 The Freestar Collective and United Colonies engage in the Colony War after the Freestar Collective begins farming on the planet Vesta, which is believed to violate the Treaty of Narion. This war lasts for four years before coming to an end in the Battle of Cheyenne in 2311 when a flotilla of civilian and military Freestar Collective ships takes down the majority of the United Colonies Navy. A year earlier, Constellation manages to find its first artifact.
In 2315, the United Colonies created the UC Vanguard, its own civilian navy created in response to the Freestar Collective’s use of civilian ships. Anyone who became a member was rewarded with citizenship in the United Colonies.
In 2319, Sarah Morgan becomes the youngest head of the UC Navigator Corps. She is in the role for a year before the division is closed and she joins Constellation in 2320. In 2321, Walter Stroud joins Constellation as the chief financier. A few more members join Constellation in 2322 and 2325 in former Crimson Fleet pirate Vladimir Sall and theologian Matteo Khatri, respectively. In 2325, Sarah Morgan also becomes Constellation’s acting president.
In 2326, Noel, a gifted scientist and graduate student, is invited to join Constellation. In the same year, Barrett finds the original artifact and realizes how special it is. By 2328, we have three new Constellation members in Freestar Ranger Sam Coe, his daughter Cora and Andreja. Barrett then convinces the organization to buy Starstation L-868 and modify it into a deep-space scanner.
This brings us up to speed on everything you need to know in the lore of Starfield. There’s a lot of focus on Constellation, because that’s the organization that your main mission mainly revolves around, so it’s good to know who’s who. If there is anything you would like us to go into more detail about, please let us know. Check out the timeline on Bethesda’s site for more information.