Summary

• "Operation Starseed" in Starfield is a standout side quest, more worthwhile than longer quests with better rewards.
• The quest's fully-formed characters, such as FDR, Amanirenas, and Amelia Earhart, feel like real people with well-thought-out worldviews.
• The quest presents players with real stakes and an interesting moral conundrum, exploring human nature, technological progress, and the potential consequences of bringing historical figures into a futuristic society.

The best quest in Starfield is "Operation Starseed," and nothing else even comes close. This fully optional, almost totally insular side quest focuses on a group of cloned historical figures, who have been revived as part of an experimental program. Featuring most prominently are 32nd US president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Mongol Empire founder Genghis Khan, first-century queen of Kush Amanirenas, and world-famous aviator Amelia Earhart. Once they land on the planet, the player character is forced to pick a side in the clones' conflict.

Players can begin "Operation Starseed" by traveling to the Charybdis system, at which point they'll receive a distress call from the surface of Charybdis III.

"Operation Starseed" is a Starfield side quests with better rewards, even the most expansive and involved ones like its faction quest lines. Here's what makes "Operation Starseed" hit differently, and what the rest of Starfield's side quests could've done to live up to its example.

Starfield's "Operation Starfield" Has Real Characters And Real Stakes

The first and most obvious thing that sets "Operation Starseed" apart from Starfield's other, more boring side quests is the quality of its characters. Sure, part of what makes them seem so much more interesting is the fact that they're real historical figures. Characters based on historical figures are often one-sided, drawing upon one commonly known and easily exploited trait in a poor excuse for caricature. Starfield doesn't fall into that trap, though; the subjects of Operation Starseed actually feel like real people, with well-thought-out worldviews that reflect their historical inspirations' words and deeds.

FDR is a born leader with a level head and an eye for isolationism, believing the clones should take some time to get acclimated to the future before setting out. Amanirenas maintains a dignified sense of pride, despite knowing that her kingdom has been reduced to ash several millennia hence, and holds that the clones should be allowed to leave, as long as they a test of suitability first. Genghis Khan rightfully believes that The Crucible is a glorified prison, and wants to get back to conquering. Amelia Earhart, an intrepid explorer, just wants to see the stars - and she's actually a recruitable companion in Starfield.

And as a result of its fully-formed characters, "Operation Starseed" actually feels like it has real stakes. Players are sometimes made to feel like their choices matter in Starfield, but oftentimes, the differences are minimal. Which weapon they unlock, which companion they unlock, which apartment they unlock - these are the most common changes when players take one side or another in most of the quests. Even when characters' lives are at stake, these crucial decisions tend to come at the end of their roles in the story, so it's not like players are missing out on much by choosing one side or the other.

Now, that's not to say there are more long-term, sweeping effects based on what players choose at the end of "Operation Starseed." Players can either side with FDR, Genghis Khan, or Amanirenas, or to reset the entire program and trap everyone. If they choose one of the individuals, one of the others may die; if they choose no one, everyone lives, but they all become hostile.

But even then, there's not much left on Charybdis III after completing this quest. Most players will wrap it up, take off, and never look back. And yet, they'll still feel for these odd, historical fish out of water. Lost in time and lost in space, they're in such a uniquely fascinating situation without any easy answers. So even if the player never sees any of the Operation Starseed clones again, it's impossible not to think of them from time to time.

"Operation Starseed" Is The Perfect Balance Of Philosophy And Fun

"Operation Starfield" is a lot of fun, but it also presents an interesting moral conundrum. It's hilarious to watch this ideological conflict play out in real time between FDR, Amanirenas, and Genghis Khan, three historical figures who come from entirely different times, places, and frames of mind. And that's a good thing. Starfield can take itself too seriously at times, with all that greater mysteries of the galaxy business. This quirky little isle of misfits is a welcome break from all that.

But at the same time, it interrogates human nature and scientific progress. In spite of all the awful things human beings still do to each other in Starfield's vision of the 24th century, it's undeniable that they've made some strides in technological and social progress. So if people from thousands of years prior were to suddenly pop up in this futuristic setting, could they safely and easily become part of its society? Is the human potential for adaptability so great that they could do so without a second thought? Or would their antiquated notions isolate them, or even cause harm to others?

Starfield presents these questions and then, boldly, declines to answer them. The player is left to decide on an answer, and it can be difficult to determine which one is best. Someone will die in almost every outcome, and even if they're all spared, there's still Genghis Khan and his mission of conquest to worry about. It's one of few cases in Starfield where there's no clearly preferable, individual answer, and that makes all the potential outcomes more interesting.

"Operation Starseed" Takes Full Advantage Of Starfield's Futuristic Setting

Finally, "Operation Starseed" makes full use of Starfield's status as a work of science fiction, something that many of its other quests decline to do. Most of its quests either draw from classic space western tropes or borrow ideas from real historical events, then plunk them down in Starfield's setting without consideration of what makes them interesting and why. As a result, many of these quests feel dry, and aren't memorable in the long run.

"Operation Starseed" instead borrows the classically sci-fi concept of cloning to create a story that couldn't exist in any other genre without some kind of plot contrivance. And it goes a step further. Instead of just taking that story and transposing onto Starfield's surroundings, it actually takes into consideration the ways in which the world around it impacts the story, and the ways in which the story impacts the world around it. That's a big part of what makes it so impactful.

"Operation Starseed" is one of Starfield's most interesting quests. It's worth going out of the way to complete it, even though it's relatively brief and its rewards aren't great. While it'd be nice to have more quests like this one in the base game, there's always hope for more in Starfield's DLC.