New Starfield animation teases the Shattered Space backstory

Just one week before the launch of Starfield Shattered Space, Bethesda releases a new Starfield trailer harkening to the original set of animation trailers released prior to the game’s initial launch. Much like the original animations, this new Va’ruun trailer gives us some insight into a major Starfield faction, and heavily hints that the Vortex Incident was less of an accident and more an intended consequence. 

From previous Starfield trailers that focus on the upcoming DLC, we’ve been told that House Va’ruun – a faction which largely disappeared from the Settled Systems prior to the game’s starting point – suffered a catastrophic event known as the Vortex Incident. This “incident” was the result of a Grav-Drive experiment which sundered the Va’ruun homeworld of Va’ruun’kai, destroyed portions of Dazra City, and even managed to shunt Va’ruun’kai and its home system of Kavnyk into a pocket dimension where time appears to flow differently.

However, judging from the new animated trailer, this event seems less an accident and more an intended consequence. 

The “All Must Serve” trailer begins at the Scaled Citadel – the seat of power on Va’ruun’kai – where a ceremony is being performed. 

Devout worshippers are seen deep in prayer, overseen by a figure who is more than likely Anasko Va’ruun – the leader of House Va’ruun.

During the ceremony, a noise alerts Anasko Va’ruun to a massive gravitational phenomenon forming in the vaulted ceiling of the Scaled Citadel. But, rather than reacting with panic or alarm, Anasko’s expression is one of clear joy. He immediately turns to the congregation, arms open, as if this is the moment for which they have all been waiting. 

Considering this event goes on to destroy most of Dazra and result in a huge schism between the survivors, it seems Anasko and his helpers were either unaware of the consequences their actions would inflict on their planet or they didn’t care. 

As the blue bubbles descend (presumably the “Vortex”), some followers turn and flee from the temple, including the main focus of the trailer: a young Va’ruun child. 

The child manages to snap their mother from their desperate praying and convinces her to escape just as the Vortex seemingly obliterates anyone it touches.

Unfortunately, the mother is too late in saving herself, succeeding only in saving her child from the Vortex. However, rather than being obliterated, the mother and all those caught in the Vortex have been transformed into ghosts of some sort before vanishing from sight. 

From this, it would appear that Anasko and his more devout followers were attempting a form of ascension, perhaps to a higher plane of existence, perhaps into the embrace of their deity The Great Serpent, or perhaps in more dark thinking they were merely sacrificing themselves to their god. 

The big question to all of this is simply… why? Why would House Va’ruun do this to itself? What would they have to gain from chasing technology to such an extreme point?

Something that comes to my mind immediately is how these ghosts have ascended in a way that the Starborn have done. We already know that the Starborn are essentially created when humans interact with technology that vastly exceeds what it available to the rest of the Settled Systems. This technology is so advanced it appears almost alien, and there is no in-game explanation as to where the Artifacts or The Unity comes from.

However, given that the developers have previously stated that Shattered Space is a story about advancing technology and science further than is necessary, it’s possible that the Vortex Incident is Va’ruun’s way of creating their own form of Starborn. Maybe.

Whatever the case, I sincerely hope that we get to meet the characters from the trailer in the upcoming DLC, and attempt to reunite the two of them.

For the full trailer, see below.

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