When we loaded up Starfield and found space pirates, a little rebel in us woke up and said “Finally!” Little did we know, they aren’t as swashbuckling as normal pirates.
One Redditor makes a great point about the Crimson Fleet and their so-called piracy.
When you think about pirates, you think about merciless, murderous, no-nonsense people, and this is what we all expected in Starfield, that “shoot first, ask questions last” attitude. But, alas, we were sorely disappointed.
When you join the Crimson Fleet, you are told that there is no retirement and that the only way out is death. But, during your playthrough, you encounter a number of characters who simply left, retired, and decided that life is not for them. So much for dying before retiring.
In lots of pirate films and stories, when someone talks back to the boss, they get killed just to set an example to the rest of the crew. In Starfield, we see Mathias talking back, and the only thing that happens to him is that he is told to shut up. Not a good example at all. And if you tell Delgado that Mathias planned to kill him, he just kicks him out of the fleet. Doesn’t even make him walk the plank.
And yes, Starfield is rated M, so nothing is preventing developers from putting in more violence, gore, and other “piratey” stuff. Instead, you join an organization that looks more like a kids club where you only get a slap on the wrist for being disobedient, and if you want to leave, you just leave.
Bethesda, give us real pirates, those that will make us think twice before doing something, where we will walk the plank in outer space and get sent into Oblivion. Get it?
