Starfield's terrible sex dialog has me "seeing stars" too

Starfield
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Starfield apparently doesn't show full-blown sex scenes, but that hasn't stopped Bethesda from including some amazingly cheesy pillow talk.

The ESRB's newly released Starfield rating has complicated what was thought to be a closed discussion on sex in Starfield. After all, the Australian rating board flatly observed that it has no sexual content. Well, it turns out Starfield does at least have post-sexual content in the form of "suggestive material in the dialog," including conversations had "after sharing a bed with characters." Incredibly, a few lines were offered as examples in the rating blurb. 

  • "Life is a sexually transmitted disease that's a hundred percent fatal."
  • "I'm all for getting a little wild, but next time let's try it without the jetpacks." 
  • "Talk about seeing stars, whew... that was amazing."

I'm particularly struck by that second line, not so much because it proposes the possibility of jetpack sex – probably not the case, and also probably not very safe – but because if it's not about jetpack sex, what were these characters discussing that deserved to be sandwiched between these two other lines? Also, if that first line isn't on a shirt at Hot Topic already, it will be soon.  

The presence of this kind of dialog in a Bethesda RPG also raises questions about its structure. For instance, does the pillow talk follow a branching format like normal quest conversations? Are there skill checks? That is to say, will your partner storm out of the room in a huff, sheets clutched at their waist, if you fail a pillow talk skill check while trying to be cute and witty? Will the Starfield Direct address these things? Probably not, dammit all. 

The ESRB has also confirmed Starfield has "in-game purchases," but that doesn't necessarily mean microtransactions. 

Austin Wood

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.