Starfield’s ‘Alien vs. Among Us’ Easter Egg Explained

As a game that pays homage to many pieces of popular sci-fi media, Starfield is full of Easter eggs that players can discover during their playthrough. In addition to numerous sci-fi references, Bethesda has also placed some Easter eggs that reference other games within Starfield, such as Skyrim, Doom, and Death Stranding. However, there is one Easter egg in Starfield that has players divided on what it could be referencing, with some players believing it pays tribute to the classic movie Alien, and others arguing it’s an Among Us reference.

Some of Starfield‘s Easter eggs are much more subtle than others, with offhand comments from certain NPCs mirroring common memes or references hidden in item or skill descriptions. Other Easter eggs are much more overt allusions to other media, such as the posters found around Mars that depict the Doom Slayer, and even real-world events such as the remnants of the Apollo 11 moon landing on Luna and the Great Pyramid of Giza on Earth. One of the more interesting Easter eggs in Starfield is much more involved than these references, but the piece of media it pays tribute to has some players confused.

Related

Starfield’s Vasco Companion is Likely Named After a Real-Life Explorer

Out of all the companions to choose from in Starfield, the robot Vasco has a name that is likely inspired by a major historical figure.

Settling the ‘Alien vs Among Us’ Easter Egg Debate

To find the Easter egg in question, Starfield players will need to head to the Schrodinger System, where they can encounter a mysterious ship known as the Colander. Players can board and explore this ship to find that its inhabitants are nowhere to be found, and there are cryptic messages suggesting the crew had captured a powerful creature from the nearby planet that has now escaped. Exploring the ship further makes it clear that some sort of creature has wiped out the entire crew, and players can eventually discover the monster responsible on board, known as the Interloper.

The Argument that the Colander is an Among Us Reference

Many Starfield players who encountered the Colander and followed the mystery of its disappearing crew believed that it was intended to be a reference to the popular social deduction game Among Us. This theory makes some sense given that Among Us has a sci-fi setting aboard a spaceship where crew members must complete their assigned tasks before being killed by the alien imposter. Based on those aspects of the game, it would make sense that the Colander could be an Among Us reference since its crew members seemed to have been systematically killed by an alien life form aboard their ship.

The Argument that the Colander is an Alien Reference

While it’s possible the Colander was inspired by some elements of Among Us, it’s most likely intended to be a reference to Ridley Scott’s Alien movie. The evidence found onboard the Colander points toward similar story beats from Alien, including picking up an alien life from a planet, having the creature escape, and having each of the crew fall victim to the monster. The Interloper that players find after making their way through the Colander also bears a striking resemblance to the Xenomorph from the Alien movies, further supporting the idea that the ship is intended to be an allusion to the film series.

It’s important to note that Among Us has some clear sci-fi movie inspirations behind it, drawing themes from films like The Thing and Alien. This means it’s entirely possible that the Colander is meant to reference multiple pieces of media that include both Among Us and Alien. However, given that Among Us itself pays homage to classic sci-fi, it’s much more likely that Starfield‘s developers intended the Colander to be an Alien reference more so than an Among Us one, as the film is more iconic with the genre.

Starfield

Platform(s)

PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

Released

September 6, 2023

Developer(s)

Bethesda

Publisher(s)

Bethesda

Genre(s)

Action, RPG

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

20 Hours

X|S Enhanced

Yes

File Size Xbox Series

101 GB (November 2023)

Metascore

86