Can a Spaceship Tell a Story?

Star Citizen, the crowd funded space simulator by Chris Roberts, recently released a long-expected spaceship, the Anvil Carrack. The ship, first revealed almost five years ago, has been at the front of the community's mind ever since. And for good reason since the ship is shaping up to be one of the best in the game. But I want to ask, what stories does this ship tell?

To those who don’t know Star Citizen, it’s a sandbox style open world space game with lofty ambitions. The game has sustained funding through backers like me, and development happens in the open, a rarity in the gaming industry. This post does not focus on Star Citizen as a game all that much, but if you would like to learn more my favorite youtuber for the game, Morphologis, has some great Introductory Videos.

From the Enterprise in Star Trek, to the Normandy in Mass Effect, Sci-fi often centers around spaceships. Star Citizen is no different, with over ninety-five ships flyable in a game out of over one hundred and fifty planned. These ships range from small shuttlecraft to massive capital ships, all built to scale both on the outside and inside. The Carrack is a large ship, coming in at over 125 meters long. But

that number doesn’t give the size justice. Seen here is the ship overlay on a google maps image of a car dealership. Yea, this thing is massive.

The ship is designed as a home away from home exploration vessel with long range and other amenities like a medical bay. Along with a ground vehicle bay and shuttle hangar, the Carrack is one of the most fun ships in the game right now. This is despite the mechanics being in game, as aspects like the shuttle, vehicle bay and respawns at the medical bay make the current version of the game very fun.

The adventurous feeling of the Carrack starts with the different Sci-fi aesthetics it emulates, allowing players to imagine living the adventures of their favorite movies. Much of the living quarters, along with much of the habitation deck, reminds me of the Alien franchise. When I think Alien I think of white surfaces and warm lighting. Along with this are aspects of design integrated into the ship, like couches, tables, and other amenities. The designers of the Carrack emulated this aesthetic heavily. In the mess hall, the integrated table and chairs come straight into the floor and walls, with white surfaces everywhere. A couch built into the wall in the crew quarters also gives that same feel. While Alien isn’t a dazzling and cheery series, the aesthetic on the Carrack gives a sense of home.

I’ve heard Cloud Imperium Games (The company that makes the game) say that Star Wars is always an influence, and the Carrack definitely has similar elements. The walkway leading up to the side turrets looks like the pathway to a sith throne. It is dimly lit, with dark metal panelling and low, red ambient light. The actual turret itself seems taken straight off of a tie fighter, with its spherical glass canopy and reinforcement. Along with this, the main engines of the Carrack are large and circular, almost attached on to the back of the ship. These feel influenced by the ones on the Imperial Star Destroyer.

Similarly, several aspects seem to pull from Star Trek. The boxy shuttlecraft, called the Pisces, seems inspired by the shuttle in the show. Not to mention they serve a similar purpose, being sent down to a planet to scout while the Carrack stays in orbit. On the habitation deck the captain's quarters looks like it was taken straight off a Starfleet ship. There are bookshelves all over with various readings, along with a chessboard and some fine liquor. One of my favorite parts of Star Citizen is the attention to detail and looking closely at the labels of the bottles gives a nod to a loved Star Trek captain.

As said before, one thing that Star Citizen does very well is its details. One of my favorite details aboard the Carrack is the post-it notes found aboard the ship. In the medical office a post-it has the main door code on it. To me, this tells of a forgetful medical officer who might get in trouble for that breach in security. In the crew quarters, a post-it with an arrow pointing to a panel says “Do not Touch”, meaning curious crew were flipping switches not meant to be touched. Even a postcard in the first mate bunk of future New York City tells a bit about our world 900 years in the future. This attention to detail helps to enrich the gamer’s experience.

In most sci-fi films and TV shows, they do not build the spaceships you see on screen to real dimensions. One of my favorite examples of this is the Millenium Falcon from Star Wars. Comparing the landed shots of the ship to those on the inside the size difference becomes noticeable. But in a movie this doesn’t matter, as most viewers won’t notice. On top of this, there is no reason to build the interior sets in an actual shell, since the sets are all for show anyway. Video games are different in that the player is free to walk around the world. Sometimes this is restricted, like in Mass Effect where you are free to roam the level you are on. That could be the inside of the Normandy, or down on a planet, but never both without a loading screen in between. Star Citizen is different even than most games, as the entire solar system is available as uninterrupted play space. This also means the spaceships are built to actual human scale, and have to fit the interior directly inside the ship’s exterior. But this also means that we can explore every inch of space inside each ship.

While there is no tangible evidence for why the Carrack tells a story, to me it's the possibility that tells all. This is the ship that everyone dreams of. It’s our Rocinante, our Firefly, our Enterprise. Just a simple vessel holds the capability for you and your friends to go out and write your own story. That is the real magic of the Carrack.