Afterlight has all the talent it needs to be the next Baldur's Gate 3

Starfinder: Afterlight's the developers did not intend to create a “Baldur's Gate 3 in space,” but they knew they wanted to emulate Larian Studios' successful RPG in one way: by hiring an all-star cast to portray the game's recruitable companions. The crew of companions the player assembles may be disparate, but it's a unique and lovable group that truly feels like family as they search for the missing Captain Khalim. Starfinder: Afterlight has already assembled a talented team, with more joining in the future as a Kickstarter milestone has been reached to unlock full voice acting for the entire game.

Starfinder: Afterlight's the companion cast consists of Lu-323 (Melissa Medina), Sterling (James Alexander), Preach (Neil Newbon), Kole Stryker (Fred Tatasciore) and Tycho (Inel Tomlinson), all searching for the missing Captain Khali (Carolina Ravassa). Medina, Alexander, Ravassa, and Newbon — who also serves as the game's voice director — spoke with Game Rant about the development of their individual characters, as well as the crew dynamic. Although the band is still early in the recording process, they are already feeling it Starfinder: Afterlight's the crew became a family.

Starfinder: Afterlight's Companions go from “Ragtag Crew” to “Spacefaring Family”

Recording for Starfinder: Afterlight's the companions are still going, and most of the cast has so far primarily made solo recordings. Yet each of them realizes every time they enter the cabin that their characters exist both as individuals and as part of a group. For Alexander, the opportunity to explore group dynamics is one of the best parts of the process. “No matter how much they like or dislike each other, it's fun either way,” he explained. “And it's amazing to learn why they're drawn to each other, what tickles them, and why they're all together in this little band of rapscallions in the end.”

As Starfinder: Afterlight's voice director Neil Newbon has been attending all the shoots and is already thrilled with the work the actors have done. “I think it's going to be a very fascinating experience,” he said when asked how to develop the characters' relationship as a group. “We're right at the beginning, which in many ways is the most exciting part – discovering it.” He praised the work of Alexander, Ravasso, and Medina, and felt that all three immediately felt strongly about their characters' personalities, goals, and journeys.

Each companion tells a unique story

At the head of the crew is the charismatic and courageous Captain Khali, whose disappearance the players must investigate. Carolina Ravassa loved playing Khali because she felt the captain was different from the standard “female action movie character”. Appreciating that Khali can be funny and offbeat rather than just suave and attractive, praising the media as Guardians of the Galaxy for pioneering this shift.

“For so long, women in action movies were just super polite. They knew what they were doing. They said, 'My hair is perfect. I look amazing. I'm not sweating.' I love that now there are female characters who become a mix of things that can be a little crazy, a little crazy.”

Sterling is popular on the internet for romance

James Alexander on the other hand loved how polite and romantic his character Sterling is. Alexander was happy to see the positive reactions to Sterling on social media, especially the number of people who expressed their desire to romance the attractive Borai. Hoping that Sterling will take the crown from another popular RPG romance, he threatens, “Watch out, Astarion.”

A dangerous threat with Astarion himself in the room – Newbon immediately attacked the vampire with a trademark smug laugh, replying, “No, darling, no,” insisting that Astarion's superior intelligence meant he would remain a fan favorite. However, he praised Alexander's work and felt that Sterling's gentlemanly nature meant that he would stand out from the darker and morally ambiguous Astarion:

“There's a gentlemanly element to it [in Sterling]. Such a gentleman spy. He will be very careful. So while there are obviously going to be comparisons in some ways, Sterling is very much his own character. It's quite a distance from Astarion.”

In developing Sterling's character, Alexander took inspiration from a number of archetypal “noble” characters and romantic heroes, with a few villainous types thrown in as well. He quoted “James Bond, Lestat z Interview with the Vampire — Sam Reed's version — and Gustave H, Ralph Fiennes' character from The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Ultimately, Alexander believes that Sterling “may be polite” but is “by no means a man of perfect results”. [at] get what he wants.”

Characters like Lu-323 reflect the game's broader themes

The actors also appreciated how developer Epictellers Entertainment carefully thought through the core themes of each of them Starfinder: Afterlight companion story. Lu-323, an android programmed to seduce targets and gain information, struggles with her identity and whether or not she is more than just her programming. Actress Melissa Medina felt this gave her a solid foundation with which to approach her interpretation of Lu. In developing Lu drew on her own life experience:

“Actually, I've done that my whole life. I've been in a military family, I've been in the corporate world, and I've left all those places as someone who's kind of questioning it. I relate to Lu in the sense that Lu's trying to find herself outside of all the voices telling her who to be and how to act.”

Additional characters and voices join the Starfinder: Afterlight Cast

In addition to previously revealed companions, Starfinder: Afterlight will add more actors to its cast in the near future. The game's Kickstarter, which ends on November 6th, has reached the milestone of unlocking full voice acting for every character in the game. As voice director, Newbon is excited about expanding the cast:

“Now we are trying to develop [the cast] into a wider network, which is exciting. And again, I'll just reiterate that we are strongly opposed to using the power of AI. We will look at human beings to play non-human beings. We also look for representation and diversity. We are primarily concerned with the positive support of actors around the world.”

While acknowledging that some of the comparisons are apt, Newborn emphasized that Starfinder: Afterlight not trying to be”Baldur's Gate 3 in space.” He feels that the two plays are quite different in tone, p Starfinder: Afterlight It focuses more on humor, action and adventure. However, he shared that Epictellers Entertainment was inspired by Larian Studios' approach to game development: “to make the most fun game for players with the resources we have, in the time we have.”

He also praised Larian Studios for the way they treated the actors and other staff, stating that Epictellers was inspired by Larian in their actor-forward, player-forward approach:

“They take care of their people, they take care of their actors, they pay people well and they put players first before profit. That's very much the spirit in which this project has been undertaken. It's a huge inspiration to all of us that Swen [Vincke] and everyone in Larian did.”

Starfinder: Afterlight it doesn't have to be intentionally the goal to be “next”. Baldur's Gate 3,' but like the 2023 game, they have a wonderfully passionate pool of talent to bring the game's cast of companions—and soon the rest of the NPCs, villains, and more—to life. Many more exciting casting announcements – such as the recent reveal of Roger Clark as the game's narrator – are almost certainly to come in the future as the impressive cast list continues to grow.