Have Star Atlas Researchers Discovered the Origins of the Tufa Race?
The Tufa are a mysterious race of sentient organic rock-beings that populate the High-Risk Zone of Galia, the sector that Star Atlas is set in. However, their origins to date have largely been unknown.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Star Atlas CORE Episodes 1 and 6
What we know about the Tufa so far
For nearly two years of contemporary Star Atlas history, scant details regarding the origins, makeup, and society of the Tufa species. All that we know thus far is that the Tufa are an amalgamation of sentient organic space rock that live in the deepest parts of the High-Risk Zone nearest the center of the Cataclysm and Iris herself.
Tufa ships themselves being of the same Geo-biological makeup as Tufa beings, space explorers venturing into asteroid belts of the High-Risk Zone often find themselves ambushed by the infamous Tufa Feist.
First Documented Interactions of the Tufa
In the first episode of Star Atlas CORE, the main characters are on the search for valuable resources when they encounter a terrifying amorphous being that seemingly erupted from the ground beneath them.
While a clear depiction of the creature is never named or revealed, the unnamed creature exhibits similar behaviors to the Tufa. This creature erupts from earth and stone to attack the story’s heroes.
At the time, many scientists speculated that this could have been an encounter with the Tufa, but little additional evidence was available to make a firm conclusion.
Timpo’s Journey Through Time and Space
It would be several months between CORE Episode 1 and Episode 6, however, Episode 6’s arc finale brings some additional details to light.
During the arc’s finale, the hero’s new found companion Timpo reveals that he was stuck in a space time rift. On the other side of this rift, he encountered rocks laced with Genesium, similar to the ones that the heroes found in Episode 1.
Genesium, Timpo describes, is a rare resource that can usher in a new dawn of of engineering and space exploration, making its owners the most powerful force in the galaxy.
Tufa beings from another space-time continuum?
Seeing as how the space-time rift, Genesium, and tufa-like beings are all related, its highly likely that either Genesium or the rock-like creatures came from the space-time rift itself. If Timpo could survive the rift, what’s to say that other beings couldn’t? In fact, Timpo states that he intends to traverse the space-time rift again to reach the other side.
This would heavily imply that the Tufa are beings from outside the Galia expanse and leads to many other questions to ponder
Are the Photoli Involved?
The origins of the space-time rift remain unexplained. However, Timpo leaves another hint as to who or what caused the space rift.
In the above panel, Timpo reveals a device that acts as a temporal distortion inhibitor is actually a combination of Genesium and Photolic magic.
If the combination of Photolic magic and Genesium is capable of stabilizing space-time, what’s to say that it also isn’t capable of disrupting it?
This would also imply that the Photoli are involved in creating the space-time rift and brining Genesium, Tufa, or both to Galia.
We know that the Photoli were capable of manipulating the entire human race into leaving Earth. Manipulating a sentient rock like species to move to another galaxy seems a play right from their book.
Could the Photoli also be causal in the Cataclysm and Iris herself?
Lastly, this transmission from the Voice of Iris reveals that the High-Risk Zone, Iris, and the Cataclysm all have a reality-distorting effect.
The space-time rift, High-Risk zone, Iris, Photoli, Tufa, and Genesium are all seemingly becoming more and more related.
Questions Unanswered
These discoveries, while revealing, lead to a host of more questions unto themselves.
- What caused the space-time rift?
- Are the Tufa a race of invaders or simply misfortunate beings caught up in another Photoli plot?
- Is Genesium a naturally occurring Galian resource or was it dumped here from the explosion of the space-time rift?
- Are the Tufa dependent on Genesium to live?
For now, these questions will have to remain unanswered. Undoubtedly, our collective journey into Star Atlas will shed light on the darkest corners of the The Cataclysm.
What are your thoughts?
Leave us a comment below or on Twitter and let’s hear what your theories are!
About the Author
is a pioneer in the world of Star Atlas, having founded The Hologram News Network — an independent meta-news organization that keeps players up to date on all developments regarding Star Atlas. An ardent supporter of emerging technologies, Krigs has been covering this game for over a year and believes passionately in their power to revolutionize our collective gaming experience.
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