Several years ago on this site, I mused over naming conventions and how important names were to me in the grand scheme of character customization. Even in games where giving individual names to ones creations don’t matter at all, such as when main characters are only called by nicknames or when usernames are all that one sees on-screen, I still spend loads of time, often longer than it takes to create a character, coming up with a unique name for the person I just created. A character’s name is almost more important than what they look like; the name is their identity.

So what happens when it turns out that a name just isn’t…right? It’s a silly problem to have, but it’s one that’s been on my mind since I recently popped back into Starfield. Despite having an almost level-40 character who’s nearing the end of the main story, I’ve never been super happy with either her design or her name. Or rather, it’s more accurate to say that the character and her name have not lined up as I once envisioned they should.  Like I said…silly. But every time I come back to the game, I see my character’s name, and then I see my character, and I’m sad about the disconnect all over again.

Thankfully, Starfield counts itself among games in which players can edit their characters and their names at will. That last bit is vastly important here, because while plenty of games with customizable character will let players change things like cosmetics after the fact, not many easily allow for character name changes. In Starfield, for a small price (and one time at a certain location for free), players can change their characters’ appearance, gender, and name in-game as much as they want at “Enhance!” vendors.

When I was playing Starfield a bit more feverishly, I’d visit Enhance! every now and then to change my character’s appearance, mostly through adding scars after big battles or by changing hairstyles to match the inherent ideals of whatever faction I favored at the time, such as picking a long, wild style for the Freestar Collective, or choosing a sleek, corporate cut when “working” (spying?) for Ryujin Industries. With each change, I thought I was bringing my character closer to my initial vison for her. In fact, they kept driving her farther and farther away from it. It was during my most recent Enhance! trip that I realized my character’s look was not the problem…it was her name. Namira.

Or, Miri, as I had shortened it at some point in the past thinking it might help with this itty bitty non-issue that still ate away at my core. Namira is a beautiful name, one that I had on a list of names that I do actually keep and consult for the many virtual humans I’ve made over the years. I don’t know why the name stood out to me at launch, or why I thought it matched my Starfield hero, but I went with it. Maybe I hoped the name and face would coalesce at some point. They never did; and now when I look at my lovely character, I see her as neither Namira nor Miri. Though worse is that I don’t know what new name to give her! I know I should just concentrate on the game, but she needs a new name, something that’s simple, tough, and casual. Easy peasy, right?

Starfield’s general naming conventions aren’t all that “out there” – companions Sam, Sarah, and Andreja all seem fine with their monikers – and I’d like to find a name that could stand the test of time. Though I’ll admit to having a couple “standby” names to fall back on, none of them fit. I can’t use a name I’ve used in any sort of human character creator before. I can’t use a name of another game character, because it’ll just make me think of said game. I can’t use the name of close friends or family, because that’s just weird (to me). And I’m not going to use my own name, because that’s just silly. I love me a good name generator, but their randomness has only brought up too many other possibilities.

Okay, let me think…

Roxy? Hmm, I like Roxann a little more, but…nah.

Lila? Lila’s pretty. But I just don’t see that in her face.

Maybe Alex or Allie? I don’t know. I used that name a couple time in Mass Effect; crossing it over from BioWare to Bethesda just feels wrong.

Wait…I’ve got it. … Jess.

Maybe it’s short for Jessica or Jesse, but for the moment, just Jess. Which…sounds a little like a sitcom with that phrasing, so I’ll try not to think about it too much.

Yep, Jess it is! I’ll have to come up with a good last name, but that’s far less of a concern, because I have a game to beat, and Jess is going to be the one to do it. Alright Starfield endgame, here we come!

Lede and in-line images were captured by author during Xbox Series S gameplay of Starfield (© Bethesda Game Studios).