There are so many missions in Starfield that it’s easy to miss some of the best ones available. For example, the Mantis quest has you discovering the lair of a space hero dedicated to thwarting pirates.
You’ll also want to play Juno’s Gambit which features some interesting pop culture references and forces you to make a tough choice. If you’re unsure about which path to take, this guide will give you the information you need.
How to start Juno’s Gambit mission in Starfield
It’s hard to trigger this mission, as it relies on a random encounter. When you are traveling in certain solar systems, you’ll discover what is simply labelled a “Mysterious Ship”. Dock and enter, and you’ll have a chance to talk to the two Ryujin Industries employees who are aboard. Their names are Operative Collins and Operative Khambatta.
Speak to them, and you’ll learn that they’ve discovered NASA’s Juno Probe. The only problem is that it has somehow gained sentience. It appears to have killed someone already, so the Ryujin workers want to do something about it. The solution they’ve come up with is to attach a control board to Juno, but this will potentially permanently change the probe.
You can speak to Juno to discover what it thinks of everything. You learn that it killed the technician because she wanted to change it. From this perspective, it was just acting in self-defence. Juno asks you not to change it. What will you do?
Should you change Juno or not?
The mission seems to be borrowing liberally from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey which also has astronauts reckoning with a self-aware AI. In Starfield, you can choose whether you want to spare Juno or not. There are two options, with a potential third path if you’re part of the Ryujin Industries faction.
The game takes a sympathetic approach to Juno’s plight, and sparing Juno brings about a good ending. Unfortunately, you’ll have to kill the Ryujin operatives, who aren’t much of a challenge. Juno’s grateful, and it’ll ask you what to do with its new freedom. After a brief conversation, the mission’s over and you’ll be 2,000 credits richer.
If you choose to attach the control panel, Juno will appear to shut down. As you undock, Juno cuts off the ship’s oxygen supply, killing the Ryujin operatives. Juno then Grav Jumps away, leaving you to wonder when and where the vengeful AI will strike again.
The best ending is only possible if you’ve joined Ryujin Industries, which you can do in Neon. This will unlock dialog options that have you convincing the Ryujin operatives to spare Juno. After they agree, you’ll have to return them to Neon. With this ending, Juno isn’t changed, and the Ryujin operatives get to live.
This is far from the only NASA reference present in Starfield. You’ll also want to play the Unearthed mission to discover what happened to the organization during the last days of humankind’s time on Earth.
