Cultivator

A holographic depiction of the Cultivator holding up two planets.

The Cultivator was the ancient force of balance and order in the Starbound universe. It existed for aeons before the rise of the Ruin, and under its influence, harmony reigned. With the rise of the Ruin, however, the Cultivator was forced into a fight for the survival of the universe.

Before the Cultivator faced off against the Ruin, it had shared its plans with the Ancients, possibly working alongside them to create a Monolith Gate into a pocket dimension in which the Ruin would inevitably be sealed. The Cultivator then gifted six chosen races with artifacts that would act as keys to unseal this dimension, allowing the Ruin to be defeated for good. These chosen races were the Avian, Glitch, Human, Floran, Apex, and Hylotl.

Although it was able to seal the Ruin away from the rest of the universe, it exhausted itself in doing so, causing itself to break apart into near infinite pieces in the process. It is heavily implied that fragments of the Cultivator were reborn as Novakid, which is most clearly stated in the Cultivator's speech and the Ancient Murals. A small part of the Cultivator remained in a seemingly non-physical form to watch over the universe, eventually meeting the Player after they defeat the Ruin. The Cultivator uses the last of itself to revive the player, potentially ending its existence entirely.

The Cultivator is depicted as humanoid, and is implied to be astronomically large, being depicted holding or looming over planets and galaxies. Whether it actually was such a form, or if it had any physical form at all, however, is not established for certain. Though Esther calls the Cultivator a force in her initial speech, the Cultivator is largely depicted as humanoid in the Ancients' statues and hologram. It may be that the Ancients personified it in their artworks despite it possibly only being a force. These artworks, however, are quite consistant in design, which may stand as proof that they were modeled after a real physical being. It may also be possible that the Cultivator was simply revered as some great leader to the Ancients rather than being a deity-like figure, though the Ancients' murals describe them as "reaching" the Cultivator as though it were a discovery and not one of their own.

A huge statue depicting the Cultivator. This statue is found looming protectively over the Monolith Gate at the Ark.

It is unknown if the Cultivator created the universe or not within Starbound's setting, but the moniker of Cultivator may imply a more custodial role than a constructive one, much like how the Ruin's name clearly describes a destructive intent.

Cultivator's Speech "Protector... Do not follow the myriad souls of those that came before you." "Though even I succumbed to the Ruin... When we fought, I shattered; broke apart into near infinite pieces..." "Much was simply lost, though fragments of myself, ancient and wild, broke away and became something new... What little of myself remained stayed to watch what I had left behind." "You united my artifacts, Protector. The six races I gifted now stand as one." "You have planted a seed of peace that will grow and spread throughout this vast universe." "The Ruin is destroyed, the universe is saved, but there is still so much to do." "And now, to you, I give my final gift - the last of myself. Return Protector. Live again."