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Archives of Nethys

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Culture

Source Interstellar Species pg. 45
A species’ culture provides social context in which individuals exist. Any given character of your species might fully embrace each cultural value of that overall species, might reject all of them, or—most likely—fall somewhere in between. Of course, any given character might also have grown up disconnected from the traditional culture of their species, adopting another (which you can also create using this system, or you can choose from the many featured in other Starfinder products).
Asking yourself questions can prompt exciting ideas that make the culture more engaging and believable. How widespread is your species’ culture? How does your species’ culture look upon those who set off to adventure throughout the galaxy? What traditions are important for those who leave the home world behind to carry on? What holidays does your species’ culture celebrate? How are extraplanar outsiders treated? Are there any idioms or customs that those unfamiliar with the culture would nevertheless immediately understand?

Cultural Attributes

Source Interstellar Species pg. 45
One way to think about your species’ culture is through the presence and interaction of certain cultural attributes—accord, alignment, magic, religion, and technology—as defined (and explored in depth) in other Starfinder products, such as the Starfinder Deck of Many Worlds and Starfinder Galaxy Exploration Manual. Each should be considered the average or tendency of the culture, rather than a set of hard and fast rules that every member of that culture observes.
Accord in this context is a measure of a culture’s cooperation, both among individuals and with the galaxy at large. The culture’s predominant alignment shapes many approaches to justice, altruism, and rules. You can use the relative presence or absence of magic, technology, or both to think about how these features have shaped your species’ culture and their interactions with the galaxy. Finally, religion can shape a culture, whether monotheistic, diverse, or purposefully defiant despite a setting where the gods are very real. For an overview of deities and other faiths, see pages 482–493 of the Core Rulebook, and you can find even greater depth and more options on pages 100–123 of Starfinder Galactic Magic. Which faiths are especially prevalent, adored, or detested by your species?

Values

Source Interstellar Species pg. 46
Beyond the attributes above, you can explore culture through various spectrums, like the examples below. Each presents two ends of that spectrum and a middle ground. Yet these dichotomies can become more engaging if you include major exceptions. For example, a society could believe in unhindered progress… except regarding some sacred, ancient institution.
Tradition/Progress: Is the culture steeped in history and tradition, constantly looking ahead to the next development or using one to inform the other?
Community/Individual: Does the culture promote the needs of the many over those of the few, encourage and empower individuals to enrich themselves regardless of the impact on others, or fall somewhere in between?
Liberty/Law: How tightly does society regulate individual or group behavior, and where does one’s rights end and another’s begin?
Exceptionalism/Universalism: Does the culture embrace and learn from the galaxy’s diversity, hold itself up as the shining example to the rest of the galaxy, or do a little bit of both?