Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy presents a new explanation for how Peter Quill, the leader of the titular Guardians of the Galaxy, came to be known by the name Star-Lord. In this continuity, the name Star-Lord comes from a rock band of the same name. No such band really existed in the 1980s, but thanks to the developers, the band Star-Lord is not as fictitious as it seems.
The game features a number of such innovations regarding the members of the Guardians, especially compared to their MCU depictions. From physical alterations like Rocket's beard to changes to Gamora's backstory, each character sees a bit of uniqueness in their storytelling. Still, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy's change to the origin of Star-Lord's nickname prompted a real-world creation.
While the developers of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy could have simply altered Star-Lord's backstory to include a band, they instead followed up on the idea by composing music for the fictional group. Steve Szczepkowski, senior audio director at Marvel's Guardians' developer Eidos-Montréal, created a real album of music to represent the Star-Lord band in-game, even recording his own vocals on the tracks.
Who Guardians Of The Galaxy Game's Star-Lord Band Really Is
In a video on the Eidos-Montréal YouTube channel, Szczepkowski explains the creation of the Star-Lord band, even playing bits of one of the album's songs, "Space Riders With No Names." The video can be viewed below:
With the addition of real music behind it, the new reason behind the character Star-Lord's chosen identity in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy can feel more believable. Szczepkowski asserts that the misfit Guardians of the Galaxy are akin to a rock-and-roll band already; and, if this is to be believed, Star-Lord's role as the Guardians' leader can begin to resemble that of a bandleader as well. He makes the group's tough decisions and quite literally chooses the setlist of music through the game's Huddle feature.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy will additionally include other original and licensed music. The game boasts an orchestral score from Richard Jacques, as well as songs from Iron Maiden, KISS, Rick Astley, and more. Instead of simply setting the mood, using music can affect gameplay for the Guardians, with the soundtrack even potentially benefitting a combat scenario. In the words of Szczepkowski, music is "infused in the DNA" of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, and the commitment to bringing a fictional band to life gives all the more credence to that claim.
Source: EidosMontreal/YouTube