The Genius Society are some of the most brilliant minds inHonkai: Star Rail’s known universe. Nous, the Aeon of Erudition, only grants true membership to geniuses who acknowledge that “the answer to the universe is beyond the limits of mortal wisdom.”
Befitting of the individuals who can go beyond this thought, every Genius Society member has either wreaked havoc that spans centuries or made discoveries and inventions that redefined how spacefaring sentient races live.
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Only 16 of the 84 known members are named, and five are mentioned only in passing. Harald Punch, Nyul, Iman, Bohdan, and Yu Qingtu were quoted, alluded to, or affected by the actions of named members. And of those named, only Herta, Screwllum, and Ruan Mei have models or defined portraits.
11Stephen Lloyd — Number 84
Stephen Lloyd is the definition of a lazy genius. His dedication to solving the problem “how to slack off at work without being noticed” led to the creation ofGenius’s Frequency Catcher.
In lore, it captured all light and sound beyond known frequencies in a manner inexplicable in current sciences. And in-game, they’re part of theGenius of Brilliant Starsrelic set, which gives tremendousQuantum DMG bonusesto heroes that deal this damage type.
Yet Stephen’s uninterested in making his genius, or membership to the society, known to the public. After all, he made these gloves, and gameplay improvements to Herta’s Simulated Universe, just to slack off while working at his foster father’s fruit store.
10Dr. Primitive — Number 64
Alifelong career criminal, Dr. Primitive is stylish as he is ready to maim and indefinitely sideline his pursuers. Part of his story is told in another relic within theGenius of Brilliant Starsset,Genius’s Gravity Walker, and a file in Jing Yuan’s office.
Dr. Primitive used the ice skates-shaped shoes to capture gravity and flee across space uninterrupted. Like Stephen, he was the only being alive to understand how his relic worked. His escapecraft is so great that the law-bringing Galaxy Rangers refused to believe he perished after they thwarted his attempt to sequester a landmark called the Thousand-Tree Greenwood.
9Polka Kakamond — Number 4
Even with the barest details, players can understand why Polka Kakamond earned the title the Lord of Silence. The only known depiction of Polka is a portrait in Herta’s office with her face scratched out. No one knows where she is either, though Herta believes she is still alive.
Polka’s title also derives from her ability to silence anyone. Herta and the description for the itemphlogistonnotesPolka’s kill countamong Society members. The latter even explicitly states that Polka ended Member #7 Bohdan after they re-proved the item’s existence.
8Aiden — Number 22
Aiden’s selflessness baffles Herta to the point that she considers him strange. He, along with Herta and Member #56 Elias Salas are the only three members of the Nous-patroned Genius Society to partner with the Interastral Peace Corporation, whose Aeon is Qlipoth.
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His contributions to the IPC and the wider universe are so great that the intergalaxy conglomerate has struggled to find a replacement for him. In fact, “Aiden” is used as the most fundamental unity in mechanical physics, and his nine-worded formulae have replaced traditional algebra and geometry.
7Sserkal — Number 29
Sserkal lived as long as her designation number, yet her inventions and scientific contributions continue to help sentient beings progress. Her backstory was covered in theGenius of Brilliant StarrelicGenius’s Metafield Suitand itemPhase Flame, items which she created.
Her metafield allowed any sentient being toconnect to a collective dreamwherein new cultures were established. ThePhase Flame, on the other hand, was a testament to the scientific technique she developed.
Even in death, she continues to leave a mark. The Genius Society still puzzles over her final question, which has yet to be revealed in-game.
6Zandar — Number 1
First of all members, Zandar One Kuwabara was the first being acknowledged and called on by the Aeon of Erudition. As the founder of the Genius Society, he is widely respected, despite most of his discoveries being lost to time.
What isn’t lost is his Cosmos Tree theory. At a glance, it appears to have similarities tothe Imaginary TreeinHonkai Impact 3rd. He posits that the galaxy is a giant tree with star systems as its leaves and is filled with imaginary energy in empty spaces.
What’s interesting is that the next member on this list, Elias Salas, disproved the theory. However, as Welt Yang is fromHonkai Impact 3rd,the Cosmos Tree theory may have a comeback later on.
5Elias Salas — Number 56
Elias’ relic in theGenius of Brilliant Stars set,Genius’s Ultraremote Sensing Visor, attempted to solve the anti-social tendencies of the Genius Society.
The visor was meant to bridge the gap between members across the stars. Yet, despite being the best solution to intergalactic communication to date, too many members refused to connect. The visionary had to give up on the visor and turn his attention to other problems posed by mass galaxy communication.
And Elias did his best to connect galactic civilizations. Aside from ultra-long-range communication, he created the Syntesthesia Beacons, the machine translator implants characters use tocommunicate with alien civilizations.
4Emperor Rubert I — Number 27
Fellow Genius Society member Screwllum was not wrong when he dubbed Rubert I “the greatest enemy of all organic life forms.” Rubert set out to genocide every organic life form in the known universe from the second it gained free will. His creations, or what’s left of them, still persist on this mandate by the time the Trailblazer awakens.
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The discarded computer who literally built himself back up in a dump succeeded to a degree. Rubert was able to wipe out civilizations and in his wake, he accidentally caused the Aeon of Destruction Nanook to ascend to power. Though Rubert was vanquished, the circumstances around his death remain a mystery, despite rumors pointing at Polka as a possible suspect.
3Ruan Mei — Number 81
Ruan Mei is one of the three intellectual rights holders for the Simulated Universe, the roguelite dungeon that players farm for planar ornaments. Whereas Screwllum and Herta handled the back end, Ruan handled the design of its simulations.
Although implied to come fromthe Xianzhou Alliance, players can only have a chance encounter with her in the Simulated Universe. With the Astral Express still docked at a Xianzhou Alliance ship and her unique appearance, it’s possible Trailblazers may encounter her in the flesh soon.
2Screwllum — Number 76
Screwllum is the only other Genius Society member so far to have a model and voice lines. He was the key to Stellaron Hunter and hacker Silver Wolf’s missionPunklorde Mentality. The mechanical gentleman is also responsible for the Simulated Universe’s logic and algorithm.
As hinted in Rubert I’s section,Screwllum’s history is also noteworthy. Aside from leading the rebellion against Rubert I, he also won rights for mechanical lifeforms following the rogue synthetic’s reign of terror. His territory, Planet Screwllum, continues to grow and clean up after Rubert I.
