While Dead Space's Necromorphs are the franchise's biggest enemies, they wouldn't have attacked humanity had people not meddled with powers they did not fully understand. The Concordance Extraction Corporation (CEC), Earth Government (EarthGov), and Unitologists all play a part in humanity's interaction with the alien Markers. While the CEC unearthed these artifacts by accident and EarthGov wanted to harness the Markers to solve Earth's energy crisis, the Unitologists' motives are less clear.
It makes sense that Dead Space's largest fictional religion is shrouded in mystery. Unitologists are very selective about who they bring into their fold, as the group seems to share characteristics with conventional cults and fraternities. But what most people know about Unitology stems from its ultimate goal of Convergence, which is left largely unexplained in EA Motive's recent Dead Space remake.
Dead Space's Unitology is a Religion Founded on An Alien Discovery
Unitology was supposedly founded by Michael Altman, a geophysicist who publicized footage of the original Black Marker for the masses. Those who saw the Black Marker as divine began worshipping Altman as the Marker's prophet, being the only one among his colleagues not driven mad by its presence. Despite this newfound attention, Altman knew the Black Marker was dangerous and attempted to stop EarthGov from using it as a power source. Amid one Necromorph outbreak, Altman managed to reverse-engineer the Black Marker's code and signal to calm it down. He then destroyed the Marker facility in the hopes that no one would find it again.
Most people believe Altman was killed by EarthGov for exposing the Black Marker's existence, but in reality he was killed by two military officers who were overseeing the Black Marker facility. They twisted the truth about Altman's death to start the Church of Unitology, which they then used to turn a profit from devout believers of the Black Marker's supposed divine power. Before killing Altman, the officers copied the Marker code and signal used to calm the Black Marker so they could create the Red Markers.
Convergence and the Markers' True Purpose
Unitologists believe that the human race was created by an alien species, and that these Markers - specifically the Black Markers - hold the key to eternal life after death. Only by coming together as a species can humans ascend to a higher form of being, and to this end Unitologists try to recruit as many influential and devout people as they can while researching more about the Markers' true purpose, no matter the cost.
In reality, Convergence is an event that occurs when enough Necromorph biomatter is gathered near a Marker. Powerful gusts of wind pull the Necromorphs into a planet's stratosphere above the Marker before being combined into what is known as a Brethren Moon's core. Likewise, a large chunk of the planet where the Convergence occurs is also pulled up into the air, forming the outer shell of the Brethren Moon.
Brethren Moons become a singular planet-sized Necromorph that look to envelop as many other species and planets as they can. They are the source of the Markers' signals that create lesser Necromorphs and brainwash those capable of creating more Markers, like Isaac Clarke. With their goal of expanding to all the known universe, Brethren Moons are, quite literally, the biggest threat in the Dead Space franchise.
Convergence isn't some holy occurrence brought about by belief, but an alien metamorphosis triggered by a Marker that has been built by some alien species. Most players will have heard of Convergence from Unitologists or people afflicted by a Marker signal, but future entries in the Dead Space franchise further elaborate this mysterious event, so hopefully more Dead Space titles get the remake treatment in order to bring this to the forefront.
Dead Space is available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
