Breaking down Bastet: What does this lore mean for Overwatch?

2019 has started with a bang for lore enthusiasts, with the release of Bastet - Overwatch’s first official short story!

Set straight after the events of Ana’s comic Old Soldiers, which launched in 2016, Bastet shows us the immediate aftermath of Ana, Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes’ close-to-present day reunion. There’s a huge amount of character development around two of Overwatch’s protagonists, shedding light on both their past and present actions, as well as their thought processes and choices.

What’s impressive about Bastet to me, as a continuity nerd, is the sheer amount of fact-checking and obvious effort that’s been taken in the writing to build consistency and coherence in Overwatch’s world, particularly with reference to past lore that’s been shared.

The conversations of Ana and Jack, along with their inner monologues, take the lore-savvy reader on a whirlwind tour of Overwatch’s past - both in canon, and in terms of tying together the lore. If you’ve missed any or want them explaining, my video can help you out - you might want to use the timecodes in the description to skip, as there’s a lot to cover.

0:51 - Overwatch Bastet Short Story - Plot Summary

5:29 - After Old Soldiers Comic - Cairo, Hakim, and a post-Overwatch Egypt - setting analysis.

9:16 - Ana - The Narrator, new Ana Lore and context we learn!

11:53 - Jack Morrison - The Man behind Soldier 76 - new Soldier 76 lore and story summary!

13:20 - Ana’[s Necropolis Hideout - how a lot of things have been teased (or written in) from the first Anniversary event and the Deathmatch Level!

19:50 - Vincent and Soldier 76 - the reveal, and my thoughts.

21:57 - Gabriel Reyes/Reaper - More context on the man behind the mask!

23:40 - Bastet as a Goddess and Symbol - her choice and a mini history!

Blink and you’ll miss it - references to past comics, Hero Origin trailers, in-game map lore and more are all explained and contextualised as we follow the two old friends while they finish the job that Ana started in Cairo. Bastet feels like a line drawn in the sand with regards to debates about past retcons and continuity, that both the Overwatch team and the community can positively step forward from.

With Alyssa Wong, a Nebula-award winning short story author joining Team 4 to support Michael Chu in writing duties since August last year, 2019 is already looking like an exciting year in terms of story progression. The bar’s been set high - at the risk of wishing it’s April already, roll on Overwatch Archives!