Today Starfield game director Todd Howard provided some more interesting information about Starfield's companions and what you can do with (and without) them.
The developer talked at length about the game in an interview with Kinda Funny Games and interestingly, we hear that while the companions are "awesome" the game supports the player going on adventures solo. There are traits and skills that give the player special "perks and bumps" if they're solo.
Howard was not conclusive on whether companions can decide to leave. He mentioned that they can "get angry" at the player and that the relationship can change depending on the decisions that the player makes. He also added that the player can leave companions behind by assigning them to outposts and ships that aren't being used.
We hear that the four main Constellation companions are the ones that have full questlines and are romance options.
Lastly, Howard was asked whether it'd be possible to have an all-robot crew. The answer was "technically yes" but he did not reveal any more robot companions besides the already known Vasco, but he hinted at "a few other things, not to the extent of the humans, obviously."
Starfield releases for Xbox Series X|S and PC on September 6, 2023. If you'd like to see more, you can take a look at the brand-new story trailer from a few days ago and the most recent gameplay, on top of another trailer showcased a while ago.
Starfield was originally teased all the way back in 2018. It was supposed to release in November 2022, but it was then delayed to the first half of 2023. I'd say that today's presentation went a long way in proving that it was worth it.