Bethesda might not give players the chance to do a full pacifist run, despite giving them plenty of other features that can help avoid combat. In a recent Discord Q&A, design director Will Shen and designer Emil Pagliarulo were asked whether a pacifist run could be possible.
"I can't guarantee every mission can be completed in pacifist mode, but we do have a couple of systems that will help," said Shen. "One system is our Speech Challenge game, where you can persuade someone to do something like not fight you. The speech challenge game is added in specific scripted moments, and we try to add one in to most quests where important characters confront you."
"So, we talked about this very early on during pre-production," added Pagliarulo. "Whether or not we would fully support a "non-lethal" playthrough. We realized that, for various reasons, that wasn't totally feasible. Now, that being said, there are some good non-lethal options, whether through dialogue or by using a non-lethal weapon. Those can be used in certain situations, honestly a lot of situations, though I couldn't comfortably say you can complete the entire game without any killing whatsoever."
Also confirmed in the Q&A, which has been transcribed in full on Reddit, was that we will be able to go to jail in Starfield, so even when we do have to resort to violence, we'd best make sure it's not where there is any authority around. Of course, with modding a full pacifist run will likely be possible, but some may be disheartened to hear it won't be a key feature.