Starseeds are in fact packages of microorganisms designed to seed new planets with life, thus creating new customers for the Outsiders. They are reluctant to reveal this information because they are ashamed, since one of their starseeds created the Thrintun, which destroyed nearly all intelligent life in the galaxy several billion years ago. Pierson's Puppeteers claimed to have a technology called "starseed lure" that can attract nearby starseeds to a specific solar system.