I have looked into the Honkai: Star Rail voice actor situation as much as a layperson conceivably can. I have found this information on where we stand with the remaining mute voices. Reddit rebuffed me (some guy demanded all current voice actors be fired entirely???). So I grant this analysis to you:
In short: everyone on this list was specifically kept away by selectively enforced union regs during the strike that ended June 11. All were willing to come back once that was relaxed, including the already-recast Trailblazers. Anyone not recast in the interim is now available and due to scheduling lag should be back around 3.5.
Currently missing Voice actors, by role:
1) Firefly (Analesa Fisher): Missing from 3.0, minor lines in 3.2.
- 'Actively jonesing to return' is maybe not an official category, but...
- Celebrated strikeās end, voiced Fireflyās anniversary letter, commented on Firefly skin, etc...
- Likely to return, barring behind-the-scenes issues.
2) Dan Heng (Nicholas Leung): Missing significant lines from 2.7-3.3 EDIT: CONFIRMED RETURNING as of July 1 25, likely in 3.5!!
- Most absent role, more so than the Trailblazers!
- No official return announcement; possibly under NDA.
- Confirmed desire to return per his close personal voice acting friends; potential return in 3.4 if he was able to come in by April.
- By far the part most at risk of recast.
3) Himeko (Cia Court): Missing some lines from 2.7 onward.
- Relieved about strikeās end, actively promotes Himeko role on social media.
- Shared useful resources on the voice absences more or less confirming the actors were kept away unwillingly by union rules.
- Likely to return around 3.5. Relatively safe unless some mass recasting occurs.
4) Kafka (Cheryl Texiera): Missing from 3.0, and a single line in 3.2.
- Primarily a live-action actress (Itās Always Sunny in Philadelphia (no, seriously), and a Disney sitcom).
- SAG pressures on primarily screen actors may complicate return.
- There's a long history of getting a live action actor for your video game, and then they're unable to finish the project due to conflicting schedules or contracts. If she can't make it back it's likely in the same vein as this. I'd beg the fandom's understanding in this matter.
- Given her relatively minor absence and 5* status (their recasts take longer and are more likely to be soundalikes) seems unlikely to be recast for 3.4 unless she's just confirmed too hard to ever get back.
5) Our Trailblazers (Caleb Yen and Racheal Chau): Missing since ~2.7, replaced starting 3.3 by currently-anonymous actors.
- Caleb Yen:
- A fairly-prolific VA. All signs indicate he wanted to return but risked blacklisting in other roles. Bowing out here preserved a literal lifetime of future work.
- Rachel Chau:
-Seems to have gained SAG union membership IN THE TIME AFTER SHE WAS CAST AS STELLE. She was not bucking union rules to take the role. Union rules seem to have been thrust upon her later. This may have limited her ability to contest union pressure.
- She has already signed on as the protagonist of a new game though!
Again: everyone involved wanted to work. Any strike actions or attempted underhanded unionization drives or whatever you heard were not strictly speaking targeting Honkai:Star Rail. Everyone here was in the same situation Zach Aguilar and Sarah Miller-Crews (voices of the Genshin Travelers) were in. Why the Travelers got to come back while the Trailblazers ā and anyone else we may lose in 3.4 ā did not is going to be a question that bugs me for a long time to comeā¦ my best guess is that Rocket Sound (HSR dubbing company) is less lenient with cross-pressured talent than Side Global (Genshinās) is. Which sucks as HSR seemed best-situated to deal with a handful of muted voices right up until May 19 or soā¦
I hope this information helps provide context to someone, anyone. Iāve learned a great deal compiling it so if there are any questions, feel free to ask away.
