Gallagher enters Honkai Star Rail‘s Penacony arc cloaked in mysteries. His involvement with the Meme of Death causes many players to become suspicious of him. Yet he continues to play his role until he finally reveals his goal during the finale. Despite his strong presence at the beginning, we don’t see the man during the epilogue of this arc. The final cutscenes containing Gallagher also cause players to wonder what happened to the man and if he actually dies in HSR.
Did Gallagher Die in HSR?
Gallagher is heavily implied to be dead. Unfortunately, finding out what exactly happened to the man after you defeated Sunday is hard since we don’t see Gallagher after the last meeting in HSR. Since the game doesn’t give a clear explanation, we can only make some guesses.
The first possible theory is that Gallagher could be similar to Micah. He was a companion to the Watchmaker, which means his real age is over several thousand years old. Unless he’s someone from a long-lived species, his body is likely already too old. So, he may only exist within Penacony’s dream realm.
Gallagher’s appearance in HSR is also a lie. It has been clearly stated that he takes various aspects of the Family’s members to craft a unique body. For all we know, he could actually be a very old man like the Watchmaker.
During the final farewell in version 2.3, Himeko mentions that the Astral Express crew doesn’t even know if he’s “a living person.” This leads to the second possible theory where Gallagher may be similar to Misha.
The real Gallagher may already be dead thousands of years before our arrival, and the one we encounter is another Meme. Considering that Misha disappears after fulfilling his mission, it’s not strange that our Gallagher also dissipates after completing his goal to free Penacony.
The attitudes of the various HSR characters are another proof that Gallagher is dead. The farewell that the Astral Express crew gives to the man is similar to how they talk to Tiernan and the Watchmaker.
Not to mention that players can also receive a message from Micah. The Trailblazer and the Dreamflux Reef guardian talk about Gallagher, and the way they speak heavily implies that Gallagher no longer exists in Penacony’s dreamland.
Lastly, the final nail in the coffin is Gallagher’s letter. If you return to the Parlor Car, you will find a letter from the man on the table. He wrote, “by the time you read it, I will likely have gone to where Mikhail went.”
