This article describes notable characters who appear in the Mass Effect fictional universe. These characters are explored in the novels Mass Effect: Revelation, Mass Effect: Ascension, Mass Effect: Retribution, and Mass Effect: Deception; the comic series Mass Effect: Redemption, Mass Effect: Evolution and the video games Mass Effect, Mass Effect Galaxy, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3. This list describes only major protagonists, antagonists, and party members that appear in the games, novels, and comic, although these storylines feature much larger supporting casts consisting of dozens of minor characters.
Commander Shepard[]
Commander Shepard
(default male version)
Lieutenant Commander Shepard is the main player character in the Mass Effect trilogy. Shepard's gender, appearance, history, combat-training and first name are determined by the player before the game begins. Shepard is 29 years old in the first game though is biologically 29 or chronologically 31 years old in the second game, and roughly 32 in the third game. The default male Shepard, the model used by BioWare for trailers, is called John while the female default name is Jane; both defaults are of the Soldier class. Shepard is a veteran soldier who begins the game as a candidate to become the first human "Spectre" agent. As the game progresses, Shepard undertakes a series of important missions and is authorized to do whatever it takes to get the missions done. At the end of the game, Shepard kills villain Saren Arterius and helps defeat the Reaper Sovereign. One of the most important decisions Shepard makes is at the end of the first game, and determines the fate of the Citadel Council and humanity's role in the galaxy. Shepard can choose to have the Council saved, resulting in humans being granted a Council seat; Shepard can order Sovereign to be attacked directly, which unintentionally kills the Council and results in a new, human-controlled Council being created; or Shepard can order the Council to be left undefended, which dooms the Council and sets humanity up to be the dominant species in the galaxy.
One month after defeating Sovereign, Shepard's ship, the SSV Normandy is destroyed by an unknown warship, killing Shepard. Shepard's body is recovered by Cerberus, a rogue human agency who has been keeping tabs on Shepard for the Commander's actions in Mass Effect. Over the course of two years, Shepard is rebuilt through Cerberus's Lazarus Project, headed by future squad mate operative Miranda Lawson, which uses a combination of cutting edge cybernetics and nanotechnology. Upon making a sufficient recovery, Shepard investigates the disappearance of human colonies.
Regarding the issue of Shepard's death, BioWare Director Casey Hudson explained that based on decisions made during Mass Effect 2, Shepard can die in some of the game's multiple endings. Hudson stated "If you do die in the ending of Mass Effect 2, it will not come as a surprise, nor will it be random. It will be pretty obvious that you headed into the final mission knowing that Shepard probably wouldn’t make it out alive." Hudson also confirmed that team members would be affected by the player's decisions as well: "You might have an ending where Shepard’s entire team survives, or where the entire mission is a bloodbath and everyone (including Shepard) is killed, or anything in between." Lastly, Hudson revealed that if the player's Shepard dies in the second game, he or she will not appear in the prospective Mass Effect 3; instead, the third game would have to be played with a new Shepard started in that game, or with one who survived Mass Effect 2.[1]
Shepard returns once again as the main protagonist in Mass Effect 3. In this game, Shepard is grounded after the events of the previous game. Suddenly, the Reapers attack Earth, forcing Shepard to flee the planet. The game's main plot sees Shepard travelling across the galaxy and trying to gain support from the alien civilizations to launch a final mission to save Earth and defeat the Reapers once and for all. Apart from building a massive united fleet, Shepard also must construct the Crucible, an ancient superweapon capable of defeating the Reapers. According to BioWare, Mass Effect 3 will conclude Shepard's story and mark Shepard's final appearance in the series.
Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut has four different ways in which Shepard can defeat the Reapers:
- Destroy the Reapers: Shepard shoots a key control panel on the Crucible, which fires a red beam that damages the Citadel and the Mass Relays. However, all advanced technology and synthetic life - including Shepard, the geth, and EDI - will be destroyed as well. If the player has a low Effective Military Strength, this causes the indiscriminate destruction of both the Reapers and Earth, most organic and all synthetic life in the galaxy, and the Mass Relays. If the player has a high Effective Military Strength, Shepard is shown to have survived, taking a deep breath in a pile of rubble.
- Control the Reapers: Shepard forsakes his/her corporeal form, becoming the new Reaper master consciousness with absolute control over the Reapers. The Crucible fires a blue pulse that leaves the Citadel intact but damages the Mass Relays. If the player has a low Effective Military Strength, this causes substantial damage to the galaxy. Shepard then directs the Reapers to rebuild and protect the galaxy, and depending on Shepard's morality, the Commander either intends to give its people hope for the future (Paragon), or act as a strong leader that Shepard believes the galaxy needs (Renegade).
- Synthesis: Shepard jumps into the Crucible's energy beam, which transforms all life in the galaxy into a new form of organic-synthetic life. The Crucible fires a green beam that damages the Citadel and the Mass Relays. This option is only available if the player has a high Effective Military Strength.
- Refusal: Shepard refuses to use the Crucible when either attempting to shoot the Catalyst or simply not accepting its solutions. This results in the Reapers completing their harvest of all advanced space-faring civilizations. However, Liara's time capsules enables the next cycle to prepare for and end the Reapers' threat.
Many years into the future, Shepard becomes a legendary figure known only as "The Shepard".
The male version of Shepard is voiced by Mark Meer, while Jennifer Hale lends her voice to the female version. Fashion model Mark Vanderloo was the model for the default appearance of the male commander Shepard.
Recurring characters[]
Characters who have appeared in more than one installment or element of the Mass Effect franchise.
Recurring squad members[]
Liara T'Soni[]
Dr. Liara T'Soni is an asari companion. In the first Mass Effect, she is 106 years old, barely an adult by asari standards. She has a passion for studying and working with Prothean technology. T'Soni is an expert in the field of Prothean archaeology, specifically evidence concerning the Protheans' demise. She is, in fact, found in a Prothean ruin, trapped in a kinetic bubble prison. T'Soni is a possible romance interest for both male and female Shepards.[2] The asari have only one gender, and can reproduce with any gender or species.[3] Liara's class is unique to her as an asari Scientist, skilled mainly in biotics, but unable to build skills in weapons and tech abilities. Unlike the human equivalent Adept, however, T'Soni can learn "Electronic" skills.
T'Soni is the daughter of Matriarch Benezia, a well-respected and powerful asari biotic.[4] It is unknown precisely who T'Soni's other parent is, except that she was another asari. In the Mass Effect 2 downloadable content Lair of the Shadow Broker, on the Shadow Broker's ship a video of an asari looking at a picture of Liara can be viewed. This asari is the Matriarch that is the bartender on Illium, and in Mass Effect 3, both the Matriarch, Aethyta, and Liara can be goaded into conversing with each other in the Presidium. There is a certain social stigma attached to this, as the asari believe that for them to improve themselves, they should mate with other species to gain new genetic properties. If two asari mate as Liara's parents did, then it is believed that nothing is gained from the relationship. The term "Pureblood" is used as a cruel insult for children born of two asari. When asked about her second parent, T'Soni is only able to speculate that her parents were possibly embarrassed by the union, but she does not know for certain.
In Mass Effect 2, T'Soni initially depicts a radically changed personality. Acting much more like her mother Benezia, T'Soni has become an information broker on Illium in direct rivalry to the Shadow Broker. Having improved as a biotic, she uses threats and other intimidation tactics to extort information. If the player imported a Shepard from the original Mass Effect that romanced Liara, she greets Shepard with a kiss. Liara assigns Shepard an optional quest to assist her in hunting down an agent of the Shadow Broker spying on her, known as the Observer. Liara's anger at the Broker stems from when he recovered Shepard's body and was prepared to sell it to the Collectors during the events of Mass Effect: Redemption. After certain dialogue choices, the player is finally able to break through her shell and reveal the real Liara, revealing that her darker personality is nothing more than a facade. T'Soni took pains in getting Shepard's body from the Broker and gave it to Cerberus so they could bring Shepard back to life. Liara knew that Cerberus would use Shepard for their own uses, but still gave them Shepard's body as she cares for Shepard and could not let the Commander go. She feared that Shepard would hate her for this, and apologizes. In spite of wanting to join Shepard, she declines Shepard's offer to join the team to continue her quest for revenge against the Shadow Broker. She expresses regret that she cannot join Shepard's squad.
However, she makes a new appearance in the Mass Effect 2 DLC Lair of the Shadow Broker and joins Shepard's crew temporarily as Shepard decides to help her hunt down the Shadow Broker. Shepard gradually breaks her hardened shell after lecturing her about mindlessly running into battles, but at the same time she states that she won't stop "to enjoy the scenery" until she's done. As the Shadow Broker is killed, Liara takes the opportunity to fill in his now vacant role. She says she will use her newly bestowed status to help assist Shepard's ongoing mission to fight the Reapers. It is also possible to resume the player character's romance with Liara at the end of "Lair of the Shadow Broker".
Liara T'Soni will return as a permanent squad member in Mass Effect 3 and there will be consequences for players that were unfaithful to her as a romantic interest in Mass Effect/Mass Effect 2.[5] After the events of Arrival, Liara realized what little time the galaxy had before the Reapers arrived. Admiral Hackett, knowing this as well, commissioned for Liara's aid. However, this brought her into conflict with Illusive Man. Eventually, through a process of elimination, mixed with desperation, she discovered plans for a Prothean superweapon on Mars. Unfortunately, by then, the Reaper invasion reached Earth. Regardless of whether or not Lair of the Shadow Broker was completed, she will become the Shadow Broker, but if it wasn't, she took on the Shadow Broker with dozens of hired mercenaries, but with Feron's death.
If Shepard assisted her in taking out the Shadow Broker, she mentions that during the time that Shepard was in Alliance custody, Cerberus managed to track down the Shadow Broker's ship at Hagalaz, and sent a cruiser against it. As the aging ship was not suited for space travel, Liara and Feron loaded as much equipment as they could onto a shuttle as possible, then remotely sent the ship crashing into the cruiser, resulting in the destruction of both ships. Liara didn't have much love lost over the event, as the most crucial part of the Broker's operation is the galaxy-wide spy network.
Upon meeting a surviving Prothean, Javik, she is initially overjoyed to have one serving aboard the Normandy, but slowly becomes more disappointed, having previously imagined the Protheans as the "keepers of wisdom and enlightenment" of their era, only to find them to be "cold and ruthless warlords". Eventually, this relationship reaches a breaking point after the fall of Thessia, where Liara is in Javik's quarters, frustrated with him for "not having the answers". Shepard can either diffuse the situation, or allow Liara to walk away. If the former happens, the two will begin to respect and appreciate each other.
Liara is voiced by Ali Hillis, and her face and body is modeled after actress Jillian Murray.
Ashley Williams[]
Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams is a 25-year-old human Alliance Marine who enlisted straight out of high school. Williams is a competent non-commissioned officer. She joins the party during the first mission, replacing Corporal Richard L. Jenkins (who was killed in action). Ashley is a pure soldier, skilled with weapons and heavy armor but unable to use advanced tech abilities or biotics. She is a possible romance interest for a male Commander Shepard. She hails from a military family: her great-grandmother, grandfather, and father all served in the Alliance Navy. Her family suffers from the dubious service history of her grandfather, however, as he is the only human officer to ever surrender to an alien force, specifically the turian fleet at the colony of Shanxi. Williams says that she and her father have been passed over for many a promotion because of the stigma her grandfather still holds among the Alliance brass. Her mother raised Ash and her three younger sisters on various colonial worlds while her father was on duty. Williams is religious, though her precise faith and denomination are never elaborated upon, except for her belief in Judgment Day and a greater power. She also occasionally expresses "human-centric" views, as a result of her grandfather having been disgraced in the First Contact War against the turians.[6]
Late in the game, on the planet Virmire, Williams is one of two characters who can opt to assist a salarian commando unit in their assault on Saren's lab complex. During the assault, the player is confronted with a choice that may result in Ashley being killed when a nuclear warhead is detonated. If she is, later dialogue indicates the salarian and turian governments have awarded her their most highest medals, honoring her sacrifice for soldiers not even of her own race.
Williams appears in Mass Effect 2, provided she lived through the first game. Now an Operations Chief, Williams was sent to Horizon officially on a mission to provide anti-orbital weapons to the colonists. She is first seen defending the colony against a swarm of paralyzing Collector "seekers," but ultimately is overwhelmed and paralyzed. Upon being rescued, she voices disapproval towards Shepard's alliance with Cerberus. Should there have been a romance between Shepard and Williams, she will later send him an apologetic email, expressing her desire to be with him once more.
Ashley Williams returns in Mass Effect 3, provided she survived the events of the original game. Prior to the game's release, it was said that players that keep her as a romance interest (as indicated by her portrait on Shepard's desk not being face down) in Mass Effect will be rewarded.[5] During the events of Mass Effect 3, Williams is commissioned as a lieutenant commander and has become the second human Spectre. She is seriously injured during the game's mission on Mars, but makes a full recovery and, depending on the player's actions, may join Shepard's team on board the Normandy.
Ashley Williams is voiced by Kimberly Brooks.
Kaidan Alenko[]
Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko is a 32-year-old human male, Alliance Navy officer who accompanies Commander Shepard from the very beginning of the game. Alenko serves as a possible love interest for a female Shepard. In game, he is what is known as a Sentinel, a soldier highly skilled in both tech skills and biotics, though with little in the way of actual combat ability. Alenko has had a troubled relationship with his biotic abilities - he is one of the rare users of the controversial L2 implants, which have since been discontinued due to the long list of horrible side-effects discovered after their initial creation. Kaidan is regarded as "one of the lucky ones" as he only suffers from migraines, though many others suffer from crippling physical pain or insanity. If questioned by Shepard, Kaidan reveals that as a teenager he killed an instructor, a brutal turian mercenary, at the biotics training facility he attended, during biotics training by breaking his neck with a full-force biotic kick. The death had been an accident, as Kaidan was enraged when the instructor injured a girl he admired.
Late in the game, on the planet Virmire, Kaidan is one of two characters who can opt to assist a salarian commando unit in their assault on Saren's lab complex. If Ashley is selected to lead the unit, Kaidan is the primary technician for activating a bomb that destroys the facility. During the assault, the player is confronted with a choice that may result in Kaidan being left behind when the nuke is detonated.[6]
Alenko also plays a role in Mass Effect 2, provided that he survived in the first game. Since the first game's events, Alenko had been promoted to staff commander (one grade above Shepard's rank of lieutenant commander) and is stationed on the planet Horizon to help protect a human colony from the Collectors. The Illusive Man, using Kaidan's connection to Shepard as bait, lured the Collectors to Horizon. The Collectors attacked the colony and he was stung by a Collector Swarm, leaving him temporarily paralyzed. Shepard soon learns that Kaidan was sent to the colony to install a network of defense cannons to safeguard against future Collector attacks. After multiple firefights with the Collectors and Harbinger, Alenko is ultimately rescued by Shepard. The two reunite with a handshake (or a warm embrace if the player chose to import a Shepard from Mass Effect that had pursued a romantic relationship with Kaidan) and Shepard tells him that he/she has been dead for two years. However, upon learning that Shepard is working with Cerberus, Alenko grows suspicious and refuses to join Shepard on his/her mission. Later on, if Shepard romanced Kaidan in the first game, Kaidan will send him/her an apology letter stating that his earlier behavior was a result of his concern and worry for him/her and that he would still like to be romantically involved after the Collectors have been defeated.
Players that keep him as a romance interest in Mass Effect 2 will be rewarded.[5]
If he survived the events of the first game, Alenko returns in Mass Effect 3. In the intervening months since the end of Mass Effect 2 he has been promoted to the rank of Major and placed in command of a covert Alliance special operations team of human biotics. He has been summoned to testify at Shepard's trial following the events of the Arrival DLC story, and is present when the Reapers arrive at Earth and attack Vancouver. Kaidan connects with a new squadmate, marine James Vega, and makes his way to the Normandy SR-2, which has been confiscated, examined, and refurbished to serve in the Alliance as Admiral Anderson's personal flagship.
After arriving at a pinned-down Shepard and Anderson to evacuate them, Kaidan accompanies Shepard and Vega to the Prothean Archive on Mars under orders to retrieve intelligence that Liara T'soni has uncovered there, believed to be crucial to the war effort. The group is joined by T'soni as they engage Cerberus troops who are attacking the base to secure the same Prothean data for The Illusive Man. After confronting Cerberus' mole at the facility, the synthetic infiltrator Dr. Eva Coré, Kaidan is badly injured. Shepard disables and captures the gynoid for study, and rushes Alenko to Huerta Memorial Hospital on the Presidium of the Citadel for treatment. Shepard can then check in on Kaidan as he recuperates—he is initially unconscious, but once Shepard completes a mission Alenko sends a message to the Normandy saying he is awake and would welcome a visit. The two can discuss the Major's injury (a dialogue chain that can first hint at flirtation with a male or female Shepard, or interest in renewing intimacy with a previously-romanced female Shepard), recent activities and promotion, family back on Earth, and their tense encounter on Horizon months earlier. Kaidan also mentions that Donnel Udina has put his name forward to become the second human Spectre, and that he is considering accepting. This visit also represents an opportunity to present a 'get well soon' gift to foster trust later in the story.
Once Shepard completes another mission off the Citadel, s/he receives another e-mail from Kaidan saying his is about to be discharged and would appreciate another visit for the Commander's advice. Returning to the Citadel and offering words of encouragement further builds confidence between Shepard and Alenko, who will not be available for interaction again until Udina—conspiring with Cerberus—attempts a coup against the Citadel Council to seize control of their fleets for the liberation of Earth. During this battle Alenko appears in his new capacity as a Spectre, providing protection for the Council members who are being led by Udina into a trap. Shepard arrives to intervene, and in the ensuing confrontation if Kaidan still suspects Shepard of colluding with Cerberus he is shot (either by Shepard or by a squadmate) in order to stop Udina. Alternatively, if Shepard has worked to regain Kaidan's trust, he takes Shepard's side, and will shoot Udina if Shepard abstains.
If he survives the coup attempt, Kaidan later meets Shepard at the Normandy dock and offers to re-join the crew. Shepard can either accept him aboard, or advise him to stay behind and gain him as a War Asset. Later, if Shepard has consistently been understanding and encouraging toward him, Kaidan sends an e-mail inviting Shepard to dinner on their next visit to the Citadel. Conversation instigated during this 'date' represents (male or female) Shepard's opportunity to 'lock in' a romantic relationship with Alenko or to rebuff his advances. If pursued, Kaidan appears at Shepard's cabin on the eve of the assault on The Illusive Man's headquarters and the two can consummate their relationship (though triggerable dialogue between Kaidan and Shepard in the Starboard Observation Louge suggests that they've spent the night together at least once already). Alternatively, Shepard can turn him down to avoid "distraction," presumably terminating the romantic relationship.
During the final battle for Earth, Kaidan appears again at the forward operating base in London, having re-connected with his biotic special operations unit. If he and Shepard have pursued a romantic relationship, their 'farewell' turns affectionate one last time; they kiss, Alenko states his desire to hold Shepard again and Shepard says Kaidan had "better be there when I come back." Shortly thereafter the final 'push' to the Citadel begins and the two are separated.
Following Shepard's final decision and the completion of the campaign, Kaidan may be seen stepping off of a crashed Normandy on an unknown world following the catastrophic disruption of the mass relay network.
Kaidan Alenko is voiced by Raphael Sbarge, also known for his role in BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords as Carth Onasi.
Garrus Vakarian[]
Garrus Vakarian is a male turian and an officer in the Citadel Security Force (C-Sec). He has never liked or trusted Saren and was investigating his activities, but wasn't able to prove any blatant acts of treason. He chafes under the red tape, rules and regulations of Citadel Security and had become unsatisfied with his role there. He believes in using any means necessary to either prevent or solve crimes, almost seemingly regardless of the consequences; this is a direct result of a case he was involved with that came to an unsatisfactory conclusion. During his investigations, Garrus came across a case in which a salarian named Doctor Saleon had sold many organs through the black market. When his employees were questioned they were found to also be Dr. Saleon's test subjects as they were growing the cloned organs inside their own bodies, in many cases resulting in traumatic physical and psychological injuries. Unfortunately, the doctor escaped C-Sec custody and fled the Citadel, and Garrus felt that it was the hesitation and regulations governing C-Sec that allowed Dr. Saleon to escape.
Before joining C-Sec, Garrus spent time in the turian military. During his service with C-Sec, targeted as a Spectre candidate, but was dissuaded against it by his father, a C-Sec officer who was strictly "by the book" out of personal fear that Garrus would end up like Saren. When given the opportunity to pursue Saren alongside Shepard - who is not bound by rules and operates outside the law - he is happy to accept. He is a turian Agent, skilled at both weapons and engineering, similar to an Infiltrator class. Depending on Shepard's advice and actions, Garrus may at one point apply for the Spectre program, with or without re-applying for C-Sec in the process.
In Mass Effect 2, after the Normandy was destroyed, Garrus Vakarian went on to pursue a life of vigilantism, making his way to Omega, a lawless space station where various criminal syndicates compete for power. Garrus earned the alias "Archangel" after sabotaging mercenary activity there, although he avoids attacking the asari Aria T'Loak, the de facto leader of Omega. (Aria helps Shepard find Garrus, although she only knows him by his "Archangel" alias) When Shepard finds him, Garrus is holed up in his base as three crime syndicates send waves of mercenaries to kill him. During the final onslaught, Garrus is badly injured by an attack from a gunship, leaving him with facial scars and damaged armor. Garrus nevertheless makes a swift recovery after joining the team.
Garrus' loyalty quest involves a search for a former turian squadmate, Lantar Sidonis, who betrayed Garrus' team during his time on Omega and caused their deaths at the hands of the crime syndicates. After finding a lead on the traitor, Shepard and Garrus locate Sidonis on the Citadel, and depending on the player's actions, Garrus will either kill Sidonis or allow him to live to endure a guilt-ridden life.
In Mass Effect 2, Garrus is a potential romantic interest for a female Shepard.
Garrus is a member of Shepard's squad for most of Mass Effect 3, provided he survived the events of the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. After defeating the Collectors, Garrus realized what little time the galaxy had before the Reapers arrived. With the Council still unwilling to listen, he went to his father on Palaven, relaying all the events beginning with the Eden Prime war, so he could convince the primarch. Eventually, Garrus gains a "Reaper task force" to improve turian defenses, which bought Palaven a limited amount of time when the Reapers invaded. If he and Tali are both alive and not pursued by Shepard in Mass Effect 2, or chooses to end the relationship, they will begin a relationship in Mass Effect 3.
Garrus Vakarian is voiced by Brandon Keener.
Urdnot Wrex[]
A famous bounty hunter and mercenary, Wrex is among the last of the krogan Battle Masters. They are rare individuals who can combine biotic abilities with advanced weaponry. Wrex quickly gained fame for his battle powers and became a leader of one of the smaller Urdnot tribes at a very young age. To date, Wrex is the youngest krogan to be granted the honor in 1,000 years. Following the krogan genophage (a salarian bioweapon which causes a genetic mutation that causes stillbirth in 99.9% of the krogan population), Wrex realized that his people had degenerated from the honor-bound people they once were and had become senselessly violent, preferring death in battle rather than saving their culture through peaceful means. Wrex turned his back on his people when his father, a krogan warlord who wanted to resume the war, betrayed and attempted to kill him. Wrex escaped, though not before taking his father's life in retaliation. During the past three centuries, Wrex has worked as a bodyguard, mercenary, soldier and a bounty hunter. One operation as a mercenary was with Saren Arterius as his employer, though Wrex immediately sensed something very troubling about the turian and left the contract without even waiting to get paid. His instincts were right: every other mercenary on the ship they were on turned up dead within a week. Despite his menacing appearance, Wrex rarely loses his temper. Likewise, Wrex doesn't voice his thoughts very often. But when he does, people are more than willing to listen. The mere threat of his anger is enough to ensure that.[7]
Late in the game, at the planet Virmire, Wrex learns that Saren is developing a cure for the krogan genophage to create an army of krogan soldiers. Uncertain as to whom he should listen now, Wrex has an angry confrontation with Shepard over whether or not the facility should be destroyed. Depending on the player's choices during that time, Wrex can be killed by either Shepard or Ashley, or he may survive.
Wrex returns in Mass Effect 2, provided he lived through the first game.[8] If Wrex survived, he is encountered on the krogan homeworld, Tuchanka, where he has united the various krogan clans under Clan Urdnot to strengthen his ailing race in the face of the genophage.[9] He has introduced many modernizing reforms to krogan society, but faces fierce opposition against more traditionalist clans. Should Wrex have been killed in the previous game by either Ashley or Shepard, the player will be sourly greeted by Wrex's brother, Wreav.
Wrex returns in Mass Effect 3, provided he survived the events of Mass Effect, and has become the de facto leader of the krogan. During a war summit between the Salarian Dalatrass Linron and the Turian Primarch Victus, Wrex demands a cure for the genophage. In return, he would deploy krogan troops to Palaven. Using leaked information, Wrex forces the Dalatrass to release a fertile female krogan who is immune to the genophage.
If Shepard sabotages the genophage cure, on the next visit to the Citadel after Rannoch, Wrex reveals that he has obtained a copy of the "sabotage the cure" conversation between Shepard and the salarian Dalatrass. He will either be killed by Shepard or C-Sec officers.
If Shepard remains committed to curing the genophage, Shepard will warn both Wrex and the female krogan "Eve" about the sabotaged Shroud on Tuchanka. Both would be eternally grateful for Shepard's actions after Mordin's sacrifice. Wrex is later seen near the final battle in London rallying his troops.
Wrex is voiced by Steven Barr.
Tali'Zorah[]
A 24-year-old female quarian party member, Tali'Zorah (nar Rayya) is introduced as a person who possesses information that can implicate Saren in the destruction of the human colony of Eden Prime. Saren himself sends assassins after her, and once Shepard rescues her, she is able to join the party if the player chooses. Tali is on a "Pilgrimage," which is a quarian coming-of-age rite in which a young quarian leaves the home fleet and finds something valuable, which is brought back to the fleet to prove their willingness to contribute to the community. She has some trouble adjusting to the quiet atmosphere of the Normandy because the ships she lived on at her home were all rather loud and clunky, and silence usually meant an air filter or some other important component had broken. Later on in the game, it is revealed that her father serves on the fleet Admiralty board making him a prominent figure amongst the quarians. This puts Tali under more pressure than most to ensure that she finds something important during her pilgrimage. Later in the game, either on Feros or in the main geth base in the Armstrong Nebula (in an optional side quest), Shepard can find information on the geth that can be given to Tali so she can complete her Pilgrimage.
In Mass Effect 2, having completed her Pilgrimage, Tali'Zorah is considered an adult in quarian society, earning the name (vas Neema) designation. She is first encountered by Shepard on the human colony Freedom's Progress, which had been attacked by the Collectors prior to their arrival. Tali and her small group are trying to retrieve a quarian present in the colony who had not been abducted during the Collector attack, but the terrified quarian had reprogrammed the colony's security mechs to attack any intruders. Shepard helps neutralize the mechs and recover the quarian survivor, named Veetor. Shepard can choose to turn Veetor over to Tali for medical treatment or over to Cerberus for interrogation. Either way, however, Tali does not accompany Shepard at this point in the storyline. Tali then goes on a mission with a small team for the quarian Admiralty Board to the planet Haestrom, deep in geth space, to study Haestrom's star. The study group is detected and attacked by geth, and most of the quarian team is wiped out (one of the quarian Marines, Kal'Reegar, may survive, depending on the player's actions). She joins Shepard once Shepard rescues her from the assaulting geth force.
Tali's loyalty quest involves her being tried for treason. Shepard and Tali travel to the quarian Migrant Fleet flotilla, where Tali identifies herself as (Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya) and it is revealed that Tali had been working with her father to discover more about the geth, periodically shipping him pieces of disabled geth. For unknown reasons, the geth were reassembled, reactivated, and subsequently killed everyone on board the research ship Tali's father was stationed on. Once Shepard and Tali battle through said ship and recover evidence that indicates the fault lies with Tali's now-deceased father, Rael'Zorah, the team returns to the main quarian ship. The player may choose to either heed Tali's plea and deny finding evidence that would dishonor her father, or present the evidence to the quarians. If the former option is taken, Tali is exiled. If the latter option is taken, Tali remains part of the fleet but does not become loyal to Shepard, and further incites a political firestorm among the Admiralty Board. However, depending on Shepard's Paragon or Renegade score, the outcome of the trial may be influenced dramatically. As a Paragon, Shepard speaks eloquently about the role Tali played in the first game and how she illustrated to the galaxy the worth of the quarian people; as a Renegade, Shepard accuses the tribunal of not caring about Tali's fate and instead keeping its own agenda about their war with the geth in mind. Additionally, if certain tasks (turning Veetor over to Tali on Freedom's Progress and saving Kal'Reegar on Haestrom) are completed prior to the trial, a third option of inciting the crowd to support Tali becomes available. Taking any of these three paths prevents the exile of Tali while still maintaining the honor of her father. Regardless of the player's actions, the trial results in Tali staying with Shepard, whether by choice or exile, and thus gives her the (vas Normandy) designation permanently.
In Mass Effect 2, Tali is a potential romantic interest for male Shepard.
Tali'Zorah returns as a permanent squad member in Mass Effect 3, provided she survived the events of the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. If she was exonerated, Tali will take her father's place on the Admiralty Board; if she was exiled, she will lend her aid in secret. However, Tali may or not leave the party, depending on Shepard's stance toward the geth. If Shepard allows Legion/Geth VI to upload the Reaper program to empower its race, the quarian Migrant Fleet is decimated by the geth for good and Tali commits suicide by removing her mask and throwing herself from a cliff; otherwise, the geth are vanquished by the quarians who finally retake their home planet and agrees to aid Shepard's war effort against the Reapers, with Tali staying in the squad for the rest of the game. Alternatively, if certain conditions in both Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 are met before the upload, Shepard can broker a ceasefire between the quarians and geth, allowing Tali's people to resettle on their homeworld with the help of the geth and both factions join the galactic coalition, and with Tali'Zorah gaining the name (vas Rannoch) designation. If she and Garrus are both alive and not pursued by Shepard in Mass Effect 2, or chooses to end the relationship in Mass Effect 3, they will begin a relationship.
Tali is voiced by Ash Sroka (originally credited as Liz Sroka).
Miranda Lawson[]
Miranda Lawson is a Cerberus officer and appears in Mass Effect 2 as a Normandy crew member who is also Shepard's second-in-command. She also had an appearance in Mass Effect Galaxy. In Galaxy, Miranda communicates with Jacob Taylor as a hologram, and is his main source of information on how to stop the batarian threat. In Mass Effect 2, Lawson is revealed to be a high ranking operative of the pro-human organization Cerberus, and has been genetically altered for superior intelligence and physical traits. She is shown to be a capable leader, exemplified with her being one of the few members of the squad who can successfully lead a fireteam in the final mission without anyone dying, despite feeling she doesn't command respect like Shepard does. Lawson is leader of Cerberus' Lazarus Cell, tasked with reviving Commander Shepard. Aboard the Normandy, she is Shepard's second-in-command and Executive Officer, and files mission reports directly to the Illusive Man.
Lawson was the artificially created daughter of Henry Lawson, a rich and powerful businessman from Earth. Rather than give her a human mother to randomize her genetic code, Henry took his own DNA and doubled his X chromosome, hoping to create a dynasty. Unhappy with his attempts to exert control over her life, Miranda joined Cerberus and secretly sent her sister into hiding to protect her from their father. Provided the player completes a mission to prevent her sister's abduction, she ultimately becomes loyal to Shepard. In one of the story's possible endings, she proves her loyalty when the Illusive Man gives her an order to prevent Shepard from destroying the Collectors' Space Station by refusing and announcing her resignation before ending the communication abruptly.
Lawson is a possible romance option for a male Shepard.[10]
Miranda Lawson will make an appearance in Mass Effect 3 if she survives the events of the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. After defeating the Collectors, she left Cerberus. Shepard meets Miranda on the Citadel, where she expresses her concerns that Oriana was found by her father. If she was not warned about a Cerberus attack, she will be killed by Assault Troopers under orders from the Illusive Man.
She is later encountered on Horizon after the events at Thessia. Shepard finds out that Oriana is being held by her father in a Cerberus facility disguised as a shelter. Miranda, Shepard, and Henry come face to face, and Shepard can either defuse the situation diplomatically or shoot Henry. If Shepard allows the elder Lawson to leave, Miranda will attack him, but dies from injuries sustained by Kai Leng. If Shepard secured Miranda's loyalty in Mass Effect 2, gave her ample warning about Kai Leng, granted her access to Alliance resources, and used the Persuasion options on Henry, Miranda survives and assists in the war effort.
Miranda is voiced by and modeled after actress Yvonne Strahovski.
Jacob Taylor[]
Jacob Taylor is the protagonist of Mass Effect Galaxy, and is the first party member of Mass Effect 2. In Galaxy, he is a former Systems Alliance soldier who is re-recruited to investigate the batarians and discover why they have sent Jath'Amon, who claims to be an ambassador seeking peace with the Citadel Council. With the help of "Alliance" (actually, a pro-human terrorist group Cerberus) informant Miranda Lawson, he uncovers and thwarts Jath'Amon's scheme to assassinate the Council.
During Mass Effect 2, Jacob has become a full member of Cerberus and is Miranda's lieutenant. He joined Cerberus after seeing the Alliance sweep his exploits during Galaxy under the rug. Taylor is highly respectful of Shepard due to their shared background in the military. Thirteen years before, he had cut ties with his father, who was the XO (Executive Officer) of a lost spaceship, the Hugo Gernsback. Taylor joins Shepard early on in the game on the Cerberus space station where Shepard first awakens after his/her revival.
Taylor's loyalty quest involves a search for his missing father after a distress beacon activates. His father's ship, the Hugo Gernsback, had crashed ten years ago, but the beacon was only sent out just recently. Shepard and Taylor journey to the crash site and find the survivors of the crash deranged from toxic food harvested from the planet's environment. Taylor locates his father and realizes horrible truths regarding his father's abuse of power. Shepard and Taylor may either call the Alliance to send aid to the survivors and arrest Taylor's father for his crimes against his men, leave him unarmed to be killed by those he hurt, or leave him with a pistol with little ammunition so that he'll take his own life.
Jacob is a romantic option for a female Shepard.
Jacob Taylor will make an appearance in Mass Effect 3 provided that he survived the events of Mass Effect 2. After defeating the Collectors, he became disillusioned with Cerberus and left the organization. Jacob turned down a formal reinstatement into the Alliance marine corps, feeling that his past with Cerberus disqualified him from their company. Instead, he became a consultant, advising the Alliance on Cerberus tactics and defenses, as well as participating in missions that target the Illusive Man's holdings.
Later, after the Cerberus coup on the Citadel, Jacob is encountered with a group of defecting Cerberus scientists, including Brynn Cole, who he began a relationship with and is about to bear his child, at a secret location. However, Cerberus discovers the location of the scientists and attacks the base. He declines Shepard's invitation to return to the Normandy, preferring to stay and protect the scientists and their families. After a successful evacuation, Jacob and the scientists assist in the war effort. If a female Shepard romanced him previously, it will not continue.
Jacob is voiced by Adam Lazarre-White.
Thane Krios[]
Thane is a 39-year-old drell assassin who is dying of a disease known as Kepral's Syndrome, exclusive to drell. He is encountered on the asari-dominated world of Ilium. Raised on the hanar homeworld after the hanar saved the drell from extinction, Krios was trained as an assassin from the age of 6, making his first assassination at age 12. He met his wife during an assassination mission when she stepped in front of Thane's target in order to stop him. Thane's wife was murdered many years ago by mercenaries attempting to capture him. This event caused him to abandon his young son, Kolyat, a decision that still haunts him.
In the mission to gain Thane's loyalty, Shepard and team must travel to the Citadel to stop Kolyat from following in his father's footsteps and taking up the career of assassination. Kolyat's contracted target is a racist turian politician who extorts human rackets while promising to reduce crime in the Citadel Wards. Shepard will stop Kolyat from performing the assassination if the mission of successful (and may even kill the target personally if Shepard is Renegade). Thane then talks to his son and makes things right with him. If the mission is completed, Thane will become a loyal member of Shepard's team.
Thane Krios is a possible romantic interest for a female Shepard in Mass Effect 2. He tells Shepard that he has not talked of his past to anyone until he met her, and that she is "very kind." If the player pursues the relationship further, Thane will admit his feelings for Shepard and call her "siha", one of the angels in Drell religion. Before the suicide mission, Thane will go up to Shepard's cabin and tell her that before he was diagnosed with his disease, he had no fear of death. But now that he has met Shepard, he is afraid of death and does not want to die. Thane begins to shed tears, but Shepard comforts him, and the two spend the night together.
Thane returns Mass Effect 3 provided he survived the events of Mass Effect 2. Thane appears in the Hospital on the Citadel, and tells Shepard he is now in the terminal stages of his illness and cannot join Shepard in the fight against the Reapers. Later on in the game Cerberus attacks the Citadel and Thane (if he was interacted with beforehand, otherwise Major Kirrahe will fill his role) assists Shepard in thwarting an assassination attempt on the salarian Councilor and is stabbed by assassin Kai Leng whom escapes. If neither Thane nor Kirrahe are alive, Leng will be successful in his assassination.
After the remaining Cerberus forces have been routed, Shepard visits Thane in the hospital where doctors tell Shepard that due to his blood loss and his illness is in the final stages, there is nothing they can do but make him comfortable as he dies. If Thane reconciled with Kolyat in Mass Effect 2, he will be present by his father's deathbed, and Thane asks him and Shepard to recite a prayer. As Kolyat and Shepard recite the prayer, Thane passes away. Shepard tells Thane that s/he hopes the prayer helped him find peace. Kolyat replies that Thane wasn't praying for himself, but for Shepard. Regardless of whether he stopped the assassination on the councilor or was not talked to before the attack, Thane's name added to the memorial wall in the Normandy, alongside other crew members who have fallen.
Thane is voiced by Keythe Farley.
Grunt[]
Grunt is a tank-bred krogan that can be recruited as a party member.
Initially, Shepard is meant to recruit Okeer, a krogan warlord and radical scientist who has been developing a small army of krogan to weather the Genophage. When Shepard arrives to recruit him, Okeer is working for the Blue Suns mercenary group: they provide the funding for his genetic research, and in exchange he gives them his "reject" krogan as soldiers or live ammo subjects. In the process of doing so, however, he became increasingly obsessed with creating the "perfect" krogan. By the time Shepard and crew blast through the Blue Suns' defenses, their leader decides to pull the plug on the project and gases Okeer's lab. Though Shepard and crew defeat the Blue Suns leader, it is too late to save Okeer, who leaves Shepard with a tank containing his "legacy", his "perfect krogan". If and when Shepard decides to awaken him, the krogan recalls Okeer's last words and chooses one of them, "Grunt", as his name. While initially hostile towards Shepard, he can be persuaded or intimidated into working for Shepard.
In the mission to gain Grunt's loyalty, Shepard must travel to the post-apocalyptic krogan homeworld, Tuchanka. Shepard and the team arrive in the Urdnot clan's bunker; here it is revealed that Grunt is coming of age and must perform a ceremonial rite to gain admission to a clan. As a member of Shepard's crew, Grunt selects Shepard as his krantt—a krogan's loyal brother-at-arms. During the ritual, Shepard's squad must survive attacks by varren and ultimately survive a Thresher Maw on foot. Defeating it will earn the "Big Game Hunter" medal and earn renown for the team: they are the first to defeat the Maw since Urdnot Wrex. After surviving or defeating the thresher maw, Grunt is inducted into Clan Urdnot. Instead of staying on Tuchanka, Grunt continues to serve under Commander Shepard, whom he names as his battlemaster.[11]
Grunt makes an appearance in Mass Effect 3 if he survives the events of the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. He appears leading "Aralakh Company", an elite squad of Krogan troops culled from the very best of all of the clans. He accompanies (not playable) Shepard's squad on a short series of missions that result in the finding of either the Rachni Queen from Noveria, provided she survived the events of Mass Effect, or an artificial Rachni Queen. If the Rachni Queen was saved, Grunt personally holds off several Ravagers to cover Shepard's escape. If he wasn't loyal in Mass Effect 2, he will be killed; if he was, he survives and contributes to the war effort. Grunt doesn't join the Normandy crew, but will be encountered again shortly before the penultimate battle in Reaper-ravaged London on Earth.
Grunt is voiced by Steve Blum.
Mordin Solus[]
A brilliant salarian scientist, yet also a competent soldier due to his membership in the salarian Special Tasks Group earlier in his life, Mordin Solus is found on Omega and possesses a hyperactive and eccentric personality as well as a rapid and stilted manner of speaking. He is often considered by many to be a "mad scientist" with questionable ethics—he was a key member in the team that researched the remodification of the krogan genophage, an action that he feels guilty about but considers the best possible solution to a once growing problem. Mordin believes in acting in the best interests of the galaxy; his scientific work is governed by strong moral standards and unquestionable respect for all forms of life. Acquiring Solus will open up the research laboratory on the Normandy, where Shepard may unlock and research upgrades for both the squad and the Normandy.
Solus' loyalty quest involves Maelon Heplorn, a former assistant and student who has apparently been kidnapped by Blood Pack mercenaries. Shepard and Solus head to Tuchanka, where they battle through the hospital-bunker of an opposing clan of the Urdnot Clan. The team learns that Solus' student had not been kidnapped at all and had been willingly researching a cure for the krogan genophage. Depending on the player's choices, Mordin may or may not kill his former student, and may either destroy the genophage cure data or keep the data for later use when necessary.
If Shepard proceeds with a romantic relationship with a crew member, Mordin will offer advice to ensure that Shepard and the crew member have a safe and pleasurable experience. However, Mordin himself is not a romantic option, though if Shepard speaks to him several times with no love interest chosen, Mordin will misinterpret Shepard's friendliness and politely decline. If prompted, he will also note that he has an interest in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan and will sing an altered version of the Major-General's song from The Pirates of Penzance.
Mordin Solus returns in Mass Effect 3, providing he survived the suicide mission in the previous game. After defeating the Collectors, Mordin returned to STG as a special consultant, whilst also working as an inside source for Clan Urdnot. If Maelon's research data was saved, he uses it to aid in the treatment of the surviving female krogan codenamed Eve, the only survivor of his student's experiments. He is encountered on the salarian homeworld, Sur'Kesh, when Shepard is sent there to aid in the evacuation of the female.
If players choose to go through with the cure, Shepard warns Mordin that the Shroud (a construct the salarians created to help cleanse Tuchanka's atmosphere) they plan to use to disperse the cure was tampered with by the salarians years ago and is now suffering from terrible damage due to the Reaper attack. Mordin volunteers to go to the top of the Shroud to fix the sabotaged systems knowing he wouldn't be coming back. Shortly after fixing the system and dispersing the genophage cure, Mordin is killed by an explosion in the Shroud control room. If players choose to hide the information about the sabotage, they have the option of warning Mordin about it, or preventing him from dispersing the cure. If the latter is chosen, Mordin will choose to cure the genophage; a Renegade interrupt may be taken to kill him. Regardless of whether the genophage was cured or not, Mordin's name is added to the memorial on the third floor of the Normandy of all the crew members who've died. Alternatively, if Urdnot Wreav leads the krogan, and Eve died from complications due to the lack of Maelon's data, Mordin can be convinced that curing the genophage will repeat the Krogan Rebellions. If the player passes this check, Mordin will agree to fake his own death and lend his support to the Crucible project.
If Mordin died in Mass Effect 2, his role is replaced by Padok Wiks.
Mordin is voiced by Michael Beattie in Mass Effect 2, and voiced by William Salyers in Mass Effect 3.
Samara[]
A nearly thousand year old Asari Justicar, Samara is highly skilled in her use of biotics. A member of a highly respected and feared monastic order, Samara has forsworn all possessions and family to fight for absolute justice. She is on a quest to track down her elusive daughter, who has been killing innocents for hundreds of years by burning out their nervous systems during sexual encounters. Shepard meets Samara on Illium, where she is found investigating the Eclipse mercenary group who smuggled her daughter off-world. After Shepard aids in said investigation, Samara joins him/her.
Samara's loyalty quest involves her daughter, Morinth, who is an Ardat-Yakshi, an asari afflicted with a genetic condition that makes them aggressive sexual predators and voracious killers. Morinth may be found on Omega, in the V.I.P. section of the Afterlife. Samara and Shepard formulate a plan in which Shepard attracts the attention of Morinth and is taken to her apartment, where Shepard is to distract Morinth until Samara moves in for the kill. Depending on the player's actions, either Samara or Morinth will be killed, and the survivor will stay with the team and be loyal to Shepard.
Samara returns in a small role in Mass Effect 3, providing she survived the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. Shepard encounters her while investigating the disappearance of asari commandos at a monastery home to Ardat-Yakshi. Shepard discovers that the monastery is under attack by Reapers, who are turning the asari into husk-like monsters called Banshees. Shepard encounters Samara while investigating the monastery; she reveals that she is looking for her other two daughters in hopes of finding out what happened. Shepard and Samara manage to locate her daughters, and discovers one has been wounded and is under the influence of Reaper indoctrination. Shepard activates a bomb the asari commandos brought and manages to escape with Samara and her surviving daughter. Her wounded daughter manages to break free of Reaper control and holds the Reaper forces off long enough to trigger the bomb sacrificing herself. Once outside, Samara tells her daughter that the Justicar Code forbids an Ardat-Yakshi living outside the monastery and since there is no monastery she must die. However Samara cannot bring herself to kill her only remaining child, so she chooses to kill herself instead. If the player triggers the Paragon Interrupt, Shepard restrains Samara and her daughter states that she will stay behind at the monastery. Samara, grateful to Shepard, promises to assist the Commander in the war effort. If Samara killed herself, or did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2, Shepard may choose to either spare or kill her daughter.
Samara is voiced by Maggie Baird. Her face was modeled after Rana McAnear.
Morinth[]
Morinth is the biotic, fugitive daughter of Samara, the Asari Justicar. She is an Ardat-Yakshi or "Demon of the Night Winds." Ardat Yakshi are asari with a gene mutation that causes them to ravage the nervous systems of anyone with whom they mate. The process acts as a narcotic to the Ardat-Yakshi while leaving the mate dead or in a vegetative state. Samara is pursuing Morinth in order to end her reign of terror. Morinth will only join Shepard's mission if he or she chooses the Paragon/Renegade dialog options and helps Morinth trap Samara so that Morinth can execute her, disguising herself as her mother so that only Shepard knows of Samara's death. Otherwise, Samara kills Morinth. If she joins the mission, Morinth is a possible romance option for Shepard, although it results in his or her death.
Provided she survived the events of Mass Effect 2, Shepard receives an e-mail from Morinth, explaining that she slipped off the ship following the events of Arrival, as she didn't want to endanger herself or Shepard by possibly being revealed as an Ardat-Yakshi in the middle of Alliance Headquarters.
Following the events of the mission to Lessus, Liara's network intercepts a couple of (unopened) e-mails from Morinth to her sisters.
Morinth reappears in the final battle in London as a named Banshee. She behaves no differently from any other Banshee and must be killed the same way.
Morinth is voiced by Natalia Cigliuti. Her face was modeled after Rana McAnear.
Legion[]
Legion is the name given to Geth Platform 2A93, a unique geth terminal with 1,183 active geth A.I. programs forming a gestalt consciousness housed inside it. Legion belongs to the true geth (the geth fought in both games are referred to as "heretics", and do not represent the geth majority, who believe that organic life does have the right to exist). EDI gives the platform the name "Legion" based on the Gospel of Mark 5:9, wherein a man who is possessed by demons refers to himself by saying "My name is Legion, for we are many". Legion is separated from the geth at large, having been created as a stand-alone unit since Shepard's destruction of Sovereign, investigating the worlds Shepard visited — Eden Prime, Therum, Feros, Noveria, Virmire, Ilos, and a dozen uncharted worlds. Eventually, it found the Normandy SR-1's wreckage on the planet Alchera, and learned of Shepard's death. It is a skilled hacker and marksman and generally prefers long-range combat, as it is first spotted protecting Shepard's squad from attacking Husks with a sniper rifle on board a derelict Reaper. It has a certain fascination with Shepard, and previously repaired itself from damage sustained on Eden Prime with pieces of Shepard's old N7 armour from the Normandy's crash site. When Shepard asks Legion why it did this, it becomes evasive, first rationalizing with "there was a hole" and then states "no data available" when pressed on why it didn't repair itself sooner, or with something else. Unlike other geth, which contain roughly a hundred geth identities within each unit, Legion possesses over a thousand geth identities. This was done in order to grant Legion with independence from the geth network, as the usual amount of geth programs housed in a platform would amount to little more than feral behaviour without the aid of the neural network.
Legion's primary mission was to find Shepard as well as destroy a virus capable of turning all geth into heretics. In the mission to gain Legion's loyalty, Shepard must travel to a heretic station and either choose to destroy all heretic geth or to reprogram their own mind-altering virus so that the they will rejoin the true geth. After completing the mission, Legion will become loyal to Shepard and will eventually reveal that the heretics decided to help Sovereign in the original Mass Effect in order to receive a Reaper body so that all geth could upload themselves and join together into a single consciousness. The true geth believe that all life should achieve their future through their own means and that the process is as important as the results. Legion reveals that the true geth intend to do this by building a massive Dyson Sphere. After completing Tali's loyalty mission, Shepard is summoned to the A.I. Core where Tali is holding Legion at gunpoint, stating that she caught it hacking data on the Migrant Fleet from her omni-tool. Legion admits to the attempted theft, but counters by saying that it is only trying to get data about the anti-geth weaponry Tali's father was developing. If the player's Paragon/Renegade rating is high enough, Shepard can defuse the situation by convincing both Tali and Legion that the revelation of this information would only cause a war between the geth and the quarians; a war that would leave both races more vulnerable during the impending Reaper invasion. If the player chooses to side with Tali, Legion's loyalty can be won back immediately after the conclusion of this scene by convincing it that Shepard only sided with Tali in the interests of saving time. Since a logical solution like this is similar to something the geth would do, Legion will accept Shepard's explanation at face value and its loyalty will be regained.
Legion returns in Mass Effect 3 if it survived the suicide mission from the previous game. After defeating the Collectors, Legion returned to the geth consensus in the Perseus Veil and revealed its evidence on the imminent return of the Reapers, and began preparations for war. Regardless of whether the heretics were rewritten or destroyed, the quarians, in an attempt to retake Rannoch, their homeworld, attacked first. They destroyed the mega-structure, which was still under construction and had a significant number of geth programs installed. However, due to a lack of surplus hardware, not all programs could be saved. With their intelligence dimmed and survival taking precedence among the geth, they choose to make a deal with the Reapers, allowing themselves to be controlled with Reaper code to grant them greater intelligence and fighting ability, believing the cost of their free will an acceptable price to avoid extinction. Legion is then captured by the heretics, who use it to broadcast the Reaper signal to all geth from a dreadnought, even to those beyond the Veil. Shepard rescues Legion, who assists Shepard in wreaking chaos on the geth fleet by using an improved organic-machine interface from Project Overlord which allows Shepard to enter the geth collective and sever their connection to the Reapers, throwing their fleet into disarray.
Prior to attacking the geth base on Rannoch, Legion reveals that it has the Reaper code in its platform. After assisting Shepard in destroying the Reaper leading the attack on the Rannoch, Legion attempts to upload the Reaper upgrades to the geth to give them true intelligence and consciousness, but with free will. However the code is incomplete, and the only way to prevent the quarians from slaughtering the geth is for it to disperse its own code throughout the collective, effectively deactivating it. If the Commander attempts to stop the upload, Legion will attack Shepard, stating that Shepard "will not decide the fate of its people", and is destroyed by Tali/Admiral Raan. Alternatively, if certain conditions are met in both Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, Shepard and Tali convince the quarians to break off their attack after being told the geth do not seek to harm them, and that a geth sacrificed itself to give the quarians their world back. If the player passes this check, Legion, in its final moments, refers to itself as "I" and not "we", signifying that it has become a true individual rather than a gestalt intellect. Tali tells Legion that the answer to the question the geth asked centuries ago, if they had souls, was "yes". It then thanks her for her understanding, then deactivates. Regardless of how the situation between the quarians and the geth is resolved, Legion's name is engraved on the memorial wall on the Normandy.
If Legion was sold to Cerberus in Mass Effect 2, then it will appear as an enemy on Cronos Station, but does not act any differently from a Nemesis. Regardless of whether it was sold, did not survive the suicide mission, or was never activated, its role is replaced by a "Geth VI" constructed in Legion's likeness, with the non-standard elements (the N7 armor and the hole in its torso) recreated via hologram. Like Legion, it has 1,183 geth programs, but it has no memory of the events after Saren's attack on Eden Prime.
Legion is voiced by D. C. Douglas.
Zaeed Massani[]
Zaeed is a human bounty hunter that is available in downloadable content that was shipped with the game on release, holding the reputation as the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter and co-founder of the Blue Suns mercenary group.. When joining Shepard's crew, Massani mentions a mission of which he would greatly appreciate the completion, if Shepard has any free time. There is no small amount of animosity between Zaeed and the current leader of the Blue Suns, Vido Santiago, the latter having shot the former in the face during an argument about whether or not to hire batarians. Zaeed was against the plan, as he saw them as terrorists. Shepard can go with Massani to the Blue Suns' base and either quest after the death of Santiago, or rescue a group of innocents from the base.[12][13]
Zaeed Massani makes an appearance Mass Effect 3, if he survives the events of Mass Effect 2. A few months after the defeat of the Collectors, Zaeed was contacted once again by Cerberus. However, negotiations ended badly and Zaeed now seeks out jobs that hinder his former employer's operations.
After the Cerberus coup on the Citadel, C-Sec gets a tip that the volus ambassador, Din Korlack, was feeding information to the organization. Korlack, who allied with Cerberus during their campaign against the Collectors, cut ties to the organization after the coup. He was kidnapped by mercenaries led by Zaeed, and is contacted by Shepard, who gives Korlack information that causes Zaeed to realize that he was duped, turning the latter against his partners. If Zaeed was not loyal in Mass Effect 2, he will die saving Korlack; otherwise, he will survive and assist in the war effort.
Zaeed is voiced by Robin Sachs.
Kasumi Goto[]
A human character obtained through downloadable content in Mass Effect 2, Kasumi is a master thief whom Shepard recruits on the Citadel on Cerberus's behalf. However, Goto wants Shepard to help her steal back her deceased partner/lover's "graybox", a device containing his memories, some which could implicate the Alliance if it gets into Citadel's hands, from Donovan Hock, an arms dealer responsible for his death. Goto gets Shepard into Hock's party using an alias ("Solomon Gunn/Allison Gunn") in order for her to break into Hock's vault (as well as stashing weapons inside a statue of Saren given to Hock as a "gift"). After getting a voice and DNA sample from Hock as well as cutting the power, the pair successfully break into the vault, arming themselves with the weapons hidden inside the statue of Saren. Goto finds her partner's graybox amongst the vault of priceless artifacts, including the Statue of David and the Statue of Liberty's head. Hock discovers them and orders his men to attack. Goto and Shepard fight their way outside where Hock is waiting for them in his gunship. Hock is killed in the battle and the pair escape. Goto listens to her partner and boyfriend's message, telling her if she receives this message, then he is dead. He tells her to destroy the graybox, as it contains information that could implicate the Alliance if it falls into Citadel hands as well as making her a target. He also tells Kasumi that he loves her and that she doesn't need his "memories" as they are already inside her. Goto either spares or destroys the information based on Shepard's choice, and if it is decided it needs to be destroyed, either Shepard or a tearful Kasumi will.
Kasumi returns in Mass Effect 3, provided she survived the events of Mass Effect 2. She reappears on the Citadel, giving an anonymous tip to salarian Spectre Jondum Bau, who has been trying to catch her for years, about hanar operatives being aware of an Alliance black ops raid in batarian space. Kasumi helps Shepard and Bau track down the hanar responsible, who has defected to the Reapers and uploaded a virus to disable Kahje's defenses. She stops the virus, but the console was booby-trapped, and appears to be killed when it explodes. If Kasumi was loyal, she reveals that the information about the raid was the dangerous secret hidden in Keiji's graybox. She also explains that the raid was carried out on batarians who have come across Reaper technology, which was why Keiji warned that it would implicate the Alliance. Furthermore, she will also reveal herself after the console's explosion, saying it was a perfect way to escape Bau's pursuit. She then agrees to lend her assistance to the Crucible project.
Kasumi is voiced by Kim Hoy.
Jack[]
The product of a Cerberus experiment to enhance human biotic ability, Jack (designated "Subject Zero" by Cerberus) carries a hostile personality that is the result of the torture and captivity she endured while she was imprisoned at a remote Cerberus outpost during her childhood. She later escaped and became involved in crime, murder, and religious cults, all in an attempt to find some meaning for the horrible treatment she was forced to endure.
Jack's loyalty quest involves her finding some closure from her past; she asks Shepard to take her to the facility where she was raised and blow it up. Shepard and Jack travel to the abandoned facility, disrupt mercenary activity there, and destroy the facility. If both Jack and Miranda's loyalty missions have been completed, a fight ensues between Jack and Miranda, which Shepard must quell. If the player has a high enough Paragon or Renegade score, he/she can stop the fight. The later in the game that the fight occurs, the more likely it can be resolved in a neutral manner. Otherwise, he/she is forced to side with either Jack or Miranda, causing the other to lose her loyalty to Shepard unless he/she later speaks with her and passes a difficult Charm/Intimidate check.
Jack is available as a romantic option for male Shepard and can be approached two ways: either a one-night stand that leaves her distrustful of Shepard, or slowly gaining her trust, revealing a more vulnerable side to her personality. She tells Shepard of a man that she once loved in the past who died, leaving her with a sort of "survivors guilt". Shepard tells Jack that he will not give up on her, something that initially confuses her but she warms up to. En route to the final mission, she comes to Shepard in his cabin, tells him she has been thinking a lot about him, and that he's right and she needs someone. Jack gives in, and shows a very vulnerable and emotional side. Tears roll down her face as a tender scene ensues, culminating with her smiling peacefully while they lie together on his bed, and she finally achieves true happiness.
Jack appears in Mass Effect 3, if she survives the events of suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. After defeating the Collectors, she was approached by the Systems Alliance and was offered a teaching position at the Jon Grissom Academy's Ascension Project to train biotic students. She accepted, though she was forced to tone down her behavior and profanity, and officially joined the staff under the alias "Jacqueline Nought". She is present during the Cerberus attack on the station, defending her students from being captured. With Shepard's help, she, Kahlee Sanders, and the students managed to escape. Shepard can then decide to have the students support the Alliance's 103rd Marine Division, or send the students to war as an artillery unit. Regardless of the player's choice, Jack herself also assists in the war effort.
If Shepard does not help Grissom Academy in time, Jack and the students are abducted by Cerberus. During the raid on Cerberus' Cronos Station headquarters, video footage of Jack being subjected to Cerberus surgery can be seen on one console, and in the room following that, one of the Phantoms is revealed after its defeat to have been Jack.
Jack is voiced by Courtenay Taylor.
EDI[]
EDI is the Normandy SR-2's artificial intelligence, represented visually by a holographic blue sphere and an aurally feminine voice. She serves as the Illusive Man's eyes and ears and the ship's electronic warfare defense. Because of the potential dangers of a rogue AI, she was given behavioral blocks and cannot access parts of the ship's systems. Her name stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence.
In Mass Effect 2, Joker is initially hostile to EDI. Resentful of an onboard AI being able to operate on "his ship", the two engage in a war of sorts, ranging from Joker greasing the cameras to EDI spinning his seat against his will. Eventually, they begin to have a grudging respect for each other. Their relationship is put to the test when the Reaper IFF disables the Normandy, forcing Joker to release EDI's programming shackles. After he does so, EDI gains full control of the Normandy, including gaining access to "anti-Reaper algorithms". She also reveals that she was designed, in part, from technology salvaged from Sovereign. Despite her full control over the Normandy, EDI remains loyal to her crew.
In Mass Effect 3, EDI's avatar is no longer present. She aids the crew in evading the Illusive Man by blocking his technicians' access to the Normandy's systems. Later, on Cronos Station, in a video log, it reveals that when Cerberus tried to reactivate the shackles, EDI overloaded the attacking servers with seven zettabytes of "explicit images" belonging to Joker. When the Normandy SR-2 is placed in Alliance possession, she pretends to be a simple virtual intelligence to hide her true nature to avoid deactivation.
On Mars, Shepard's team recovers a Cerberus synthetic, Eva Coré, to be analyzed. EDI assists in doing so, and in the process, struggled with the synthetic, but gained control of it in the process, allowing her to serve as squadmate on missions. Her relationship with Joker develops further, and, at Shepard's suggestion, may convince the two to start a romantic relationship.
As revealed in another video log in the Cerberus headquarters, EDI was created from the rogue Hannibal-class VI on Luna with the salvaged Reaper technology.
If Shepard chooses to control the Reapers or the synthesis of all organic and synthetic life, EDI will be present in the ending cutscene. If Shepard destroys all synthetic life, EDI perishes along with all other synthetics throughout the galaxy and her name is added to the Normandy's memorial wall.
EDI is voiced by Tricia Helfer.
James Vega[]
James Vega is a human Systems Alliance soldier and squad member in Mass Effect 3. Early in his career, Vega was stationed on a colony in a remote star system with a team of elite special forces soldiers. When the Collectors attacked, determined to capture the population, Vega and his soldiers were tasked with protecting the civilians.
James Vega was tasked to escort Shepard to an Alliance defence committee hearing, but the hearing is interrupted when the Reapers attack Earth. Vega and Ashley/Kaidan (depending on who survived Virmire) retrieve the Normandy and pick Shepard up from Earth; Anderson convinces Shepard to leave Earth until Shepard can gather allies from the other races. Vega, however, is displeased with this decision and does not wish to leave Earth; unfortunately for him, Shepard overrules him since with their current resources they cannot realistically drive the Reapers away from the Earth at the time. Vega is still displeased but lets the matter drop in favor of professionalism.
The first time Shepard visits James Vega in the Shuttle Bay after returning to the Normandy from the Citadel, Vega and Shepard will eventually get into a sparring match, during which Vega reveals that his old CO, Captain Toni, a "hard-assed son of a bitch" but a "good leader" in Vega's words, was killed along with most of Vega's squad while the squad was protecting a civilian colony from a Collector attack. The leadership vacuum left by Captain Toni falling in battle was left to Vega himself, and Vega had to make a choice between saving the colony or saving the intel the squad had recovered that could be used to destroy the Collectors. Vega chose to save the intel, but found out far too late that his choice was rendered completely unnecessary since Shepard managed to destroy the Collector threat without the intel Vega saved, which meant that Vega allowed the colony to die for nothing. In the present during the sparring match, Shepard expresses worry that Vega is blaming himself unnecessarily for what happened to the colony, and Shepard believes, based on Vega's reckless stunt with the shuttle back on Mars, that because of his guilt Vega has ceased to care whether he lives or dies. Shepard advises Vega that he needs to get past that past incident and stay focused.
After Shepard invites Vega to captain's cabin using the intercom, Vega will explain that he has been approached with an offer from the Systems Alliance to undergo N7 training. However, Vega is unsure whether or not to accept the offer since N7 training is a lot of work, and Vega humbly wonders why he was even approached, given his past failure, hence the private conversation. Shepard can either encourage Vega to go for it without hesitation or tell him that such a decision should not be taken lightly.
Either way, however, eventually Shepard can meet Vega in the refugee camp getting something tattooed on his shirtless back. Upon being queried, Vega explains that he eventually decided to accept N7 training after all, and is getting a tattoo on his back to celebrate the occasion. Shepard can either congratulate him or admonish him not to take N7 training lightly since it's a lot of work; then, Shepard will ask Vega if he can return to duty given the tattoo. Vega responds that it's true that he's not looking forward to putting his armor back on after getting a tattoo on his back but the pain will not prevent him from being part of Shepard's squad.
Vega is set to be the main focus of the Mass Effect anime movie, Mass Effect: Paragon Lost.[14]
He is voiced by actor Freddie Prinze, Jr. in Mass Effect 3. It was announced on the films Facebook page that Freddie Prinze, Jr. would be reprising his role in the film.[15]
Javik[]
Javik is the sole survivor of the Prothean race. He commanded a strong and loyal crew until they were indoctrinated and turned on him. Eventually, Javik tracked down his crew and slit their throats, watching them bleed to death to be certain. Like Zaeed and Kasumi, Javik is only available through downloadable content.
In Prothean society, there were many "avatars" who embodied a virtue for the society. He is one of those avatars, and his virtue is vengeance. Supposedly, Javik was to be the leader of hundreds of thousands of strong warriors to survive the cull via stasis in underground bunkers on Eden Prime. His mission was simple: outlast the invasion in stasis, and once he was awoken, lead the other warriors in a campaign to reclaim the galaxy. Unfortunately, indoctrinated traitors in their ranks fouled that plan - in the end, only he survived, the supervising VI Victory allowing his stasis pod to have priority in power distribution.
50,000 years later, during 2186 CE, Javik's pod was uncovered and opened by Commander Shepard and Liara T'Soni, who were investigating Cerberus activity on Eden Prime. Javik reacted with shock that everything he knew was gone. He agreed to join Shepard in destroying the Reapers, vowing he will not rest until the last Reaper is dead. However, Javik did not hide his surprise that "primitive" races the Protheans once studied were now the dominant galactic power, nor could he provide insight into the Prothean device dubbed Crucible and the final piece called the Catalyst.
If brought to Thessia during the Reaper attack, Javik will reveal to Liara that the Protheans were involved in the early asari's development, such as deflecting asteroid strikes from the oravores (which the asari attribute to the goddess Athame defending Thessia from the jealous gods) and their natural ability to use biotics. Aboard the Normandy, Liara confronts Javik in his quarters over this realization and will attempt to attack him. Shepard can intervene or let Liara walk away. If the former is chosen, then the two will slowly begin to respect each other.
Later, Javik can be persuaded to touch his memory shard, which starts off mildly but then quickly takes him back to traumatic events. Afterwards, he talks about how he commanded a crew like Shepard does and their subsequent indoctrination.
In London, if he does touch the memory shard, he will tell Shepard that if he survives, he plans to return to the place where his comrades died so that he may take his own life and join them. If he doesn't, he says that because his life has been nothing but war he will look forward to what peace would be like, and mentions co-authoring a book on the Protheans with Liara, seeing as how with the Reapers gone he would out of a job. If he didn't touch the shard, and the confrontation between Liara and Javik was not resolved, he plans to live amongst the hanar as a king.
Javik is voiced by Ike Amadi.
Recurring Normandy crewmen[]
Jeff "Joker" Moreau[]
Joker is the pilot of the Normandy. He suffers from Vrolik Syndrome, which makes it difficult for him to walk, and thus he usually remains in the pilot's seat. During the years between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, he is recruited by Cerberus to fly their revamped Normandy SR-2, having been grounded by the Systems Alliance in the aftermath of the loss of the SSV Normandy. Joker is quickly irritated by the onboard computer, EDI. When Shepard and his/her team leave the ship so the Reaper IFF can be installed, the Collectors attack the Normandy; Joker and EDI are forced to team up to turn on the ship's defenses and repel the attackers, making Joker the only character who is playable besides Shepard. If the player's actions caused Shepard to die, Joker confronts the Illusive Man at the end of the game. In Mass Effect 3, he returns as the pilot, and Shepard can convince him and EDI to begin a relationship.
Joker is voiced by Seth Green.
Karin Chakwas[]
Dr. Karin Chakwas is the human doctor of the SSV Normandy. She enlisted in the Alliance soon after she graduated from medical school, seeking "exotic adventure", though she quickly realized that military life was not as romantic as she had imagined it to be. However, she stayed with the Alliance in order to do her duty and serve humanity. Though she sometimes considers starting her own private practice, or going to work at a medical center on one of the colonies, she feels that "there is something special about working on soldiers", and believes she would be abandoning them if she did not stay. Like most Alliance doctors, she has taken courses in alien biology, enabling her to treat the non-human crew members, particularly Liara and Garrus. Commander Shepard can replenish the squad's medi-gel stocks from the infirmary where she is usually working.
Dr. Chakwas returns in Mass Effect 2. She was present aboard the Normandy SR-1 when it was destroyed by the Collectors, and managed to evacuate via the escape pods. After Shepard's death, Chakwas was posted at the Mars Naval Medical Center; however, missing the comfort of a starship, she accepts Cerberus' offer to join Shepard in their fight against the Collectors, getting a position on the Normandy SR-2 as the ship's Chief Medical Officer.
Later in the game, Chakwas and the rest of the Normandy crew, save Joker, are kidnapped by the Collectors. If Shepard and the team proceed through the Omega 4 relay immediately after the abduction, she will be found alive with the rest of the crew. However, the longer Shepard delays, the fewer crew members are alive, eventually leaving Chakwas as the only survivor. Depending on how long Shepard took to reach the Collector base, she will be either grateful or angry depending on how many crew members died. Shepard may then choose to send a squadmate back with the crew. If the squadmate was loyal, there will be no casualties; otherwise, if Chakwas and any survivors are sent back without any escort, they will die.
Chakwas returns in Mass Effect 3, provided she survived the suicide mission. When the Normandy SR-2 was impounded by the Alliance, they had no idea what to do with her, as she was never officially part of Cerberus and she had a proper leave of absence from her previous job. While she mentions that she technically hasn't done anything wrong by joining Shepard to defeat the Collectors, she mentions the possibility of being tried as an accessory if Shepard were convicted as a war criminal. She is found at the Huerta Memorial Hospital on the Citadel, where she may be recruited back to the Normandy, or be convinced to stay at the Citadel and assist in the war effort. Dr. Chloe Michel can then be recruited in her place.
Doctor Chakwas is voiced by Carolyn Seymour.
Greg Adams[]
Lieutenant Gregory Adams is a human Earth Systems Alliance engineer in the 22nd century. He was hand-picked by Captain David Anderson to serve as the Chief Engineer of the SSV Normandy. Engineer Adams has served on every class of Alliance starships. Prior to being assigned to the Normandy, Adams served on the SSV Tokyo, which he describes as a "good ship" but added that the SSV Tokyo "couldn't hold a candle to the Normandy". Adams becomes very enthusiastic while discussing about the Normandy, claiming she is the best ship he has ever served on. Adams will provide Commander Shepard with some background on the ship's IES stealth system and engines.
Adams returns in Mass Effect 3. He is usually found in the Normandy SR-2's engineering deck. Later, he mentions that when Dr. Chakwas received the offer from Cerberus to assist in fighting the Collectors, she invited him to accompany her on the Normandy, but Adams declined, saying that the Alliance came first. He apologizes to Shepard about this in their first meeting.
Engineer Adams is voiced by Roger Jackson.
Kelly Chambers[]
Dr. Kelly Chambers is Shepard's Yeoman on the Normandy SR-2. Her primary job on the Normandy is to keep Commander Shepard abreast of new e-mails and pass on meeting requests from Shepard's squad mates. In addition, Kelly provides counselor support and monitors the psychological state of Shepard and the crew, offering input on mission outcomes and impressions on Shepard's team. Her abilities as a counselor and her impressions are influenced by her education where Kelly graduated with a psychology degree. In the Cerberus organization, she is identified as a member of the Lazarus Cell.
If Shepard asks her about Cerberus' notorious reputation, Kelly refutes the notion that she or the organization is anti-alien. While she does believe in the importance of Cerberus' agenda to benefit humankind, Kelly doesn't believe that it means they hate other species by default. Throughout her time on the Normandy SR-2, Kelly regards aliens with the same respect and compassion she feels for her fellow mankind, evidenced by her repeated displays of concern over Shepard's non-human companions.
Kelly is a potential romance option for a male or female Shepard, but pursuing her does not unlock the Paramour achievement.
Later, when the Normandy crew is abducted by the Collectors, and Shepard immediately goes through the Omega 4 relay, Kelly and the rest of the crew will be found alive. If Shepard delays, she will be dissolved into the raw genetic paste used to create the Human-Reaper.
Kelly Chambers returns in Mass Effect 3, provided she survived the suicide mission and Shepard invited her for dinner in Mass Effect 2. She is found at the Citadel's refugee camp, having deserted Cerberus after observing methods that go against her conscience. She is enthusiastic to see Shepard again after worrying about the Commander since the Reaper invasion. If asked to come back to the Normandy, she declines, due to the recurring nightmares of her abduction by the Collectors, preferring to stay and help the refugees. Shepard can then tell her to change her identity to avoid detection by Cerberus.
Later, Kelly apologizes while confessing to Shepard that she had been secretly sending reports to the Illusive Man during her time as the Normandy's Yeoman. If Shepard yells at her for this, she cries and ingests cyanide pills in her depression. Otherwise, Shepard assures her and tells her not to worry about it.
If Kelly was told to change her identity before the Cerberus attack on the Citadel, she thanks Shepard and mentions how close she was to being executed. After this meeting, she sends Shepard and e-mail revealing that she had met with former colleagues who changed their identities, who assist in the war effort. Otherwise, she will be nowhere to be found. Conversations from the refugees or Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels (if pardoned), reveal that she was killed by Cerberus.
If Shepard pursued Kelly in Mass Effect 2, and is currently not in a relationship with someone else, she is available as a romance option in Mass Effect 3.
Kelly is voiced by Cara Pifko.
Kenneth Donnelly[]
Kenneth Donnelly is an operative of Lazarus Cell and an engineer aboard the Normandy SR-2, along with his best friend, Gabriella Daniels. Both graduated in the same class at the tech academy, and served aboard the cruiser SSV Perugia at the Battle of the Citadel. After the battle, as the Alliance discredited Shepard's account of events, Kenneth expressed his views publicly to the point of near insubordination. This public display of support attracted the attention of the Illusive Man who offered Kenneth and later his friend a position in the organization. If you speak to him and ask if he needs anything you will receive the assignment Normandy: FBA Couplings. After you complete the assignment you can go back and he will offer to play Skyllian Five poker. Unlike most of Cerberus operatives on board the Normandy, both Kenneth and his friend Gabriella seem vastly ignorant of the "terrorist" operations that the organization engages in. If Shepard asks about why Kenneth joined Cerberus, he replies that he joined to "kick the Collectors right in the daddy-bags". This is starkly different from a Cerberus crew member such as Miranda, who believes strongly in Cerberus’ goals and methods.
Providing he survived the events of Mass Effect 2, Donnelly is in custody at the beginning of the game, but can be freed to return to work in the Normandy's engine room using the Spectre office in the Citadel Embassies. At some point during Normandy's "downtime" prior the third game, Gabby and Ken were both approached by Cerberus, but heeding Gabriela's intuition they both refused the offer. If recruited, and providing both survived, he and Gabriella Daniels can enter a romantic relationship at Shepard's prompting (if the player sides with Gabriella in the argument). If this option is chosen, they can be later "caught" in the subdeck. If Gabriella died in Mass Effect 2 but Kenneth survived, he can still be recruited via the Spectre Terminal, which will state that he's still devastated by Gabby's death. He'll be more reserved and quiet, according to Engineer Adams.
Kenneth Donnelly is voiced by John Ullyatt.
Gabriella "Gabby" Daniels[]
Gabriella "Gabby" Daniels is a Cerberus operative in the Lazarus Cell and an engineer aboard the Normandy SR-2. Engineer Daniels works in the engine room along with her best friend, Kenneth Donnelly. They graduated from the same class at a tech academy and served aboard the SSV Perugia at the Battle of the Citadel. After the battle, Gabby insisted to Kenneth that she be included in the contract with Cerberus as she felt he would fall apart without her. Gabby loves starships engines and she couldn't pass up the opportunity to serve aboard the Normandy SR-2. She is found on the engineering deck, next to Kenneth. Gabby frequently chats with Kenneth about new ship upgrades or new crew members; after acquiring Jack, she teases Kenneth about the newest crew member who wears nothing but tattoos from the waist up, only to tell him that she is a psychopathic murderer after Kenneth intends to introduce himself to Jack. When she was asked by Shepard whether she requires anything, Gabby mentions of an upgrade that would ease her maintenance workload. Gabby is among the Normandy crew members abducted by the Collectors when they invade the Normandy, and she will die if Shepard and the squad take too long to rescue the crew.
If she survived the events of Mass Effect 2, Daniels is in custody at the beginning of the game. Shepard can free her to return to work in the Normandy's engine room by using the Spectre office in the Citadel Embassies. At some point during Normandy's "downtime" prior the third game, Gabby and Ken were both approached by Cerberus, but heeding Gabriela's intuition they both refused the offer. If recruited, and providing both survived, she and Kenneth Donnelly can enter a romantic relationship at Shepard's prompting (if the player sides with Gabriella in the argument). If this option is chosen, they can be later "caught" in the subdeck.
She is voiced by Dannah Feinglass.
Chloe Michel[]
Dr. Chloe Michel works in the Med Clinic, located in the Upper Wards of the Citadel. Her parents were medics in the Alliance military — Michel kept the medical tradition but preferred to work in a civilian capacity. Before she opened the Med Clinic, Michel worked at another practice but was fired for giving out free medical supplies. Michel sells medical upgrades and there is a medi-gel dispenser in her office.
Commander Shepard is led to the Med Clinic by Harkin to look for Garrus Vakarian only to find Michel under threat from Fist's thugs. Shepard's squad helps Garrus to rescue her and after being asked for the reason behind the attack, Michel tells them about a quarian she treated. The quarian, Tali, claimed to have data implicating Saren Arterius in the Eden Prime attack and was looking for a safe place to hide. Michel put Tali in touch with Fist. However, she is surprised to hear Fist has betrayed the Shadow Broker to work for Saren; she knows it is suicidal to double-cross the Broker. When Shepard returns to the clinic, the Commander finds Michel receiving a demand for medical supplies. Upon questioning — "every time I come in here, I see someone threatening you" — Michel explains what happened at her last job and someone is blackmailing her. If her past gets out, she could lose her licence and the clinic would be shut down. Shepard can offer to help by delivering the supplies to a merchant called Morlan down in the Markets, but a krogan shows up to collect them from Morlan, mentioning that he works for someone called Banes. Once Shepard has dealt with the krogan, the Commander can ask Michel about Banes. According to Michel, she and Armistan Banes worked together a long time ago. The last she heard, Banes was working for the Alliance on a military contract. The squad suggest asking Captain Anderson, from whom they will found out that Banes has died and the crew that found Banes' body is missing. Michel is very grateful for Shepard's help, and offers a discount on her medical goods.
If Commander Shepard was imported from Mass Effect, Dr. Michel will send a message asking about Shepard and Garrus (provided that the related assignment was completed). In 2186, Dr. Michel is still on the Citadel and is on staff at Huerta Memorial Hospital. After Shepard makes it off of Mars following the attack on Earth, she oversees the medical treatment of Ashley Williams or Kaidan Alenko. Shepard can choose either Dr. Michel or Dr. Chakwas to be the Normandy's Doctor, though Shepard will have to convince Dr. Michel to join the crew. If Garrus survived the events of the Collector attacks, Dr. Michel brings him turian chocolates, saying, "[she] saw them and thought of [Garrus]". If Shepard does not talk to Dr. Michel before Cerberus' attack on the Citadel, she will no longer be present at the hospital.
Dr. Michel is voiced by Jan Alexandra Smith.
Recurring supporting characters[]
David Anderson[]
David Anderson
David Anderson is the protagonist of the novel Mass Effect: Revelation and mentor of the player character Commander Shepard in Mass Effect.
In the novel, David Anderson is depicted as a young lieutenant who discovered the massacre at the research station on Sidon and led the ensuing investigation into those responsible for it. Lt. Anderson is considered one of the Alliance's 'elites', having been trained in the N7 Marine program, graduating from the Arcturus Academy, as well as serving with honor in the First Contact War between the turians and the Alliance. Before he began his investigation of the massacre at Sidon, Anderson served as the Executive Officer of the SSV Hastings. During the investigation, Anderson fell in love with key witness/prime suspect Kahlee Sanders. However, they mutually agreed not to continue a romance after the investigation, in part because she was assigned to a classified scientific project, and also that their careers made marriage impossible. Anderson was capable and had been considered a suitable candidate to represent humanity in the Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance (Spectre) of the Citadel. However, Saren Arterius, a turian and the antagonist of Mass Effect, blamed the failure of a mission on Anderson, effectively eliminating his chances of being selected.[16]
In Mass Effect, David Anderson is the commanding officer of Commander Shepard, the central character.[17] At first he commands the Normandy, but is quickly put into early retirement to give Shepard command of the Normandy. After that, he can be found on Citadel Station, beside the human Ambassador, Donnel Udina. When the Normandy is locked down by the Council, he unlocks it by either going to the Ambassador's office and overriding it (after punching out Udina), or sneaking into C-Sec and changing it there (and getting shot in the process). After the Geth invasion of the Citadel and both Saren and Sovereign are defeated, the player can choose him to become the human representative of the Council.
By the time of Mass Effect 2, Anderson is promoted to the rank of Admiral in the Systems Alliance Navy.[10] If he was selected as the Council representative, he retains Ambassador Udina as his advisor. While Anderson is happy to see Shepard alive, he harbors some distrust due to Shepard's alliance with Cerberus.
Anderson appears as a supporting protagonist in the novel Mass Effect: Retribution, where he has shown an increased dissatisfaction with Udina and the Council. He is reunited with Sanders, who seeks his aid in helping a Cerberus defector, Paul Grayson, who has been subjected to experiments with Reaper technology. Anderson rekindles his romance with Sanders and ultimately resigns his commission, with both feeling they need to be more proactive in finding a way to fight the Reapers. They continue in this capacity in the Mass Effect: Deception, where Anderson rejoins the Alliance. In the comic Mass Effect: Conviction, Anderson has reacquired the Normandy and is transporting Shepard to Earth. He makes one brief stopover first, to Omega, where he finds ex-soldier James Vega and recalls him to active duty.
In Mass Effect 3, Anderson is on Earth for Shepard's court-martial hearing. The trial is interrupted by a Reaper attack on Earth. Anderson becomes a temporary squadmate, helping Shepard reach the Normandy. Ultimately, he chooses to stay on Earth to help survivors of the attack, and eventually becomes the de facto leader of the Terran Resistance. Towards the end of the game he and Shepard manage to use a Reaper transport beam to board the Citadel in order to open the Citadel's arms so the Crucible can dock. They are confronted by the Illusive Man, who takes control of Shepard and forces him to shoot Anderson. After Shepard deals with the Illusive Man, the Commander opens the Citadel arms and collapses by Anderson. Anderson tells his protégé it's been a long time since he's just sat down and looked at Earth, and that he's proud of Shepard. Shortly afterwards, Anderson succumbs to his wounds and dies.
Afterwards, Anderson's name is added to the memorial wall on the Normandy, along with Shepard's, if the Synthesis and Control endings are chosen, or the Destroy ending if the player's Effective Military Strength is low.
He is voiced by Keith David.[18]
Donnel Udina[]
Donnel Udina is the current human Ambassador to the Citadel Council.
In the original Mass Effect, Commander Shepard meets Udina upon his arrival to the Citadel. Udina scolds the Commander for his evident failure on Eden Prime. Throughout the game Udina is depicted as more antagonistic than anything towards Shepard, but Anderson assures him that Udina is just doing what he feels is best for humanity. He appeals Shepard's case towards Saren to the Council, and after Saren is found guilty and the Commander is made a spectre, gives Shepard command of the Normandy. When the Normandy is later locked down by the Council and Udina refuses to help, Anderson may knock him unconscious and use his computer to release the ship. After the Geth invasion of the Citadel and both Saren and Sovereign are defeated, the player can choose either Udina or Anderson to become the human representative on the Council.
In Mass Effect 2, Udina may be the human Councilor or Anderson's advisor if Anderson was chosen. He is surprised to see Shepard alive after the Commander was presumed KIA 2 years earlier and acts just as hostily towards him as before. Depending on whether the original Council was saved, Udina may or may not reinstate Shepard's Spectre status.
In Mass Effect 3, Udina is the human Councilor, regardless of who is chosen at the end of Mass Effect. He is more supportive of Shepard, as they are both adversely affected by the Reaper attack on Earth, and institutes several programs to help the war effort and even appoints Kaidan/Ashley as a Spectre. However, he becomes frustrated when the Council is more interested in securing their own borders than helping Earth. In desperation, Udina turned to Cerberus, and staged a coup in order to overthrow the Council and grant him emergency powers that would enable him to send the Citadel Fleet to Earth. During the Cerberus attack on the Citadel, Udina's treachery is revealed by the salarian Councilor, and is killed by Shepard or Kaidan/Ashley.
He is voiced by Bill Ratner.[19]
Steven Hackett[]
Admiral Steven Hackett is Admiral of the Alliance Navy's Fifth Fleet. By the time of the events in Mass Effect 3, he is the commanding officer of the entire Alliance Navy.
Hackett does not physically appear in the first Mass Effect, but frequently calls for Commander Shepard's help in side missions on various explorable worlds, many of them dealing with Systems Alliance security. Hacket is generally much more appreciative of Shepard's decisions than Udina. He later leads the System Alliance's reinforcement fleet to the Citadel and the attack on Sovereign.
Hackett makes his first actual appearance in Mass Effect 2's final DLC pack, Arrival. Hackett asks Shepard to do him a personal favor and rescue his friend, Dr. Amanda Kenson, from a group of batarians who have captured her. After Shepard returns to the Normandy, the Admiral personally debriefs Shepard to find out exactly what happened during the mission, which resulted in the destruction of an entire star system, its Mass Relay, and 300,000 batarian colonists.
Admiral Hackett returns in Mass Effect 3. He is overseeing the construction of The Crucible, a Prothean superweapon that is hoped to destroy the Reapers, and instructs Shepard to find manpower and resources to assist the project.
He is voiced by Lance Henriksen.[20]
Aria T'Loak[]
Also known as "the Pirate Queen," Aria is an asari crime boss who serves as the de-facto ruler of Omega Station, the unofficial capitol of the outlaw Terminus Systems. She owns the Afterlife Club, which serves as the station's central hub, and maintains her hold via a strong intelligence network and her ability to read people. Her first chronological appearance is in Mass Effect: Incursion, an 8-page prequel comic to Mass Effect 2. She then makes a cameo in Mass Effect: Redemption, briefly assisting Liara's search for the missing Shepard. In Mass Effect 2, Aria provides Shepard with information on Omega, and can hire Shepard to protect one of her advisors from assassins. In Mass Effect: Retribution, Aria serves as supporting antagonist. Cerberus defector Paul Grayson is working for her, and also romantically involved with her daughter, Liselle. Aria is manipulated into helping Cerberus track down Grayson, and to get revenge on a turian strike force that seized control of key Cerberus facilities. She kidnaps Kahlee Sanders and David Anderson in an attempt to use them as bait to entrap Grayson. This backfires, however, as Grayson has become indoctrinated by the Reapers, and his upgrades enable him to decimate Aria's forces. Though angered by the loss of her men, Aria grudgingly continues a business alliance with the Illusive Man.
Aria is the protagonist of Mass Effect: Invasion, which finds Omega under siege by Reaper constructs called Adjutants. Aria briefly joins forces with Cerberus to fight the Adjutants, but is betrayed and ultimately forced to leave Omega under Cerberus control.
In Mass Effect 3, Aria is on the Citadel, and has opened a nightclub similar to Afterlife, which she calls Purgatory. She makes no secret that she hates being confined to the Citadel and plans to retake Omega, but also realizes that such plans are meaningless if the Reapers win. She agrees to assemble a team of mercenaries to assist with the war effort, and instructs Shepard to convince the leaders of the Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack to flock under her banner. It is unknown as to whether she survives the end of the game.
Aria is voiced by Carrie-Anne Moss.
Recurring antagonists[]
Saren Arterius[]
Saren Arterius
Saren Arterius is a former turian Spectre and one of the two main antagonists of the first game. He is known for "getting results" by any means necessary. More often than not, he has resorted to killing anyone and anything in his way - be it the target, any witnesses, or even innocent bystanders. In the novel Mass Effect: Revelation, he tortures and kills his victims mercilessly, rarely having any regard for sentient life or the lives of anyone in his way from getting the job done. In addition, Saren was responsible for sabotaging Captain Anderson's Spectre candidacy because of his racism towards humans. His seething hatred of humanity is speculated to have stemmed from the loss of his brother Desolas at the hands of the Systems Alliance in the First Contact War.
After the events of the novel, and before the start of the first Mass Effect game, Saren takes command of an army of geth through the use of a Reaper known as Sovereign, an ancient ship that supposedly predates the protheans. With a machine army at his command, he uses them to both do his bidding and oppose the player across the story of the Mass Effect video game. One of his main goals at first appears to be unleashing the genocidal Reapers upon the galaxy once again to take revenge on humanity. In reality, he is merely assisting Sovereign in bringing the rest of the Reapers into the galaxy to prove that organics are worth enslaving, rather than exterminating.
In the game it is revealed that Saren had known about the Reaper threat and had independently tried to discover a means to stop it. While it is unknown how Saren found Sovereign, the Reaper slowly began to manipulate Saren through subtle subliminal messages into helping it bring back the Reapers. During the geth invasion of the Citadel, Saren uses the prothean Conduit to gain access to the Citadel to allow Sovereign to activate the Citadel Mass Relay. The player can then either attempt to kill Saren or appeal to Saren to fight his indoctrination, prompting him to commit suicide. Either way, Shepard later has to fight Saren, who has been revived and controlled by Sovereign through his grafted cybernetics. Upon defeat of the Sovereign-manipulated Saren, Sovereign itself loses its defenses and is destroyed.
Saren is voiced by Fred Tatasciore.
Harbinger[]
Harbinger is arguably the main antagonist of the series. Harbinger is a Reaper, and directs the actions of the Collectors, an insectoid race serving as the Reapers' slave caste. Harbinger's primary avatar is an arachnid-like creature with 4 glowing yellow eyes (referred to as Collector General in captions). However, its true form shares the basic design of Sovereign, the exception being glowing eyes similar to its thrall. Implants within each Collector drone enable Harbinger to control them directly, increasing their power, and enabling it to speak through them. When engaged in battle with Collectors, Harbinger will frequently use this ability to possess Collector drones. Harbinger develops an interest in humans after Shepard kills Sovereign, as they are one of the few species to defeat a Reaper. Harbinger directs the Collectors to abduct human colonists and use their genetic material to create a human-based Reaper. Harbinger expresses an interest in acquiring Shepard alive, instructing its troops to preserve Shepard's body if possible. After Shepard destroys both the Collector Base and the prototype hybrid, Harbinger tells Shepard that their victory is meaningless, and all that humanity has accomplished has been to acquire the full attention of the Reapers. It then abandons the Collectors, berating the General for its failure and stating the Reapers will find another way to invade the galaxy before releasing control over the General seconds before it is killed in the base's destruction. This is likely to avoid making the same mistake that Sovereign made by not releasing control of Saren at the end of the first Mass Effect game, which ultimately led to its demise. Harbinger is later seen alongside countless other Reapers, slowly approaching the Milky Way galaxy. Harbinger also makes a brief appearance at the conclusion of the final DLC pack "Arrival" via hologram, in which it ridicules the futility of Shepard's actions and mocks that "Your leaders will beg to serve us". It ends the contact by remarking that the galaxy should prepare itself for their arrival. If the pack is completed before the suicide mission is undertaken, Harbinger will appear in hologram form as the Collector General, otherwise its will appear in its Reaper form.
In Mass Effect 3, Harbinger has been identified as the Reaper leading the assault on Earth, and is said to be the oldest and largest of the Reapers. During the final run towards the Citadel above Earth, it attacks Shepard during the final battle, killing two squadmates if the player's Effective Military Strength is low. If the player's Effective Military Strength is high enough, Shepard calls the Normandy for an emergency evacuation and extracts Shepard's squadmates. Depending on Shepard's choice in the end, it is either destroyed along with all other synthetic life (Destroy), brought under control and used to help rebuild and protect the galaxy (Control), or willingly helps to rebuild the galaxy and share the knowledge of the countless races that came before (Synthesis).
Harbinger is voiced by Keith Szarabajka.
Illusive Man[]
The Illusive Man, originally known as Jack Harper, is introduced as the antagonist of Mass Effect: Ascension, and returns for Mass Effect 2. He is the ruthless leader of the Cerberus organization and was responsible for Cerberus' split from the Systems Alliance military shortly before the events of Mass Effect. His ultimate goal is to elevate humanity to its "rightful place" in the galaxy.
Harper was said to be a normal civilian before the discovery of extraterrestrial life. It has been revealed in the Mass Effect: Evolution comic book that he fought in the First Contact War against the turians. His demeanor is of a driven businessman, rather than the xenophobic extremist he is portrayed as by enemies of Cerberus. He is virtually never met in person, and with the exception of Liara T'soni and Miranda Lawson, deals exclusively through holographic communication. Harper's cryptonym derives from his designation in official Alliance reports, which in turn derives from an anonymous anti-alien manifesto released during the First Contact War described as "survivalist rhetoric written by an illusive man" which sparked the foundation of Cerberus.
In Mass Effect 2, the Illusive Man forces Commander Shepard into an uneasy alliance to investigate the disappearance of several human colonies, which both Shepard and the Illusive Man believe is somehow connected to the Reapers. Cerberus actively provides Shepard with information and supplies. In the ending, while setting up the bomb to destroy the Collector Base Shepard is provided by The Illusive Man the option of using a timed radiation pulse to destroy the Collectors in the base, thus giving Cerberus access to their technology. If Shepard chooses to destroy the base, he criticizes Shepard, claiming that the commander is "too idealistic" and chokes on the hard decisions. If Shepard decides to spare the base, the Illusive Man congratulates him, saying that adapting the base's technology could be humanity's greatest achievement since the discovery of the mass relays.
The Illusive Man is also the antagonist of the novels Mass Effect: Retribution and Mass Effect: Deception and the protagonist of the comic Mass Effect: Evolution.
The Illusive Man returns as a major antagonist in Mass Effect 3, working with his organization Cerberus to research ways to obtain control of the Reapers and give humanity the upper hand against all other races in the galaxy, thus he works against Shepard's efforts to look for a way to destroy them. At some point after the campaign against the Collectors, the Illusive Man became obsessed with indoctrination, in an attempt to discover a way to control the Reapers. He appears at various points in the game, contacting Shepard to sway the Commander to believe that his solution to the Reaper threat is correct. His final appearance is on the Citadel orbiting above Earth, with signs of Reaper modifications across his face. Using these upgrades, he controls Shepard and Anderson's motor functions, forcing the former to shoot Anderson in the gut. Though the Illusive Man insists he can control the Reapers, Anderson clearly sees that he's indoctrinated. If the player passed every speech check during conversations with the Illusive Man, and chooses the final Paragon option, Shepard can convince him to commit suicide. If the player passes this check, the Illusive Man will tell Shepard that he "tried" before shooting himself in the head. If he wasn't, he must be killed with a Renegade interrupt, either when he is about to execute Anderson, or, if missed, after. With his last breath, he looks through the Citadel arms and remarks how beautiful Earth is, wishing Shepard could see it like he did. When Shepard reaches the Catalyst, it explains that the Illusive Man was correct in believing that it was possible to seize control of the Reapers. However, he would not have been able do it himself, as the Reapers were already controlling him.
The Illusive Man is voiced by and physically resembles Martin Sheen.[21]
Kai Leng[]
Kai Leng is a former lieutenant N7 marine and current Cerberus assassin. His xenophobic attitude and prowess in combat attracted the Illusive Man's attention, which led to Leng's liberation from prison. Leng became the Illusive Man's most trusted agent, who used Leng as his best infiltration and wet-work operative for over a decade, realizing he was not only ruthless but discreet and methodical. His cybernetic modifications appear to include Cerberus's Phantom-class implants.
Leng makes his first appearance in the novel Mass Effect: Retribution, tasked with hunting down and capturing former Cerberus operative Paul Grayson. He was successful in his mission and oversaw Grayson during a Reaper nanotechnology experiment, and suggested that they dose him with red sand to lower his resistance to Reaper control. During the course of the mission, he sustains injuries when he is shot by Admiral Anderson.
Kai Leng appears in Mass Effect 3 as a major antagonist, equipped with cybernetic upgrades to compensate for his injuries he sustained in Retribution. He was among the forces deployed during Udina's coup on the Citadel Council. Leng was close to assassinating the salarian councilor when Thane Krios or Major Kirrahe intervened. If neither of them survived the previous games, the councilor will be assassinated.
He is later encountered on Thessia during its invasion by the Reapers, in a race to get information about the final Crucible piece from a Prothean beacon. Leng is unable to stop Shepard, and so orders his gunship to level the temple the beacon is housed in. He successfully steals the Prothean VI and escapes to Horizon to retrieve the data from Sanctuary, where Cerberus performed experiments on unsuspecting refugees, but not before being tracked by the Normandy's yeoman. At the same time, ex-Cerberus operative Miranda Lawson was there looking for her sister, but not before being wounded in a fight with Leng. His mission accomplished, Leng returns to Cerberus headquarters, but was unaware that Miranda tagged him so that Shepard could track him to their base.
Shepard's final encounter with Leng is in the Illusive Man's observation deck on Cronos Station. Despite Leng's lethal skills, he is unable to overwhelm Shepard, and is wounded. However, despite that, he retrieves his blade and silently approaches Shepard in an attempt to kill the Commander from behind. At that moment, Shepard detects him and counters his attack, fatally stabbing Leng with an omni-blade.
Kai Leng is voiced by Troy Baker.
Recurring major characters[]
Kirrahe[]
Captain Kirrahe is an officer in the salarian military. He is a member of the 3rd Infiltration Regiment STG (special task group), a covert operations team that was sent to investigate Virmire, where he discovered Saren's base of operations. Kirrahe is a brave, intelligent salarian with a good strategic mind; he is able to inspire his men, and is also prepared to make sacrifices if necessary. His second-in-command is Commander Rentola.
After discovering Saren's krogan breeding facility on Virmire, Kirrahe sent a message to the Council asking for a fleet to help destroy it, but a communications disruption resulted in a garbled message, and as a result only the Normandy was sent to investigate. He was suspicious of Wrex, describing the salarians' intervention in krogan evolution as 'a mistake', but allowed Commander Shepard to deal with Wrex's anger. With help from Shepard's crew, Kirrahe developed a plan to destroy the facility, and personally led three teams of his salarian officers (along with either Ashley Williams or Kaidan Alenko) to draw out the geth, knowing they would take heavy losses. He named his teams after key salarian settlements (Aegohr, Mannovai and Jaëto) to remind his men what they were fighting for. Kirrahe heard some dissent amongst his men and gave them an inspirational speech, explaining that though they were covert operatives rather than heavy troopers, they were still part of a proud tradition: "We would be legends, but the records are sealed." Shepard was able to assist Kirrahe's assault along the way by sabotaging geth positions, and listen to how the salarian attack was progressing over radio chatter. While Kirrahe took personal command of Mannovai Team, Aegohr Team was given to either Kaidan or Ashley. Aegohr Team provided fire support to Mannovai Team and managed to evade the geth flyers that forced them to bunker down, then later spearheaded the attack on the second AA gun. Jaëto provided additional support.
Without help from Shepard's team, Kirrahe will be killed by the geth air support midway through the operation. Either Ashley or Kaidan will take over command of the salarians after his death and co-ordinate the attack from then on. However, with Shadow Team's help, Kirrahe can escape with Shepard aboard the Normandy. Kirrahe and his surviving men can be found in the cargo bay, sympathetic to Shepard's loss; Kirrahe says they will get off when the Normandy next makes port and find their way home. Kirrahe hopes he and Shepard might have the opportunity to work together again in the future.
If Kirrahe survived the events on Virmire in 2183, he is on Sur'Kesh during the events of the Reaper invasion. When Commander Shepard arrives on Sur'Kesh to extract the female krogan, Cerberus launches a surprise attack, attempting to prevent Shepard from acquiring the krogan. During the fighting Shepard will encounter Kirrahe, now promoted to Major, in a firefight with Cerberus troops. Kirrahe will express his pleasure at getting to work with the Commander again before joining Shepard in the fighting. When the Cerberus troops are defeated, Kirrahe will stay behind to protect Shepard's flank while the Commander proceeds to the Species Observation Area. If Kirrahe did not survive Virmire, Lieutenant Tolan takes his place at the beginning of the mission. An unnamed soldier, in Kirrahe's stead, will also attempt to cover Shepard but will not survive.
If Kirrahe is spoken to before entering the base, he will mention that it was he who found the krogan females on Tuchanka and brought them to Sur'Kesh. And he promises Shepard that regardless of what politicians decide, he would gladly support retaking Earth. Also, if you had brought along Javik and talk to Kirrahe about the tight security, Javik will remark on the salarian idea to expect the worst as a wise philosophy, while Kirrahe will assume Javik is a genetically modified drell or turian, rather than an actual living Prothean.
During Cerberus' attack on the Citadel event, Kai Leng will threaten the salarian councilor's life. If Kirrahe is alive but Thane Krios is dead or never spoke to Shepard before the attack, then Kirrahe will save the salarian councilor's life instead of Thane, but die in the process. Otherwise, if Kirrahe and Thane are both alive and if Shepard spoke to Thane before the attack, Thane will save the salarian councilor's life and be wounded in the process, and Shepard will retain "Major Kirrahe" as a War Asset. If neither he nor Thane is alive (or hasn't been spoken to), Kai Leng will succeed in assassinating the councilor. If krogan support was lost due to Wrex's death, Kirrahe will take his place on Earth, addressing members of his unit in the same manner Wrex would have addressed his krogan.
Captain Kirrahe is voiced by George Szilagyi.
Armando-Owen Bailey[]
Captain Armando-Owen Bailey is a human C-Sec officer stationed in the Zakera Ward of the Citadel in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect: Inquisition. Bailey is a no-nonsense officer more interested in results than rulebooks or idealism. Bailey started out as a regular C-Sec officer, neglected in the largely turian-dominated force until the geth assault on the Citadel. With C-Sec losing so many personnel in the attack, the organisation was forced to start hiring and promoting more humans, including Bailey. Bailey is a competent and impartial, if unorthodox, officer. Having previously served with the Alliance Navy, Bailey came to prefer a stationary life; he joined C-Sec in order to remain in one place and spend more time with his family, though he does not seem to have a good relationship with them due to his long absences. He claims that he runs a "rough and tumble precinct", believing that serious crime in Zakera Ward requires much effort to thwart; he likens policing the Wards to policing New York City. Consequently, Bailey is comfortable with beating suspects and accepting bribes, and is only tolerant of formality "until it stops people from doing their jobs". Though he enjoys life on the Citadel, Bailey misses food from Earth; he especially laments the lack of Sockeye Salmon on the station.
On Shepard's first visit to the Citadel after resurrection, Bailey rectifies identity record errors caused by the fact that Shepard is listed as dead, and also spares the Commander several days of bureaucratic run-around with a not-quite-legal alteration of records. If Shepard's status as a Spectre is restored before speaking with Bailey for the first time, his dialog changes to offering his services and willingness to clear out citizens from any area where Shepherd is working on a case. During Garrus' hunt for Sidonis, Bailey points out a criminal known as Fade and expresses frustration and perplexity at Fade's ability to exploit the C-Sec system. He also gives a lead to Shepard and Thane Krios while they are searching for Kolyat. After the completion of Thane's loyalty mission, the Illusive Man expresses interest in recruiting Bailey to Cerberus.
During Mass Effect: Inquisition in 2186, Bailey is hoping to take a vacation to Earth to visit his child when he is summoned by Councilor Udina. Udina claims that C-Sec has been compromised and is working against the Council. Bailey is ordered to investigate Executor Pallin, who has been seen in Bailey's precinct recently. Bailey tracks Pallin to an office building and finds two dead C-Sec officers inside, one clutching a datapad displaying Pallin's face. Bailey confronts Pallin, who demands the datapad and calls the accusations against him lies. When Bailey tells Pallin to explain himself to the officers who will arrest him, Pallin snaps and attacks Bailey. Pallin is killed and Bailey takes a wound to the shoulder. Later, Bailey tells Udina of his misgivings about Pallin; Pallin was surprised about the charges against him and was also acting strangely. Udina dismisses this as the behavior of a guilty man, then promotes Bailey to Commander, telling him that his vacation will have to wait. Bailey is left saddened that he will miss visiting his child.
Armando-Owen Bailey returns in Mass Effect 3. He is now in-charge of the C-Sec operations of the Citadel Embassies quarters. He personally greets Shepard upon the Commander's return to the Citadel to petition the Council's aid in retaking Earth. In personal conversations with Shepard, Bailey expresses discontentment with his promoted position. He is more akin of an administrative assistant to the Council than a C-Sec officer. This is seen when Shepard first enters his office and witnesses Bailey attempting to calm down a news reporter demanding to see the Council. Moreover, Bailey, like many humans on the Citadel, has family left on Earth during the initial Reaper invasion. At the start of the events in Mass Effect 3, his wife's whereabouts are unknown, and he has not heard from his son and daughter once the comm buoys went down. Shepard later comes by Bailey's office to request that he release Jona Sederis, the leader of Eclipse. Aria T'Loak secretly leaned on the Council beforehand, but Bailey is desperately trying to stall, fearing what would happen if a murderous psychopath like Sederis were to be released. Shepard can either use Spectre authority to have her released or find another solution to committing Eclipse to the war effort. When Cerberus launched an unexpected assault on the Citadel, Bailey was wounded attempting to retake C-Sec Headquarters. Luckily, Shepard arrives and dispatched Bailey's attackers. Bailey then gained access to headquarters and set up a backup network so his fellow C-Sec officers can plan a counterattack. He then discovered a message from the salarian councilor, who was supposed to be meet with the executor, warning that someone on the Citadel has betrayed them to Cerberus. Bailey aided Shepard in beating Kai Leng to the Council after having learned that Udina was the traitor. Bailey personally made his way to Shepard's position, forcing Leng to flee; Bailey guesses that Leng figured that Udina's plan would fail.
Captain Bailey is voiced by Michael Hogan.
Conrad Verner[]
Conrad Verner is an enthusiastic and self-proclaimed "huge fan" of Commander Shepard. He can be found in the Citadel, at the top of the stairs in the upper Markets on the Wards. After talking to Conrad, it becomes clear that he has a romanticised view of what life as a Spectre is like, and is more interested in the tall stories of Shepard's achievements. If Shepard tells him to get lost, Conrad will march off, determined to prove he too can represent humanity, after which he will not be seen again. An elevator announcement later explains his absence: Conrad picks a fight with a group of turians and is killed as a result.
If Shepard is courteous, and agrees to give him an autograph, and then a photo, Conrad eventually convinces himself that he can be a hero as well, and asks Shepard to sign him on as a fellow Spectre and member of the squad. Shepard can Charm Conrad and convince him to stay at home with his wife, in which case he leaves quietly. Alternatively, Shepard can Intimidate him, to show him what it is like to have a gun in your face. Conrad will then renounce Shepard as his hero, and leave.
Conrad can be found in the Eternity bar on Illium, impersonating an Alliance officer wearing replica N7 armor. Regardless of Shepard's choices in the first game, he remembers Shepard putting a gun in his face. Even though doing so caused him to renounce the Commander as his hero, he has decided to travel around the galaxy to defeat crime despite having no formal training. He claims that he is working for an undercover officer, but further investigation reveals he was lied to in order for the "officer" to obtain the deeds to the Eternity bar. Confronting the "officer" at Gateway Personal Defense allows Shepard to get a discount. Conrad will praise Shepard and thank the Commander for returning from the dead, then leave. After that, it is reported on the news that Conrad has formed a charity foundation, "Shepards", for refugees and orphans.
Conrad will storm off unhappily if Shepard tells him to get lost when first talking to him in the bar. Eventually, a news report will be heard reporting that Conrad has gotten himself killed attempting to capture transient youths hitching a ride on top of a bus. The report carries on detailing that Conrad fell from the bus, struck several passing cars and eventually fell into the power turbine of a bio-mass recycling facility.
Shepard can see Conrad in the refugee sector of the Citadel while investigating sabotage on local medical stations, where he is actively recruiting for Cerberus, his reasoning being that his hero was previously aligned with the pro-human organization. Shepard tells him what he is doing is wrong, he agrees to stop, and then asks the Commander what he can do to help. This leads to finding out he has a doctoral degree in Xenoscience and sends Shepard a copy of his dissertation on dark energy matter. He is even acquainted with Gavin Hossle, who forwards some ancient tech schematics to help with the construction if the Commander assisted in retrieving Hossle's data on Feros. If the Commander obtained all of Matriarch Dilinaga's Writings, and the Elkoss Combine Armory License in 2183, the schematics can be analyzed and the dissertation will have an additional bonus.
If Shepard speaks to Conrad enough times, Conrad will reveal what happened to the orphan shelter Shepard convinced him to found a few months ago. The shelter was doing really well until the Reapers attacked. Conrad continues by saying that he had to spend almost everything he had left to get the kids off-world. Shepard reassures Conrad that he did the right thing.
If Shepard keeps talking to Conrad, the Commander can get him to talk about his family, of which Conrad says that he has none to speak of. Shepard reminds Conrad of his wife, which he then reveals that he lied about. Conrad then admits that he has a picture of Shepard surrounded by candles as a shrine. He later identifies his Cerberus contact to Shepard. When the agent brings his gun up to the Commander, Conrad attempts to interpose himself to protect his hero. Luckily, Jenna had sabotaged the agent's gun, thereby saving Conrad. They then get acquainted over Conrad's relationship with Shepard.
If Shepard never dealt with Jenna in 2183, Conrad will be shot dead by the Cerberus agent while attempting to save the Commander's life.
Conrad Verner is voiced by Jeff Page.
Urdnot Wreav[]
Urdnot Wreav is Wrex's broodbrother, both of them having shared the same mother. He becomes the leader of clan Urdnot if Wrex dies in Virmire. He is more traditional than Wrex, placing the importance on his own clan over the krogan race as a whole. Shepard first meets Wreav in Tuchanka. He expresses gratitude to Commander Shepard for killing his brother, as it has led to him becoming leader of Clan Urdnot. Wreav is a traditional krogan, preferring war to peace, and doesn't have as much trouble as Wrex would have had with Gatatog Uvenk. After completing Grunt's loyalty mission, he permits Grunt to join his clan. If Wrex survived Virmire, Wreav will not make an appearance.
If Wrex is Clan Urdnot leader, Shepard meets Wreav for the first time in the Hollows, the sacred neutral ground for all krogan, during their attempts to cure the genophage. Wreav objects to the presence of Mordin Solus, or Padok Wiks if Mordin is dead, even when it is mentioned that he was going to cure the genophage, until Wrex headbutts him. During the land assault against the Shroud facility, where a Reaper was standing guard, Wreav's tomkah was sunk by Kalros, the mother of all thresher maws. He is believed to have died, to the indifference of Wrex, who comments that "he was always a pain in the ass".
If Wreav is clan leader, he will be much more traditional and aggressive than Wrex. For example, while Wrex is very respectful to Eve, Wreav treats Eve as his property and thinks of Eve as a "nag". Another example of this traditional, krogan mindset is his racist sentiments directed at various turians and salarians. His place as second-in-command is filled by Jorgal Thurak.
After Wreav is invited aboard the Normandy for the first time, Shepard finds out from Liara through Glyph that Urdnot Wreav has commissioned more weapons of mass destruction than any other krogan in known history, and has already used some of those weapons against other clans. However, Clan Urdnot still has a stockpile of conventional weapons despite Wreav's focus on weapons of mass destruction.
Also, Wreav's strategy for negotiations with the galaxy at large is to use force and intimidation as useful tools; if he threatens to have his krogan forces pay an alien planet a visit, for example, he doesn't have to actually follow through, knowing that merely the threat of krogan invasion will force others to listen and take the krogans seriously.
He is constantly seeking to turn situations to his vested advantage or the vested advantage of the krogan; once the genophage is cured, Wreav immediately takes the credit for it and spreads stories across Tuchanka of the day Wreav cured the genophage, which Wreav knows will cause all krogan to immediately respect him as the ultimate authority. Even when Wreav's forces show up at the final battle on Earth, Wreav can be overheard giving orders to the krogan to cooperate with the other alien forces but to use this opportunity to study their tactics and formations, implying that the krogan may have violent future intentions.
If Shepard did not reveal the sabotage and if Wreav is the Urdnot leader, Wreav never discovers that the cure had not been dispersed and is fooled into pledging support from his own clan and the rest of the krogan clans. In return for helping Dalatrass Linron to sabotage the cure, Shepard also receives backing from the salarian's First Fleet.
Urdnot Wreav is voiced by Jim Cummings.
Shiala[]
Shiala is an asari, a powerful biotic and former follower of Matriarch Benezia. Commander Shepard's team encounters her on Feros. Shiala was an acolyte of Matriarch Benezia for nearly two centuries, respecting her wisdom and biotic ability. Along with many of Benezia's followers, Shiala accompanied the matriarch aboard Sovereign as Benezia tried to guide Saren Arterius down a gentler path. When Benezia failed and became indoctrinated, Shiala also became one of Saren's thralls.
Shiala willingly served Saren and accompanied him to Feros, where Saren encountered the Thorian and discovered that the ancient alien plant had the Prothean Cipher he needed to understand the vision from Eden Prime. He managed to convince the Thorian to accept a trade. Shiala was 'sacrificed' to the Thorian and absorbed by it, sharing a single consciousness. She then used her biotics to gain the Cipher, which she transferred to Saren's mind. Once he had what he needed, Saren abandoned Shiala to the Thorian and ordered the geth to destroy it, hoping to prevent Shepard from gaining the Cipher. When Shepard's team arrived, the Thorian was somehow able to create clones of Shiala which served to communicate with Shepard. These clones were also biotics who attacked Shepard's squad as they tried to wipe the Thorian out. After destroying the Thorian, Shiala was freed and was fully herself again. She told Shepard of Saren's actions and how Benezia became a slave to his cause, and explained about the Cipher. Knowing the vision was the key to finding the Conduit, Shiala touched Shepard's mind and directly transferred the Cipher. She then asked to be allowed to go to the Zhu's Hope colony and help them rebuild as penance for what she had done. Shepard can then determine Shiala's fate — by releasing her to help Zhu's Hope, Shepard will gain Paragon points, which is also the default choice if Shepard is more concerned with leaving Feros. Alternatively, Shepard can determine that Shiala "switches sides too often" and thus decide to execute her; Shiala will accept her fate and kneel, offering no resistance as Shepard shoots her in the back of the head. Shiala is the only individual who has managed to completely overcome Sovereign's indoctrination without resorting to suicide. This is likely because she was linked directly to the ancient Thorian and 'indoctrinated' by the plant being in turn. After the Thorian died her mind was her own again.
If Shepard allowed Shiala to live after killing the Thorian, she can be found on Illium, investigating a medical contract made with the colonists of Zhu's Hope. Shepard can offer to negotiate with the company on Shiala's behalf. In the months after her exposure to the Thorian, Shiala's skin pigmentation changed to green — similar to her clones — and her biotic abilities became unstable. She also mentions disconcerting dreams of her time with the Thorian. If Shepard helps her, Shiala also professes an interest beyond mere friendship, saying: "Maybe sometime, when I'm not organizing the colony and you're not... doing whatever you do." She then smiles and strokes Shepard's arm before leaving. However, if you allowed the Feros colony to die (but allowed Shiala to live after freeing her from the Thorian), then her dialogue and interactions with Shepard will change. She will say instead that she is a commando and doesn't know how to help people, but she will try. She will also not flirt with Shepard once you help her.
If Shiala survived, Commander Shepard will receive an email detailing how the colonists on Feros are fighting the Reapers. Due to the Thorian spores, colonists are given an uncanny ability to sense one another, allowing them to think and act as one in battle. The long-term consequences of this connection are unknown, but helpful for the time being. Shiala also mentions that she feels as though she is still indoctrinated, as she can feel the Reapers' influence in her mind. However, she says that this is overridden by her connections to the other colonists.
Shiala is voiced by Gwendoline Yeo.
Rana Thanoptis[]
Rana Thanoptis is an asari neurospecialist. Commander Shepard encounters her at Saren's base on Virmire.
Rana is hiding under her desk when Shepard and the squad enter her office. She begs them not to shoot her, and offers information in exchange for her life. Rana was employed by Saren and assigned to Virmire to continue the research there, but soon realised the dangers of studying indoctrination. She informs them that indoctrination does not just affect the subjects, such as the captive salarians, but the support staff too; Rana's first test subject was her predecessor. She tells Shepard more about indoctrination and Saren fearing that it might be affecting him too. She offers the squad access to Saren's private lab, where another Prothean Beacon is stored. Once Rana has told them everything, Shepard may shoot Rana as punishment for her actions or suggest she start running. If the latter option is chosen, Rana is horrified to hear they are planning to destroy the facility and flees, much to the squad and Shepard's amusement.
If Rana is allowed to leave Virmire, Shepard will encounter the asari on Korlus while seeking Dr. Okeer. She has mixed feelings about crossing Shepard's path once again, but insists she did not put the second chance she was given to waste — despite being a part of the project involved on Korlus. Rana mentions that she had shut off the security cameras once she saw Shepard's approach to the facility. Once allowed to escape, she quips that she "knows how Shepard works", and expresses her intentions to get as far away from the facility as possible — this is likely referring to the nuke that Shepard had set off on Virmire. One of Shepard's squadmates will sarcastically comment on Shepard's decision to let her go again.
If Rana survived Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, she will appear in an ANN Report on indoctrination. She has apparently murdered several top asari officials and then committed suicide. While in custody, Thanoptis reported "voices" in her head (a typical symptom of indoctrination) to investigators.
Rana Thanoptis is voiced by Belinda Cornish.
Oriana[]
Oriana is Miranda’s sister. She is seen during Miranda’s Loyalty mission. Oriana was "grown" by Miranda's father when she was just a teenager. Seeing that her father wanted to replace her in his plans for developing a dynasty, Miranda took Oriana to Cerberus. She was adopted and was given a normal life. In 2185, Oriana's father paid Niket to find and retrieve her. Niket tracked her down to Illium, and used the Eclipse mercenary group to try and bring her back. Accompanied by Commander Shepard, Miranda prevented the Eclipse from capturing Oriana. At the end, Shepard can suggest that Miranda go up and talk to Oriana. If she does so, Oriana will later send a message to Shepard thanking the Commander, asking that Shepard doesn't tell Miranda she sent the message, and for Miranda to stop reading Shepard's mail.
By 2186, Oriana's father, now known as Henry Lawson, captures her after reaffirming his support for Cerberus. Miranda became aware of her disappearance and reached out to Shepard for help. Oriana was discovered on Horizon, where her father was conducting experiments on helpless refugees, turning them into husks or indoctrinated them to discover how to control the Reapers. Henry holds Oriana hostage when her sister and Shepard come for her. Though Shepard manages to convince Henry to let her go, Miranda was not interested in bargaining with him and defenestrated her own father. If Miranda did not survive the Suicide Mission, then Oriana will message Shepard via the private terminal saying that her father has made contact and she is going to investigate his activities. If Miranda is not present, Oriana can be killed in the standoff by falling to her death with her father, if Shepard didn't convince Henry to let her go and the Commander didn't shoot Oriana in the leg to free her.
Oriana is voiced by Laura Bailey.
Nassana Dantius[]
Nassana Dantius is an asari diplomatic emissary assigned to the Citadel, found seated in the Embassy Lounge at the Presidium. She will ask for Shepard's assistance to rescue her sister. Nassana will not talk to Shepard while the Commander is in the lounge, but sends a brief message to the Normandy later, asking for a discreet meeting. She needs the help of a Spectre for a personal mission. Nassana's sister, Dahlia Dantius, has been taken prisoner by a band of mercenaries who are holding her to ransom. Nassana broke Citadel diplomatic regulations and paid the ransom, but Dahlia has not been returned. She has tracked her sister to Sharjila in the Artemis Tau cluster and she begs Shepard to bring her back. After raiding the mercenary base, Shepard discovers that, far from being a captive, Dahlia was actually their leader and she was blackmailing her sister. After being confronted with this, Nassana abandons her facade and thanks Shepard for eliminating a potential embarrassment. If Shepard finds Sharjila independently, Nassana is almost disappointed that she did not have the chance to manipulate the Commander. If Shepard tells Nassana that she could have just told the truth to begin with, to which she concedes, but explains that "we have trust issues in my family". Nassana then offers a payment. Even if Shepard refuses her blood money, Nassana will pay anyway, claiming she does not like being in debt to anyone and suggests Shepard to give the money away if the Commander's conscience is bruised. Shepard can also Charm or Intimidate her for a bigger payout. Nassana agrees, saying that any fool can come up with credits, but she can place Shepard on the buyers list for prototype asari mods. This gives Shepard the Armali Council armory license.
Nassana is encountered on the planet Illium in the partially built Dantius Towers. Her unscrupulous business habits, namely killing anyone that threatened her reputation, has made her the target of Thane Krios. Aware that her life is on the line, she has sealed herself in the penthouse of Tower One and employed Eclipse mercenaries to protect her. She orders the salarian workers in the Towers to be purged by mechs shortly before Shepard arrives. When Shepard reaches her, she confronts Shepard and believes that the Commander is the assassin. If Shepard completed her assignment in Mass Effect, she will state that the situation is ironic, as Shepard killed her sister and now is going to kill her. If Shepard tries to explain that she is mistaken, Nassana does not believe that the Commander would decimate her security forces just to find the assassin. As she continues her accusations, Thane, who has surreptitiously infiltrated the office through the air ducts, kills the remaining guards then assassinates Nassana at point blank range. Thane mentions to Shepard that "she believed that one of her sisters would kill her", implying that Nassana may have more siblings other than Dahlia.
Nassana Dantius is voiced by Grey DeLisle.
Matriarch Aethyta[]
Matriarch Aethyta is the asari bartender in the Eternity lounge on Illium. Aethyta is willing to discuss her life with Commander Shepard and how she ended up as a bartender despite being an asari matriarch. Aethyta explains that her father was a krogan who fought in the Rachni Wars and Krogan Rebellions, while her mother was an asari commando who also fought in the Rebellions. Her mother kept her commando leathers for "special nights" with her father, and her father always showed off his war scars and talked about how he stomped a Rachni Queen to death on some poisonous world. When Aethyta's father learned that he and Aethytha's mother were once mortal enemies during the Krogan Rebellions, they decided to fight, a battle neither of them survived. During this time Aethyta was about a hundred years old and an exotic dancer. For the rest of her lifespan, she had many mates, including a turian, elcor, and a hanar. She also fathered a pureblood daughter, but her relationship with the mother didn't work out, and Aethyta lost track of her daughter. Aethyta has very different views on matters than other matriarchs and a very free-spirited, laissez-faire attitude to life. She seems to support the asari becoming more militant and active on the galactic stage, and believes that young asari should help improve society in their maiden years instead of becoming strippers or mercenaries. Her proposal that the asari should try to construct new mass relays was met with ridicule, causing the other asari to "laugh the blue off her ass". Realizing that no one wanted to listen to her arguments, Aethyta left Thessia for a less conventional martriarch's life on Illium. She is part of the assignment Illium: Conrad Verner, where an "undercover cop" is trying to buy the bar she works in. An amateur vigilante, Conrad Verner, was attempting to buy the deed to uncover a red sand seller. Aethyta told him that her bar didn't sell red sand—and besides, it is legal on Illium as long as the seller has a permit. She was ready to hit Conrad with a singularity before Commander Shepard got rid of him.
After Commander Shepard gains access to Presidium Commons on the Citadel and spoke to Liara at least once in Presidium Commons, she will be present at Apollo's Cafe. If Shepard assisted Liara in a mission against the Shadow Broker, Shepard mentions a video of Aethyta looking at the picture of Liara. If not, Shepard will speculate that the reason Aethyta is on the Citadel is to do with Liara. While talking to Aethyta, she confirms that she is in fact Liara's "father" and is watching Liara on behalf of other asari matriarchs, who are suspicious because of Liara's occupation as a powerful information broker, her relationship with Matriarch Benezia, and her friend Shepard's prior affiliation with Cerberus. If currently in a romance with Liara, Aethyta will refer to Shepard as a "boyfriend/girlfriend who used to work for Cerberus" in this section of dialogue, instead of a "human commander". Shepard can explain that they only worked for Cerberus to stop the collectors, and is no longer with them. Aethyta will then imply a threat towards Shepard, telling them that they wouldn't be anywhere near her daughter if they were still with Cerberus, telling them that "nobody messes with [her] girl". Afterward, Aethyta will point out that if she hadn't agreed to spy on Liara, the other matriarchs might have arranged to have her assassinated. After this, Shepard will tell her that that isn't going to happen, to which Aethyta agrees. If romancing Liara, the dialogue will differ slightly, with Shepard directly quoting Aethyta, to which she will tell Shepard that maybe they are good enough for Liara after all. Shepard will then tell her that Liara might like to meet her, and Aethyta will reply that they'll see how that goes. After talking to Aethyta, Liara admits that she already knew about Aethyta and can be asked into approaching her. If Shepard gets Liara to talk to Aethyta, the matriarch sends a group of asari mercenaries to volunteer their services against the Reapers' invasion. If Shepard recovers the Library of Asha and gives it to the asari military trainer in Purgatory, Aethyta gives her backing to the trainer about using the texts to increase the fighting ability of the asari.
Matriarch Aethyta is voiced by Claudia Black.
Khalisah al-Jilani[]
Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani is a human Westerlund News reporter. She appears at the C-Sec Academy on the Citadel, asking Commander Shepard for an interview as part of the Citadel: The Fourth Estate assignment. If Shepard agrees to the interview, al-Jilani's questions begin cordially, but gradually become more hostile. It soon becomes apparent that she is appealing to popular human opinion; she is critical of the Citadel Council, believing it treats humanity as a "poor relation". Al-Jilani asks Shepard if the Normandy has effectively been handed over to the Citadel, if the Council has been asking Shepard to put the Citadel's requests above humanity's needs, and - if Shepard has just returned from Noveria - whether the Commander was specifically asked to sabotage Peak 15, which she describes as a human research station. She will also ask about Feros if Shepard has just returned from there. Al-Jilani pushes for answers that will 'prove' Shepard is a shill for the Council and becomes irritated if she does not receive them. Shepard can answer al-Jilani's questions in several ways. Charm will give diplomatic answers that annoy al-Jilani; conversely, she agrees with several Intimidate answers, but still usually manages to include a snide remark in her responses. Eventually, Shepard can either calmly dismiss al-Jilani, realise she has an agenda and walk away - much to her annoyance - or, if she has particularly angered Shepard, punch her. Although Admiral Hackett will later disagree, it is possible to impress al-Jilani by answering her questions in ways that emphasise human independence and strength, with Shepard finishing the interview by saying, "Strong words. This is a good time for strong words." When the Commander uses the Galaxy Map to travel to another system, Admiral Hackett will contact Shepard and describe what the response was on Earth to al-Jilani's interview. Also, a news report can be heard when travelling in a lift on the Citadel, remarking on Shepard's behaviour toward al-Jilani.
Al-Jilani returns in Mass Effect 2, in a far corner outside of the Dark Star Lounge on the Citadel. She will again request that you conduct an interview, asking loaded questions, drawing irrelevant conclusions, and other logical fallacies about the Battle of the Citadel and your choice of saving the Council or leaving them to die, in order to show Shepard in a negative light regardless of your responses. You can perform a renegade interrupt in the middle of her question, punching her in the face (she will have a black eye and other facial injuries afterward). If you wait through the question you can choose to charm the audience by saying that the sacrificed people are heroes (if the Council was sacrificed, Shepard will compare their background to humanity's past and note how the death of the Council allowed other species to excel) or you can intimidate her by responding that the audience and families of those sacrificed deserve better than her. Non-charm and intimidate options have you simply walk away from her.
After Shepard returns to the Citadel to petition the Council's aid in retaking Earth, the Commander encounters al-Jilani the first time visiting Commander Bailey's office not as part of an assignment. Al-Jilani demands an interview from Bailey, and then from Shepard, before the former shuts the door. After that, al-Jilani confronts the Commander outside the Embassies, criticizing Shepard for abandoning Earth while countless innocents die. Shepard can attempt to punch her, which she will dodge. Then the Commander has the option of headbutting al-Jilani and admonishing her for her attempt at yet another slander report as she falls unconscious. She can be found unconscious on the floor for the remainder of Shepard's current visit to the Citadel. Should the Commander not headbutt her, al-Jilani will knock the Commander on the floor with an uppercut. If Shepard does not assault al-Jilani, the Commander can convince her that they are doing the right thing and ask for her assistance. Shepard tells her that they need all the help they can get, asking her to stay on the Citadel to keep asking the tough questions. If Shepard doesn't perform either morality interruption, the Commander will simply walk away from the interview. During the Citadel coup attempt, al-Jilani can be heard through static on a monitor near the Executor's office, trying to broadcast what is happening despite Cerberus' disruption of all communication.
Khalisah al-Jilani is voiced by April Banigan.
Gianna Parasini[]
Gianna Parasini is the human secretary to Administrator Anoleis at Port Hanshan, on Noveria. When the overzealous guards at the docking bay attempt to disarm Commander Shepard, she orders them to stand down, having confirmed Shepard's Spectre status. Parasini then meets Shepard at the entrance to Port Hanshan and mentions in passing that Matriarch Benezia is on Noveria, having recently travelled to Peak 15.
After Anoleis refuses to give Shepard a garage pass, Parasini beckons Shepard over and states that Anoleis is not the only person with a garage pass, remarking that "you can't bludgeon your way through bureaucracy". She hints that Lorik Qui'in, recently accused of corruption by Anoleis, has clearance to leave Port Hanshan. Shepard can follow her suggestion and, with Qui'in's clearance, raid the Synthetic Insights office for evidence that Anoleis is the one who is corrupt. The Commander is forced to shoot several ERCS guards, including Kaira Stirling. After Shepard and the squad leave Synthetic Insights, Parasini meets them on the stairs and asks about the "reports of noise". She then requests Shepard meet her for a drink in the hotel bar. Shepard can choose whether or not to oblige. If the Commander meets her, Parasini reveals that she is an agent for Internal Affairs. She is employed by the executive board and has been under cover, investigating Anoleis' corruption for six months. However, her position does not give her access to evidence that will help convict Anoleis: "He's a crook, not a moron! He doesn't keep logs on his computer saying 'This month I stole three million credits!'" She asks Shepard to convince Qui'in to testify — his evidence and testimony are everything she needs. In return, she will give Shepard a garage pass. At this point, Shepard can choose to assist Parasini by convincing Qui'in to testify. She is surprised Shepard wanted to help, given that the Spectres are able to operate outside the law, but nonetheless, she is grateful for the help. She then arrests Anoleis, hauling the salarian off as he demands Shepard to arrest Parasini for what she has done. As she leaves, Parasini cheerfully says she owes Shepard a beer. Alternatively, Shepard can betray her by warning Anoleis that Parasini is about to arrest him, allowing him to prepare his pistol for self-defense. When Parasini goes into Anoleis' office, gunshots are heard and Shepard later finds both of them dead. Shepard can also choose to ignore Parasini's request, and simply hand over the documents to Qui'in. In that case, both Anoleis and Parsini stay alive, Parsini only telling Shepard how disappointed she is.
If Parasini did not die, she can be found on Illium near Serrice Technology. If Shepard helped her pin evidence on Anoleis, Parasini makes good on her promise of buying Shepard a beer. After their brief chat, Parasini quickly excuses herself but not before leaving Shepard a note, seeking Shepard's help once again; this time to arrest an asari smuggler named Hermia. If a male Shepard helps Parasini on Noveria and Illium, she will give him a kiss on the cheek. If Shepard didn't help Parasini on Noveria, she will still ask for help to arrest Hermia, but will not give Shepard a kiss. Alternatively, Shepard can choose to warn Hermia, at which point Hermia will run away. In this case Parsini will simply ask herself, "why do I even bother?" Through conversations on Illium, Gianna will reveal a bit of her past. She grew up poor, and originally intended to become a cop or C-Sec officer. She enjoys solving white collar crime, as she still has the thrill of the chase, but doesn't have to deal with anything too disturbing. When asked about the nature of her next mission, Gianna mentions that some people are interested in dark energy and whether it's something her superiors should be concerned about. This could possibly be linked to the star Dholen which was rapidly aging due to dark energy.
Gianna Parasini is voiced by Wendy Braun.
Gavin Archer[]
Dr. Gavin Archer is the chief scientist of Project Overlord at the Cerberus facility on Aite. Dr. Archer is the only surviving member of the Project Overlord research team. Upon arrival on Aite, Archer directs Commander Shepard to prevent the escape of the rogue VI that has taken over the facility. When Commander Shepard arrives at Hermes Station on Aite, Dr. Archer reveals himself on a nearby video monitor. He explains that a rogue VI has taken over and he has locked himself inside a computer room at the far side of the base. After Shepard prevents the VI from uploading itself off-world via the destruction of the base's satellite dish, he comes out of hiding. Upon first being asked the reason behind all this, Archer explains it as "Man's reach exceeding his grasp." He explains his brother, David Archer, volunteered as a test subject for the project merging a human mind and a VI, and the results have been "less than satisfactory." When Shepard comments about the destructive progress, Dr. Archer explains, "Even amid chaos there are lessons to be learned." He explains that David could not handle the merger, and is "more like a virus now", infecting the world's networks and seizing all technology he can find. He explains that if the VI was to ever get off-world, it would be a "technological apocalypse", with every computer turning against its user. He tells Shepard the only way to stop David is to infiltrate the fortified laboratory in Atlas Station, but only after overriding the security at nearby Vulcan and Prometheus Stations.
Upon further investigation it is revealed that David is a savant, a high functioning autistic whose photographic memory and mathematically gifted mind virtually made him a human computer. In addition, because the very basis of geth communication is founded upon simple calculations communicated phonetically, it is revealed that David could already commune rudimentarily with the geth even before his interface with the VI. Gavin saw the potential of his brother's mathematical mind interacting with geth technology, and when the Illusive Man threatened to shut Overlord down due to a lack of results, Gavin accelerated the project by forcibly connecting his brother to the VI, causing him a lot of pain in the process. While Shepard battles David in the Atlas Station core, Gavin begs David to stop his upload, and enters the core when Shepard drops David's shields. After viewing Shepard's horror at the state of David, Gavin asks to treat his brother for all the harm caused to him, but to continue the experiment, refusing to apologise: "If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons, my conscience will rest easy". If Shepard releases David, Gavin will say he's too valuable and will open fire at Shepard, which the Commander dodges, and Shepard then puts a gun in Gavin's face. If a Paragon interrupt is used, Shepard will pistol-whip Gavin. Either way, Gavin is warned that should he even come for his brother, Shepard will not hesitate to kill him. If Shepard keeps David hooked up, Shepard will punch Gavin, and will tell him the only reason he survives is because his research may prevent war with the geth.
If Shepard releases David, Gavin begins regretting having involved his brother with Cerberus; he refused to obey the Illusive Man's instructions to find a new subject to replace David and eventually fled to a group of similar ex-Cerberus scientists after erasing all information on Project Overlord, an action that resulted in Cerberus placing a price on his head. Despite David's release to Grissom Academy, Dr. Gavin Archer will still assist in the war effort. However, if Shepard releases David to Grissom Academy but then does not complete the Grissom Academy mission before it's locked out and the students die, David is killed in the Cerberus attack as well. Then, if Shepard meets Dr. Gavin Archer later, Gavin will pull out a pistol, walk away, and a gunshot rings out. Even if the Grissom Academy mission was completed beforehand, Shepard can lie to Archer and claim they do not know David's fate, which will also cause him to commit suicide.
If Shepard allows David to stay at Project Overlord, then Gavin will be with the group of ex-Cerberus scientists. Upon being questioned, Gavin reveals that the data on controlling the geth from Project Overlord was in fact useful, and David eventually calmed down his emotions somewhat but one day just stopped responding to any stimuli at all. Gavin then had to pull the life support plug on David as a mercy killing. This caused Gavin to eventually defect from Cerberus since the guilt finally became too much. After the ex-Cerberus-scientists are rescued, Dr. Gavin Archer will assist in the war effort. If Shepard never rescued Project Overlord, then Gavin will be with the group of ex-Cerberus scientists. Once prompted about why he defected, he revealed that David eventually had gone out of control to the point of killing several scientists. Eventually, Cerberus used nuclear weapons on the base. Should Shepard resolve the situation with the quarians and geth before heading to Arrae, and not save David at any point, then revealing to Gavin that the geth are no longer a threat to organic civilizations will cause him to say that David's suffering was for nothing. He will then walk off and a gunshot is heard.
Dr. Archer is voiced by Simon Templeman.
Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib[]
Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib is one of the members of the quarian Admiralty Board. Zaal'Koris firmly opposes the idea of reclaiming the quarian homeworld, believing that the geth, being sentient, have as much right to live as the quarians, and advocates for the colonization of a new world instead. This has resulted in him being branded as a geth sympathizer. He is shown to be distrustful towards Rael'Zorah and his daughter, Tali. But Zaal'Koris later admits that he never hated Tali, he only thought her father's aim for war against the geth was wrong. His home vessel is the Qwib-Qwib. If Shepard asks about the name of the ship despite Tali's warnings not to, Zaal'Koris haughtily explains that some of the ships in the Migrant Fleet are previously owned vessels from other cultures and that changing their registry information is not always possible. He does admit that a name like the Defrahnz or the Iktomi might have been better, but he is proud of the Qwib-Qwib and refuses to change ships because of petty teasing. During Tali's hearing, Zaal'Koris will initially object to Commander Shepard's defense of Tali, saying that "a human has no business in such sensitive military matters". Shala'Raan will remind him that since he declared Tali crew of the Normandy, Shepard has the right to defend her. If Shepard brings Legion to Tali's trial, Koris will raise a different objection, demanding that quarian security remove the geth from the courtroom and accusing Tali of attempting to intimidate the admirals. Shala will then remind Koris that the captain of the Rayya, the ship on which the trial is taking place, permitted Legion on board and that Koris does not have the right to override a ship's captain on such a matter. In either situation, Zaal'Koris will withdraw his objection.
Against Koris' objections, and Tali's if she is appointed as an admiral, the other admirals chose to attack the geth, which caused them to seek help from the Reapers. Koris' ship is shot down while destroying a geth planetary cannon, though he survived the crash. As he is fighting for his life, Shepard arrives to extract him. The Commander can either choose to obey Koris' plea to rescue his crew or convince him to come back to prevent the Civilian Fleet he commands from falling apart. If the latter is chosen, Koris would back up Shepard in making peace for both quarians and geth. By 2186, Koris has been given command of the civilian fleets, so if Shepard does not rescue Koris but still makes sure the quarians survive the attack, some civilian fleet captains will panic and attempt to flee the system, but are cut down by geth in the attempt, reducing the "Quarian Civilian Fleet" War Asset. If Koris was rescued, however, the "Quarian Civilian Fleet" War Asset remains unaffected and Koris himself is gained as a War Asset.
Zaal'Koris is voiced by Martin Jarvis.
Shala'Raan vas Tonbay[]
Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay is a member of the quarian Admiralty Board during the events of Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. After Tali'Zorah vas Neema is accused of treason against the quarian people, Admiral Shala'Raan is seen presiding over her hearing, but had to recuse herself from taking part in the hearing due to her relationship with the Zorah family. Shala is an old friend of Tali's father, having known the family for 25 years; Tali calls her "Auntie Raan." She and Tali's mother synchronised suits so that they could be in the same clean room for Tali's birth; as a result, she was sick for a week. Depending on Commander Shepard's actions on Tali's behalf, the Admiral will announce that the Admiralty Board has found her guilty and sentence her to exile or announce that the Board has acquitted her of the charges.
If Tali does not survive the events of the Collector attacks, then Raan will perform Tali's role in key plot events. If Tali is present, Raan will remain aboard the Normandy in the War Room, as a quarian envoy for the duration of the missions on Rannoch. If Shepard picks the geth over the quarians and Raan has taken Tali's role, she will commit suicide by shooting herself in the head. If the quarians are able to re-settle on Rannoch, Admiral Raan will change her name to Admiral Shala'Raan vas Rannoch.
Shala'Raan vas Tonbay is voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo.
Han'Gerrel vas Neema[]
Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema is one of the members of the quarian Admiralty Board during the events of Mass Effect 2. He has had a history of causing trouble along the turian borders for a number of years. Han'Gerrel firmly supports the idea of reclaiming the quarian homeworld, stating that they have the largest fleet in the galaxy, yet ride around doing nothing. Tali argues that they may need the ships to combat the Reapers, but he replies that they will need a homeworld to shelter their non-combatants while they do it. He is derisively described as an "aging warship" by Daro'Xen vas Moreh. He is also friends with Tali's father, who he served with on the gunship Yaksa before his pilgrimage. During a batarian raid, six out of ten crewmen died, he and Rael were alone on the bridge, and the batarians had drawn off a tramp freighter. They were under orders to hold position, but Rael looked to Han'Gerrel and said "We're underage. They can't charge us with breaking formation." Rael'Zorah took the helm, Han'Gerrel took weapons, and they brought the freighter back. The crew hailed them as heroes while the brass called them idiots. Han'Gerrel and Rael received medals for their actions and were sent off on pilgrimage a little earlier than usual. He dislikes Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib, describing him as a "whining suit-wetter". During Tali's trial on the Migrant Fleet, Han'Gerrel sympathizes with her, believing her to be innocent.
Han'Gerrel was one of the admirals who advocated war against the geth, which drove the synthetics into the arms of the Reapers. As a result, the Migrant Fleet became trapped within the Perseus Veil. Commander Shepard subsequently arrives to provide assistance to the quarians, but after the Commander manages to disable a geth dreadnought, Gerrel chooses to open fire on the ship, despite the fact that Shepard and the squad are still aboard. When they return to the Normandy, Admiral Hackett reveals that Han'Gerrel has been a troublemaker in the turian border for years and Shala'Raan called on his reckless behaviour, threatening to charge him with treason. Han'Gerrel claimed that he was within his right as admiral of the Heavy Fleet and pleads with Shepard to understand his actions as a fellow soldier. Shepard has the opportunity to listen to the explanation, or slug Han'Gerrel in the stomach and send the Admiral off the ship. After Shepard's team and the Migrant Fleet destroy the Reaper controlling the geth, Han'Gerrel orders an all-out attack on the disabled geth fleet. Shepard has the choice to allow Legion to upload his software upgrades to the geth, allowing them to become truly sentient, or allow the quarians to destroy them. If the former option is chosen, Han'Gerrel will only break off the attack if Shepard has earned the trust of Tali and various other quarian leaders. If this has not been done, Han'Gerrel will continue the attack, resulting in the complete destruction of the Migrant Fleet.
Han'Gerrel vas Neema is voiced by Simon Templeman.
Daro'Xen vas Moreh[]
Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh is a member of the quarian Admiralty Board during the events of Mass Effect 2. After Tali'Zorah vas Neema is accused of treason against the quarian people, Admiral Daro'Xen is one of the three admirals present as judges, along with fellow admirals Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib and Han'Gerrel vas Neema. She is described by Han'Gerrel as being on the fence regarding Tali's treason and refers to the trial as "a farce born of fear". Though she has no interest in the trial, she knows that its subtle purpose to stir the Migrant Fleet to reclaim their homeworld. Xen describes Zaal'Koris as a coward and Han'Gerrel as "an aging warship". She sees Han'Gerrel's plans for war with the geth as foolish and self-destructive, but she has no qualms about experimenting on active geth. Her reasoning is that a starship can travel faster than she can and can make independent decisions with the right programming but can still be broken down. She reveals that she wishes to return the geth to the control of their rightful masters, the quarians who originally created them. If Legion is in the party, Xen finds it fascinating, originally assuming it to be a simple mech built with a geth shell, more so that it chose a name, stating wistfully, "the things I could learn under slightly different circumstances", to which Legion responds, "this platform is not available for experimentation". Furthermore, Legion responds to her plans for controlling the geth by describing them as "unsound" — a statement with which Tali'Zorah agrees.
After Tali's trial is complete, Admiral Xen sends a message to Commander Shepard's terminal that she did some searching of her own aboard the Alarei. She cryptically states that had Shepard presented the results of Rael'Zorah's research, humanity would've reaped the benefits, instead, they "will watch from a distance as the quarian people reclaim not just their homeworld, but the largest synthetic army in the galaxy". If Tali's father is outed during the trial, Xen will chastise Shepard for revealing the nature of Rael's work in public. In this case, it is likely the research will be purged, or at least be too politically volatile for her to take advantage of.
Admiral Xen's corps of research and development eventually create a means to cause massive white-noise jamming against the highly precise geth ladar scanning systems, giving the quarian fleet a major advantage in any attempt to wage war against the geth. Upon this revelation, the Admiralty votes to go to war, with Admiral Koris and possibly Tali dissenting (if she was exonerated in her trial and subsequently promoted to her father's vacant Admiral office). If Tali is not present, Xen will provide assistance to Shepard during their mission to disable a geth Dreadnought. Unlike Tali, she will not fight through the ship, instead advancing to the operations center when Shepard has cleared the way and providing electronic support, later leaving with them in a geth fighter. After the mission is completed, Admiral Xen expresses interest in dissecting Legion (or the Geth VI if Legion is unavailable), to which Shepard can discourage.
In the middle of the operation to reclaim Rannoch, Xen gets into an argument over inter-ship comms with Tali over ship operations; Tali wants Xen's ships to do search and rescue ops for escape pods, while Xen wants to continue salvage operations on the destroyed Geth dreadnought. Admiral Xen later briefs Shepard on the rescue mission for Admiral Koris, mentioning that the Civilian Fleet is in danger of breaking up without their leader. Should Xen survive the resolution of the geth/quarian war, she will be sent to the Crucible to help with development and construction, signified as a War Asset.
Daro'Xen vas Moreh is voiced by Claudia Black.
Recurring minor characters[]
Din Korlack[]
Din Korlack is the volus ambassador to the Citadel, sharing an embassy office with Calyn, the elcor ambassador. Din is markedly mistrustful of humans and questions their intentions in the galaxy. This is not an uncommon position among non-humans. However, while most are at least polite to humans, Din is openly rude to Shepard, to the point of being frequently chastised by Calyn. Din believes the Council is favouring humanity at the expense of his own people and is annoyed that the volus have no Council seat, despite the long history his species has with the Citadel. When Shepard becomes a Spectre, Din sarcastically remarks that it is an honour for the Commander to deign to speak to him.
Din Korlack returns in Mass Effect 3 in the mission Citadel: Volus Ambassador. He was revealed to have Cerberus connections while the organization was fighting the Collectors. However, he cut ties during the Reaper invasion but the turians were unaware of his change of heart and set a bounty on him. Korlack is captured by a group of bounty hunters, including Zaeed Massani (if he survived the Suicide Mission), but not before he left a recording instructing anyone who finds it to locate his listening device, which happened to be Commander Shepard. Shepard and Zaeed are able to save Korlack, but he admits that Cerberus plans on attacking a turian colony but refuses to admit which one, fearing Cerberus will know he turned traitor. He instead offers use of the volus bombing fleet. Shepard can either choose to take the fleet or save the colony or convince Korlack to give both.
Din Korlack is voiced by Lex Lang.
Barla Von[]
Barla Von is a volus financial adviser who runs an office in the Financial District of the Presidium. Called a "financial genius" by Captain Anderson, he is adept at moving large sums of money without leaving a paper trail. Von sells his services to the Citadel elite: diplomats, ambassadors, and even Spectres. Some of his customers understandably question the legality of his services, but Von insists that his operations are strictly within the law. Captain Anderson concurs if asked about it by Commander Shepard, saying that Von "doesn't do anything illegal. He just knows all the loopholes." Barla Von's real area of expertise, however, is the information trade. As he tells Shepard, "most people think I deal in finance, but my true currency is knowledge." He is an agent for the Shadow Broker, occasionally selling information to the Broker. However, like all agents of the Shadow Broker, Barla Von knows very little about his employer, though he has plenty of theories.
Commander Shepard can meet with Barla Von at the suggestion of Captain Anderson, in an effort to find proof of Saren Arterius' rogue status. It is, however, suggested that any information from Von would probably come at a high cost. After talking with him, Von says he is willing to give the information to Shepard for free because his employer, the Shadow Broker, was betrayed by Saren. Barla Von continues by saying that the Shadow Broker has hired a krogan mercenary to deal with the problem, and directs Shepard to the C-Sec Academy, where the freelancer was 'paying a visit'.
Barla Von can be found in the Presidium Commons. If Shepard met Barla Von while the Commander was investigating into possible proof of Saren's misdeeds, Barla Von will reference the meeting. On the other hand, if Shepard never met Barla Von, he will say he doesn't believe he's ever had the pleasure of meeting Shepard before. Von expresses surprised admiration that Anderson chose to stay on Earth. If the Commander asks how Barla Von knew about an Alliance matter, he will reply that the information trade is as important as ever. Then, Barla Von recognizes that Shepard needs all the resources they can get, and he makes Shepard an offer. There is a sizeable mercenary group that has become trapped in Reaper-controlled territory and is calling for help. Barla Von promises that if Shepard evacuates this mercenary group, the group will join the war effort. If Shepard asks what's in it for Barla Von since an offer that benefits only the Commander seems too good to be true, Barla Von will explain that this mercenary group is also willing to pay a high commission to whoever organizes their rescue. That means if Shepard rescues the mercenary group, Shepard gets a boost to the war effort and Barla Von gets paid a lot of money, so everyone wins.
Barla Von is voiced by John Wright.
Ereba[]
Ereba is an asari merchant on Illium. She runs the store, Memories of Illium, that sells model starships and fish. She is currently the focus of the love-struck krogan Charr who stands nearby reciting poetry. Ereba was in a relationship with Charr but broke it off with him because she was not sure of what she wanted. She thinks that Charr may only be interested in her so that he can have children (Ereba notes that krogan whose reproduction has been adversely affected by the genophage may only procreate with asari). Commander Shepard can either persuade her to take back Charr or to forget about him. Regardless of the outcome, Ereba will give Shepard a discount at her store. If Shepard helps get the couple back together, they travel to Tuchanka together to start a new life. As a result, the two can be seen again on Tuchanka if Shepard convinces Ereba to settle down with the krogan, but no further interaction can be made with them.
Ereba can be found on the Citadel in the Presidium Commons. If Shepard persuades Ereba to continue her relationship with Charr, she mentions that Charr, now her husband, is off fighting in the war against the Reapers. Should the Commander go after the missing krogan team, Shepard can find a dying message from Charr, consisting mostly of more poetry - with poetic references to an unborn child, where he asks it to be brought to Ereba on the Citadel. This situation plays out if Shepard persuaded Ereba to stay with Charr during the visit on Illium. If Shepard convinced Ereba to break it off with Charr, her dialogue is affected, but Charr still leaves a dying message to be delivered to her.
Fist[]
Fist is the human owner of Chora's Den, and a known crime figure on the Citadel. The reporter Emily Wong became interested in his activities, but could not obtain enough evidence to write her story because the krogan bouncer at the Den kept her out. As well as being a crime lord, Fist was formerly an agent of the Shadow Broker, but changed his allegiances to work for Saren Arterius; Dr. Michel comments that Saren must have paid very highly for Fist to take such a risk. The Shadow Broker retaliated by hiring the krogan bounty hunter Urdnot Wrex to assassinate Fist. However, Wrex was unable to do so as he was denied entry into Chora's Den by a bouncer. Commander Shepard heard that Fist came into contact with a quarian who has evidence of Saren's treachery. Shepard and the squad raid Chora's Den and confront Fist in his office which was protected by turrets. Eventually, Fist surrenders and tells them that he sent the quarian to a nearby alleyway; he misled her into believing that she was going to meet the Shadow Broker but set her up with Saren's associates instead. Fist pleads to be released, but Shepard holds Fist at gunpoint with the option of executing or releasing him — Fist promises he will vanish to hide from the Shadow Broker. However, if Wrex is in the squad, he kills Fist to fulfill his contract with the Shadow Broker regardless of what Shepard does. Shepard can find an OSD containing Fist's private files in his office and pass it on to Emily Wong.
If Fist survived his previous encounter with Shepard, he reappears as a patron on the lower floor of the Afterlife Club on Omega. If Shepard talks to him, Fist angrily admonishes Shepard for ruining his life and making the effort of harassing him across the galaxy despite being a small time criminal. If he is spoken to again, Fist mentions that he has found legitimate employment as a dockworker. Further on in the game, if spoken to yet again, Fist can also be seen surrounded by a pair of asari and tells Shepard that sometimes he likes to "get friendly with the whores" on his time off.
Fist is voiced by John Wright.
Harkin[]
Harkin was one of the first human C-Sec officers. According to Captain Anderson, who describes Harkin as "a disgrace to the species", his was not an illustrious career. During his 20 years in C-Sec, he was known for roughing up suspects in custody, taking bribes, and abusing drugs and alcohol. The embassy used to intervene when he got in trouble, for fear that it would damage humanity's reputation if he were dismissed. Now that there are enough humans in C-Sec for the embassy to cease protecting him, though, he was suspended by Executor Pallin a month prior to the start of Mass Effect for drinking on the job. ommander Shepard looks for Harkin at Ambassador Udina's suggestion, hoping he can provide a lead to finding Garrus Vakarian. Harkin can be found at Chora's Den in the Lower Wards, drinking and complaining about C-Sec maintaining a file on him. He is very amused that Shepard is part of Anderson's crew (and if Shepard is female, will sexually harass her); before he will tell the squad where Garrus is, Harkin makes them listen to his story about Anderson.
Harkin returns in Mass Effect 2, playing a key role in Garrus' loyalty mission. He has been fired from C-Sec and become a racketeer under the alias "Fade." He is revealed to have facilitated Sidonis's disappearance in the Terminus Systems. Shepard and Garrus eventually learn of Harkin's identity, and are forced to fight his security detail, which includes Blue Suns and mechs. After being beaten up, Harkin arranges a meeting with Sidonis, with Shepard having the option to prevent Garrus from shooting Harkin in the kneecap. This will cause Garrus to headbutt Harkin instead. It is later revealed by EDI that Harkin is taken into custody by C-Sec for his crimes.
Helena Blake[]
Helena Blake is a senior human member of a crime syndicate, and is described by C-Sec as 'a person of interest'. She can be found waiting outside the Emporium on the Citadel Presidium, after Commander Shepard has been made a Spectre. The well-spoken Blake accosts Shepard as the Commander passes by, claiming to have a business proposition. She makes little secret of the fact she is part of a criminal syndicate, but claims her two partners have overstepped the mark: they are dealing in the biotic drug called red sand and have engaged in the slave trade. She offers to pay Shepard for removing them on her behalf. Shepard can agree immediately, or refuse — Blake gives the Commander the co-ordinates anyway, asking if Shepard's conscience can tolerate letting these two criminals live. Shepard can also threaten to arrest Blake for her obvious criminal activities, but Blake, unconcerned, responds that she has excellent legal representation.
If Shepard eliminates the two crime bosses, the Commander can then head to Amaranthine, in the Fortuna system, to meet Blake at her hideout and receive a reward. She thanks Shepard for the help and promises that the syndicate will restrict its activities to gambling and the smuggling of illegal technologies in the future. Shepard can accept her word and leave, or try to arrest Blake again. She tells Shepard she would rather die before going to prison, and that she is prepared to kill to avoid incarceration. Finally, she tells her goons to "neutralize the Spectre", but is killed in the firefight. However, the Commander can persuade Blake, giving her the chance to walk away from the syndicate. She concedes that "those two idiots" have ruined her operation beyond any hope of repair and agrees to disband her organisation permanently.
If she was not killed in Mass Effect, Shepard will run into Blake on Omega, along the passageways linking the upper and lower levels of the Afterlife Club. If Blake was charmed or intimidated to retire from her life of crime, she will be found working there as a social worker, using her knowledge of the criminal underworld to help the people of Omega. Otherwise, she had moved and integrated her criminal empire into the organization of Aria T'Loak, Omega's de facto ruler, becoming an underboss herself.
Helena Blake is voiced by Jane Singer.
Jenna[]
Jenna is a waitress at Chora's Den who used to work at Flux. She won't speak to Shepard unless the commander has talked to her sister Rita, and accepted the Citadel: Rita's Sister assignment. Jenna is working as an informant for C-Sec on behalf of Detective Chellick. Jenna insists she can take care of herself, and gets annoyed when Shepard tries to make her realise just how dangerous Chora's Den can be. She asks the commander to leave so she can get back to work: "I'm not a stripper, I don't get paid to stand around and look pretty." Shepard can help Jenna by co-operating with Chellick to close his investigation. In return, Chellick gets Jenna out of Chora's Den. She's hired back by Doran at once - apparently the customers at Flux love Jenna - but while Rita is happy her sister is out of danger, she'd forgotten that Jenna gets the best tips.
If Shepard dealt with Jenna back in 2183, Jenna saves Conrad Verner's life, using an omni-tool trick she learned from Chellick to hack the gun of a Cerberus agent as Conrad leaps to take a bullet for Shepard. He and Jenna then get acquainted over his relationship with the Commander.
Septimus Oraka[]
General Septimus Oraka is a retired turian general who is in love with Sha'ira, the asari Consort. He can be found at Chora's Den, in the Citadel Wards. Wrex recognises him; Septimus fought several campaigns against the krogan. Commander Shepard is sent looking for Septimus at Sha'ira's request. He had visited the Consort for years and they became very close, but Septimus wanted Sha'ira to be "more than [she] could be", and they had a falling-out. Angry at the Consort, Septimus began spreading lies about her, now spending all of his time in Chora's Den trying to drown his sorrows. Sha'ira asks Shepard to speak to Septimus as one soldier to another, and remind him of his honour. When the Commander finds the turian, Septimus claims that Sha'ira was the only woman who helped him forget the horrors of his past and that she has effectively deserted him. Shepard can Charm or Intimidate him, telling him to straighten up and behave like a general. Eventually Septimus realises how he has been behaving, and vows to go to Sha'ira after a cold shower or two. He asks Shepard to do him one favour: in his anger at Sha'ira, he discovered a compromising secret about an elcor diplomat named Xeltan, and accused the Consort of revealing it to damage her reputation. He gives Shepard the details of how he discovered it, which will exonerate Sha'ira, and asks the Commander to give it to Xeltan to address the situation. Sha'ira later tells Shepard that Septimus sent her a lovely note as an apology, and they have become friends again.
During the Reaper invasion, Shepard is called upon to kill Septimus, who has been harrying Blue Suns raids on C-Sec weapons, in order to gain the mercenary organization's support in retaking Earth. Septimus offers to call off his attacks if the Commander convinces a black market dealer to agree to trade his weapons. Alternatively, Shepard can simply ask Aria to kill Septimus, which also gains the support of the Blue Suns.
Ka'hairal Balak[]
Ka'hairal Balak is the leader of the batarian terrorist group in the first downloadable mission for Mass Effect, Bring Down the Sky. Unlike the other batarians, who only planned to make a quick slave grab, Balak is on a mission to crash Asteroid X57 into the human colony of Terra Nova. Balak hates humans because they claimed territory and resources that he believes should have belonged to the batarians during the early stages of humanity's major expansion into the Skyllian Verge. He sees his actions as reprisal for the Skyllian Blitz on Elysium.
During the mission, Balak sends his forces after Commander Shepard to prevent the fusion torches being shut down, while Balak hunts for the hiding engineers in the main facility. When he finds Kate Bowman, he demands to know who is attacking his people; when Kate refuses to answer, Balak kills her brother and sends Charn to find Shepard. When the Commander launches an assault on the main facility, Shepard confronts Balak, who has planted a bomb in the offices where the hostages are being held. Balak talks angrily about the thwarted Skyllian Blitz (if Shepard is a War Hero, Balak holds Shepard personally responsible for the Blitz's failure) and about Torfan (if Shepard is Ruthless, Balak accuses Shepard of murdering batarians). Shepard has a choice to make: either attack Balak to ensure his death, or release him, in order to save the hostages, including Kate Bowman. Judging by Balak's reaction when Shepard asks him who is in charge of the batarian's terrorist actions, it is likely that Balak, as well as other batarian terrorist groups, answer to a higher authority. If Shepard chose to save the hostages, it is mentioned in a Galactic News announcement that Balak is still on the run and has not been arrested for his attack on X57. If Shepard chose to kill Balak, a Galactic News announcement will inform that "...Reverend Bowman, whose daughter Kate died in the batarian attack on Terra Nova, will be holding a non-denominational ceremony."
If Shepard chose to save the hostages, left Balak for dead without finishing him, or did not undertake the mission to save Terra Nova, Shepard will meet Balak on the Citadel's holding docks. After the events at Terra Nova, Balak went back to his homeworld while the Hegemony sent teams of scientists to study the Leviathan of Dis. The Leviathan turned out to be an inactive Reaper and the entire batarian science team was subsequently indoctrinated. These scientists served as sleeper agents in the conquest of Khar'shan and the destruction of the Batarian Hegemony by disabling a number of defense grids on Khar'shan and causing allied ships to fire on one another. Balak managed to escape to the Citadel and aided the remains of the batarian fleet against the Reapers by hacking Council transmissions. Balak claims he is the highest-ranking military officer left in the Hegemony. Thus, he holds Shepard responsible for the destruction of his culture. Shepard can either kill him or convince him to lend his support against the Reapers.
Recurring characters in other media[]
Kahlee Sanders[]
First Lieutenant Kahlee (pronounced kay lee) Sanders is, to date, the female protagonist of the Mass Effect novels, makes her first in-game appearance in Mass Effect 3. Introduced in Mass Effect: Revelation, Kahlee is the daughter of Systems Alliance Admiral Jon Grissom, and participated in artificial intelligence research on the planet Sidon; it is during the events on this planet that she meets and falls in love with David Anderson, but the relationship is not pursued. Kahlee subsequently retires from active duty, but remains with the Alliance as a consultant on several classified research projects. When seen again in Mass Effect: Ascension, Kahlee is an administrator at the Jon Grissom Academy for gifted biotics, and is a technical consultant for their Ascension Project, which was looking into experimental techniques to improve biotics. When she discovers the Cerberus organization's ties to the Project and intentions, she becomes disillusioned and seeks to dismantle the Project. She ultimately flees to the quarian Migrant Fleet, which comes under attack by a Cerberus team led by Paul Grayson. Grayson has a change of heart during the battle, and Kahlee helps him defect. In Mass Effect: Retribution, she is reunited with Anderson, and they team together to help rescue Grayson, who has been subjected to cruel experiments with Reaper technology. Finally seeing incontrovertible evidence of the Reaper threat, she temporarily leaves Grissom Academy to help Anderson take a proactive role in combatting the Reaper threat. In Mass Effect: Deception, Kahlee and Anderson present Grayson's body to the Council in an attempt to prove that Reaper threat is real. In Mass Effect 3, she has returned to Grissom Academy, and training her students to become a biotic artillery squad, though she believes they would be better served in a less dangerous support role (Jack is helping her if she survived Mass Effect 2). The Academy comes under Cerberus attack again, and Kahlee must secure an escape transport while Shepard draws fire away from her and her students. Afterwards, she places Jack (if alive) in charge of the students while she lends her scientific expertise to building the Crucible, a superweapon designed to destroy the Reapers. Later on in the game, she contacts Anderson via e-mail, marvelling at the scope of the project, and telling him to stay safe.
She is voiced by Grey DeLisle.
Venari Pallin[]
The turian head of Citadel Security, Executor Venari Pallin acts as the liaison between C-Sec and the Citadel Council. He has an office on the Presidium near the embassies, and is seen arguing with Garrus Vakarian in the Council Chambers over Garrus' investigation into Saren Arterius. Unlike Garrus, Pallin is extremely "by-the-book" in his work, and refuses to allow Garrus more time to investigate. Pallin, a thirty-year veteran of C-Sec, makes no secret of his views. He dislikes both Spectres and humans, so Commander Shepard — the first human Spectre — is not a terribly welcome visitor to his office. He mistrusts Spectres because he believes nobody should act above the law — he claims he has never had to break the law to do his job. When Shepard points out that sometimes the galaxy needs people like the Spectres, Pallin concedes the point, but says in that case Spectres need to be held to a higher standard, or the Council might end up with more agents like Saren. His opposition to humans is mainly political: he thinks they are becoming too powerful too quickly, labelling them the Council's new 'pet'. Shepard retorts that humanity has to fight for every concession, which Pallin is pleased to hear, "but don't expect the rest of us to just sit back and let you take it."
Executor Pallin is still the head of C-Sec in 2186. When approached by turian Ambassador Orinia with the evidence against Cerberus, he created an all-turian task force to assist Orinia, David Anderson, and Kahlee Sanders in their efforts. He readily agreed to the request because he had served under Orinia during his stint in the military. Some time in 2186, Executor Pallin is under investigation by Donnel Udina, suspected of aiding and abetting the Council's enemies. Confronted by investigating officer Captain Bailey, Pallin angrily denies Udina's accusations and eventually resists arrest, opening fire on Bailey. The Captain returns fire, wounding Pallin. The Executor then attempts to tackle Bailey and is fatally shot.
Anto Korragan[]
Anto Korragan is a batarian bodyguard who serves Aria T'Loak on Omega. Anto makes a brief first appearance in Mass Effect: Redemption, preventing Liara T'Soni and Feron from seeing Aria T'Loak, Omega's leader and "pirate queen". When reminded that Aria might not appreciate that Anto has been selling information to Feron about who Aria meets with, Anto takes them up to Aria. Aria explains that she already knows about Anto's dealings since nothing on Omega is a secret from her, and that he's lucky she's fond of him.
Anto is encountered Mass Effect 2 when Commander Shepard enters the Afterlife Club to speak with Aria. Anto is stationed near the right staircase to Aria's booth at the club. He is involved in the assignment Omega: Packages for Ish. One of the packages that Ish asks Shepard to retrieve is a message which reveals that although Anto works for Aria, he also wants to pick up outside work. The message speculates that this might be a means to exploit Anto and infiltrate Aria's organization. Shepard can alert Anto of Ish's activities. Anto is thankful of the heads-up and "cleans up the mess" by later eliminating Ish.
In Mass Effect: Invasion, when the Adjutants attack, Anto leads Omega's defenders in protecting Afterlife. He is almost killed, but Aria arrives in time to save him and defeat the remaining Adjutants. While Aria boards the Cerberus warship Elbrus with General Oleg Petrovsky to oversee the defense against a wave of Adjutant-controlled ships arriving from the Omega 4 Relay, Anto stays behind in Omega Control to monitor the situation. He is one of the first to learn that the Elbrus has crossed the relay and left Omega, and assumes that Aria is either dead or transformed into an Adjutant. He begins planning to take over as Omega's leader, but his scheme is interrupted by Colonel Raymond Ashe, who slaughters Omega Control's operators and prepares the station to receive a Cerberus occupation force. In Aria's absence, Anto tries to unite Omega's various factions against Cerberus, but is unsuccessful in preventing infighting from breaking out. When Aria returns, Anto willingly returns to his duties as her assistant as she unites Omega's forces and the battle for the station ensues. Aria uses her allies to distract Petrovsky's troops while she and Anto make their way to the Afterlife Club to contact and confront the Illusive Man. Cerberus springs another trap, however: an Adjutant that Colonel Ashe had smuggled into the building in stasis is awakened and attacks Anto, killing him.
Feron[]
Feron is a drell information trafficker who is first introduced in the Mass Effect: Redemption comic book series. Feron was hired by Liara T'Soni to help her find Commander Shepard. However, he told her that the Commander is neither dead nor alive. Nonetheless, Liara insisted on finding Shepard. Unfortunately, they were ambushed by the Blue Suns, sent by the Shadow Broker to delay Liara. Suddenly, an unknown sniper gunned down the mercs, giving the two an opening to escape. They then ran into agents of Cerberus, a pro-human extremist group, who claimed that they were after Shepard too. Among the Cerberus agents was Miranda Lawson. The pair was brought to meet with the Illusive Man who revealed the Shadow Broker was working with the Collectors. After the meeting, Feron revealed to Liara that he had been ordered to lead her away from Shepard. But because of recent events, he is willing to help her.
Feron brings Liara back to the Afterlife Club, where the queen of Omega, Aria T'Loak resides. After learning the location where the Blue Suns would be bringing the body, Feron spotted Tazzik, the Broker's personal enforcer. Liara was half of mind to simply rush, but Feron thought of a better idea with a nearby turret. Unfortunately, he missed Tazzik's ship, alerting the Suns to their presence. Tazzik was then able to flee Omega, with Shepard's body. Liara accused Feron of still working for the Shadow Broker. The drell defended that he never stopped working for the Broker, which they could use to their advantage in tracking Taz.The two infiltrated the Broker's main base on Alingon, where Feron passes up Liara as his prisoner. But before they could go retrieve Shepard, Feron first wanted to go to the Broker's command center to determine what he's getting from the Collectors. Upon entry, they see what seems to be a shadowy hologram of the Broker. Liara kept him talking while Feron downloaded all of the information on the Broker's dealings. As soon as he was finished, he told Liara to unleash her biotics to disable the communications in the room, preventing any of the Broker's hired guns from learning their location.
While en route to Shepard's location, Feron admitted to Liara that Cerberus attempted to recruit him a few times but he refused to betray the Broker, until hearing about his deal with the Collectors. Working directly with the Illusive Man, they came up with a plan for Feron himself to snatch the body. But the Broker learned about this, so Feron had to use Liara to accomplish the plan. Feron ran up to Taz and the Collector he was talking with, claiming that the Broker wanted full payment for Shepard's body. Taz was willing to believe him, until the Collector blurted out that Feron's a traitor. The drell held off Taz so that Liara could escape. She was uncertain if he was killed or tortured, but she was determined to bring down the Shadow Broker for what he has done.
In Mass Effect 2, when Shepard goes to Illium and asks Liara about how she's been doing for the past two years, she eventually mentions a "friend" that she is looking for. She says that they were led to a place on their search together and were ambushed. Liara was able to make it out but her friend didn't. Liara believes he has been either captured or killed. In the Lair of the Shadow Broker downloadable content pack, Shepard is sent information on the Shadow Broker obtained by Cerberus. Shepard travels back to Ilium and passes this information onto Liara, who examines it and determines that Feron is indeed alive, and in the custody of the Shadow Broker. After surviving an assassination attempt by a rogue Spectre working for the Shadow Broker, Tela Vasir, Liara, with assistance from Shepard and the information obtained from Cerberus, travels to the Shadow Broker Base on the planet Hagalaz. There, they find Feron being tortured for his previous betrayal of the Broker. Unable to remove the drell from the device holding him down without killing him, Liara and Shepard confront the Shadow Broker, killing him in the process.
Now free from the Shadow Broker's custody, Feron opts to remain in the Shadow Broker's base so he can assist Liara, who has taken over as Shadow Broker following the previous Broker's death. He remains unsure what he will do afterward. Liara expresses great concern for Feron, worried his ordeal has left him mentally scarred. Shepard can ask Liara if she is romantically involved with Feron, and her answers will differ slightly depending on whether or not Shepard is in a relationship with Liara, but both result in Liara denying it. However, her response is somewhat ambiguous if Shepard is not romancing Liara. She points out that at this time, Feron is too emotionally unstable for a relationship and that it would be irresponsible "to take advantage" of the situation. Asking Feron about his relationship with Liara will result in him saying that Liara is a far better friend than he deserves.
If Shepard assaulted the Shadow Broker Base with Liara, Feron helps Liara abandon the base. He then takes up a role as one of Liara's agents and takes control of Terminus operations, much to the dismay of Tazzik. If Shepard doesn't help Liara overthrow the Shadow Broker, then Liara will say that she had to hire dozens of mercenaries to storm the Broker's lair, and that Feron didn't survive the assault.
Feron is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.
Hendel Mitra[]
A former Alliance soldier, Hendel Mitra was the Security Chief of the Ascension Project. Hendel is described as tall with a muscular chest and arms, rusty-brown hair and light brown skin. His ancestry is said to be part Scandinavian, shown by his Nordic first name, and part Indian, shown his Hindu surname and place of birth. His personality is described as being gruff, loyal and military though somewhat over-zealous. Hendel was born in the suburbs of the New Calcutta megapolis, one of Earth's richest regions. During her pregnancy, his mother suffered exposure to dust-form element zero. Hendel was lucky and was born with biotic powers instead of birth defects. After being detected as a biotic, Hendel was sent to BAaT for training, but ran afoul of the strict military policies under which BAaT was conducted. Every effort was made to separate the teenagers from their families, including making them fear their own children's powers, and in Hendel's case the effort was too successful. He became estranged from his family and refused any contact with them, even after BAaT was shut down. He later enlisted in the Alliance military. Kahlee believes that Hendel's experiences at BAaT made him all the more determined to help Gillian Grayson, seeing helping her as a way to ease his own pain over the past.
At the opening of Mass Effect: Ascension, Hendel is concerned about Paul Grayson's drug addiction and his contact with Gillian. Though he suggests Nick would benefit from a clip around the ear once in a while, Hendel is actually very protective towards all the Project's children. When Gillian unleashes a biotic storm in the cafeteria, Hendel hesitates to stun her and has to use his own biotic talents to protect himself. Hendel blames himself for the destruction Gillian causes, and considers offering his resignation to the board over this incident - though he is also prepared to swallow his pride and ask Grayson to hire him as Gillian's private biotic tutor. However, Hendel's protectiveness toward Gillian pays off when he catches Dr. Jiro Toshiwa giving her cerebrospinal medication, resulting in a seizure. Though Jiro stuns Hendel several times, Hendel manages to stay conscious and keep Gillian alive with CPR until the EMTs arrive. After Jiro is revealed as a Cerberus operative, Hendel accompanies Kahlee Sanders, Gillian and Paul Grayson to Omega in order to protect Gillian from Cerberus. There they are captured by the Cerberus operative Pel, and held prisoner, discovering Hendel's suspicions were correct and Paul is also a Cerberus operative. Pel plans to sell Hendel, along with Gillian, to the Collectors and make a fortune.
All three are broken out by the quarian Lemm'Shal nar Tesleya and, after a battle with their captors, flee to the Migrant Fleet. Along with Gillian and Kahlee, Hendel is imprisoned on the shuttle during its long quarantine, but spends the time by giving Gillian lessons in using her biotic powers. He accompanies Kahlee on her tour of the Idenna, and is amazed at the free economy of the ship's trading deck. When Cerberus sends Paul Grayson and the quarian Golo to extract Gillian, Hendel supports the Idenna's crew by using his biotics in combat, but is badly hurt in the battle. He recovers enough to help defuse the explosives aboard the Cyniad before it can destroy the Idenna.When Kahlee Sanders leaves, taking Paul with her as a captive, Hendel remains behind aboard the Migrant Fleet with Gillian. He intends to serve as Gillian's protector while they travel aboard the Idenna, on her long mission to search for a new quarian homeworld.
In Mass Effect: Deception, Hendel Mitra and Gillian Grayson still live on the Idenna, where both have become trusted members of the crew. Mitra and Gillian help defend the Idenna when it comes under attack from a batarian slave ship, the Glory of Khar'shan. After the quarian head of the security team, Ugho, is killed during the boarding attempt, Mitra takes command and leads the counterattack. With Gillian's biotics, the quarians kill most of the slavers and take control of their ship. When one of the slaves aboard it, Hal McCann, tells Gillian that her father was dead, Mitra leaves with her on the batarian ship to see if they can find out what happened.
Nick Donahue[]
Nick Donahue is a biotic student at the Ascension Project. He was twelve during the events of Mass Effect: Ascension and received his L4 implant when he was eleven. Though one of the more talented biotics in the program, Nick was also known for being a bully. Hendel Mitra put him in lockdown for three weeks, after Nick reacted to his friend Seshaun's teasing by biotically pushing him over. Nick's arrogance got him in trouble when he picked on the wrong victim. On a dare from Seshaun and his friends, Nick went to speak to Gillian Grayson in the Academy's cafeteria and started making fun of her. Finally he used his biotics to knock her milk over; Gillian responded by throwing him twenty feet across the cafeteria before using her own abilities to wreak havoc. Nick survived, though he suffered a concussion and a bruised spine.
During the events of Mass Effect: Retribution, he was older and more developed in his biotic abilities. After Gillian's departure, he became the most talented biotic child at Grissom Academy. In the final chapters of Retribution, he "works together" with Kai Leng to defeat the Reaper-modified Paul Grayson. Kai Leng uses him to attack Grayson, resulting in Nick getting shot in the stomach. Kahlee and Anderson manage to save his life and he is in good condition in the final chapter of the book. It is also hinted at several times in the book that he has an undeniable crush on Miss Sanders, the first case of which being his adolescent body taking notice of her and him disliking Anderson because of the relationship Kahlee shared with him.
In Mass Effect: Deception, Nick is on the Citadel with David Anderson and Kahlee Sanders as they present evidence to the Citadel Council about Reaper involvement in Paul Grayson's attack on Grissom Academy. While Anderson and Sanders speak with the Council, Nick runs away to join a biotic supremacist group known as the Biotic Underground.
Gillian Grayson[]
Gillian Grayson was a student at the Jon Grissom Academy, and the adoptive daughter of Paul Grayson, a Cerberus operative and red sand addict. She showed promising biotic ability early on, and had high-functioning autism. Gillian was twelve during the events of Mass Effect: Ascension, and was likely exposed to element zero during the Cerberus-orchestrated industrial "accident" on Yandoa. Gillian is described as tall for her age with dark hair. Due to her condition, she was prone to silence, and was highly sensitive to social interaction and physical contact, with occasional bursts of sociability. She was given to Grayson as a baby by Cerberus, in order for them to infiltrate the Alliance's premier biotics research program, the Ascension Project. She was considered the potential 'saviour' of humanity by the Illusive Man and her father alike, though it is possible the Illusive Man used this excuse to further enthrall her well-meaning father into deceiving his daughter and breaking Alliance law.
During her time at the Project, Gillian was drugged by Dr. Jiro Toshiwa, apparently in an attempt to increase her biotic powers. Deliberately or not, this medication might also have been responsible for worsening her autistic condition. The medicine had the desired affect on Gillian's biotic abilities, allowing her to throw a fellow student, Nick, twenty feet, cause chaos in the Academy cafeteria and unleash a high-level biotic singularity before Gillian was stunned by Hendel Mitra. When Dr. Toshiwa gave her a cerebrospinal dose of the medicine, Gillian suffered a seizure and was hospitalised. After this, under the guise of a concerned parent, her father took her, Kahlee Sanders, and Hendel Mitra to Omega to "hide" her from Cerberus. His real intention was to hand Gillian over to his boss for further study and training. Unfortunately for him, Pel, her father's one-time partner, had revolted against Cerberus and intended to hand her over to the Collectors in exchange for valuable technology. Luckily, Lemm'Shal nar Tesleya, a quarian on his Pilgrimage, found them while searching for a fellow quarian and freed them from Pel's prison. Lemm took them to safety aboard the Migrant Fleet, but the three were isolated aboard their shuttle on the Idenna while the quarians debated what to do with them.
Gillian appeared to enjoy her time in confinement, and actually liked the quarian environmental suit she was asked to wear (to the extent it was a struggle to make her take it off). Kahlee speculated this might have been related to Gillian's autism and her reluctance to be touched. Meanwhile, Hendel took the opportunity to give Gillian one-on-one biotic tuition to improve her skill and control. Unfortunately, just as the quarians made their decision about what to do with them, the Idenna came under attack; Gillian's father had followed them to the Migrant Fleet with a squad of Cerberus commandos.
During the assault on the Idenna, Gillian was told to hide in Seeto'Hodda nar Idenna's quarters, but she became uncomfortable with the way everything had been rearranged and went back to the shuttle. She encountered several Cerberus operatives on the way, but with her abilities honed by Mitra, she was able to kill them with ease, even dropping a six-ton forklift on soldiers who tried to stop her. Her father managed to stun her, intending to take her back to Cerberus. However, Kahlee Sanders convinced him that Cerberus was trying to turn Gillian into a weapon, and that they had essentially been poisoning Gillian and making her condition worse, rather than turning her into a saviour. Finally Grayson agreed to let her stay on the Flotilla to protect her from a Cerberus which he no longer believed in, along with Hendel, who had formed a bond with the autistic girl. Both Hendel and Gillian were picked by the captain of the Idenna to accompany him on his search for a new quarian homeworld.
In Mass Effect: Deception, Gillian has become a trusted member of the Idenna's crew and has earned the quarian name "Gillian nar Idenna". She serves on the Idenna's security force with her mentor, Hendel Mitra. When the Idenna comes under attack from the Glory of Khar'shan, a batarian slave ship, Gillian's advanced biotic abilities turn the tables on the slavers and allow the quarians to capture their ship. One of the slaves aboard the ship is Hal McCann, a Cerberus operative who knew Gillian's father, Paul Grayson. After learning of her father's death from McCann, Gillian resolves to find her father's killer and exact vengeance. Knowing that the Idenna's crew won't refuse her after she had saved them from the batarians, she asks for and receives the Glory of Khar'shan to fly to the Citadel.
Non-recurring characters[]
Non-recurring Normandy crewmen[]
Charles Pressly[]
Navigation Officer Charles Pressly is an officer aboard the SSV Normandy, serving as the navigator. His grandfather served in the First Contact War. He is not comfortable with non-humans (particularly the turians), but he is loyal to his commanding officer and will set aside those prejudices to serve the Alliance faithfully. Pressly joined the Alliance shortly after he finished school, desiring to follow in his grandfather's footsteps. Before the Normandy, he was stationed on the SSV Agincourt, a frigate which was one of the first reinforcements to arrive at Elysium after the Skyllian Blitz (if Commander Shepard has the "War Hero" background, Pressly will reminisce about the Commander's involvement in the Blitz). After the crisis at Elysium, Pressly received his officer's commission and was selected by Captain David Anderson to serve on the Normandy as the Navigation Officer.
After Anderson gives Shepard command of the Normandy, Pressly becomes the Executive Officer (XO) and takes command in Shepard's absence. Though Pressly is loyal to the Alliance, he is more loyal to Shepard and finds the Commander's theft of the Normandy to be an adventure: "I know we'll all be court-martialed if this doesn't work out, but part of me loves this!"
One month after Sovereign's attack on the Citadel, the Alliance sends Commander Shepard and the SSV Normandy to patrol distant systems for geth forces. Pressly believed that there are no geth and that the real threat is from slavers. While investigating a system where several ships have been reported missing, an unidentified ship attacks the Normandy. Navigator Pressly, on the bridge at the time, is knocked unconscious to the floor by an exploding console. After being revived two years later by Cerberus, Shepard is told that Pressly was among those who died in the attack. If Shepard visits the Normandy crash site, the Commander will be able to find Pressly's datapad among the ruins of the command center. Some of the data is corrupted and unreadable, but the messages can still be understood. He states that he'd gladly die for any one of the non-humans on the ship and that his previous doubts — namely his uncertainty directed at Shepard for allowing Tali, Liara, Garrus and Wrex on board — were written out of ignorance.
Pressly is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck.
Richard L. Jenkins[]
Corporal Richard L. Jenkins was an Alliance Marine under the command of Captain Anderson, and a member of the Normandy's crew. Jenkins was born in a rural district of Eden Prime, and dreamed of visiting more urban areas before he decided to become a Marine, stating that "even paradise gets boring". After enlisting, he wanted to prove himself as a notable soldier and test himself in combat. He envied Commander Shepard's impressive record. Jenkins also admired the Spectres, though his views of them seemed to be coloured more by vids than by experience. He was especially impressed by Nihlus Kryik, after hearing the story that Nihlus once defeated an entire platoon single-handed.
Jenkins was assigned to Shepard's ground team during the ill-fated mission to Eden Prime. He was killed by geth drones soon after the ground team landed on the surface. His death was a blow to the morale of the Normandy's crew, who would remember him for his bold exuberance.
Jenkins is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck.
Richard Jenkins is voiced by Josh Dean.
Fredricks[]
Private Fredricks is an Alliance soldier, and a member of the SSV Normandy's crew. He is found in the bar near the Embassies. Commander Shepard can listen in as Fredricks boasts to his shipmates about visiting Sha'ira at the Consort's Chambers. If Shepard asks him about the Consort, Fredricks stutters an unconvincing answer, then shamefacedly confesses, much to the glee of Shepard's squadmates, that he never actually went to see Sha'ira because it costs half a year's credits just to speak to her.
Fredricks is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck.
Private Fredricks is voiced by Cam Clarke.
Rupert Gardner[]
Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner is an operative of Lazarus Cell and the cook, as well as all-around handyman, aboard the Normandy SR-2. He is voiced by Bill Ratner. Gardner seems to be one of the more self-righteous crew members: in one conversation with Shepard about his thoughts on Cerberus, he says that, "I'm damn proud. Cerberus gets the job done. The Alliance and the Council got their heads buried so deep up their butt-puckers they can’t see squat."
Before joining Cerberus, Gardner used to be a family man, working the element zero rigs along the frontier colonies. Though he was happy, he lost everything to batarian raiders and later joined Cerberus to make a difference. Remarking upon his own skills as a "jack-of-all-trades", Gardner quips that he does everything, including plumbing, that "falls between the cracks". He concedes, though, that he really can’t fight, but is still willing to help in any way possible. Talking to Sergeant Gardner unlocks a short assignment to buy high quality ingredients for the meals; these can be obtained on the Citadel.
If Shepard delays using the Omega 4 Relay to travel to the Collector Base after the crew of the Normandy is abducted by the Collectors, Rupert is processed into an organic material along with the rest of the crew.
Rupert is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck if Shepard delayed the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2.
Steve Cortez[]
Lieutenant Steve Cortez is an Alliance pilot and procurement specialist aboard the Normandy SR-2 in Mass Effect 3. He pilots the UT-47A Kodiak that transports Shepard and the squad to mission locations. He served in the Alliance for about ten years, first serving in the First Fleet on the SSV Hawking piloting F-61 Tridents.
Cortez is the only child in his family and lost both his parents. He had a husband, Robert, while he was stationed at Ferris Fields but the Collectors abducted the colony, including Robert. At some point, Shepard finds him mourning his late husband. Later, Shepard can convince Steve to take shore leave as a favor to the Commander. Cortez accepts, saying that he finds it hard to say "no" to Shepard.
While Cortez is on the Citadel, he is seen at the memorial wall saying goodbye to his husband. Shepard comforts him, saying that his past was his and that nobody could take it away. After this event, Cortez will send Shepard an e-mail saying that he met with some old pilot friends who agreed to assist in the war effort. Eventually, Cortez will be at the Purgatory bar, with Shepard noting that Steve looks happy and that the Commander was right. At this point, Shepard, if male, can pursue a romance with Cortez. If he does, Cortez invites him to dance, and Shepard confesses to Steve about his feelings. Cortez thought he felt something between them, but was merely pessimistic about it. Shepard affirms that feeling and kisses Cortez.
During the final battle in London, Cortez's shuttle is shot down by a Harvester. If he was persuaded to visit the memorial wall, he will survive the crash and can be contacted at the forward operating base. Otherwise, James Vega confirms his death.
Cortez is voiced by Matthew Del Negro.
Samantha Traynor[]
Specialist Samantha Traynor is the Comm Specialist aboard the Alliance Normandy SR-2, serving in a similar role to that of her predecessor Yeoman Kelly Chambers. Her parents were originally from London, but they preferred the freedom of colony life. Samantha spent some time in England when she attended Oxford University. She has a strong London accent. Samantha later reveals that she was visiting her parents on her birth planet, Horizon, when the Collectors attacked.
At some point, Shepard will receive an e-mail titled "Game Night", and can call her to the cabin. Traynor will marvel at the cabin and notes that she's seen apartments smaller than it. If female, and not in a relationship, Traynor will ask Shepard if she can use her shower. Shepard can either join her or remain at the coffee table. If male, or in a relationship with someone else, she instead challenges the Commander to a game of chess.
Samantha is voiced by Alix Wilton Regan.
Diana Allers[]
Journalist Diana Allers is a human Alliance News Network war correspondent and regular on the Alliance News Network's "Battlespace". She is originally from Milgrom, Bekenstein, and considers herself a "colony kid". Diana is a potential romance option for both male and female Commander Shepard.
She is first encountered on the Citadel at the lounge at the Normandy's docking bay. If spoken to, she asks for permission to serve as an embedded journalist aboard the Normandy. Shepard can either allow her, or turn her down. If the latter is chosen, she will embed with the SSV Shasta, an Alliance dreadnought. A news report on the Citadel will announce that the Shasta was destroyed in the Horse Head Nebula, killing everyone on board, including Allers.
If allowed on board, she will interview the Commander at three different times. Her first interview is after the events at Tuchanka, asking for Shepard's opinion on those who think that the krogan are going to start another Rachni War or Krogan Rebellions. Her second is after the Cerberus coup on the Citadel, asking Shepard if anywhere is safe. Her third and final interview is after Rannoch; her question varies between asking about the geth as allies or the quarians, depending on the actions taken.
Diana Allers is voiced by and modeled upon IGN's writer and host Jessica Chobot.
Non-recurring antagonists[]
Matriarch Benezia[]
An asari matriarch who is in league with Saren. She is also the mother of Liara T'Soni. During the course of conversation, Liara speculates that Benezia was ashamed of mating with another asari, but is not entirely certain if that was the case. She is enslaved by Sovereign into finding the location of the Mu Mass Relay. She is killed by the player after revealing this fact and (if Liara is present in the shore party) making peace with her daughter. She is a master of Biotics. Given her status as a matriarch, Benezia must have lived for almost a millennium. She was known and revered as a teacher of religion and philosophy. When she was in the 'matron' phase of her life, Benezia had a daughter, Liara T'Soni. Unusually Benezia mated with another asari, considered a faux pas in their society. (After discovering their ability to mate with any species, asari consider producing offspring with their own kind as wasteful because "nothing is gained" from pureblooded asari offspring.) Liara tells Commander Shepard that she doesn't know who Benezia chose as her partner; she and her mother never discussed Liara's second parent, and Liara believes Benezia may have been ashamed of her choices. She raised Liara alone - not an uncommon occurrence in asari society - and was amused when Liara chose to study Prothean archaeology, a minor rebellion against her forward-thinking mother.
According to Liara, Benezia felt that the asari should have a greater role in shaping galactic events. She was Saren Arterius' executor and a fellow Binary Helix investor. Somehow Benezia discovered Saren's plan to aid the Reapers, and decided to try and guide him down a less destructive path. Benezia gave her followers a choice - only those who were willing had to accompany her. Many refused because they thought her plan was too dangerous, but others, including Shiala, believed in her. With their help Benezia tried to dissuade Saren from his insanity. But the influence of the Reaper Sovereign was too powerful and Benezia became enslaved to Saren's will, along with her retinue of guards and commandos. Benezia's position became something between Saren's advisor and his second-in-command. Saren knew Benezia's value; even when she enraged him by bringing the news that Shepard had accidentally used the Prothean Beacon, he restrained himself from attacking her and ordered her to ensure the Commander was eliminated. Through Binary Helix, Benezia funded a secret project on Noveria to breed rachni from a newly discovered egg. They were intended to form part of Saren's army, but when Binary Helix removed the brood from the Rachni Queen's presence, the rachni went rogue. Benezia went to the lab at Peak 15 to investigate the situation and to gain information from the queen's genetic memory about the location of the Mu Relay. She was accompanied by her escort of asari commandos and caused a stir at Port Hanshan when she arrived, telling the authorities she was there as Saren's representative. Lorik Qui'in told Shepard that "Lady Benezia was dressed for her role. An asari matriarch in a pin-striped suit set tongues wagging amongst the younger male employees... so to speak."
Benezia, aware that Shepard was on Saren's trail, brought geth in crates to Noveria with her and left them to guard the garage. She also left agents such as Alestia Iallis behind (or recruited Captain Ventralis, depending on circumstances) to stop Shepard from reaching her. After fighting geth, rachni and Benezia's followers, the squad found her waiting for them in the labs beside the Rachni Queen. Even Liara's presence in the squad, if Shepard chose to bring her, didn't stop Benezia from unleashing her biotics and her commandos against them. Finally Benezia, who had used her incredible mental strength to keep a part of her mind free of indoctrination, managed to break from Saren's control very briefly. She described the horrors of indoctrination, how it feels to be trapped in your own mind: "beating upon the glass as your hands torture and murder..." She gave Shepard the coordinates for the Mu Relay, though she couldn't tell the Commander any more of Saren's plan, and warned of Sovereign's incredible power before the indoctrination began to overcome her. Benezia managed to tell Liara that her daughter had always made her proud, but finally turned on Shepard and the squad were forced to kill her. As she lay dying, she claimed not to see the light promised in asari religion. After Noveria, Shepard can talk to Liara about what happened, but Liara claims she is all right. She prefers to remember Benezia as she was: a kind, beautiful woman who loved her.
Benezia's unknown bondmate is revealed to be Matriarch Aethyta. If Shepard nudges Liara into speaking with Aethyta and overhears their conversations, it is discovered that Benezia and Aethyta were together for a hundred years until they began disagreeing over what path the asari should take; Benezia wished to do things the smart way but Aethyta simply desired to fight.
Benezia is voiced by Marina Sirtis.
Sovereign[]
Sovereign is one of the two main antagonists of the first game. A member of the race labelled by Protheans as The Reapers, who was left behind as a vanguard and espionage unit for the next Reaper invasion, Sovereign was tasked with monitoring organic evolution and to hence activate the Citadel relay once organic advancement had reached a critical point. It is a massive (2 km), artificially intelligent starship, far larger in size and power than any dreadnought hitherto created by the presently known organic species. In addition, Sovereign is the largest ship capable of landing on a planet's surface and is believed to have an enormous element zero core.
Sovereign is shown as a powerful adversary. It is equipped with resilient armor and a powerful direct energy weapons capable of destroying capital ships. Sovereign also possesses a power known as indoctrination, which enables the Reaper to gradually assume control of the minds of organic beings. The VI Vigil reveals that indoctrination is shared by all Reapers, who utilize it to enslave organics and turn them into spies and infiltrators.
In the Mass Effect universe, Sovereign would function to activate the Citadel relay to bring back the Reapers and continue the cycle of eradicating sentient life. However, shortly after the genocide of the Protheans, the last race to be exterminated, a secret Prothean enclave managed to hide on Ilos and use their replicated mass relay technology, the "Conduit"(a miniature mass relay), to return to the Citadel and disable the signal that summons the Reapers, effectively isolating Sovereign.
Many millennia later, when Sovereign determined the cycle should begin again, the signal failed. Unable to regain control of the Citadel, Sovereign spent hundreds of years wandering in secret, the galaxy now controlled by the new races, trying to find out what went wrong and how to continue the invasion as planned at the heart of galactic civilization, the Citadel. With meticulous care, it began its long investigation, never acting openly and using indoctrination to gather agents for specific purposes.
It is not exactly known what Sovereign's activity during this time was, except that approximately two thousand years ago, Sovereign indoctrinated the Queens of the newly discovered Rachni to instigate a bloody and relentless war against the other races. The rachni were eventually defeated in this war and wiped out.
Around 2165, the turian Spectre Saren Arterius, was led to Sovereign by a Reaper artifact recovered from illegal Alliance research. Saren's activities after this are a mystery, but it is presumed he was indoctrinated by Sovereign. Saren was convinced that no resistance was possible and that by helping Sovereign resume the extinction cycle, he could prove to the Reapers that organics could be useful so that some may be spared. Sovereign also seeks out the Geth, who view it as the apex of their own evolution. A splinter faction of the geth decides to aid Sovereign, worshiping it as a god. Sovereign viewed Saren and the geth as merely tools, but nonetheless enlists them.
During Shepard's discourse with Sovereign in Saren's laboratory on Virmire, Shepard learns that Sovereign is not an ancient Reaper warship, but an actual Reaper. Sovereign claims to Shepard that organic beings have an inherently limited epistemology that prevents them from understanding the actions of the Reapers. Sovereign refers to itself as "the vanguard of your destruction".
At the climax of Mass Effect, Sovereign directly attacks the Citadel with the aid of a Geth fleet, where it devastates the fleets defending the citadel. Saren manages to infiltrate the Citadel by traveling through the Conduit. There, Saren disables all surrounding relays (cutting off reinforcements) and prevents the arms of the citadel closing, allowing Sovereign to dock with the Citadel, after which Saren closes the Citadel around it as it works to reopen the Citadel Relay and usher in the next galactic invasion. Subsequent to Saren's death, Sovereign possesses Saren's corpse through cybernetic implants, transforming him into a robotic adversary for Shepard. The Reaper itself, after being rendered temporarily defenseless with the death of its Avatar, is destroyed by the Alliance Fleet.
In Mass Effect 2, it is revealed that the council tried to convince the galaxy that Sovereign is nothing more than a geth warship. It is implied that most of its remains were claimed by "unauthorized salvage". The geth platform known as Legion also reveals that Sovereign originally identified itself as Nazara, and that the name Sovereign was in fact coined by Saren.
Sovereign is voiced by Peter Jessop.
Human-Reaper Larva[]
The "Human-Reaper Larva" is an under-developed Reaper made hidden inside the heart of the Collector Base. When Shepard reaches the base's core, it is revealed that the thousands of human beings abducted by the Collectors were being taken back to the base to be processed into "genetic paste" in order to create this new Reaper, possibly to initiate the Reaper form of reproduction. Shepard and their squad then fight a final wave of Collectors as they attempt to destroy a series of tubes connected to the Human-Reaper, which will weaken the structural support of the Reaper, and cause it to fall to its death. However, as Shepard plants the bomb (or radiation pulse) to defeat the Collectors, the Human-Reaper climbs back up to where Shepard is and engages the team in combat. Ultimately, Shepard destroys it, ending the game's main storyline.
In Mass Effect 3, it is revealed that Cerberus has recovered either the brain or the heart of the Larva in order to augment the power of Cerberus HQ, Cronos Station, depending upon whether the Collector Base was preserved or destroyed in Mass Effect 2 respectively. After the assault on the base, its remains are then sent to augment the Crucible.
The Shadow Broker[]
The Shadow Broker is a secretive entity that serves as the galaxy's greatest information broker, selling any and all information to the highest bidder. Though its operations often skirt both sides of the law, the Broker's presence is generally regarded as a necessary evil among the general populace. In the original Mass Effect, the Shadow Broker hires Urdnot Wrex to assassinate a traitorous operative named Fist. It is mentioned in dialogue by Wrex and others that the Broker always acts through intermediaries, and face-to-face meetings are impossible. Some even speculate that the Broker is an artificial intelligence or a group of individuals. In Mass Effect: Redemption, the Shadow Broker serves as a principal antagonist, and it is suggested that the Broker is indeed a sapient individual. The Broker is hired by Harbinger to acquire the body of Commander Shepard. The Broker's plans are foiled by Liara T'Soni, who has been hired by the Illusive Man to recover Shepard's body for Project Lazarus. Liara eventually confronts the Shadow Broker, who appears as a shrouded, phantom-like figure, only to discover a mechanical proxy in his place. In Mass Effect 2, the enmity between Liara and the Broker continues, as Liara has set up a competing organization. The Broker places an operative known as the Observer to monitor Liara and assassinate her when the time is right. However, Liara discovers and neutralizes the Observer with Shepard's help.
The Mass Effect 2 downloadable content pack Lair of the Shadow Broker marks the actual debut of the Shadow Broker as Shepard and Liara attempt to discover his identity and hunt him down. It is revealed that the Shadow Broker is a Yahg, a pre-spaceflight race of predators discovered by the Citadel Council in 2125. After the Council's ambassadors were attacked and killed for acting as equals to the yahg, the Council severed contact with the race and declared their homeworld Parnack off-limits. The original Shadow Broker sent his agents to capture a yahg for study. Once the yahg was determined to be highly intelligent and adaptable, the Broker then covertly had the yahg replace one of his operatives, intending to use him for high risk operations. Instead, the yahg secretly killed the original Broker and took his place. After a tense confrontation and battle between the Broker, Shepard, and Liara, the latter ends up taking the Broker's place, just like he had done. Liara uses her new position in a benevolent manner as well as uses the Broker's resources to aid Shepard in the fight against the Reapers.
The Shadow Broker is voiced by Steven Blum.
Collector General[]
The Collector General was a unique Collector who controlled the rest of the Collectors from the Collector base. Like all Collectors, the General was a victim of Harbinger's Mind Control up until its race's extinction at the hands of Shepard and the Commander's squad. The General's physical appearance was quite different from the standard Collector which has a humanoid shape. It had a more insectoid appearance, with a larger head, a short body, and multiple limbs, enabling it to operate numerous command interfaces. Its body strongly resembled the Praetorians deployed by the Collectors. The Collector General was a servant of the Reapers, specifically the one referred to as Harbinger, and was apparently directly controlled by Harbinger. The General could possess any normal Collector at any time, making them significantly more powerful and unlocking their biotic potential, making them a dangerous foe on the battlefield. This ability was taken advantage of by Harbinger while he possessed the General. The Collector General was always seen with glowing eyes, similar to what happened when he assumed control over an ordinary Collector. After Commander Shepard foiled Sovereign's attack on the Citadel, Harbinger developed an interest in humans. The Collector General began to use intermediaries to make contacts in the seedy criminal underbelly of the Terminus system, offering lucrative technological rewards in exchange for live test subjects. The General sought to acquire human biotics Gillian Grayson and Hendel Mitra, but this failed when its agent, the quarian exile Golo, was killed.
Failing to acquire Gillian Grayson prompted the General to accelerate its plans. It sent a warship to destroy the Normandy, killing Shepard and several crewmates. To acquire Commander Shepard's body, it subsequently consorted with the Shadow Broker, who had managed to retrieve it. The eventual exchange was made on the Broker's base on Alingon with the Broker's personal enforcer Tazzik. Everything was going well, until one of the Broker's agents, Feron, walked up to say that the Broker wanted full payment upfront. The General, controlling a Collector intermediary, refutes that it will pay half now and the other half when they've confirmed Shepard's identity personally. However, Tazzik was willing to believe Feron. At that moment, the Collector General, speaking personally with the Broker, accused him of betrayal. The Broker defended that Feron wasn't speaking for him and with his communications disabled on Alingon, he could not inform Tazzik otherwise. The General, displaying its greater omnipresence, revealed through its drone that Feron was a traitor. However, Liara T'Soni, who was working with Feron, was able to escape with Shepard's body, taking it far from Collector hands.
After failing to acquire Shepard's body, the General attacked several human colonies in the Terminus systems, and began using the genetic material from survivors to create a Human-Reaper hybrid. This gained the attention of Cerberus and a resurrected Shepard, who the General sought to acquire alive if possible. At the end of Arrival, the Collector General appears via a hologram to have a brief conversation with Shepard about the futility of the Commander's fight against the Reapers. However, if Shepard starts the assignment after the destruction of the Collector Base, Harbinger will appear instead. Commander Shepard and a team of specialists launched an assault on the Collector base. The General rallied every available Collector drone to protect the base, and possessed multiple drones during the battle, but the tactics used by Shepard's fire team caused it to spread itself too thin. Shortly before the sabotaged base met its end, Harbinger released its control over the Collector General, whose eyes lost their glow for the first time, suggesting that it was always under Harbinger's control. In the final seconds after being released, the Collector General appeared to be confused or dismayed at being abandoned, suggesting some level of intelligence and emotional capability remained.
Thorian[]
The Thorian, also called Species 37, is an ancient sentient plant at least fifty thousand years old - its ability to hibernate for thousands of years makes its real age impossible to guess. The Thorian is a unique creature with mind-controlling and telepathic abilities, and a massive sensory network. It releases spores into the air that allow the Thorian to control those who inhale them, using pain to control their behaviour. These 'thralls' then tend to the Thorian and obey its will. According to the VI at the ExoGeni Corporation Headquarters, the Thorian is essentially "a weave of tendrils" that covers much of the surface of Feros with some sensory tendrils kilometres long, though in places they are gathered into nerve bundles or neural nodes. Though it is intelligent, the Thorian only regards other sentient beings as potential thralls. It describes itself as "The Old Growth."
Commander Shepard first hears of the Thorian from Lizbeth Baynham, who tentatively suggests that it might be why the geth are attacking the colonists on Feros. Shepard can learn more from the ExoGeni VI; once freed from the Thorian, Shiala then tells Shepard its history. According to Shiala, the Thorian existed on Feros long before the Protheans arrived. It would spend thousands of years in hibernation, then awake for "a few frantic centuries" of activity before resting again. When the Protheans arrived and began building the metropolis that would eventually cover Feros, the curious Thorian studied them, likely made several of them into its thralls, and even absorbed them after they died, allowing them to become a part of its expanding consciousness. From the Protheans, the Thorian's mind gradually absorbed the knowledge that would form the Cipher. The Thorian survived the cataclysm that destroyed the Protheans, and continued to grow across Feros for the next fifty thousand years.
Wilson[]
Wilson was a medical officer who worked for Cerberus and oversaw the Lazarus Project, along with Miranda Lawson. While Miranda ran the project, Dr. Wilson was attached to the bio wing, acting as Chief Medical Officer. While the Lazarus Project is rebuilding Shepard, the facility came under attack by rogue mechs and Commander Shepard needed to fight through the facility to escape despite not being fully healed. It is later revealed that Wilson hacked the mechs. When Shepard encounters Wilson for the first time he has suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. It is probable that this wound was self-inflicted, to engender trust between himself, Shepard, and Jacob before likely betraying them. Miranda shot him in the throat just before she, Jacob Taylor, and Shepard finally evacuated the station. The reason for Wilson's betrayal was originally unknown. Various logs written by Wilson indicate frustration with Miranda's standoffish attitude, possibly indicating he snapped due to personal reasons or was attempting to elicit some sort of privileged information from Miranda. While going through information available aboard the Shadow Broker's base however, Shepard uncovers proof in the files regarding Legion that Wilson was in fact working for the Shadow Broker.
Wilson is voiced by Steve Blum.
Amanda Kenson[]
Dr. Amanda Kenson is a human scientist from the University of Arcturus who became notable when she and her team claimed to have discovered that the construction of the mass relays pre-dated the existence of the Protheans. Kenson made galactic headlines when she revealed controversial findings that the vast majority of mass relays in the galaxy actually pre-dated Prothean civilization. By analyzing the composition of dust trapped in the vicinity of mass relays and comparing it to dust clouds in the same system, Kenson determined that only a fraction of mass relays could be dated to 50,000 years ago; the rest were far older. Sometime following the announcement of her discovery, Dr. Kenson embarked with an expedition team to investigate rumors of Reaper technology on the fringes of a batarian system. Kenson sent a message to a friend, Systems Alliance Admiral Steven Hackett, informing him that her team had found evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion. When Admiral Hackett later learns that Kenson has been captured by batarians and accused of terrorism, he contacts Commander Shepard, asking for assistance in rescuing her.
Shepard manages to break into the prison, and witnesses Kenson being dragged off to interrogation. After getting through the prison, either through sneaking past the guards, or blasting through them, Shepard eventually reaches the interrogation room. While Kenson is being interrogated, Shepard bursts in, knocks the guard out, and frees Kenson. Shepard then asks if Kenson can walk, to which she replies yes as Shepard hands her a machine pistol. As the alarms go off, Shepard takes cover near the door, as Kenson describes an escape plan. If they can find a security console, then she can override the system and allow the pair to escape. As a guard comes down the hallway, Shepard asks if Kenson is ready and, after stomping on the throat of the batarian interrogator, she replies yes. Kenson and Shepard fight their way through the prison and eventually come across a security console. Kenson tells Shepard to defend her while she cracks the security. While Shepard is fighting, Kenson tells the Commander where enemies are coming from, and what needs to get done. She eventually manages to override the security, and disable the orbital tracking grid. After Shepard manages to fight off the Prison Guards, she brings down an elevator to the hangar and she and Shepard ride it up to the hangar. During the brief ride, Kenson says that they need to blow the locks on the hangar doors in order to get them open. After she and Shepard manage to fight off a few guards in the hangar, they blow the locks and commandeer a shuttle. As the pair gets on board, a few guards try to rush them, but get incinerated by the thruster exhaust when the shuttle takes off.
After escaping the prison on Aratoht, Kenson briefs Shepard on the current situation. Her group, called "the Project", had discovered a Reaper artifact and it gave her visions of the imminent Reaper invasion. As a result, the Project planned on destroying the relay in the Bahak system, which they called Alpha Relay, by slamming a large asteroid into it. Shepard however asks to see the proof so instead of going to Arcturus Station, Kenson takes Shepard to Project Base. Once there, Kenson shows Shepard the artifact, called "Object Rho". Object Rho shows Shepard a vision of the Reaper fleet arriving through the Alpha Relay, confirming Kenson's story. However, it is then revealed that Object Rho indoctrinated the entire Project Base, and Kenson turns on Shepard, sending groups of guards after him/her. Eventually, either the guards or Object Rho subdue Shepard. About and hour and a half before the Reapers are scheduled to arrive, Shepard wakes up and breaks out of his/her cell. Shepard then fights through the entire base, while Kenson desperatly tries to stop the commander. Eventually Shepard makes it to the Control Room and launches the asteroid, trying to warn either the Normandy or the Batarian Colony. Kenson, however, cuts communications and decides to blow up the asteroid by destroying the reactor. Shepard eventually corners Kenson, who pulls out a grenade. Shepard stops her by shooting her, causing Kenson to activate the grenade, killing her.
Catalyst[]
The Catalyst is an ancient synthetic intelligence that resides within the Citadel. Before being encountered by Commander Shepard, the Catalyst was believed to be the final component necessary to complete the Crucible. It embodies the collective consciousnesses and memories of the Reapers. As it explained to Commander Shepard, the Catalyst was created by an unknown race to oversee relations between organics and synthetics. However, as the two conflicted frequently, it tasked itself with solving a dire problem: the inevitable creation of advanced synthetic intelligence by advanced organic civilizations, and the equally inevitable conflict that results. It chose to resolve this problem by putting in place a system which would prevent any advanced civilization from reaching that point.
The Catalyst's solution took the form of the Reapers. The physical design was created by the same unknown race, while the Catalyst had control over them. However, the Catalyst decided that the race risked conflict with synthetics and forcibly processed them into the very first Reapers. The solution dictated that sentient, space-faring organic and synthetic species would be harvested, with millions of bodies and minds from each race being processed and converted into new Reapers, even as the Reapers themselves worked to destroy their civilizations. By doing this, the Reapers preserved the harvested races, while allowing more primitive races to advance and ensuring that the threat of complete annihilation of organics by synthetics was averted. When encountered by Commander Shepard, the Catalyst represented itself as a transparent projection, taking the form of the young boy whose death Shepard witnessed during the escape from Earth. The Catalyst explains that Shepard is the first to stand at that chamber to converse with it, which caused it to rethink the cycle; it cannot, however, bring about a change without Shepard's intervention.
Non-recurring characters in other media[]
Randall Enzo[]
Randall Enzo is the main protagonist of Mass Effect: Infiltrator. Randall begins the game hunting down a turian for Cerberus. During this mission it is revealed that he has been extensively modified with implants and that he has taken to them much faster than most Cerberus operatives. He is not aware that the implants were supposed to have indoctrinated him (it becomes clear as events transpire that they have failed). He chats with his handler, Inali Renata about his mission. He comes into a Cerberus space station called "the Barn" after his mission. Shortly after landing the base is attacked by the Turian Hierarchy and he has to fight them off alongside Cerberus troops and mechs. He is then summoned by Inali for a debriefing. Along the way he loses contact with her and proceeds to try to find out what happened.
He begins to hear the voice of a volus hacker in his radio that leads him to Inali. She had been "volunteered" to receive implants. Randall at this point is attacked by waves of Cerberus troops as he rages against the treatment that his handler is undergoing.
He follows the advice of the volus hacker and begins to go through the base. The volus assures Randall that if he can make it to the communications tower that they will all (Inali included) be able to be rescued by the Systems Alliance.
Randall faces waves of Cerberus troops, mechs, turrets, and even a mutated, cybernetically modified krogan named X1 on his way to the communications tower. Once there he manages to contact the Alliance and arranges pickup on a nearby desert planet.
Once there Randall encounters a heavily modified Inali. They have a brief fight which either culminates in sparing Inali's life or killing her. Either way he vows to take revenge on the Cerberus Director that experimented on her and leaves the planet.
Randall is voiced by Jay Anthony Franke.
Jath'Amon[]
Jath'Amon is the central antagonist of Mass Effect Galaxy. A batarian, he arrives in Citadel space to negotiate with the Council on behalf of his people. It is later discovered that he is a terrorist mastermind, and that his plan all along was to get close to the Council members and expose them to a deadly biological weapon. His plan is disrupted by Jacob Taylor, and he is arrested by C-Sec.
Clint "Black Eye" Darragh[]
Clint "Black Eye" Darragh is the infamous leader of a pirate band in the Nemean Abyss. He presumably got his nickname due to his missing eye. Jacob Taylor first encounters Darragh on Cartagena Station, where he is told by a C-Pat officer that Darragh and his pirates are holding hostages in a bar called "The Fringe". Jacob convinces the patrol officer to allow him through the barricade, with the understanding that he would help deal with the pirates. After defeating the bulk of Darragh's forces, Jacob finally confronts the leader directly. "Black Eye" immediately warns Jacob to stop advancing, or risk being filled full of holes. Jacob can either simply open fire on Darragh or convince him to surrender. In either scenario, the conflict ends with Darragh being taken into custody by C-Pat officers.
Illo Nazario[]
Illo Nazario is a turian arms dealer known for his business dealings with batarians. Jacob Taylor gains information about Nazario's dealings through a salarian contact on Tortuga named Ish. A friend of Miranda Lawson, Ish tells Jacob that Nazario has not cut any deals in the last couple of weeks, inciting rumors that he may be "planning something", taken a new job, or even dead.
Once inside, Jacob fights his way through Nazario's bodyguards. Along the way, he is alerted by Miranda that batarian terrorists have infiltrated the compound and are pursuing him. Jacob encounters the batarian leader and learns that they are there to meet with Nazario, to "remind him who he's dealing with". The batarian eventually agrees to turn back, thinking Jacob will do the job himself. Jacob finally encounters an ailing Nazario, pleading with him to stop the fighting. He explains to Jacob that he had recently been working with a batarian cell in the Fringe where he learned of their plans. Upon learning the details of their plans, he decided to put an end to their relationship. Nazario claims the batarians infected him with a biological weapon in retaliation for putting a stop to their dealings.
Illo offers to tell Jacob everything he knows, provided he locate a cure for his affliction. If Jacob has unrefined element zero aboard, and has rescued Batha, Jacob will be able to offer the cure right away. Either way, Nazario is offered medical quarters aboard the ship. Jacob negotiates with Illo for the information, having the option to extort it with threats of holding the cure, or offering it right away and earning Illo's trust. After a bit of struggle to get the information, Illo eventually tells Jacob that Jath'Amon is behind the planned attack on the Citadel. Nazario then asks Jacob to protect him, as he now fears for his life.
Director[]
The Director is a Cerberus operative in charge of the Barn space station and its various experiments. He is central antagonist of Mass Effect: Infiltrator. During the events of Mass Effect: Infiltrator, the Director turns against fellow Cerberus operative Randall Ezno. Ezno had been implanted with indoctrination technology and had adapted to it much faster than other Cerberus soldiers, but the indoctrination process failed. The Director recognizes Ezno as a liability and sends the Barn's security forces against him, and also abducts Ezno's handler Inali Renata for experimentation.
References[]
- ↑ Hudson, Casey (2009-06-18). "Just the Facts, Man..." IGN. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Bisexual extraterrestrials steaming up Mass Effect". Gamespot.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Mass Effect Community-Female Romance Options". BioWare.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Basile, Sal (1 March 2012). "Mass Effect's Shocking Moments". UGO Networks. http://www.ugo.com/games/mass-effects-shocking-moments-matriarch-benezia. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Hudson, Casey (2009-06-18). "Just the Facts, Man..." IGN. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mass Effect game dialogue
- ↑ "Galactic Codex - Krogan Series Part 3: Wrex, Krogan Battle Master". BioWare.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Mass Effect 2 Xbox 360 Series - Video Preview". IGN.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Shoemaker, Brad (2009-12-18). "Mass Effect 2: The Truth About the First 90 Minutes". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ 10.0 10.1 "The Cast of Mass Effect 2". IGN. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Brudvig, Eric (2009-08-18). "GC 2009: Mass Effect 2 Interview". IGN. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Stephen, Totilo (2010-01-19). "Kotaku: Mass Effect 2 Is Latest EA Game To Sweeten The Deal For "Original Purchasers"". Kotaku. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Zaeed_Massani
- ↑ http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/03/28/mass-effect-paragon-lost-anime-video/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/MassEffectParagonLost
- ↑ Mass Effect: Revelation. Del Rey.
- ↑ "Mass Effect - Heroes and Villains". IGN.com.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "IMDB - Keith David". imdb.com.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "IMDB - Bill Ratner". imdb.com.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "IMDB - Lance Henriksen". imdb.com.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Mass Effect 2's Illusive Man is Martin Sheen". Kotaku.
{{cite web}}:
External links[]
| Mass Effect | ||
|---|---|---|
| Creators | Electronic Arts • BioWare | |
| Games | Main series | Mass Effect (Pinnacle Station) • Mass Effect 2 (downloadable content (Kasumi – Stolen Memory • Overlord • Lair of the Shadow Broker • Arrival)) • Mass Effect 3 (downloadable content (From Ashes • Leviathan • Omega • Citadel)) • Andromeda |
| Other | Mass Effect Galaxy • Mass Effect Infiltrator • Mass Effect Trilogy • Mass Effect: Legendary Edition | |
| Other media | Revelation • Ascension • Redemption • Retribution • Deception • Paragon Lost • Foundation • New Earth • Andromeda (book series) | |
| Universe | Characters | Commander Shepard • Kaidan Alenko • Ashley Williams • Garrus Vakarian • Urdnot Wrex • Tali'Zorah • Liara T'Soni • Illusive Man • Miranda Lawson • Mordin Solus • Jack • Thane Krios • Legion • James Vega |
| Vehicles | M35 Mako • The Normandy | |
| Races | Asari • Krogan • Reapers • Turian | |
| Related | Casey Hudson • Drew Karpyshyn • Patrick Weekes | |