This article contains spoilers for theMass Effect TrilogyandMass Effect: Andromeda.
TheMass Effecttrilogy did an absolutely stellar job depicting alien races and characters as fully fleshed out, complex individuals with wants and desires no less important than a human’s. It’s something quite a lot of science fiction franchises—across movies, TV, and games—struggle with, often reducing non-humans to one-dimensional background actors there to offer a quip or play out an overdone trope. WithMass Effect 4on the horizon, BioWare has the opportunity to capitalize on the originalMass Effecttrilogy’s strengths and double down on alien companions, whether it’s simply a far bigger list of companions or a smaller ratio of humans to non-humans.
TheMass Effectuniverse has some of the most intricate loresurrounding the many alien races that call the Milky Way home. One of the reasons whyMass Effect Andromedawas criticized was because the new alien races didn’t feel quite as believable as the ones back home. In order forMass Effect 4to be a return to form for BioWare, it should lean on what the original trilogy was already good at, and the companions are the perfect place to start.
More Alien Companions in ME4 Would Highlight Mass Effect’s Worldbuilding
The most direct way for BioWare to double down on alien representation in theMass Effectuniverse would be to increase the ratio of aliens recruited to the new roster. Some of themost memorable moments in theMass Effectseriesoccurred when two party members from the same alien species interacted with one another. Liara being somewhat afraid of Samara when she first met her, and Wrex diagnosing what was wrong with Grunt with a single glance were interesting insights into alien culture that weren’t really explored in the original games in any sort of depth. It would prove fun squad dialogue if nothing else.
Even within the already established alien races of the Milky Way galaxy, there are a lot of options forMass Effect4 to pull from. A Batarian slaver turned peacemaker, an Elcor exiled from his home planet, a Volus who doesn’t want to be a merchant, or a Hanar with a funny bone all would make great characters. Even races that already have representation within the crew have potential. The differences between individuals of the same alien race are what makeMass Effectnon-humans so believable. Alternatively,Mass Effect 4could also introduce new aliensto the Milky Way galaxy.
Returning Alien Party Members From the Original Normandy Crew Could Prove Interesting
The N7 Day 2023Mass Effect 4teaser trailershowed Liara T’Soni picking up a piece of the N7 armor with a dead Reaper in the background. Together, these clues point towardsME4taking place sometime after the events ofME3, with the “Destroy” ending being canon, though it’s unclear exactly how long of a gap there is in between. Since Asari can live up to 1,000 years, it could very well be possible for the time skip to be large enough that everyone from the original crew member list has long passed away, with the exception of Asari like Liara, Samara (or Morinth), and possibly EDI.
Another thing to note is that cryostatis is definitely a thing inMass Effect; it could very well be used as a convenient McGuffin to reintroduce more of Shepard’s party members post time-skip. If the original crew is alive, it would mean that players would get to see familiar alien party members explore a devastated Milky Way Galaxy in the wake ofthe Reapers' destruction. The teaser also showed potential new alien companions standing behind Liara as she went to pick up the N7 armor piece. From their silhouettes, they look like a Salarian, a Drell, and an Angaran (from Andromeda). Since both Mordin and Thane Krios are almost definitely dead, this means that all three aliens in the trailer are characters players haven’t seen before, at least, not as part of Shepard’s crew. How an Angaran found himself in the Milky Way galaxy is another discussion entirely.
An Alien Main Character is a Risk Worth Considering
Whether or not Commander Shepard’s story is overstill hasn’t been confirmed. The developers have been especially tight-lipped about this particular topic, and fans can only speculate. If Shepard is dead, and a new protagonist is in store, it could very well be from an alien species. If BioWare does decide to go this route, the alien species that makes the most sense as potential main characters is Asari. They’re the most human-like among the different races, have a rich culture and lore to pull from, and aren’t all cut from the exact same cloth as Krogan or Salarian.
For some, however,an alien protagonist forME4would be a hard pill to swallow. It could run the risk of alienating a lot of potential players who want to play the Shepard-esque self-insert and live out their sci-fi fantasy. It would be a divisive decision, perhaps even more so thanMass Effect 3’s ending.
A middle ground would be that one of the original crew members takes up Shepard’s mantle afterME3. The likeliest candidate to take up this role isLiara T’Soni, as her appearance in the game is all but confirmed. The most extreme approach would be to let players pick the race they want to play as and go full RPG. However, since it is nearly impossible to tell a convincing narrative story in the same vein as the original trilogy when the protagonist’s race is up to the player to decide.
