Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

' "Our Pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this?" '

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya (later known as Tali'Zorah vas Neema, then Tali'Zorah vas Normandy) is a quarian and a member of Commander Shepard's squad. Though young, Tali is a mechanical genius. She is on her Pilgrimage, a rite of passage to prove her worth and bring something of value back to her people aboard the Migrant Fleet. Her class is Quarian Machinist, similar to the Engineer class.

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya is voiced by Liz Sroka.

Dossier
Having reached maturity, Tali left her birth ship, the Rayya, and departed the Migrant Fleet on her Pilgrimage. On her travels she began hearing reports of geth, who had never ventured beyond the Perseus Veil since driving her people into exile, and became curious. She tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted planet, waited until one was separated from its unit, then disabled it and removed its memory core. She recovered a file from its audio banks that revealed Saren Arterius was behind the attack on Eden Prime, but possessing the file put her in grave danger. She was pursued by Saren's forces, and escaped to the Citadel.

On her way, Tali was shot and had to go to the Med Clinic for treatment. She told Dr. Chloe Michel she wanted to trade her information to the Shadow Broker in exchange for a hiding place, but was double-crossed by Fist who was working for Saren. She was expecting to meet the Shadow Broker in person but met a "messenger" with a group of assassins. Tali threw a tech proximity mine to defend herself, and was aided by the timely arrival of Commander Shepard's team.

To repay the Commander for saving her life, Tali presented the proof that Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson needed to get Saren's Spectre status revoked. Tali's data also provided the first mention of the ancient machine race called the Reapers, who hunted the Protheans to extinction, and the mysterious Conduit. Wanting to help fight the geth and prove herself, Tali then joined Shepard's team.

Tali spends her time in the Normandy's engine room. Engineer Adams is very impressed by her knowledge, wishing his crew were half as smart as Tali. They often work together to disassemble any abandoned technology, such as old orbital probes that the Normandy's survey missions discover. Shepard can chat to Tali about her fascination with starship technology and the Normandy's unique design, especially the enormous drive core.

Tali talks about life as a quarian nomad, her Pilgrimage and the ramshackle three-hundred-year old vessels in the quarian Migrant Fleet. Her mother died five years ago due to an airborne virus and although Tali is sad about this loss, such deaths are an unfortunate fact of life aboard the Flotilla. She also reveals that her father is the head of the Admiralty Board - the highest authority of the quarian people - meaning everyone has high hopes for Tali's Pilgrimage.

Tali also offers some insight into the geth: why the quarians originally created them, how they rebelled, and how the neural network functions. She explains that her people struck first to try and stop the geth before the war started, but underestimated how far the geth had developed. Shepard can debate this with her, pointing out that the quarians basically attempted genocide against another sentient species.

At first Tali is very excited about being on board the Alliance's most advanced vessel, but she begins having problems. She can't sleep because she's not used to a ship that runs so quietly (to a quarian, a quiet ship means a dead engine or worse, a malfunctioning air filter). She also says that compared to the crowded conditions of the Migrant Fleet, the Normandy feels disturbingly empty, "it's like half the crew is missing". She manages to adjust over time and becomes much more cheerful. Tali enjoys visiting the crowded, noisy Wards on the Citadel because they feel like home, and she particularly likes the music in Flux, hoping to take a copy back to the Flotilla.

If Shepard treats Tali with respect, the quarian is very grateful, explaining that her people are usually treated like second-class citizens. On Virmire, at the salarian camp, Tali is nervous about the upcoming assault on the base, but promises she will 'fight with fire' for Shepard's sake. After the mutiny, when Shepard steals the Normandy and heads to Ilos, Tali enjoys the adventure of it all, but wonders what the Council would do if the Citadel Fleet caught up with them. Shepard is sure Tali's father would pull strings to keep his little girl out of jail, but Tali isn't convinced: stealing ships is a capital offence amongst the quarians, stating that "he'd probably want to execute us himself."

If Tali goes with Shepard to Ilos, she finds the planet eerie and feels as if they are trespassing there. She claims the quarians once tried to find Ilos as a new potential homeworld, but they never expected it to feel so unwelcome. After speaking to Vigil, Tali is saddened by what happened to the Protheans - like her people, the Protheans tried to fight back against the machines, but eventually lost everything.

Missions and Assignments
When Commander Shepard is completing UNC: Geth Incursions, to clear the geth from the Armstrong Nebula, a cache of data is found in a terminal, detailing the early days of the geth.

Once back aboard the Normandy, Tali asks Shepard to give her a copy of the data. Though it is heavily encrypted and might take years to decipher, it is a perfect gift for her Pilgrimage. Shepard can refuse - this is classified Alliance data, after all - or agree to her request, hoping the Alliance doesn't find out. Obviously, if Tali receives a copy of the data she will be very happy (it will enable her to return to her people once the mission is over) but if Shepard refuses, Tali says she will help catch Saren, but leave the crew afterwards, in order to find something of equal value and complete her Pilgrimage.

Mass Effect 2


' "Shepard? Is that...you're alive?" '

Dossier
In Mass Effect 2, Commander Shepard, while investigating the disappearance of human colonies with Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson, encounters Tali at Freedom's Progress where she is searching for Veetor, a fellow quarian who, in the events of his Pilgrimage, had been on the colony during the Collector attack. . Although initially thrilled to find Shepard alive, Tali is disappointed to see him working with Cerberus. Due to that organisation's anti-alien reputation and recent act of sabotage against the Flotilla, she is wary of their motives. After finding Veetor and evidence that the Collectors were behind the colony's disappearance, Shepard decides whether to let Tali return the traumatised quarian back to the Flotilla or hand him over to Cerberus for further interrogation. Tali expresses disapproval should Shepard choose the latter. Either way, Tali reports back to the Flotilla while Shepard continues his mission elsewhere.

Later in the game, Shepard has the option to recruit Tali for his mission. However, he must first rescue her from the former quarian planet of Haestrom deep within currently Geth-controlled space. Shepard finds out that Tali had been sent to the planet with a contingent of quarian marines to gather data on the planet's prematurely-decaying sun. Her mission became jeopardised when Geth landed on the planet, eliminated the marines, and left her trapped inside a building. After fighting their way through the Geth and rescuing a marine named Kal'Reegar, Shepard's team reaches Tali who agrees to join them. Before they leave, Tali gives Kal'Reegar her data, which suggests that dark energy at the sun's core causes its current instability. She laments that the Admiralty Board had best make use of this information for many of her friends and colleagues perished in gathering it. Aboard the Normandy, Jacob welcomes Tali warmly, but she dismisses him, reiterating her skepticism towards Cerberus' intentions. She reminds Shepard that she is joining the mission for his sake, not Cerberus'.

Loyalty: Treason
Later, Tali informs Shepard that she has been charged with treason, and asks to be taken to the Flotilla to defend herself. Shepard acts as her advocate per quarian law. Once there, Tali discovers she is being accused of transporting active geth into the Flotilla. Apparently, Tali had been shipping home numerous pieces of disassembled and inoperable geth to her father's ship, the Alarei, for his research. While this in itself is not a crime, the geth parts had reanimated, commandeered the Alarei, rebuilt themselves and slew everyone aboard, including a team of quarians detached to investigate. Tali's father is among the dead, which shocks and dismays her. Nonetheless, the Admiralty Board decides that the blame for this incident lies squarely upon Tali and threatens her with exile from the Flotilla unless she—with Shepard's help—can retake the Alarei and provide evidence proving her innocence.

Fortunately for his accused daughter, Tali's father made a recording revealing all that had transpired upon the Alarei. The recording explains that, in his haste to hack the geth, Tali's father circumvented numerous security protocols which led to the geth uprising on board the ship. The video explicitly clears Tali from any wrongdoing, with her father accepting full responsibility for the blunder. Other entries show his discussions with members of his crew: they pressure him to have Tali send back larger, more active — and more risky — pieces of geth, to accelerate the project. He forcefully refuses, affirming his refusal to risk suffering his daughter any political 'blowback' should something go awry.

To Tali, her father is an aloof and distant figure of authority. In an another log entry, her father reveals the reason for his mistake: he desired a better life for his daughter upon the quarian homeworld and wanted to hack the geth as soon as possible so he could reclaim it for her. These discoveries, aptly delivered to Tali after her father's death, are the most compelling declarations of love that Tali had ever heard from her father. Unfortunately, the evidence against her father is so damning that revealing it to the Flotilla would mean that he would forever be tarnished and vilified by quarian society. Tali cannot bear the thought of her father being remembered solely for endangering the Flotilla, the gravest crime a Quarian can commit. She pleads with Shepard to let her accept the conviction and subsequent exile at the trial, sparing her father's reputation.

The trial has three possible outcomes:
 * Shepard presents evidence clearing Tali's name but implicating her father. Although exonerated, Tali feels that Shepard betrayed her, and does not become loyal.
 * Shepard withholds evidence, and Tali is exiled. Yet, Tali informs the Commander that she might regain acceptance if she re-proves herself to the quarian people.
 * With sufficient Paragon or Renegade points, Shepard gives an impassioned speech, claiming that the trial is not but a means to further the Admiralty Board's own agendas. In reminding the court of Tali's service to the galaxy, Spehard's actions both exonerate Tali and spares her father's name.

Regardless of whether she is exiled or exonerated, Tali expresses her gratitude towards Shepard for his aid and rejoins the campaign against The Collectors as Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. 

Suicide Mission
After the Normandy passes through the Omega-4 relay to confront the Collectors' base ship, the Normandy engages in a dogfight with several Collector drones. If Shepard has not installed Tali's shield upgrades to the ship beforehand, Tali is slain in an explosion on the engineering deck after Joker is forced to ram the ship through some space debris. Otherwise, if Tali and the Normandy survive the dogfight, she can join Shepard's final assault on the Collectors' base ship. Provided that Tali is loyal, Shepard can choose her to infiltrate the base's vents and unlock the central doors for the rest of the squad.

Romance
Tali is a potential romance option for a male Shepard. When Tali firsts joins the crew of the Normandy, yeoman Kelly Chambers informs Shepard that Tali may wish to be 'more than just friends' and describes noticeable tells in her body language. After completing her loyalty mission, Shepard can begin courting Tali, who confirms the yeoman's thoughts, revealing that since their adventures together in ME1, she had developed feelings for Shepard. Until this point, however, Tali was afraid to act on those feelings because she doubted that he could see who she truly was through her veiled visage. Happily, Shepard proves her wrong. In agreeing to pursue more intimate contact, she decides that she must 'feel [his] skin against [hers]'. Unfortunately, Quarians' weak immune system makes physical acts of affection dangerous, if not deadly. She thus requests that Shepard wait until she can adequately make herself ready. After the Normandy's entry into the Omega-4 relay, Tali meets Shepard in his cabin and informs him that she has taken several antibiotics and 'herbal supplements'. she becomes visibly nervous about removing her bio-suit and having her first intimate experience, but Shepard removes her mask to view her face for the first time (but out of view of the camera), and the two consummate their love. Afterwards, Shepard can invite Tali to his quarters through the intercom, and two options are available: they can either cuddle on the couch or relax on the bed.

Furthermore, Tali informs Shepard that although she caught cold and feels congested while outside of her bio-suit, it was 'totally worth it'. 

Professor Mordin may also give Shepard advice concerning his relationship with Tali. 

Quarian Machinist
Quarian Machinist is Tali's class power.

Trivia

 * Quarian names include three parts: the quarian's prename, clan name, and status name. The title ('nar' means 'child of', while 'vas', adopted after the quarian has completed their Pilgrimage and joined a ship, means 'crew of') and the name of their ship. Therefore, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya denotes 'Tali of clan Zorah, child of (born aboard) Rayya. Contrariwise, her 'new' name, Tali'Zorah vas Neema and later Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, indicates 'Tali of clan Zorah, crew of Neema ' or 'Tali of clan Zorah, crew of Normandy', respectively.


 * It is possible to see Tali's face through her breathing mask, but only her eyes and nose are visible. What can be seen appears very humanoid.


 * The lower portion of Tali's visor, a hallmark of quarian design, bears a distinct resemblance to the geth's flashlight-like heads.


 * Tali carries a knife strapped to her boot, but is never shown or mentioned using it.


 * Having completed her pilgrimage, Tali's appearance in Mass Effect 2 was redesigned to be familiar yet noticeably more mature than in Mass Effect 1.


 * Tali sometimes exclaims 'Keelah!' when shocked. This word, likely a mild oath, also appears in the greeting / invocation 'Keelah Se'lai'.
 * 'Keelah Se'lai' appears to be a highly flexible quarian expression with multiple possible meanings - it is spoken in chorus by the assembled quarians at Tali's trial in an almost prayer-like fashion, as well as in a triumphant shout or battlecry by Kal'Reegar on Haestrom.


 * When her combat drone is summoned, Tali will occasionally cry, 'Go for the optics! Go for the optics!', referencing Baldur's Gate 2's Minsc, who shouts, 'Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes!'
 * Tali's combat drone is named Chikktika, another subtle reference to Baldur's Gate 2. Chikktika Fastpaws is the loyal raccoon familiar of Baervan Wildwanderer, a gnomish deity worshipped by Aerie.
 * Chikktika is pink in color, unlike Commander Shepard's and Legion's combat drones that are orange.
 * Tali is unmasked in-game for the first time in Mass Effect 2 as part of the conclusion to her romance subplot. While Shepard can see her face in this sequence, camera placement ensures that the player does not.
 * Having Tali and Garrus in your squad while on the Citadel in Mass Effect 2 will reveal some interesting conversations. Garrus will ask Tali if she misses the conversations they had while on elevators, to which she replies no. Garrus adds that they had a great time asking her about life on the Flotilla, leading Tali to say that the conversation is over. Garrus jokes around and asks her to tell him about her immune system again, obviously enjoying himself. Tali reminds him that she's carrying a shotgun and Garrus lets the topic drop.