Matriarch Benezia

Matriarch Benezia, voiced by Marina Sirtis, is a very powerful asari biotic and a leader among her people.

Given her status as a matriarch, Benezia must have lived for almost a millennium. 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 social faux pas in their society. (After discovering their ability to mate with any species, asari consider producing offspring with their own kind as wrong because nothing is gained - they believe that if they mate outside their own species then the gene pool is stronger and more diverse.) Liara tells Commander Shepard that she doesn't know who Benezia chose as her partner. They never discussed Liara's second parent and Benezia may have been ashamed of her choices.

According to Liara, Benezia felt that the asari should have a greater role in galactic events. Somehow Benezia discovered Saren Arterius' plan to aid the Reapers. Accompanied by several followers, including Shiala, she tried to dissuade Saren from his destructive course. 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 adviser and his second-in-command. She was also Saren's executor and a fellow Binary Helix investor.

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 ran 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 asari commandos and caused a stir at Port Hanshan when she arrived, telling the authorities she was there as Saren's representative. Lorak 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 recruited several members of Peak 15's security services, such as Captain Ventralis, 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: "being forced to watch your own hands as you 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.

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 wise, beautiful woman who loved her.