User blog comment:Masseffect7/Mass Effect 4 - No Connection to Shepard/@comment-11209678-20131021041417/@comment-3430127-20131022112336

Another option that would work is to set the next game in the two years between ME1 and ME2, with this, all we'd hear about Shepard is that he/she died and references to his/her decisions, this would also mean guns would still use thermal clips. (Personally I did like the guns in ME1, but Bioware would probably prefer to keep thermal clips)