Lazarus Project

The Lazarus Project is a project run by Cerberus, the sole purpose of which is to bring Commander Shepard back from the dead.

Commander Shepard becomes the subject of the project after being killed in an attack by an unknown force that results in the destruction of the SSV Normandy. Some time after the attack, Shepard's corpse is recovered by Cerberus and is revived through the Lazarus Project. It involved attaching cybernetic implants to reconstruct the Commander's skeleton and fluids to restart the blood flow and internal organs. As part of the project Shepard undergoes facial reconstruction, a loss of prior abilities and a potential change in class. It however does not change the Commander's sex. The project proved to be a success in 2185, as Shepard managed to regain full brain activity. On a second playthrough the player has the option to add a bonus power from a list, depending on certain achievements.

Trivia

 * The Lazarus project is a reference to Lazarus of Bethany, who in the Christian Bible was restored to life by Jesus Christ, four days after his death.