Samantha Traynor

Specialist Samantha Traynor is the Comm Specialist aboard the Alliance Normandy SR-2, serving in a similar role to that of her predecessor Yeoman Kelly Chambers. She is a potential romance option for a female Commander Shepard.

Dossier
Her parents were originally from London, but they preferred the freedom of colony life. Samantha spent some time in England when she attended Oxford University. Her parents didn't have money for sending her to a university, but she was able to pursue her studies as the Alliance offered her full scholarship after seeing her aptitude scores. She has a strong British RP (Received Pronunciation) accent. Samantha later reveals that she was visiting her parents on her birth planet, Horizon, when the Collectors attacked. Aside from her duties as Comm Specialist, she also notifies Shepard about e-mails and vid calls through the QEC.

Shepard first meets Traynor when she comes up to the Commander's cabin after the meeting with the Council. She apologizes for interrupting Shepard's conversation with Liara, after which Liara leaves. She is rather flustered on giving her first report to the Commander. Shepard can choose to be kind or strictly professional. Traynor gives the Commander a brief tour of the Alliance retrofitted Normandy and directs them to speak with Admiral Hackett on the QEC.

After the rescue of the turian Primarch from Palaven, Traynor tells Shepard about a distress call from Grissom Academy and that a turian transport ship responded to it. However, she is suspicious about the nature of the turian signal, believing it to be Cerberus which employed a similar tactic to lure Shepard to a Collector Ship. Shepard can congratulate her on the discovery and choose to evacuate the Academy.

After the retrieval of the krogan female from Sur'Kesh, Traynor expresses some of her doubts at working in active duty, calling it "living out of a shoe box", which is very different from her time in the labs. Shepard assures her that she will get used to it. Traynor contacts EDI and asks her to upgrade the combat analysis time by using technology from Ariake Technologies, at which Shepard is impressed. Traynor then proceeds to say that she is enjoying her new duties and if she can get the tech she needs, she is quite happy "living out of a shoe box".

After the attempted Cerberus coup, Traynor draws Shepard's attention to some Cerberus scientists who are on the run from their own organization. She suggests that Shepard find them and recruit them for the war effort. Shepard can choose to rescue the scientists.

Traynor frequently converses with Diana Allers on the communicator, regarding her new stories for the Alliance News Network.

Before the assault on Earth, Shepard can speak to Traynor, commending her on her excellent service.

Traynor is later seen in the cockpit with Joker when the Normandy receives orders from Admiral Hackett to disengage upon the Crucible's activation. Assuming the Normandy crew survives the crash landing, Traynor will be present at Shepard's memorial if the Virmire Survivor is either absent or is the one placing Shepard's name on the wall.

Mass Effect 3: Citadel
Traynor is first seen exiting the Normandy, unbelieving that Commander Shepard had just fired her for 'conduct unbecoming', not realising that Shepard was a clone. When she sees the real Commander Shepard approach, she yells at him/her about barely leaving her enough time to "grab [her] toothbrush", to which Shepard will either prove that its really him/her by identifying the model of toothbrush Traynor uses, or point out that s/he could'nt fire her without a disciplinary hearing, also wondering why the only thing Traynor would grab be a toothbrush.

Afterward, Shepard and the squad will unsuccessfully attempt to open the airlock to the Normandy, to which s/he will then turn to Traynor, who knew the ship inside and out, and may know an alternate entrance. She opens a panel and explains that there was an emergency hatch used for evacuations. Noting that it could be opened from the inside, a squad member mentions that a biotic field could open it from the outside, but that nobody had the required precision to do so. Afterward, Traynor will hold up her toothbrush, which used small mass effect fields. Later, when Shepard and the squad are crawling through the emergency exit, s/he will comment that she would be very skeptical if someone had told him/her that a toothbrush would save the Normandy.

Once Commander Shepard's clone is defeated, the real Shepard will receive an e-mail from Traynor to meet her at the Casdtle Arcade for some lunch. When arriving at the arcade, Traynor is seen playing an asari version of chess against a salarian in a tournament. When she beats the salarian, Traynor will apologise to Shepard, stating that she entered the tournament on impulse and thought that she would be beaten in an earlier round.

Behind her, an asari would comment that Traynor would join Shepard in twenty moves or fewer. Traynor turns to the asari, and notices that it was Polgara T'Suzsa, a rival of Traynor's, who made the comment. Shepard will then either offer words of encouragement, or order Traynor to beat the asari, which she does.

Afterward, Shepard will receive another e-mail from Traynor, in which Shepard could then invite her to his/her apartment. Traynor is then seen entering with a trophy in hand, noting that she couldn't leave it on the Normandy, as she had no room. She praises the apartment, also noting that it also had a hot tub, to which Shepard will invite her to use it.

Romance
At some point, Shepard will receive an email from Traynor with the subject heading "Game Night," where she will ask to come see the Commander during her off-duty hours. After reading the email, it will be possible for Shepard to invite Traynor to her cabin. Traynor will marvel Shepard's quarters, noting that they're larger than some apartments she's seen, and how Shepard has her own shower. Shepard will have the option of letting Traynor use her shower. Traynor is shown going into the bathroom, exclaiming how she feels "a week of stress" washing off of her, followed by several comments insinuating that she is interested in Shepard as something more than a commanding officer. At this point, Shepard has the option of joining Traynor, or simply remaining seated at her coffee table.

If Shepard pursues the romance with Traynor before going to the Citadel to meet with the various crew and potential love interests, it will "lock in" Traynor as the love interest, precluding the romance conversations with other crew.

If romanced, at some point near the endgame Traynor will mention to Shepard that she wants a house with a white picket fence, a dog, and two children. She soon dismisses this as a 'stupid joke' before Shepard tells her that it was a good idea. Traynor will then tell Shepard that she wasn't really joking, and that she wants these things with her, asking Shepard if she is taking notes. Afterward, Traynor will tell Shepard that she loves her.

If Shepard receives the "Game Night" email but locks in a different romantic partner before inviting Traynor to the cabin, then a different story unfolds: Traynor remarks on Shepard's posh facilities but does not take a shower. Instead she produces a chessboard and challenges Shepard to a game, which Traynor wins, telling Shepard that what works in real combat won't necessarily work in chess. She then offers a rematch, which Shepard accepts, and the scene fades out.

A male Shepard will still receive the "Game Night" email. Traynor will get to the cabin and will note that she got up there just to play chess. After the match, if Shepard tries to woo her, she will excuse herself, hinting that the commander isn't "her type". She will also joke on how she can tell everyone that she not only beat Shepard at chess, but also broke his heart.

Trivia

 * To date, Samantha is the only openly lesbian character in the Mass Effect storyline.
 * Traynor seems to display some attraction towards EDI, at various points she will mention that she likes EDI's voice, even using it as an example when turning down a male Commander Shepard if a romance attempt was made.
 * She seems to have a fascination with playing strategy games, especially chess.
 * Traynor's voice actress, Alix Wilton Regan, is noted for playing various roles in Dragon Age: Origins, the most notable of which is the role of Ser Cauthrien. Also, she is noted to have voiced Mhairi and Ser Tamra in Dragon Age: Awakening, and various roles in Dragon Age II.
 * After Priority: Rannoch, if Shepard is romancing Traynor and talks to her, Traynor will tell Shepard to sweet talk her all she wants, but "I still won't feed your fish", a nod to becoming friends with Kelly Chambers, thus having her feed your fish in Mass Effect 2.