Jacob Taylor

Jacob Taylor is a human biotic, the main protagonist of Mass Effect Galaxy and a squad member in Mass Effect 2. A former Alliance Marine under the command of Major Derek Izunami, he resigned after surviving the geth attack on Eden Prime.

Jacob is a highly experienced fighter, and is skilled in the use of assault rifles, biotic abilities, heavy weapons and tech attacks. In Mass Effect 2, he is proficient in the use of shotguns, heavy pistols and biotics. He works professionally alongside Miranda Lawson, who functions as his informant and later as his superior officer. Jacob is also a potential romance option for a female Shepard.

Jacob Taylor is voiced by Adam Lazarre-White.

Mass Effect Galaxy
Jacob was on vacation aboard the passenger liner Arcturian Jade when the ship was attacked by batarian terrorists. After taking out the batarian attackers, and saving the crew and passengers, Jacob arrived at the Citadel and met his former CO, Major Derek Izunami. Izunami told Jacob there was a batarian plot to attack the Citadel, and that it originated in the lawless Nemean Abyss, where few humans ever went. However, Izunami knew an informant who could help Jacob, and sent him to Cartagena Station.

When Jacob arrived, he met Miranda Lawson, who explained that batarian extremists planned to assassinate their own ambassador, Jath'Amon, currently working to heal relations between batarians and the Citadel. Miranda had several leads that might uncover this plot; a turian arms dealer, Illo Nazario on the planet Tortuga who had worked with the batarians for years; the planet Bekke where a batarian army was reportedly gathering; and a rumor that the batarians had kidnapped several scientists who were being held on the Ahn'Kedar Orbital Platform.

As Jacob investigated these leads, he discovered the kidnapped scientists -- including an asari scientist named Batha -- had been convinced to work on a cure for a batarian plague, a cure which required large amounts of element zero. Jacob found the batarians' eezo stockpile on Bekke, improperly shielded -- causing Jacob to suffer sickness but also briefly gain increased biotic ability -- and protected by an army of batarians. He also managed to find Illo Nazario, who had been infected with this batarian plague. Illo revealed the plague was a biological weapon that the batarian terrorists meant to unleash on the Citadel, and that Ambassador Jath'Amon was actually the terrorists' ringleader. The target was not Jath'Amon, but the Council.

Jacob raced to the Citadel, only to find the batarians had already infiltrated C-Sec and were putting their plans into action. He managed to reach Jath'Amon during his audience with the Council; Jath'Amon tried to talk his way out of it, but when confronted he released the plague and attacked Jacob. After fighting off Jath'Amon's forces, the batarian ambassador was taken into custody, and Batha began work on a cure for those who were exposed. Jacob and Miranda returned to their ship, and celebrated with a bottle of champagne.

Weapon Proficiencies

 * Heavy Pistols
 * Shotguns

Powers
Unlike Shepard's other squadmates, save for Miranda Lawson, Jacob Taylor has 30 points available for distribution.

Cerberus Operative

 * Rank 1
 * Health: +10.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +6.00%


 * Rank 2
 * Health: +20.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +12.00%


 * Rank 3
 * Health: +30.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +18.00%


 * Rank 4 Unlocks choice between Cerberus Veteran or Cerberus Specialist
 * Cerberus Veteran: Jacob's experience surviving gunshot wounds and other traumas increases his health.
 * Health: +40.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +18.00%
 * Cerberus Specialist: Jacob's expertise in neutralizing hostiles increases his weapon damage.
 * Health: +30.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +25.00%

Dossier
Jacob was born in 2157 and eventually joined the Alliance military. Originally Jacob was part of an Alliance-sponsored group called the Corsairs, a program that contracted independent starship captains to handle missions that fell outside of official Alliance jurisdiction, giving the Alliance plausible deniability. Jacob eventually left the Corsairs and was assigned to Eden Prime, and was present for the geth attack that nearly destroyed the colony. After Eden Prime, and later the attack on the Citadel, Jacob became disillusioned with the ineffectual bureaucracy of the politicians and quit the Alliance. Later that year, after the events of Mass Effect Galaxy, Jacob enlisted with Cerberus for a chance to serve humanity without too much to hold him back, although he remains cautious of some of the organisation's more ruthless measures.

Shortly after the destruction of the first Normandy, Miranda hired Jacob as her 'lieutenant' in the Lazarus Cell, whose titular Lazarus Project was tasked with resurrecting Commander Shepard. Over the next two years, while work on Shepard continues, Jacob was technically in charge of security on the Lazarus Research Station. At this time it is implied he and Miranda had some form of relationship, although it didn't work out; Jacob claims he wasn't the right person for Miranda, though they remained effective colleagues.

In 2185, when the Lazarus Project neared completion, project director Wilson betrayed the organization and hacked the security mechs to attack the station's staff. During the firefight Shepard was awoken earlier than scheduled, and met Jacob fighting a group of LOKI mechs. Jacob joined Shepard, and together they managed to escape. Of the original members of the first Lazarus Cell, Jacob and Miranda were the only survivors. On the Illusive Man's orders, Jacob accompanied Shepard on a mission to Freedom's Progress, which had recently gone silent. With Miranda's help, they discovered the Collectors were behind the mass abductions.

After this mission's completion, Jacob becomes a member of the second Lazarus Cell aboard the Normandy SR-2 where he serves as the Armory Officer, charged with maintaining and stockpiling the team's weapons. During missions he is a calm and collected voice of reason, often siding with Shepard's decisions and trying to defuse conflicts. He later reveals a distrust of mercenaries and believes that assassins are just "precise mercenaries", leading him to recommend caution when dealing with Thane Krios, though no arguments ever develop between them.

Loyalty: The Gift of Greatness
After talking to Jacob several times aboard the Normandy, Jacob tells Shepard he has received a disturbing message through Cerberus channels. His father, Ronald Taylor, went missing ten years ago along with the starship he was serving on, the Hugo Gernsback. But now a distress signal from the Hugo Gernssback has been detected from a planet in the Alpha Draconis system. Jacob is, not surprisingly, eager to investigate and discover if his father is still alive.

Romance
Jacob is a possible romantic partner for the female Commander Shepard. Unlike Kaidan in Mass Effect, Jacob does not show any interest in Shepard. When she brings up the idea of them getting more intimate, he admits that he did not consider her an "option" - presumably because he did not know her well enough or thought she was out of his league. Shepard replies to that by stating she's interested and "that should be enough to get things going". In between missions he will have brief conversations, eventually leading to him mentioning his father. After completing Jacob's loyalty mission and despite the outcome, he will be more personal with Shepard; now his father's fate is behind him, he can focus on more important things, namely their mission and Shepard. If Shepard asks how he's handling the fate of his father, he'll admit that he's fine and that it's not a concern anymore. He switches the conversation so that he asks Shepard what she's letting eat away at her, to which she has various responses. Shepard can admit she's lonely - her entire team broke apart and changed, but her mind is the same as it was two years ago. Jacob comments that he feels sorry for them and they probably only changed because they lost her. Shepard can also admit feelings of guilt at the losses she could not prevent. Jacob praises her for her compassion and says without it you become like the Illusive Man, someone who never feels that guilt anymore. He takes her hands in his and she gives him a kiss on the cheek.

When approaching the Omega 4 Relay, Jacob will go to Shepard. He'll comment that it's risky sneaking into the Commander's office at night, but the prize is well worth it. It's interesting that depending on Shepard's initial response, either Paragon or Renegade, he may or may not admit that he loves her. In order for him to confess, Shepard should choose the first Renegade response. As a note, unlike Thane and Garrus, Shepard needs to pick all three Renegade responses to reject him, while it takes only one for the other two.

If both Shepard and Jacob survive the mission, Shepard can approach Jacob and ask how he's doing. Jacob will take her into his arms and kiss her, saying that there are no words, but that he's looking forward to spending some time with her. Shepard can reply that she does, too, or she can call off the entire relationship.

Trivia

 * Mass Effect Galaxy was originally titled "Jacob's Story".
 * Jacob is notable in that he is the only character other than Joker to reference the Illusive Man's artificial eyes, asking "is there anything human in them?"
 * Jacob's abilities in Mass Effect 2 are vastly different from Mass Effect Galaxy. In Mass Effect Galaxy, Jacob could use an assault rifle, use tech overloads, and use heavy weapons.