Characters

So imagine you are Shepard. You did all you could, saved as many people as it was possible and you've made your way to the end. But then the Catalyst tells you that it (somehow, don't ask) has the ability to bring back two people you knew, one you were close with and the other you didn't know all that well (aka, some side quest NPC). Which ones would you pick? Assuming that everyone else that can actually be saved in the game is alive as is, so pick those whose deaths are completely unavoidable (but we can count Mordin for this since can only live if Wrex and Eve both die, so for this scenario, it would be Mordin surviving alongside them; also you can save Ash or Kaidan as well, just imagine yourself which one you left on Virmire).

For a major character my pick would be Anderson. The dude makes it almost to the end, and while most other major characters that die usually do so via heroic sacrifice, his death is rather undignified as he just gets controlled and shot by you, also controlled. He also never got to meet up with Kahlee again. Narratively speaking I don't mind that it was written this way, but from the emotional standpoint he was always the one character who I wish got to live and see the war end.

For a minor character, I'd pick Charr (you know the blue rose of Illium guy who you find dead during the Aralakh company mission in ME3). I know it might sound weird and random but for some reason his death made me especially sad (even moreso if you help him and Ereba get together).

If Mass Effect 4 takes place not long after 3 (Ten years at most), what side character that previously wasn’t a squadmate would you like to see return as one?

Mass Effect: 8.6

Mass Effect 2: 9.9

Mass Effect 3: 8.8

Please, share your thoughts on who you think were the two or three most useful squadmates in each of the original trilogy games, and why, if you're up to it. For me, it's like this:

ME

1. Garrus - Tech powers super-effective against geth; specializes in the two best weapons (assault and sniper rifle); has a fair amount of defense and durability due to Medium Armor and Electronics; his tech powers allow him to decript storage lockers and fix the Mako outside of combat

2. Wrex - Biotic powers excellent for crowd control; assault and shotgun specializations mean he does a lotta damage; Fitness, Barrier, and Heavy Armor make him nearly unkillable; his abilities are especially useful during the final fight against Sovereign-Saren

3. Tali - Tech powers, again, super-effective against geth; they also allow for decryption and Mako repairs; Electronics provide extra layers of shields; Shotgun specialization gives her good damage potential

ME2

1. Thane - Shredder Ammo extremely useful against organic enemies (most enemies in the game), like collectors and husks; Warp does good damage and can take down defenses; Throw is good for crowd control, especially if Throw Field is chosen; specializes in sniper rifles, allowing for great damage potential and taking down enemies from afar

2. Miranda - The Cerberus Leader power-up buffs the health and damage for the whole team; Warp and Overload basically allow her to take down any kind of defense; Warp and Slam do good damage, making up for the lack of strong weapon specializations

3. Garrus - Wields the two best types of weapons in the game, allowing him to specialize at all ranges; Overload, Concussive Shot, and AP Ammo highly effective against a type of protection each; Concussive Shot and AP Ammo additionally good at disabling enemies and increasing weapon damage

ME3

1. Javik - Has biotic powers that serve a variety of purposes, from damage, to incapacitation, to crowd control, to stripping barriers and armor; plus, they also allow for easy biotic explosions, even if he were the only biotic on the team; specializes in assault rifles, for which he also has a skill that increases weapon damage; has two team-buffing abilities, depending on choice, either increasing the damage and force of biotic powers, or decreasing the shield-recharge delay

2. Garrus - Again, specializes in the two best weapons, allowing for efficiency at all ranges; AP Ammo increases damage even further and is super-effective against armor (which a lot of tougher, more dangerous enemies have); Overload strips shield and is effective against synthetics; CS is highly effective against barriers, and can knock down opponents; Proximity Mine especially effective since it only activates if an enemy is actually close by it; his team-buff ability also increases the damage of all powers, instead of just tech or biotic

3. Tali - Drones excellent for offensive and defensive distractions, taking away enemies' attention while doing damage at the same time; Sabotage allows for control of synthetics, even if protected, which is especially useful against Cerberus' turrets and mechs, turning their advantages into your own; Sabotage also useful against organics due to disabling weapons; Energy Drain strips shield and barriers, and damages synthetics while restoring her own shields, combing damage-dealing and survivability; has a shotgun in case enemies get up-close and personal

Of course, this is just my opinion. What do you think?

Please share with me your thoughts on a few ME characters that you found intriguing for one reason or another. They don't have to be squadmates or your very best characters, though anyone is equally welcome. I'll show my examples below:

Samara - A character I like, though isn't even in my top 10. However, I was very enthralled and interested in the way she described her confrontation with Nihlus. Despite committing acts that are unforgivable according to her code, she still described her hunt for him as exhilarating, complimenting his skills and tenacity rather than condemning him, and most impressively, instead of expressing disgust at the way he escaped her, she showed admiration for his cunning and the way he used her own code against her.

This is in sharp contrast to how honor-bound warriors are normally portrayed in films, shows, anime and such (Game of Thrones for example), condemning their more pragmatic adversaries for their 'dishonorable tactics' and for 'not fighting fair'. Samara, on the other hand, seemed to understand that not everyone fought with the same principles she did, and understood that the code of honor she conducted herself with was her own choice, and thus didn't blame or put down those that didn't use it. She understood perspective.

This ties into her awareness that the world is not black and white, but the justicar code demanded that she act in such a way. She fully knew of the fact that there were variables, discrepancies, and nuances, and that it was just her code that made her ignore such things and make all-or-nothing decisions.

Admirals Zaal'Koris and Han'Gerrel - From the earliest moments of Tali's trial, ME2 makes it seem almost obvious who you're supposed like and who you're supposed to hate. But when you start talking to them and then get to ME3, you realize it's not that simple.

Koris was a douche during the trial, true, but it's his opinions that agree more with Shepard's Paragon side, while Gerrel's with Sheaprd's Renegade. Koris believes in making piece with the geth, not going to war with them, considering them as actual living beings with a soul, and accepting that the Quarians were wrong for trying to kill them. Gerrel, however, fits the trope of the character who, as was said in ME3, 'looks at the world through the barrel of a gun'. It's Koris that makes it possible to get the positive ending where you get both the Quarians and the geth. It's Gerrel that makes the only-one-survives option happen.

Hell, through them two you also see an arguably negative side of Tali, her advocacy for militant action to resolve the geth issue and unwillingness to acknowledge their 'soul' and the Quarians' mistake. The ME world is one with shades of grey, where perspective is virtually everything, and these two characters are among the elements that best show that.

There is more I'd like to add, but I think this is plenty and shows what I'm asking of you.

Don't need to be your favourite, just good lines that show solid characterization.

Shepherd: "THERE'S A REAPER IN MY WAY!!!"

Weed: "[Completely unironically] I know! You get all the fun!"