The kett Archon appears to be a primary belligerent against the Pathfinder team. By way of introducing himself, he demands that the Pathfinder team either "surrender or burn."
|
“Make no mistake — this is a one-way trip.” — Spoilers for Mass Effect: Andromeda follow. |
|
Background
In the Kett Empire, an Archon is a leader of groups of kett assigned to specific locations within a galaxy, with the purpose of gathering new species viable for exaltation and sending related data back to their homeworld. The Archon seen in the game leads the Heleus Cluster contingent. He has maintained control of the cluster for almost seventy-five years through long, patient strategies and brutal subjugation. According to the angara, the Archon blinded them with promises of friendship and gifts before turning the angaran leadership against one another and ordering the conquest of their worlds.
Mass Effect: Andromeda
The Archon first appeared on Habitat 7 after the kett's first contact with humans. Very interested in learning how Alec Ryder accessed the Remnant monolith, the Archon used a drone to holographically recreate the human's movements inside the atmospheric processor.
Later, the Archon's fleet intercepted the Tempest upon its arrival in the Onaon system and pinned the ship against the Scourge. The Archon demanded to know who on the ship accessed the Remnant vault. The Tempest managed to outrun his fleet, successfully navigating through the Scourge, resulting in a few kett ships being destroyed by the Scourge in their pursuit.
Later, the Archon contacted the Cardinal on Voeld at the same time Ryder and the angaran Resistance attacked the Cardinal's base. The Archon ordered the Cardinal to bring Moshae Sjefa directly to him, but Ryder was able to rescue the angara scientist before that could happen.
The Archon later captured the salarian ark, the Paarchero, and began experimenting on some of its occupants, as well as on some krogan scouts. When Pathfinder Ryder came to their rescue, the Archon managed to immobilize the human and their squad. The Archon took a blood sample from Ryder, and simultaneously injected a device into their SAM implant. After the kett left the squad, SAM killed Ryder and resuscitated them to free the Pathfinder from the immobilization field. Ryder then made it to the Archon's sanctum, where he kept a museum full of Remnant artifacts, and connected with the map pointing to Meridian. The Archon, via hologram, then announced his realisation that SAM was what enabled Ryder to access Remnant technology. He was about to order his flagship to fire on the ark and Tempest in order to strand Ryder, when Pathfinder Zevin Raeka set off an EMP, enabling both ships to escape.
In spite of Ryder's escape, the Archon had gained access to the human's memory flashes from when the Pathfinder were clinically dead. The Primus reminded the Archon that their orders were to exalt the Heleus Cluster, not research the Remnant, and that their superiors were questioning his leadership. The Archon stated that seizing control of Meridian, the kett would have the power to turn entire planets into wastelands, making it the perfect weapon to force their enemies to submit to exaltation or face annihilation.
Ryder can encounter infighting between two groups of kett on Elaaden. Later investigation reveals that a group of scientists felt that the Archon was beginning to be 'obsessed' with the Remnant, blocking off communications with their homeworld and straying away from their goal in Heleus.
At the same time Ryder managed to trace Meridian's location at Khi Tasira, the Archon appeared via hologram, revealing he had captured ark Hyperion to sever SAM's connection to the Pathfinder. He then proceeded to capture Ryder's sibling, who also possessed the SAM implant he needed to access Meridian, though not before the Ryder twin managed to reboot the Pathfinder's connection. With Hyperion leading his fleet, the Archon arrived at Meridian first, with the Tempest leading a Remnant fleet in pursuit. Once Hyperion entered Meridian, the Archon sabotaged and abandoned the ark to distract Ryder while he took his hostage to Meridian Control.
In the battle for Meridian, the Pathfinder tracked the Archon and his troops to the control chamber, where he had plugged himself into the system, summoning a multitude of Remnant bots, including an Architect, to attack Ryder, declaring that anyone resisting him deserved no more mercy. With the Archon using too much power, Ryder's sibling was able to use their connection to activate consoles for the Pathfinder to disconnect the Archon from the system, resulting in his death.
Trivia
- In the mystical groups collectively known as Gnosticism, an Archon is a semi-divine being created by the False-God Demiurge (who is unaware of the real god/s). They are oppressive figures that govern the world, creating its state of misery and devouring the souls of the dead.
- In the Dragon Age series, another Bioware franchise, an Archon is the mage-ruler of the Tevinter Imperium. Like his Dragon Age counterparts, Mass Effect's Archon appears to be a ruler possessing some sort of advanced power, possibly biotics.
- According to lead designer Ian Frazier the Nexus was originally named the Arkcon before being renamed on the same day Archon was named for "completely different reasons."[1][2]