The Collector General is an entity that oversees the Collectors' operations from beyond the Omega 4 Relay.
Background[]
The General's physical appearance is quite different from the standard Collector, which has a humanoid shape. It has a more insectoid appearance, with a larger head and more pronounced limbs, enabling it to operate numerous command interfaces. It has a centauroid body shape: 8 forelimbs along its torso and 6 legs, of which 4 are on the ground while 2 are normally retracted. All of its forelimbs end in bladelike protrusions, with no hand structures to speak of compared to the drones. It also has retractable wings that allow it to at least hover, while standard Collectors can fly.
The General can possess any Collector drone regardless of distance, making them significantly more powerful on the battlefield and unlocking their biotic potential. Possessed drones gain glowing eyes similar to the General's in addition to other enhancements.
Mass Effect : Redemption[]
One month after the SSV Normandy's destruction, the General strikes a deal with the Shadow Broker for possession of Commander Shepard's body. The General is incensed at a delay in the transaction, caused by the emergence of the Illusive Man and Liara T'Soni who are also vying to retrieve it, but nonetheless is forced to accept the situation.
The exchange eventually proceeds on the Broker's base on Alingon. The General sends a humanoid drone to the location, warning the Broker's underlings that the Collectors will not brook dishonesty or further delays. At first glance, the General thinks the body delivered is indeed Shepard's, and it praises the Broker for a job done well. However, one of the Broker's agents, Feron, claims the Broker now wants full payment upfront. The General refutes that it will pay half now and the other half when they've confirmed Shepard's identity personally, as per the original deal.
The Collector General, transmitting directly to the Broker, accuses him of betrayal. The Broker counters that Feron, conspiring with Liara, severed his link to the base. Boasting that it is already everywhere compared to the Broker's pale imitation, the General has its on-site drone relay to the Broker's enforcer Tazzik that Feron has betrayed their boss. The General scrambles to retrieve the body, but Liara successfully escapes the base with it.
Mass Effect 2[]
The Collector General oversees the harvest of humans in the Terminus Systems, occasionally possessing drones such as on Freedom's Progress and Horizon. On the latter, it specifically assumes control on seeing a resurrected Commander Shepard investigate the ongoing operation.
The Collectors later devise a trap for Shepard: a seemingly disabled Collector Cruiser. The trap is sprung when Shepard comes aboard and datamines its computers, which results in a virus with the General's likeness nearly infecting the Normandy SR-2, while Collector ground forces and the occasional possessed drones attempt to prevent Shepard from leaving before the Collector ship can fully go online. Shepard's team manage to escape the vessel with confirmation that the Collectors are indoctrinated servants of the Reapers.
Commander Shepard and a team of specialists eventually launch an assault on the Collector Base, where they learn that the mass abduction of humans is a concerted effort to create a Human-Reaper within the facility. The General rallies every available Collector drone to protect the asset and the base, and possesses multiple drones during the battle, but the tactics used by Shepard's fire team causes it to spread itself too thin, culminating in the Human-Reaper's destruction.
Shortly before the sabotaged base meets its end, Harbinger, after berating the General for its failure and asserting the Reapers "will find another way", releases its control over the Collector General, whose eyes lose their glow for the first time, suggesting that it was always under Harbinger's control and thus all other possessed drones under it. In the final seconds after being released, the Collector General appears to be confused or dismayed at being abandoned, suggesting some level of intelligence and emotional capability remained. The General is then killed when Shepard either destroys the Collector Base or activates a timed radiation pulse, killing all remaining Collectors on the base.
Arrival[]
Shepard is tasked to rescue Dr. Amanda Kenson, which turns into a mission to delay the Reapers' arrival. If Shepard activates the Project before assaulting the Collector Base, the Collector General appears via hologram just before the Commander's escape from the asteroid that's about to slam into the Alpha Relay. It holds a brief conversation with Shepard about the futility of the fight against the Reapers. Otherwise, after the defeat of the Collectors, Harbinger will appear instead.
Mass Effect: Paragon Lost[]
Concurrent to Shepard's offensive against the Collectors, a drone similar to the Collector General physically oversees the harvest of Fehl Prime. It negotiates a deal with Cerberus agent Messner, intel and safety in exchange for thwarting an offensive against the Collectors' ship by remaining Delta Squad members. The General reneges on the deal afterward, intending to lump Messner with the other humans for his "ascension", because his incompetence led the soldiers to the ship and the asari with him will taint their human material.
Two Delta Squad soldiers attack the General and its drones afterward. The General impales a biotic soldier, Essex, with a forelimb, but the soldier manages to push both of them into the abyss.