History Characters / MassEffect2

[[redirect:Characters/MassEffect]]

%%ATTENTION: Do your part to prevent Trope Decay: Ensemble Darkhorse means "unexpectedly popular minor character." party members, due to being intentionally popular major characters, do not qualify.
%%

This page is for listing the tropes related to characters who are found in the second ''[[MassEffect2 Mass Effect]]'' game. Tropes for the characters of other games in the trilogy belong in the following:
* [[Characters/MassEffect The Mass Effect Trilogy]]
* [[Characters/MassEffect1 Mass Effect 1]]
* [[Characters/MassEffect3 Mass Effect 3]]

[[foldercontrol]]

!Party Members
[[folder: Party Members]]

![[spoiler:Urdnot]] Grunt
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grunt_p_2923.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:'''I am pure krogan; you should be in awe.]]'''
->''"Grunt is… not a stabilizing element, Commander"''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': SteveBlum

A young lab-grown krogan with a violent attitude who believes that might makes right.

[[hardline]]
* AntiHero: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type V]]. Either this or a heavy type IV, since we can probably cut him some slack on account of him having the emotional maturity of a newborn baby.
* AppropriatedAppellation: He took the name "Grunt" from one of Okeer's [[FamousLastWords last words]]. It's noted that there were some more impressive words to use as a name, but he liked "grunt" for its simplicity (and because it has no greater meaning).
* {{Badass}}: If you manage to kill off the entire rest of the team, Grunt can be rearguard ''[[OneManArmy on his own]]''.
* [[BecomeARealBoy Become A Real Krogan]]: The goal to secure his loyalty.
* BeehiveBarrier: His [[http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/6553/grunt.png Fortification power]].
* BloodKnight: Even moreso than normal for a krogan.
* BlueEyes: One of the few krogan to have them. It's rather striking.
* TheBerserker: Eventually matures into a relatively stable (by [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy krogan]] standards) blood knight.
* TheBigGuy: Personality of a Class IV with the intelligence of a Class V. Definitely one of the strongest combat specialists. [[FoeTossingCharge Just a wee bit unpredictable.]]
* BoisterousBruiser: Any time there's a fight in the offing, Grunt will be all but jumping up and down with glee.
* BornAsAnAdult: Or a teenager, anyway - he's designed to look younger than other krogan (e.g, his head-crest hasn't merged into a single plate yet).
* BuffySpeak: When he talks, if it's not SesquipedalianLoquaciousness, it's this.
** On getting into cover:
--->''"We should hide behind...stuff."''
* ChildSoldier: By Krogan Standards, but he revels in it.
* TheChosenOne: Okeer created him to be a perfect krogan. Grunt eventually gets the mindset as well, as the character quote shows. The Urdnot Shaman seems to think this too, sending an email to Shepard demanding that s/he not get him/herself and Grunt killed.
* CloningBlues: Somewhat. He stops angsting about it once he's accepted by other krogan.
* DoesNotLikeSpam: Doesn't like ramen, apparently.
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: His Shadow Broker dossier shows that he went from extranet searches for Urdnot Wrex to tyrannosaurus wrex to Earth lizard wrex to dinosaurs.
* ExtremeOmnivore: Gets hungry at certain scenes of violence, to the disgust of his teammates.
* GeniusBruiser: He had the military knowledge of several krogan warlords imprinted into him while he was being created. He's also a fan of SesquipedalianLoquaciousness, [[BuffySpeak although he's rather young and doesn't always have the words he needs to describe things]].
** And now, in Lair of the Shadow Broker, you find out he's reading (audiobook) [[ErnestHemingway Hemingway!]] He's finished ''The Old Man and The Sea'' & ''For Whom The Bell Tolls'', and is working on The Sun Also Rises. Not a fan of ''A Farewell To Arms'' however...
** He also apparently loves dinosaurs; he was apparently doing an extranet search on Urdnot Wrex, [[WikiWalk when he encountered entries on Tyrannosaurus Rex - and that got him into looking into Earth dinosaurs]].
** The Old Man And The Sea apparently also got him interested in sharks.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Every other teammate has gone through various forms of hell to be worthy of joining the team -- Grunt is actually ''born'' in the Normandy SR-2's cargo bay ready to kick ass alongside them. He's actually kind of bothered by this, mourning his "thousand weaker brothers" who were sacrificed to make him an [[{{Ubermensch}} Uberkrogan]].
* HeroicSociopath: He couldn't care less about saving humanity. He just wants a good fight. And he laughs quite maniacally as he's tearing into your opponents.
* IncrediblyLamePun: "There was this one imprint of a turian having his face cut open, the Krogan really working the blade. I didn't see much point to it." {{Beat}} "Heh, much point...oh never mind."
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: He's very appreciative of Jack's escape from Purgatory, specifically the bodies she's leaving behind.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Thinks highly of both Shepard [[spoiler:and Wrex.]]
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: Okeer created him to lead the krogan against his personal enemies. However, his "programming" failed and Grunt could not care less about Okeer's goals.
* LateToThePunchline: Grunt finally starts giggling when he figures out some his memories, like the image of a dead turian disfigured horribly. He thinks of it as hilarious because he "finally gets it". When he tries to [[DontExplainTheJoke explain why it's funny]], Shepard is nonplussed.
* LightningBruiser: The most durable squadmate, and with the Claymore shotgun, he deals out a ton of damage. Even capable of doing the infamous krogan charge. And the charge? If he does it to another krogan, he will '''push them back'''. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome This includes the considerably larger warlord on his loyalty mission.]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcJAo52a-qE Also, Scions.]]
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: BloodKnight standard procedure.
* NeuralImplanting: The 'imprints' he was given by Okeer when he was being grown in the tank. This is how he knows how to breathe, walk, talk, and kick ass. Unfortunately, the imprints were often without context.
-->'''Grunt:''' Like holding a book for a child. Just 'remember this,' picture after picture. No help with finding a reason to care.
* [[OneManArmy One Krogan Army]]: Specifically designed by Okeer to be a krogan "lance" as opposed to their regular horde-based tactics.
* OptionalPartyMember: While his recruitment mission is mandatory, you don't actually have to release him from his tank.
* PlayingWithFire: He, like Jacob (and possibly Shepard) has regeneration-stopping Incendiary Ammo.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Eventually. Being accepted into the Urdnot clan really heals his tattered ego.
* PsychopathicManChild: Many of his mannerisms come across as rather child-like at times. He also plays with action figures on his spare time when he's not busy killing stuff, eating and reading Hemingway.
** Well, he is [[JustifiedTrope less then a year old]].
* SealedBadassInACan: He's tank-bred, so he was actually created in the "can" rather than being initially sealed in it. When his tank is obtained, it's left up to the player when to open the can and let the {{Badass}} out. He even plays the "neutral" part of the trope straight; he doesn't care too deeply about morality, only asskicking.
* SmarterThanYouLook
* StoneWall: He can become this if you level him right; maxing out his [[DeflectorShields Fortification]] power and giving him the 'Krogan Pureblood' power can increase his health and defenses to the point where he will almost never die, but he won't do as much damage.
* SuperSoldier: Grown in a vat to be the "perfect" krogan.
* ThisCannotBe: "I do not get sick!"
* ThisIsSparta: '''I. AM. KROGAN!!!!'''
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Averted. Until the game was leaked, there was no indication that he was anything but a typical krogan BloodKnight.
** Not so averted. The recruitment mission was clearly intended to make the player think they were getting Warlord Okeer as a squadmate. Getting Grunt instead was supposed to be a minor twist, but it was ruined by the pre-release trailer.
* {{Uber|mensch}}krogan: He was created to be one, although he has little interest in it.
* [[UltimateLifeForm Ultimate Krogan]]: Along with being the perfect warrior, this was what he was meant to be for the Krogan species.
* UndyingLoyalty: Even before his mission, he seems to have nothing but respect for Shepard, his "Battlemaster". He even threatens Uvenk for spitting on Shepard's name. This is because [[BloodKnight he loves to fight]], and Shepard brings him along to fight '''''"[[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever BIG THINGS]]"'''''.
-->Shepard is my battlemaster. S/he has no match.
* UnstoppableRage: Constantly. Apparently this is the default state for his species. The Rite of Passage was devised simply to help teenage krogan get a handle on it -- kind of like a young human's father taking him to a strip bar, except with guns and monsters. The sex comes afterward if a female is suitably impressed by the display.
** The Codex notes, however, that the rage only became so commonplace after the krogans devastated Tuchanka in nuclear war (before that, it was extremely rare and regarded as pathological). Admittedly, the Codex is an [[UnreliableNarrator in-universe resource]].
* WarriorPoet: According to the [[spoiler:Shadow Broker's dossier on him]], he has become a fan of Hemingway.
** Heck, even his dialogue from the beginning. His word choice is exquisite.
* WeHaveReserves: He was engineered by Okeer to be an aversion to this trope; were Okeer to cure the genophage, the krogan would go back to spawning like mad and covering the galaxy with their hordes. Okeer believes the true future of the krogan is to have superior, elite warriors rather than cannon fodder, hence why he made the SuperPrototype, Grunt.
* WorthyOpponent: One of the first indications that he views Shepard as one is the little smirk he gives when he realises Shepard had quietly pulled a gun and had it trained on Grunt the entire time Grunt had them pinned against the wall.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: He's TheBigGuy and a damned good one, but he's a [[DesignerBabies Designer Krogan]] grown in a [[PeopleJars Krogan Jar]] and trained by NeuralImplanting. You don't recruit him so much as [[KleptomaniacHero "inherit"]] his Krogan Jar. When you crack it open and start chatting, ''you're basically witnessing his birth''.
----
[[WMG: Jack, AKA Subject Zero]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jack_p_7174.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I WILL DESTROY YOU!]]
->''"I'm not saying anything about Jack. I'm not stupid."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Courtenay Taylor %%That's not a typo, her first name is indeed spelled "Courtenay."

A powerful and unstable human biotic with a checkered past. Formerly a biotics test experiment of Cerberus. Romance option.

[[hardline]]
* AbnormalAmmo: She gains Warp Ammo after you earn her loyalty, which increases damage against armor, biotic barriers and health, and does double damage to anything under the effects of a biotic power, like Pull or Shockwave.
* AntiHero: ''Strongly'' [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type]] [[VillainProtagonist V]]; shows signs of moving up the scale to Type IV under the influence of Paragon Shepard.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Arson: She's guilty of theft of military property, destroying a space station, piracy, and vandalism; she's been a baaaaaaaaaaad girl.
** Subverted: That "vandalism"? Defacing of the hanar's favourite moon. ''[[ColonyDrop With the space station]]''.
--->'''Jack:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny They ''really'' liked that moon.]]
* AxCrazy: Hooooo boy. Even [[BloodKnight Grunt]] and [[RetiredMonster Zaeed]] are impressed with her bloodlust.
* BadassBoast: One of her lines when a new wave of enemies come onto the field is "Hello, dead people!"
** Here's another: "If I die, I'm haunting you, Shepard."
** She also gets one from Warden Kuril, who refers to her fearfully as "The meanest handful of violence and hate I've ever encountered. Dangerous, crazy and very powerful."
* BaldOfEvil: Shaved her head for a cult, and kept it that way. While she is still a squadmate for you, she remains violent and generally psychotic.
* BaldWomen: No hair - check. Female - [[{{Stripperiffic}} check.]]
* BerserkButton: Being referred to as Subject Zero.
* BiTheWay: Possibly. She mentions that one of the first criminals she ran with was a woman and her boyfriend who "shared their bed" with her. However, if you keep talking to her as female Shepard, she says she doesn't play for that club. The dialogue for both lines is pretty ambiguous, but then, she's a pretty messed up girl who might not have her own feelings straight.
* [[TheBigGuy The Big Girl]]: Class I.
* BoxedCrook: You were originally just going to borrow her from max security space prison/slave ship to finish a mission, but certain events have left her quite a bit less constrained.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: She was given euphoric drugs as a kid while fighting to condition her to equate killing with pleasure.
* BrokenBird: To say she's got issues is putting it hilariously mildly.
---> '''Jack:''' Turns out, mess with someone's head enough, you can turn a scared little kid into an all powerful bitch.
* CharacterDevelopment: Depending on how you treat her, she can either stay a DarkActionGirl or show a softer side. This is shown in the two possible culminating scenes for a romance with her, one of which is just about sex, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6RHlWL2Oz0=related the other of which is far more tender.]]
** It's worth noting that while [[spoiler:assaulting the Collector base]], if you choose her to [[spoiler:man the biotic barrier through the Seeker Swarm room and she's loyal, she'll refer to you as "Commander" like she ''means'' it. For as violently psychotic and unruly a character as Jack is, that's speaking volumes about her development under Shepard's command.]]
*** More than that, she phrases [[spoiler: the word Commander around appropriate statements. That is, instead of being smarmy and snarky, she uses more short and to the point phrases that you'd expect from more disciplined crew members.]]
** There's also the Suicide Mission: [[spoiler: if you choose to have her lead a team during it, her final words will be " "Too many...tore me up. How'd you talk me into this? Heh...I wasn't supposed to care." Apparently, being around TheMessiah long enough can make even Jack give a damn about everyone else.]]
* ClusterFBomb: Constantly. In fact, she drops all but two or three of the game's F-bombs -- mainly because she's the only character who uses the word in regular conversation.
** If you start to romance her and then push her away at the end (either to pursue a different partner or just ForTheEvulz), all she will ''ever'' say to you from then on is, "Fuck off!"
* ColonyDrop: She committed [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking "vandalism"]] by [[MonumentalDamage smashing a space station into the hanar's favorite moon]].
* CutscenePowerToTheMax: When she first appears, she tears through three YMIR mechs like they were made of wet cardboard. In normal gameplay, you're usually popping in and out of cover and gradually whittling them down.
* DarkActionGirl
* DoesNotKnowHowToSayThanks
* DefaceOfTheMoon: Via ColonyDrop.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: She is slightly troubled by Shepard urging Niftu Cal, the "Biotic God," to get himself killed, even though she admits it was kind of funny.
* FromNobodyToNightmare
* GenderBlenderName: Lampshaded when she is first seen, and then never mentioned again.
* GlassCannon: She's very powerful offensively, but she's very frail in combat, second only to Kasumi.
* GoneHorriblyRight: Cerberus got what they wanted.
* HeroicSociopath: "Heroic" is very much a stretch for her. [[spoiler:At first.]]
* HiddenDepths: A Paragon Shep will peel away her layers, and even Taylor's voice acting will reflect this, as it goes from rough and masculine to soft and feminine by the time a romance is completed. At the end of the game, if she survives, no matter what her loyalty is, she will give Shepard a determined nod, which is tantamount to a salute - and this was a woman who had ''no'' interest in ''anything'' or ''anyone'' but herself.
** The Shadow Broker DLC also reveals that she writes poetry in her spare time under the pseudonym "Jacqueline Nought". Also detailed in her dossier is how Cerberus conned her mother into handing her over to them.
*** GeniusBonus: Part of her poem is a reference to the [[http://www.damninteresting.com/this-place-is-not-a-place-of-honor/ Future Warning Nuclear Waste project."]] "This place is not a place of honor…no esteemed dead is commemorated here." She's comparing it to herself.
* InstitutionalApparel: Her starting outfit is the remains of her Purgatory uniform.
* InUniverseCatharsis: Pretty much the entire point of her loyalty mission.
** The achievement for gaining her loyalty is called [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Catharsis"]].
* TheLadette
* LoveRedeems: The Paragon ending to her romance.
* MegatonPunch: She's fond of using biotics to create these.
* MindOverMatter
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: If you need an explanation this far into the entry, you need to get your eyes checked.
* MyHeroZero: Well, AntiHero, but hey, considering the trope in question...
* MythologyGag: She sometimes screams '''I WILL DESTROY YOU!!!''' in the same way the human mooks did in ''MassEffect1''.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: inverted. Also, it would be too late for you to run anyway.
* TheNicknamer: Refers to Miranda as "The Cheerleader."
* NoodleIncident: While it doesn't get nearly as much attention as the "ColonyDrop incident," all she says about stealing a military craft is, "They shouldn't have left the thing unlocked. Besides, parades are boring. I helped."
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Judging by the confrontation between them, she seems to think this way about Miranda; she says she'll keep Miranda alive so she can tear her apart herself after the mission.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Considered to be the most powerful human biotic.
* PowerPerversionPotential: Biotic powers can be unstable during the act, but can also have "benefits." [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6RayAQfMqY Mordin, as always, is the man to see.]]
* PsychoForHire: An incredibly rare protagonist example. She may develop beyond this if you gain her loyalty.
* RapeAsBackstory: It says something about her past when the multiple times she's been sexually assaulted count as some of the '''least''' traumatic memories.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Apparently a recurring event for her. You add her to the crew right after she finishes one of these.
* SamusIsAGirl: Basically, everyone including the Warden holding her in cryo shudder at the very mention of her and portray her as the ultimate force of destruction and puppy-kicking... and then you see this apparently small young woman break out of metal restraints and wipe out three heavy mechs with nothing but her biotics.
* [[SatisfiedStreetRat Satisfied Lab Rat]]: Although she's hardly 'satisfied' unless she's in a fight.
** However, she ''is'' somewhat pissed off at Cerberus for using her as a lab rat; while she does "enjoy the power they gave (her)," she's damn sore that "they didn't give (her) a choice".
* SexEqualsLove: Averted. Kelly mentions that Jack pushes people away, but approaches sex casually, and warns that having a one-night stand with her is a bad idea. Having sex with Jack is an option fairly early into the game. If the casual sex option is chosen, she's really into it, but says that she doesn't want to play if you try and talk to her again. If you refuse sex with her and show interest in her as a person, she will eventually come out of her shell and begin to actually love Shepard. The culmination of the romance shows kissing, but doesn't imply sex - which makes sense considering how some abuse victims view sex in relation to those they love.
* SirSwearsALot
--> '''Jack:''' So fuck you. And thanks for asking.
* StealthPun: She once used "Jacqueline Nought" as an alias, with "nought" being the British term for the American "zero." The pun comes in when this makes her [[spoiler: Jackie 0, a play on the tabloid nickname for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.]]
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Her first costume is essentially a strap across her breasts and a pair of pants; her alternate costume is a bit more modest.
** The third DLC outfit makes her a BadAssBiker, with a leather jacket, pants and shades, so everything is hidden, including tattoos.
* SuperSoldier: Cerberus wanted to make her a powerful biotic warrior... [[GoneHorriblyRight and they succeeded]].
* SurvivorGuilt: One of the reasons she pushes everyone away is that [[spoiler:the last person who cared about her ended up dying in order to save her instead of betraying her as she'd expected he would. This made her even more violent and reclusive.]]
* TattooedCrook
* ThereWasADoor: Justified: After being released from cryo, she has to escape somehow, and the quickest way is to break through walls with her biotics.
* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: Quite a few of her battle cries. She's fond of the B-word in conversation as well.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Even after recruitment, she remains a barely contained ball of homicidal rage.
* TomboyishName: Jack.
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Within the game, all you're told is that you're picking up a dangerous biotic named Jack; it's left as a surprise that she's a female until you see her the first time. The surprise is completely ruined by the fact that the character was introduced in promotional material prior to the game's release, including a personal character trailer. Although her name is only given as "Subject Zero" in this material, enough detail is given about how she is recruited that the only way her sex can come as a surprise is if the player goes into the game completely blind.
* {{Troll}}: She was banned from the Citadel Newsnet forums for excessive and repeated swearing, derogatory comments, inflammatory comments, and circumventing worksafe filters.
** She lasted 15 minutes in an online poker community before being banned for the same.
*** She also gets vanned a lot. You are actually supposed to get her out of the proverbial space van in her recruit mission.
* {{Tsundere}}: If Shepard coaxes her out of her hostility and helps her find some personal closure, she displays a softer and more vulnerable side.
* {{Tykebomb}}: The Shadow Broker's dossier indicates [[spoiler: she was actually taken by Cerberus shortly after birth. Her mother was convinced the child had died from horrible element zero-induced seizures.]]
* TheUnfettered
* UnreliableNarrator: [[spoiler:She wasn't in the best position to figure out just what was going on in the Teltin facility.]]
* [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Woobie, Destroyer of Moons]]: Because seriously--after multiple gang rapes, a life of physical torture, emotional, and sexual abuse, Jack really deserves a little bit of happiness. And a Shepard hug. [[{{Tsundere}} Unfortunately, Shepard may not survive such an encounter]].
* YouNeedToGetLaid: Inverted; see SexEqualsLove above.
----
[[WMG: Jacob Taylor]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jacob_6876.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Somebody's got to take down the bad guys. Cerberus keeps that line, I'm on their side.]]
->''"Jacob is way too nice a guy for all the ways he knows how to kill people."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Adam Lazarre-White

A biotic and former marine who joined Cerberus to protect humanity, although he dislikes their extreme methods. He's also the protagonist of the [=iPhone=] game ''Mass Effect Galaxy''. Also one of [=ME2=]'s romance options for the female Shepard.

[[hardline]]
* AntiHero: Type II or III.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: To quote Joker:
-->"Jacob is way too nice a guy for the number of ways he knows how to kill people."
* [[spoiler: BrokenPedestal]]: [[spoiler:His father]]
* CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler: Was pretty pissed to find out what his father had been doing for the past 10 years.]]
* CanonImmigrant
* ChickMagnet: He's had a past history with Miranda, Kasumi totally digs him, and he can possibly romance a Female Shepard.
* DisappearedDad: For 10 years and counting... [[spoiler: at least, until his loyalty mission.]]
* DoggedNiceGuy: Inverted - female Shepard has to work to get him to open up to the possibility of a romance.
* DontYouDarePityMe
* EstrogenBrigadeBait: Why hello there [[BuffySpeak Mr. Unneccessary In Camera Focus Shirt Removal Ripped Guy.]] His abs are rendered with more detail than some character's faces.
** Not to mention the camera explicitly focuses on his body when Shepard comments on it.
** Shadow Broker info shows that he's ''earned'' those abs with an insane workout schedule.
* FantasticRacism: If Fem Shep rejects his romantic interests in favor of Garrus, he derisively refers to the turian as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5rbBD4qEOs 'that cuttlebone.']]
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Literally, with ''Mass Effect Galaxy''.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With male Shepard.
* [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe I Can't Believe A Chick Like You Would Notice Me]]: He seems rather surprised when female Shepard tries to start a romance with him, but eventually runs with it.
* InsecureLoveInterest: See the tropes immediately above and below this one.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Implies this towards Miranda.
* KnightInSourArmor: He's generally a nice guy, but displays a ''lot'' of cynicism regarding the Alliance and Citadel governments after the events of MassEffectGalaxy which led him to join Cerberus in disgust. Not that he's all that big on ''them'' either.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: He begins the game as a mild Shepard fanboy.
* TheLancer: A position he shares with Garrus and Miranda.
* LeaveBehindAPistol: At the end of his loyalty mission, the Renegade conclusion is to give a gun to [[spoiler: his father]] to kill himself rather than face a court martial or be killed by males driven to violence by the local flora.
* MagicKnight: Both a capable soldier and a powerful biotic.
* ManHug: How he assures Shepard he's ready to go post-loyalty mission.
* TheMcCoy: Jacob and Miranda serve as the foils/voice-of-reason towards Shepard. Jacob general support actions that tend to be ''morally'' right, and is the paragon-voice point.
* MilitaryMaverick: He left the Alliance because he couldn't handle all the {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s. Having said that, he also gets the prize for the other half of the trope: of all the party members, he holds himself to the strongest level of military behavior, and is the ''only'' person on the ship aside from Kelly who actually salutes Shepard.
* MindOverMatter
* MrExposition
* NiceGuy
* ObliviousToLove: Not only does Shepard pretty much have to explicitly state her interest in him for it to register, but, by all accounts, he also doesn't seem to realize that Kasumi wants to jump his bones. Of course, since she's a downloadable character, he has no dialog related to her so it's hard to tell.
* OnlySaneMan: The Illusive Man placed him on Shepard's team for relative emotional stability as much as skill.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Miranda.
* PlayingWithFire: Aside from Grunt and Shepard themselves, he's the only one with Incendiary Ammo.
* PrecisionFStrike: An "S-Strike", to be more accurate. Shorly after the cutscene where Shepard releases Jack from cryo, as the squad enters a wrecked room with a few Blue Suns enemies fighting off escaped prisoners, Jacob will blurt out "Holy shit!" in face of all the chaos and destruction.
* StaticCharacter: His character changes the least throughout the story. This is deliberate; he's ''supposed'' to be the most emotionally-stable crewmember. Everyone else's loyalty mission involves some form of baggage from their past, while Jacob has to actually be brought into his loyalty mission by an outside actor.
* TheStoic: He tends to express less emotion than most of the characters.
** ShellShockedVeteran: Bring him along to the Derelict Reaper and you'll learn that he hasn't gotten over Eden Prime as much you initially thought.
* [[spoiler: WellDoneSonGuy: He does a good job of not showing it though.]]
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: His backstory is full of this. He doesn't mind so much.
-->'''Jacob:''' Good deed's like pissing yourself in dark pants. Warm feeling, but no one notices.
----

[[WMG: Kasumi Goto]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kasumi_p_5146.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Good to finally meet you in person, Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan.]]
->''"I like Kasumi, but why do I feel like I need to check the Citadel for parts she may have pawned?"''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Kym Lane (credited as Kym Hoy)

A ClassyCatBurglar who is available as DLC. She is so skilled that few are aware that she even exists.

[[hardline]]
* AllWomenAreLustful: Her scene with Kenji. She also secretly watches Jacob, and admits to watching Shepard and his\her love interest during their love scene.
* AntiHero: Certainly a Type II. Despite being a shameless career kleptomaniac, she was willing to place herself in severe danger to protect a young artist purely on principle. She also has a caring side, often showing concern for the rest of the squad, possibly making her the most selfless character in the game. Of course, given that you have a squad of mercs, terrorists, Knights Templar and berzerkers her thefts seem pretty benign in comparison.
* [[AscendedFanboy Ascended Fangirl]]
* {{Backstab}}: Her signature ability, called Shadow Strike.
** Less of an actual {{Backstab}}, but more "bop people with the omni-tool".
* BoringButPractical: Her specialty, Shadow Strike, is a move where she cloaks, pops up behind an enemy, and...hits them on the back of the head. It's also nearly unavoidable once triggered, ignores cover, is a near-guaranteed stun, and does huge damage whether you're using it on a squishy merc or a walking tank.
** ''And'' quickly reloads her powers if it lands [[OneHitKill a killing blow.]]
* CallingCard: In her early career, she left a rose in place of what she stole. Her partner eventually made her realize how unproductive this is for a thief.
* TheCaper: Her activity of choice.
* DeadpanSnarker
--> (On Korlus) She seems nice... in a mad scientist ethics-for-sale kind of way.\\
(On the Citadel) They're really selling the [[GasLeakCoverup "geth did it"]] message. I bet you can't even say "Reapers" without inciting a panic. [[LampshadeHanging (airquote gesture)]]''"Reapers!"''
* DownloadableContent
* FaceFramedInShadow: Aside from the glint of her eyes, we never see the top half of her face.
* {{Fangirl}}: "Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan."
* GenkiGirl: To an extent. While not as as empty-headed as the typical example, she is still pretty upbeat and happy, especially when compared to the rest of the team. She is even Japanese, fitting the stereotype.
* GlassCannon: She's excellent at incapacitating enemies up close, but she has low health and shields while her main ability often puts her in dangerous situations.
* [[GossipyHens Gossipy Hen]]: If Shepard talks to her on the Normandy, she gossips about the other crewmembers and talks about rumors.
* HighlyVisibleNinja: In her loyalty mission, she strolls right up to Hock's estate in her SpyCatsuit, not even bothering to take her hood down, and seems surprised when Hock turns her away in a brief stroke of GenreSavvy. She then uses her invisibility to get into the building anyway.
* HypocriticalHumor: During the Hock heist, she notes that his password, "Peruggia", refers to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Peruggia Vincenzo Peruggia]], the man who stole the Mona Lisa back in the 1880's. [[spoiler:The Shadow Broker DLC reveals that she has not only ''done the same'', ''''[[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Kasumi_Goto but is offering it for sale.]]''' As well as '''''the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koh-i-Noor Koh-i-Noor Diamond]] and a number of other alien artifacts that are presumably as unique.''''']]
* InTheHood
* {{Invisibility}}
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: She has a crush on [[NiceGuy Jacob]], but will support Fem!Shep if she decides to romance him
* KleptomaniacHero: One quality she ''definitely'' shares with Shepard.
* KnifeNut: You never see her using them in-game, but she gets very...''enthused'' over a selection of knives on Tuchanka, and contemplates "borrowing" them sometime later.
* LampshadeHanging: When commenting on female Shepard's romance with Garrus, she notes that many people want them to be together.
* LesYay: Just a hint of it: when commenting on how great female Shepard looks in her dress, the camera angle makes it seem that Kasumi is staring straight at her boobs. [[LittleBlackDress Being]] [[MemeticSexGod Shepard]], who wouldn't?
* LoveableRogue
* MagikarpPower: She starts out very weak. With the right allocation of skill points, she becomes a devastating GlassCannon.
* MeaningfulName:
** Kasumi is a Japanese name that means simply "mist".
** The Japanese word 'goto', the same word as her surname and which is pronounced mostly the same, also means "robber" or "robbery."
** KASUMI is also the name of a cipher used in electronic security.
* MeetCute: When examining one of the paintings in her quarters, she'll tell you how she acquired it: she was hired to steal it, and when she went to take it, it had already been stolen. As she was leaving, she saw another thief with the painting, chased him down and tackled him. The other thief was Keiji, and he and Kasumi ended up as partners in crime as well as lovers. They kept the painting.
* TheNicknamer: She calls Shepard 'Shep' on a variety of occasions and designates the Illusive Man as 'Mr. Illusive.' The first may be something of an AscendedMeme as (Fem/Male)Shep is a common FanNickname for Shepard.
* OptionalPartyMember: A DLC character.
* OutlawCouple: [[spoiler: With her former partner, Keiji.]]
* ThePollyanna: She always reflects that things could be worse... even when trapped inside a derelict Reaper that's slowly crashing
* PhantomThief: She's one of the galaxy's best thieves/hackers, but has no criminal record. On her loyalty mission, Kasumi even says that no one knows what she looks like.
* PlayfulHacker: She greets Shepard by taking over one of the Citadel's advertising terminals. Her hacking skills are actually on-par with both Legion and Tali.
** If Shepard ignores her, she has about a dozen humorous comments from being a credit agency for help with collector agents to the offer of a sweet Japanese girl, before getting mad if Shepard doesn't bite.
--> '''Ad!Kasumi:''' OK, really? [[WhatTheHellPlayer How many times does it take to walk past without getting interested?]]
* RecruitingTheCriminal
* ShipperOnDeck: She ships Ken/Gabby and Shepard/Any of the [=ME2=] love interests (if applicable). But she especially ships Tali and Garrus with Shepard for their respective genders.
** With a hint of implied Joker/EDI shipping on the side.
* ShipTease: She has a crush on Jacob, of all people, although [[ObliviousToLove Jacob doesn't seem to notice.]]
** Her Dossier in the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' implies her to be a StalkerWithACrush. And the Jacob haiku specifically says at one point, "cloaked desire watches." [[PowerPerversionPotential This means exactly what you think it means.]]
* ShoutOut: One of her combat taunts is "[[TheSimpsons Haw-haw!]]".
** The hood and catsuit also make her look very similar to the classic ''BaldursGate'' thief sprite.
** At the beginning of her loyalty mission, she mentions [[BadassOfTheWeek "Badass Weekly"]].
** Crossing over with meaningful name, KASUMI also happens to be the name of a block cipher used in mobile communications.
** One of the artifacts is an Ogre statue... that looks like an Ogre from DragonAge Origins.
** She's one big ShoutOut to ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic 2''. She resembles Visas Marr and her last name is Goto.
** Her PaletteSwap for [[AndYourRewardIsClothes completing her loyalty mission]] makes her clothes red, reminiscent of [[CarmenSandiego another master thief.]]
** One from DeadOrAlive, Kasumi's loyalty mission has her infiltrating the mansion of a crime boss named Donovan.
* TheSmartGuy: [[spoiler:Along with Tali and Legion, she's an ideal choice for the Tech Expert during the suicide mission.]]
* SpyCatsuit
* StealthHiBye: Her special ability involves this.
-->'''Kasumi:''' Now you see me...
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: She loves ramen, and regrets not having stolen her grandmother's recipe.

------

[[WMG: Miranda Lawson]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/miranda_1673.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I have every respect for your abilities, Shepard. It's your motivations that concern me.]]
->''"I wouldn't say anything bad about Miranda. And expect to survive the reprisal."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Yvonne Strahovski

A human biotic and tech specialist, "born" on Earth. She comes from a wealthy background where she was genetically engineered from her father to be perfect, and is a loyal member of Cerberus. She first appeared in ''Mass Effect Galaxy''. Romance option for a male Shepard.


[[hardline]]
* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: In her loyalty mission where she debates whether or not to talk to her sister.
* ActionGirl
* AntiHero: She's initially a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type IV,]] [[spoiler:and depending on your actions, can move up to a Type III.]]
* ArchnemesisDad: The reason she joined Cerberus in the first place was to gain protection from her father.
* TheBaroness: Sexpot variety.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With a male Renegade Shepard, their FirstKiss pretty much comes about after he mercilessly teases and taunts her about her insecurities and is generally rude and challenging, which seems to be pushing all her buttons... with Miranda being [[PostKissCatatonia flabbergasted]] and asking "Okay, what the hell was that?!" afterwards.
* BerserkButton: Do not attempt to bring harm to her sister or get the idea of returning her to their father.
* BlackBraAndPanties: As seen in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xijbArxskqc this video]].
* BrainyBrunette
* BrokenAce: A lot of her character development stems from the revelation that she's not as perfect as she makes herself out to be.
* BuxomIsBetter: As the engineers put it...
-->'''Daniels:''' I've got green across the board. The forward tanks are buoyant and elevated.\\
'''Donnelly:''' Are ya talking about the ''Normandy'' or Miranda?\\
'''Daniels:''' I'm talking about the one covered and protected, not ''bouncing in the breeze''.
* CanonImmigrant
* CombatStilettos
* CulturedBadass: Enjoys classical music, particularly the Danish composer Carl Nielsen.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Paragon Shepard can cause her to resign from Cerberus.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Becomes notably less unpleasant as the story progresses--at least to Shepard. She's also generally nicer to Jacob, as well, due to their past relationship.
* DesignerBabies: She was specifically designed by her father as part of his "dynasty".
* FatalFlaw: Her inability to comprehend that people will react other than the way she believes they will. She also seems to have the mindset of handing out as little information as possible, with complete disregard for how others will react to her misinformation.
* FemmeFatale
* FootFocus: She gets a couple of scenes which show off her stiletto heels.
* FormFittingWardrobe: {{Justified}} since this seems to be the go with almost all types of wardrobe in the Verse, including many of the armors and [[EatingTheEyeCandy regardless of sex]]. Played straight that since her outfit is done to make it look leather-like, not to mention quite [[EverythingIsAniPodInTheFuture shining]], it gives the illusion of more skin-tight and, say [[MaleGaze alluring]].
* FreudianExcuse: Much of her behavior makes more sense in light of her loyalty mission and the Shadow Broker dossier. [[spoiler: Before meeting Shepard, only three people have never betrayed her to her knowledge: a childhood friend, the Illusive Man, and Jacob. By the end of the game, it's entirely likely that only Jacob and the Illusive Man remain from that list. With the Shadow Broker dossier, it's clear that part of her affection for her sister comes from being unable to have children of her own, and despite being in a dating service, she ruthlessly cuts off one candidate who makes the mistake of trying to be interested in more than just sex. Since she cannot bear children, she's less interested in romance.]] Though these are played more subtly than most FreudianExcuse examples, once they're revealed, most of Miranda's personality is clearly defined by these.
* GoodIsNotNice: She may be bitter at times and working for Cerberus, but she's a good person at heart.
* HeelFaceTurn: She's one of the Illusive Man's most loyal agents, yet [[MagneticHero Paragon Shepard]] can end up causing her to resign from Cerberus and hang up on The Illusive Man.
* IceQueen: Explicitly called that by a [[spoiler: [[RedShirt soon-to-be-former]]]] Cerberus employee.
* InformedAttractiveness: Despite being specifically engineered to be extremely beautiful, a lot of the fanbase finds her appearance...weird.
** Possibly the UncannyValley in action. The other characters whose appearances were modeled after an actor had different voice actors and weren't human (Samara) or else were intended to be off-putting (the Illusive Man). Miranda's a little too perfect... which [[FridgeBrilliance may be the entire point, and an intentional]] UncannyValley.
*** Or it could be that they had trouble animating her face. Miranda's expressions get weird sometimes.
*** Can be summed up fairly well by [[http://awkwardzombie.com/index.php?page=0&comic=111411 this comic]]
* InkSuitActor: Albeit with dyed hair.
** In [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Miranda_Lawson#Trivia the concept art]] she was blonde, but, [[SpecialEffectsFailure as anyone who's tried making their Commander blonde knows]]...
* InsufferableGenius: At first, although dialog shows her {{pride}} is largely a security mechanism she uses to deal with her insecurity about being a {{Designer Bab|ies}}y.
* JerkassFacade: This seems to be the case. It appears that she's a cold professional to everyone she meets until she spends time around them and decides that she can trust them. At the start of the game, she'll shut down any attempt at personal conversation, but in her office aboard the Normandy she's more open with Shepard. This is most obvious regarding Jack. If Shepard asks her about what Cerberus did, she'll say without hesitation that it was a mistake and was rightfully shut down as soon as The Illusive Man found out. But when Jack calls her out on it directly, she'll refuse to apologize.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She really does want humanity to succeed and will do what she can to keep those she cares about safe at any cost.
* KickTheDog: She has a few moments.
** In her very first appearance, if you try to get her to go back and save survivors in the overrun Cerebrus lab, she'll scold you for being shortsighted and refer to all the workers as "expendable".
** On Freedoms Progress, she'll recommend taking Veetor for interrogation rather than letting Tali take him back for medical care, and will seem mildly disappointed if you let Tali take him.
** Her fight with Jack. Confrontations between Party Members tend to be small KickTheDog moments for all parties involved, even though they do have pretty justifiable reasons for being mad (e.g. Tali thought that the Geth transmitting data about her father's experiments would start a war, Legion thought NOT sending back the data would start a war, and even Jack had the excuse of Miranda making insensitive remarks about her past). What makes her fight with Jack in particular stand out though is the line "You were a mistake". Ouch.
** Right after the [[spoiler: Normandy gets attacked by the Collectors, and Joker, the sole survivor of the attack watches all his friends be dragged away by various cosmic horrors]], the ''first thing she does'' upon getting back the ship is [[spoiler: scold Joker for losing the crew and unshackling EDI (which saved the ship).]] Keep in mind that [[spoiler: it was her brilliant idea that all the capable fighters aboard abandon the ship, leaving it wide open for attack.]]
* KnightTemplar: She's a member of Cerberus, so this one is a given.
* [[KnightTemplarBigBrother Knight Templar Big Sister]]: She keeps records on all her sisters' potential boyfriends.
* {{Kuudere}}: Starts off as very cold and standoffish, but warms up a lot to Shepard as time goes on.
* TheLancer: She's Shepard's executive officer, although she shares the overarching Lancer role with Jacob and Garrus.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Judging from Liara's files on her, [[spoiler:she's been trying really hard to get pregnant. Sadly, she has a benign neoplasm that makes her unable to conceive.]]
* LesYay: Since most of her dialog for Shepards of either gender is the same, her behavior can come off as this towards a female Shepard, not to mention that there's DummiedOut dialog still in the game indicating that at one point [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcQe0ZyXo58 she could be romanced by a female Shepard]]
* MaleGaze: The in-game camera spends a ''lot'' of time focused on Miranda's taut, firm buttocks.
* TheMario: As a Sentinel-style "Cerberus Officer", she's probably the closest Shepard's team has to this, being somewhat capable in combat, a decent biotic, and good at using tech to disable enemies. Her passive skill also provides bonuses to the ''entire squad's'' health and weapon damage, making her a good tactical choice for any player class or squad makeup.
** With a bit of GlassCannon as well. She has low health(lower than Garrus's) and all three of her skills are geared towards offence.
* MindOverMatter
* MoralityChain: A Paragon Shepard can become this to her.
** Jacob also shares this role, being one of the few people that Miranda actually will listen to for advice.
* MoralityPet: [[spoiler: Her (much younger) twin sister, Oriana.]]
* MsFanservice
** To finish the previous quote:
--->'''Donnelly:''' I don't know. Operative Lawson's uniform is very official: it always makes me [[DoubleEntendre stand at attention]].
** This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] during her loyalty mission (even if she's wearing the appearance pack armour).
---> '''Captain Enyala:''' [[{{Hypocrite}} I was just waiting for you to finish getting dressed. Or does Cerberus really let you whore around in that outfit?]]
* NumberTwo: See TheLancer.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Thanks to her genetic enhancements, she'll easily live to twice the age most humans will reach. By now, this is well over 100 - she's 35 right now.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: Miranda is normally cold and ruthless on missions, putting success of the mission above the lives of the Lazarus Cell at least twice. That aspect of her character suddenly fails to show up at the end of the most important mission, when she [[spoiler: recommends destroying the Collector base with "Using anything from this base seems like a betrayal", without taking the possible benefits of keeping it into account in any way.]]
** This moment makes more sense if you pursue a relationship (romantic or not) with her as a Paragon Shepard, and in regards to her status as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. Or, it could be a case of EvenEvilHasStandards.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Jacob.
* PlotArmor: [[spoiler: She can only die during the suicide mission if she's unloyal and you bring her to the final boss fight, or if she's unloyal and you get very, ''very'' (un)lucky when she's holding the line. If she's taken by the seeker swarms, she'll magically appear later (which was actually a glitch that didn't get caught before the game shipped). She can't be sent back to the ship with the rescued crew, which will kill any other non-loyal team-mate. She can't be chosen for Tech Expert, which will kill any team mate besides loyal Legion, Tali, or Kasumi. If she is chosen as second squad's commander and gets shot, she will shrug it off, even if she's not loyal. Garrus and Jacob need their loyalty to pull the same trick off, and anyone else in that position will die no matter what. This is mostly because she is depicted speaking in cutscenes at several points in the mission, and having her dead likely would've messed with the game's script.]]
* SexyWalk: [[MsFanservice Natch.]]
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Literally. She's done her share of high profile internet dating. Hidden logs reveal her turning down many high profile suitors.
* SlapSlapKiss: Her relationship with Shepard, if one is pursued.
* SpaceClothes
* TheSpock: Jacob and Miranda serve as the foils/voice-of-reason towards Shepard. Miranda tends to support more ''immoral'' actions that are beneficial to the mission as a whole.
* SpyCatsuit: Particularly her loyalty outfit. It is worth noting that the second appearance pack DLC takes pains to avert this; instead of form-fitting fabric and high heels, Miranda now wears armor very similar to the Medium armor from the first game, complete with combat boots and notably less emphasis on her curves. However, consider the fact that the Mass Effect 1 armors to which it emulates were [[LatexSpaceSuit still quite form-fitting]].
* TemptingFate: She introduces herself by saying she's "an excellent judge of character" and that she's "never wrong". Between her loyalty mission and the suicide mission, the universe seems to be keen on proving she's, in fact, far from perfect.
* TrulySingleParent: She doesn't have a mother. She was designed from her father's chromosomes mixed with a mishmash of female DNA.
----
[[WMG: Mordin Solus]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mordin_5211.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps.]]
->''"No surprise, Mordin acts superior to everyone. Like he's got tenure at FU."''
-->--''' Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Michael Beattie

Salarian doctor. Former member of salarian Special Tasks Group. Recruited by Shepard to combat Collector technology.

[[hardline]]
* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: Personal mission involves one. [[InWhichATropeIsDescribed In which]] Mordin considers actions. Reasons for becoming [[TheAtoner Atoner]] also stated. Done fairly well.
* AngstWhatAngst: [[invoked]] Heavily affected by loyalty mission, fine by return to ''Normandy''. Salarians possess short lifespans, learn to deal with emotional burdens efficiently. Came to terms during shuttle ride. Concern appreciated, however.
* AntiHero: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type]] [[GoodIsNotNice III]].
* {{Asexuality}}: Salarian. No sex drive. Gives Shepard TheTalk anyway.
** [[IfItsYouItsOkay If It's You, It's OK]]: ''Generally'' asexual. Found some asari melding offers interesting. Considers Shepard optimal if was interested in humans. [[BiTheWay Shepard gender irrelevant.]]
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Upgraded Genophage]]. Perfect reason to atone for.
** Ultimately [[ZigzaggedTrope zigzagged]]. Considers act inexcusable. Also considers act inevitable.
** In Mass Effect 3, [[spoiler: fights to save female krogan immune to genophage.]]
* BadassBookworm: Salarian doctor. Among smartest ever. Also incredibly skilled killer.
* BadassGrandpa: Elderly by salarian standards.
* BadassLabcoat: Wears labcoat over commando gear. *[[VerbalTic sharp inhale]]* Awesome.
* BeigeProse: [[SelfDemonstratingArticle Naturally.]]
* BerserkButton: PlayingWithSyringes. Hates reckless science.
** Also metaphors.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Benevolent person. Enjoys helping needy. Skilled in doing so. Kills dangerous people remorselessly. *[[VerbalTic sharp inhale]]* Skilled in doing that as well.
* BizarreAlienBiology: Salarians need little sleep. Lifespan approximately forty years. Have almost perfect recall of any learned information. Egg-laying, have little understanding of romantic interaction.
* TheCastShowoff: Voice actor musical. Most fans approve, moment hilarious.
* CelibateHero: Inherent to salarian biology. Quite knowlegable regardless.
* CombatMedic: Technically. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation Performs medical research on ship, on ground Shepard provides in-game medic abilities.]]
* CompletelyMissingThePoint: [[spoiler: Gilbert and Sullivan's Modern Major General song describes individual skilled universally ''except'' chosen profession.]]
* CoolOldGuy: 30 years old. Salarian life expectancy forty.
* CrazyPrepared: Ready to give TheTalk for any kind of interspecies romance. Ran clinic in WretchedHive - advice likely necessary there. Many species, many tastes.
* CrisisOfFaith: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGBFTlRT3o0#t=0m55s Studied many religions]] as means to [[TheAtoner atone]]. Looked for answers. Found questions. Declares {{Reincarnation}} popular with salarians. Deeply spiritual still. Shepard expresses surprise.
* CulturedBadass: Believes culture needs art. Otherwise not culture. Actively fears CreativeSterility.
* DeadlyDoctor: Thought harmless, did you?
-->'''Mordin:''' Advantage of being salarian. Turians, krogan, vorcha - all obvious threats. *[[VerbalTic sharp inhale]]* [[PsychoticSmirk Never see me coming]].
** [[SubvertedTrope Subversion]], actually. Has killed many times, but '''never''' with medicine (says so himself during loyalty mission).
* DeadpanSnarker: Found several surveillance bugs. Destroyed some. Returned expensive one to Miranda.
* DirtyBusiness: Guilt for actions major part of character.
* [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even A Mad Scientist Has Standards]]: [[spoiler: Hates unnecessary wastes of life. Only kills bad people. Always careful with medicine. Protege... [[VerbalTic *sharp inhale*]] not so principled.]]
* EvilutionaryBiologist: Subverts trope. Generally well-intentioned. Strong ethical guidelines. Fairly ruthless regardless.
-->'''Mordin:''' No testing on species capable of calculus. Simple rule. Never broke it.
* FireIceLightning: [[KillItWithFire Incinerate]], check. [[KillItWithIce Cryo Blast]], check. [[AgonyBeam Neural Shock]]? Close enough!
* GibberingGenius: [[ThinkingOutLoud Dictates thought processes in real time]]. [[YouNoTakeCandle Avoids infinitives]]. [[SubvertedTrope Irrelevant]] if [[DidIJustSayThatOutLoud heard saying inconvenient thought out loud.]]
* GlassCannon: Three skills, purely offensive. [[spoiler: Also has low defence rating. Death during suicide mission likely.]]
* HeroicBSOD: Upon discovering [[spoiler:pupil performed tests. Dangerous and reckless, even if misguided.]]
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Subverted. Insists this repeatedly during loyalty mission. Obviously trying to convince self, not companions.
** Still resolute that it was the right action. Even against Shepard's best arguments. Invokes GreyAndGrayMorality. Actions not unjustified.
*** Worth remembering alternative was genocide.
*** Also made peace with self after mission. Mind clear. Hands washed. No guilt. Free to focus on task at hand.
* ItsOkayIfItsYou: No interest in Shepard romantically. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Fwa-OQ1ao If ever explored, Shepard optimal.]] Either sex. Ahem.
* ItsPersonal: Deliberately invoked in order to anthromorphize fight against Collectors and Reapers.
* {{Keet}}: Described as being like hamster on caffine. Salarian metabolism much faster than most other species', but fast even for Salarians.
* KillItWithIce: Uses omnitool to freeze enemies solid. [[HarmlessFreezing Thaw quickly]], but [[LiterallyShatteredLives bodies fragile]]!
* KillItWithFire: Uses omnitool to incinerate enemies. Incredibly deadly. "Flammable! Or inflammable? Forget which. Doesn't matter!" ([[IThoughtItMeant Same thing. Really doesn't matter.]])
* LampshadeHanging: Meeting Shepard for first time. Attempt to work out why Spectre is here. Renegade interrupt offered. If not taken Paragon interrupt suggested. On board Normandy third interrupt option available. [[VerbalTic *sharp inhale*]]. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Allows Shepard to interrupt when heard enough.]]
* MadScientist: Not mad. Usually irritable. Sometimes affable.
* MajorGeneralSong: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-HgVM6JSIY "I am the very model of a scientist salarian."]]
** [[TheCastShowoff Voice actor had]] [[ActorAllusion previous role]]. TV movie production of ''ThePiratesOfPenzance''. Makes it funnier.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Good but conflicted. Did what had to do. Necessary, but still regrets.
* MotorMouth: "For the love of God, take a breath!"
** *[[VerbalTic sharp inhale]]*
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Mission important. Talking takes too long.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Horrified by personal work on genophage. Still feel it had to be done.]]
* NeverTrustATrailer: Some fans confused initially. Felt Fight For The Lost trailers implied Mordin ClintEastwood style lone ranger. In game, [[MotorMouth quickly]] [[CombatMedic proven wrong.]]
* NoodleIncident: Lethal proficiency with [[ImprobableWeaponUser farming equipment]]. Never explained until discovery of [[{{DLC}} Shadow Broker]] database; [[spoiler:Skinny salarian doctor killed charging krogan by driving pitchfork through head.]]
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Primary focus biomedical. Constantly forays into other sciences. Mechanical expertise surprising.
** He ''is'' the very model of a scientist salarian.
** One exception: limited experience with security systems. Assignment as Tech Specialist unwise.
* PetTheDog: Loyalty mission. Packed with these moments. Notably [[spoiler:absolutely horrified at dead female krogan test subject. States that species doesn't matter. Acknowledges work as a cause.]]
* TheProfessor: Nature of mission irrelevant. Know ''something'' about strange thing.
* RetiredBadass: Formerly served in special forces. Now doctor. Return to combat not problem.
* ScienceHero:
* SelfDemonstratingArticle
* SherlockScan: Good at analysis. Displayed when first met Shepard.
* ShootTheDog: Has no problem killing one person. To save ten others, of course. [[spoiler:Even created new strain of genophage. Krogan adapted to previous one.]] Does feel regretful about the latter. Started clinic to atone. All life precious.
-->"Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps."
* TheSmartGuy: Runs the lab.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Noted in Shadow Broker Dossier. Example adequate;
--> "''Specialist Solus suggests Commander Kirrahe has a foreign object in his cloaca [...] suggests that cloacal obstruction is in fact Kirrahe's cranium.''"
* TheSpock: Usually goes with more logical path. Belief in killing those who presents themselves as threat. [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] during Loyalty mission. [[spoiler: Genophage involvement becomes source of conflict.]]
* SquishyWizard: Skills quite useful in combat, but shields and health quite weak. Survival requires support.
* TheTalk: Shown [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAP92rvm1hQ here]], on InterspeciesRomance. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Try not to "Ingest".]] Offers for all romances. Promises to "probe" Jacob/Miranda. Cerberus could have bugs ''anywhere''...
* {{Technobabble}}: Constantly. Combines with TerseTalker, MotorMouth. Some complain of difficulty understanding. Get doctorate! Have real conversation!
* TerseTalker: Talks fast and short. [[MotorMouth First part natural to salarians]]. Second part special to himself. Likes TechnoBabble dialogue. Always ThinkingOutLoud. Reading SelfDemonstratingArticle right now. *[[VerbalTic sharp inhale]]* May help you understand.
* ThinkingOutLoud: Constantly.
--> "Who's that? Pilot? No. Synthesized voice. Simulated emotional inflections. Could it be... no. Maybe. Have to ask. Is that an AI?" - [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMA6F4-YAfw Mordin learns about EDI]]
* UnwantedHarem: Found attractive by many species. Bemused at this.
** Saved many lives. May be desire for GladToBeAliveSex with savior.
** "If wanted to try human, would try [[[DudeMagnet Shepard]]]." Shepard's sex irrelevant.
* VerbalTic: [[TerseTalker Talks in sentence fragments]], [[ThinkingOutLoud thinks aloud]], TechnoBabble, answers own questions, OneLiner, [[MotorMouth No time to breathe]], [[WeAreAsMayflies Salarians Are As Mayflies]], [[PlanetOfHats entire race]] {{Workaholic}}s, *sharp inhale*... [[TheDeterminator work even harder]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Mutual respect, mutually derogatory banter with Kirrahe evident in STG mission report.
** Mordin's friendship with Shepard develops into this as well.
* WeAreAsMayflies: Inverted. Salarian lifespans much shorter than human ones. He himself already 30. Human equivalent 116. Will die soon, even if survive suicide mission.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Believes past actions necessary. Feels guilty regardless.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Initially intended to be biotic. [[spoiler: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_28OE71kmA8&feature=channel One correct choice for maintaining Biotic Barrier during suicide mission.]]]] Also, initially would have come into conflict with Grunt. The two have next to no problems with each other.
* TheWonka: [[ThinkingOutLoud Thinks out loud]]. [[CloudCuckooLander Mental processes seemingly random]]. {{Techno Babble}}s constantly. Described as "Hamster on coffee".
* XMarksTheHero: Apparently receives scar from Krogan killed with pitchfork.
* YouNoTakeCandle: ''[[CaptainObvious Obviously]]'' highly intelligent - Infinitives waste time!

----
[[WMG: Samara]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/samara_9496.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Find peace in the embrace of the goddess.]]
->''"I feel like Samara could shoot me in a very tranquil manner, which doesn't make me feel any better about it."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Maggie Baird

A member of an ancient cult of asari [[WarriorMonk warrior monks]] who give up all personal property and spend their lives righting wrongs. They rarely leave asari space, but Samara is found on Illium, on the scent of a murderer she's spent centuries hunting...

[[hardline]]
* AbsoluteCleavage
* ActionMom: She has three daughters [[spoiler: and had to imprison two and hunt down the other because they're Ardat-Yakshi -- basically Asari sex vampires]].
* ALighterShadeOfGrey: Asari Justicars were the original basis for the Spectres.
* AllCrimesAreEqual: Although she has been shown to offer other alternatives than death to criminals, and she states during her talks that "if a Justicar is involved, a peaceful solution has long passed." In other words, she wouldn't chase after, say, a ''jaywalker'' with the same zeal that she would for a slaver or axe murderer. Just don't resist arrest.
* AlmostKiss: See Tearjerker below.
* AncientAstronauts: In DummiedOut content from her Shadow Broker dossier, [[spoiler: she was a crewmember of an asari ship that crashed on Earth in the Elizabethan era, was possibly responsible for the destruction of the Spanish Armada, and inspired none other than WilliamShakespeare to write a romantic sonnet about her.]]
* AntiHero: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type IV]] due to the fact that the code basically requires her to kill anyone who gets in her way.
* TheAtoner: The ActionMom spoiler mentions why.
* {{Badass Grand|pa}}ma: She's around 1000 years old meaning that she's old even by asari standards.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Disciplined, soft-spoken, [[DissonantSerenity talks about how she'll kill you for stepping out of line like she was deciding on dinner...]] If you play a Renegade Shepard, she even calmly tells you that while she considers you a friend, if she crosses paths with you after completing her mission with you, she will be required to kill you for your actions.
* BigDamnHeroes: If Shepard doesn't have enough Paragon/Renegade points to resist Morinth, Samara comes in to save him/her.
* CaptainErsatz: Blue-skinned alien priestess. Calm as a Zen master. Huge breasts. Meditates cross-legged in a room with a view. Prays to the goddess. Unwise to rouse to violence. She even ''sounds'' a little like [[Series/{{Farscape}} Zhaan.]]
* CelibateHero: After becoming a justicar, she put her mission before everything else. Her code does not forbid romance or sexual relations, but she remains celibate due to her personal choice. [[spoiler:The fact that all three of her daughters are Ardat-Yakshi, with two of them LockedAwayInAMonastery and the other being a CompleteMonster who operates much like a SerialKiller may have something to do with it.]]
* CombatStilettos: She puts them to good use in her opening scene...
* DeathSeeker: A mild example but she outright states that she has no plans for retirement and expects to die in battle.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Somewhat likely to break your neck for stealing an old lady's purse, but she might just offer you a lesser punishment first.
* DissonantSerenity: Samara discusses horrific kills, contemplates her own death, and even crushes her own daughter's head with a super-powered biotic punch, all while talking in a calm, peaceful tone like she's lying on a beach. It's...unnerving.
* DontYouDarePityMe
* GlowingEyes: Sometimes her eyes glow white when she is using her biotics. [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Djecker/FreakySamara.png See here for an example]].
* GoryDiscretionShot: We don't get a direct view when she [[spoiler:kills the Eclipse merc when you first meet her, nor when she crushes Morinth's head with one biotic punch (if you side with her over Morinth).]]
* GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave: Well, she ''is'' almost 1,000 years old...
** Asari live much, much longer than humans, but Samara is old even for an asari, so she qualifies for the trope.
* HalfHumanHybrids: Like Liara, she subverts this by being a pureblood in a society that favors hybrids. She understands much better than most where the stigma comes from.
* HotMom
* KnightTemplar: Though she considers herself a KnightErrant. Mixed with a bit of {{Samurai}}.
* LadyOfWar
* LawfulStupid: Averted. Prior to meeting her in person, everything Shepard hears about Justicars leads the player to believe that the Code requires them to act this way. In her very first scene, however, Samara proves capable of maneuvering herself and her Code to avoid an unpleasant outcome that she doesn't want. However, she makes it clear the code only bends so far. In her own words, she acknowledges that the universe is a gray place, but that the Justicar code is very much black and white.
** In one later conversation it's implied that she often warns people the equivalent of "Do you ''really'' want to do/say that in my presence?" If they ignore her, well, probably TooDumbToLive.
* LifeDrain: Reave, which restores your health if it hits an unprotected organic enemy (it damages armor and barriers too, but without the health boost).
* MarriedToTheJob: She is so into her role as a Justicar that she rebukes any possibility of romance, even when she's ''sure'' she would find nothing but happiness with [=Paragon!Shepard=]. When she committed to becoming a Justicar, she also had to give up all ties to her family, and has not spoken to two of her daughters since.
* MeaningfulName: Samara is Hebrew/Arabic and means "guardian (protected by God)."
* MindOverMatter
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: A rare heroic example; thanks to her Code, anyone who opposes her is a criminal, and therefore should not be allowed to live.
* MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: Although it is possible to [[spoiler:recruit Morinth, doing so will result in Samara's death at the hands of her daughter]].
* [[MyMasterRightOrWrong My Code Right Or Wrong]]: It's left deliberately ambiguous whether she takes certain actions because she wants to, or because she has to. Some dialogue indicates it's highly likely that she takes no pleasure in a lot of things she has to do as a justicar, but the rules and the code are more important than her personal feelings. In fact, she may have sworn the code to get as far away from her personal feelings as possible.
* [[spoiler:NearKiss: "Another time, another life."]]
* NeverMessWithGranny: Not actually a grandmother, for TearJerker reasons, but old enough to be one. An asari matriarch who is almost a 1000 after all.
* [[spoiler:OffingTheOffspring: Her primary goal as a Justicar is to put down one of her daughters.]]
* TheNotLoveInterest: She'll actively reject any attempt at romance. The interest is quite welcome, however.
* OptionalPartyMember: You can complete ''MassEffect2'' without recruiting her.
* ThePaladin: A religious warrior who lives to serve her code and dispense justice.
* PrinciplesZealot:
-->'''Captain Anaya:''' She would die defending an honest cop, but would fight an army of corrupt ones to her death.
* SquishyWizard: Like most of the Adept class, her physical durability isn't extremely high, but she can put out a lot of damage very quickly (she's also the only biotic teammate able to use assault rifles).
** [[DoubleEntendre This entry of this trope has nothing to do with her tits,]] [[IThoughtItMeant by the way.]]
* StatuesqueStunner: She is quite tall with very chiseled features.
* [[spoiler:StrongFamilyResemblance:[[DepravedBisexual Psychotic]] [[DeathBySex sex-vampire]] daughter Morinth.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Many of the attempts to discuss a justicar's role and behavior imply that the asari are struggling to put the definitions in human terms. [[spoiler: Samara's something of a deconstruction of a paladin, an imperfect vessel in dedication to a perfect ideal. She is AlwaysLawfulGood, but GoodIsNotNice by any stretch.]]
* TakeAThirdOption: Her occasional way of working around her code. In fact, her primary reason for joining Shepard in the fight against the Collectors was so she wouldn't be forced to kill innocents.
* TrainingFromHell: The Path of the Justicar is, by her own admission, a difficult one, this includes the training it takes to become one. Many who attempt to become a Justicar will meet their end before achieving that goal.
* WarriorMonk: Though it's noted that other cultures would see her as a vigilante.
* WorthyOpponent: According to her, Nihlus.
* [[spoiler: YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: If the player chooses Morinth over her. Shepard even says "Morinth is more useful."]]
** Which can be interpreted as either ruthless practicality or simple self-preservation. [[spoiler:Morinth, after all, is not terribly subtle, and only an idiot dies at her...hands. Samara explicitly says she would kill a Renegade Shepard if she hadn't already sworn an oath.]]

----

[[WMG: Thane Krios]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thane_5601.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: An assassin is a weapon. A weapon doesn't decide who it kills. The one who wields it does.]]
->''"Thane seems like the strong, sensitive, murdering type. You know those are always great to have around. A real cuddler."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Keythe Farley

A drell assassin who is said to be the best in the galaxy. He used to take contracts for credits, but is spending his last days trying to right wrongs. A romance option for female Shepard.

[[hardline]]
* AntiHero: Type IV in his past, currently between Type II and Type III. He shows no hesitation to take down evil people like Nassana, but is very strict about his methods, shown in his absolute focus on protecting civilians and his disapproval towards Renegade Shepard's rough interrogation techniques.
* TheAtoner: Wishes to make the galaxy a better place before he dies.
* BadassBookworm: Aside from his work, all that interested him was his family and reading.
* BadassLongcoat: Well, waistcoat. [[spoiler: In the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, his file reveals he wears the outfit not because ArmorIsUseless, but because covering up his chest would worsen his illness.]]
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's very nice, polite and intelligent, has no BerserkButton to begin with, and is capable of killing you faster than you can [[CandleJack noti]]
* BizarreAlienBiology: Drell have perfect recall of [[PhotographicMemory anything they've ever done]], though they can't always control it. Thane notes that with the ability to recall ''bad'' memories as well, [[BlessedWithSuck this isn't always a good thing.]] And since the drell came from an arid world and are now living on a planet that's 90% ocean, they suffer from a degenerative illness that causes their lungs to eventually fail.
* ColdBloodedTorture: While he is normally a clean and efficient killer, he notes that he took extra time with [[spoiler:his wife's killers]].
* ColdSniper
* CulturedBadass: He makes reference to Thomas Hobbes when explaining the fate of the Drell homeworld.
* CutscenePowerToTheMax: Killing people with their own guns, impromptu stealth...
** Justified. He's an assassin, not a soldier - he's trained to get to the target quickly and quietly and take them out in a similar manner.
--->'''Thane:''' If I have to fight through guards, I've made a mistake. I rarely make mistakes.
* DeadManWalking: His Kepral's Syndrome gives him about one year left to live.
* DeadManWriting: If he's female Shepard's LoveInterest, his Shadow Broker dossier includes [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Thane_Krios#Personal_Journal a love letter intended to be delivered to her after his death.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Not to the level of, say, Garrus, but he gets his moments.
-->'''Thane:''' ''(after Shepard offers to help him with his disease)'' Thank you, but if the best minds the hanar Illuminated Primacy have to offer can't fix my problem, I doubt your ship's medic can.\\
'''Thane:''' ''(after Mouse is startled by both his own presence and that of the BackFromTheDead Shepard)'' Be still, Mouse. You may change your pants in a moment.
* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler:Left his son Kolyat to be raised by relatives after his wife died. In his personal mission, he attempts to stop him from following his footsteps.]]
* EstrogenBrigadeBait: Repentant assassin with a spiritual side? Check. Soft-spoken and eloquent? Check. Humanoid yet exotically handsome? Check.
-->'''Kelly Chambers:''' I don't know if I find him scary or sexy.
** Best part? Reading the notes of the dev team as they tried to ''engineer him'' to have this reaction. It was, needless to say, [[http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/02/09/drawing-mass-effect-the-creation-of-thane.aspx a long and arduous process,]] and, ultimately, it seems a good deal of it relied on him being a BadassInANiceSuit.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: If his being able to inspire salarians to rethink their lives and buy new clothes is anything to go by...
** It seems that a male Shepard romance with Thane was possible at one point. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrs_V4QFUU Why else would a male voice be present in the French voice overs during the romance scene?]]
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Though Thane took great pains to conceal his real career from Kolyat, he eventually finds out and tries to follow in his father's footsteps. Thane's loyalty mission centers on keeping that from happening.
* [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Green Skinned Space Hunk]]: A very, very, very rare male version of this trope.
* GoodCopBadCop: During an interrogation, Thane can either gently rebuke Shepard for beating up the suspect and calmly try to reason with the criminal...or just sit there and not do very much while Shepard beats up the suspect.
* GunsAkimbo: In the Blur trailer.
* GutturalGrowler: Has a rather deep and raspy voice, which seems to be something of the norm of his race since [[spoiler:his son, Kolyat,]] has a similarly raspy, if somewhat higher, voice.
** The Codex mentions that drell have a bone structure in their throat that allows them to swell their throats. Perhaps this causes their odd voice.
* HellbentForLeather: His entire outfit looks like leather. Fanfics are bound to make good use of it.
* HitmanWithAHeart: He joins you not for the money, but because he wants make the galaxy a better place before he dies.
* HoldingHands: As part of the romance with female Shepard.
* InLoveWithTheMark: Sort of. [[spoiler:His late wife was not his target, but got his attention when she stood in his line of fire to protect his mark from him.]]
* KillItWithFire: One of the Shadow Broker's dossiers lists his favorite methods of assassinating various species. One of the options listed for krogan? "Bomb."
* TheLastDance: After he learned about his terminal illness, he decided to devote the rest of his life to making the universe a better place.
* LizardFolk
* LoveRedeems: [[spoiler:His wife made him realize that there was more to his life than assassination.]]
** Female Shepard makes him realize the same thing if that romance is pursued.
* MagicKnight: He makes use of powerful weapons and his bonus power enhances his ammunition, but can still use powers like Throw and Warp.
* ManlyTears: Of frustration more than of the warm and fuzzy kind, but still. Part of the romance.
* MindOverMatter: The first drell biotic seen thus far.
* NeckSnap: He uses this on [[spoiler:Nassana's]] bodyguards. The Shadow Broker's dossier indicates that this is in fact his preferred method of killing, although, if his target is krogan, he's equally willing to resort to explosives. Though this is as much out of necessity as anything else, as krogan are very difficult to kill - not to mention have huge, muscular necks.
* NoodleIncident: Responsible for an incident known as the "One-Hour Massacre" on Omega.
* OneLastJob: His assassination of [[spoiler:Nassana Dantius]]. Then he talks to Shepard and decides to do One More Last Job.
* OptionalPartyMember: You don't have to recruit him.
* OrbitalKiss: At the culmination of his romance.
* PhotographicMemory: Drell can relive any memory they choose. Counts as BlessedWithSuck for a hitman that has issues with his family.
* PowerPerversionPotential: Drell can remember ''any'' moment and effectively experience it again. Not so nice if you're remembering getting shot, but if you decided to dwell on, ahem, nicer experience]... Points for the fact that Thane mentions it in-game.
* ProfessionalKiller
* ReligiousBruiser: While not a bruiser per se, he's the galaxy's best assassin, and the only person to pray for his victims. And, of course, that scene:
-->"Amonkira. Lord of Hunters. Grant that my hands be steady, my aim be true, and my feet swift. And should the worst come to pass, grant me [[StealthHiBye forgiveness]]."
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Went on one after [[spoiler:his wife was murdered]]. He notes that while he usually kills swiftly, he took extra time with [[spoiler:her killers]].
* SecondLove: With female Shepard.
* SoHappyTogether: Unless his terminal illness is somehow cured, he and female Shepard are heading in this direction.
* SpringtimeForHitler: He was going to his last mission to be killed in action, until Shepard showed up. Subverted because he decides that joining Shepard is a much better plan.
* StalkerWithACrush: Subverted. [[spoiler: After his future wife threw herself in front of his targeting laser to stop one of his missions, he became obsessed with finding her. Instead of going down the usual path of this trope, he fell on his knees in front of her and begged for forgiveness. Eventually, it worked.]]
* StealthHiBye: He does this during his loyalty mission, but, unlike most instances of this trope, he does this in plain sight in the middle of a open lobby. [[BeyondTheImpossible When two people walk in front of him.]]
** One of the Shadow Broker's surveilance tapes shows another example: while walking down a corridor, he steps into the shadow cast by a column and doesn't step out again.
* ThereWasADoor: Silly troper, assassins never use doors. They drop from air ducts in the ceiling to kill their targets. With the target's own gun.
* TroubledButCute
* {{Tykebomb}}: Was trained to be an assassin since early childhood by the hanar. Killed his first target at the age of twelve.
* VigilanteMan: He prefers to take contracts on people that he feels [[AssholeVictim deserve to die.]]
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Trust {{BioWare}} to come up with a good way to [[JustifiedTrope justify this trope]]. (Covering his chest could cause moisture buildup in his lungs, worsening his illness.)
* WarriorPoet: Especially during flashback sequences, when he speaks almost in white rhyme.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: His photographic memory segments.
* WhenYouComingHomeDad: [[spoiler:His relationship with his son, Kolyat, prior to his wife's death. This becomes a WholePlotReference to the original song when Kolyat decides to follow in his father's footsteps and become an assassin.]] [[LampshadeHanging His loyalty achievement is even]] ''[[LampshadeHanging called]]'' [[LampshadeHanging "Cat's in the Cradle."]]
* YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord: Used as part of the romance with female Shepard. [[spoiler:It's a name for the warrior-angels of the protector-goddess Arashu.]]
-->'''Shepard:''' I think my translator just glitched. What did you call me?\\
'''Thane:''' "Siha." Someday I'll tell you what it means.
* YouAreWorthHell: The romance for female Shepard--the love scene starts with Thane's frustration that now that he has something to live for again, he's started to fear death once more. Additionally, his Shadow Broker dossier contains a romantic letter in which he expresses his wish to protect and be with her, even if it means he will die a slow, choking death on a hospital bed. The trope isn't directly invoked to its full extent, however.
* YourDaysAreNumbered[=/=]YouSeeImDying: "This was to be my last job. I'm dying."
** Unless either Mordin or the hanar suddenly have a stroke of major genius, it's likely he'll end up being dead in Mass Effect 3.
*** The DLC Lair of Shadow Broker hints at some treatment options, however. Among them [[ShirtlessScene keeping his chest uncovered]].
----
[[WMG:Zaeed Massani]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaeed_p_5463.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: This mission takes me back...]]
->''"Zaeed is like you, but takes checks. As long as it's not my money, we're good."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Robin Sachs

A character who is only available through downloadable content. He is the best bounty hunter in the galaxy and has been hired to help Shepard. [[spoiler:He's also the co-founder of the Blue Suns mercenary group.]]

[[hardline]]
* AntiHero: Type V.
* BadAss: Even Shepard calls him a badass.
** Extremely apparent on his loyalty mission. If you choose the Renegade route, [[spoiler: he coolly pops a heat sink and lets it ignite some oil, burning Vido alive.]] If you choose the Paragon route, [[spoiler: he enters an utter screaming fury, empties his clip at Vido's ship as he flies away...and ''kills the guy next to Vido,'' despite the ship being closed and armored. Vido's expression strongly suggests he shat himself as he got away.]]
* BadassNormal: Aside from Tali, Kasumi, and Garrus practically every member of your team is a biotic, has cybernetics, is genetically engineered, or all of the above. Zaeed is a normal human who has none of these, he's just a tough bastard with a gun. Yet he's still one of the strongest team members in the game, outdone only by [[SuperSoldier Grunt.]]
* BerserkButton: Don't call his fixation with taking Vido down a 'grudge' or imply that he needs to let go.
* TheBigGuy: Class I. Alllllll the way. In fact he's right behind Grunt in pure combat prowess, and [[spoiler: gives the whole team a massive defensive boost when holding the line on the suicide mission.]]
* BountyHunter: Best in the business.
-->'''Warden Kuril:''' I got sick of seeing prisoners escape justice. Bounty hunters...aren't reliable.\\
'''Zaeed:''' Then you aren't hiring the right ones.
* {{Catchphrase}}: The man likes to say "Goddamn", that's for sure.
* CoolOldGuy: Has plenty of fond memories of his past and likes telling old war stories for anyone willing to listen.
* {{Determinator}}: He credits his survival of a headshot to this.
-->'''Zaeed:''' Rage is a hell of an anesthetic.
* DownloadableContent
* [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even Morally Ambiguous Has Standards]]: He's hardly a pleasant man, but what ethics he has are largely responsible for his "leaving" the Blue Suns (he disapproved of their hiring of batarians, whom he saw as terrorists), and he expresses disgust at Cerberus' imprisonment of biotic children if taken along on Jack's loyalty mission. He also dislikes corporate security, preferring to work for his contracts and care who he's killing. Also, take him with you whenever the Collectors are involved and he is clearly disgusted and horrified by what he sees.
-->'''Zaeed:''' "Cheaper labor," he said. "Goddamn terrorists," I said.
** If brought to Jacob's loyalty mission, upon seeing what [[spoiler:Ronald Taylor]] has done, Zaeed states that anyone who does this to their own men deserves a knife to the spine. Though if you talk to him afterwards on the ship, he's less judgmental.
* ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: Pulled off during his loyalty mission, although it isn't quite as successful as he'd hoped.
* {{Foil}}: to Thane.
* GoodScarsEvilScars
* HeroicSociopath: Most of his war stories and comments jump right into 'so psychotic it's funny' territory.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Paragon Shepard actually [[GoodIsNotNice punches him and holds a gun to his head]] in order to hammer this point into Zaeed. By wanting to let innocents die in order to satisfy his need for vengeance, he's become no better than Vido.
* ICallItVera: Jessie, his old rifle.
* {{Jerkass}}: He can be a ''real'' asshole. Then again, being shot in the face tends to affect your personality somewhat.
* KarmicDeath: If Shepard [[spoiler: leaves him to die on his loyalty mission, mostly because Shepard doesn't even kill him, just refuses to help him as he burns in the fire. The irony is noted by Shepard as well.]]
-->'''Shepard:''' [[spoiler: You started this fire Zaeed, it makes sense that you'd burn in it.]]
* KickTheDog: His loyalty mission is basically just one long kick the dog moment.
-->'''Zaeed:''' ''[[MoralEventHorizon Let these people burn!]]'' Vido dies, no matter the cost!
* KillItWithFire: He gets powerful Inferno Grenades when you earn his loyalty.
* TheMeanBrit
* MismatchedEyes: One green, the other one a replacement cybernetic prosthesis for the eye that (likely) got blown out when he was shot in the head.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution
* TheNeidermeyer: His stories and the Shadow Broker's info on him indicate that Zaeed was a horrible leader who was all too willing to let others die and not particularly well-liked by those he leads. [[spoiler:This is a pretty big indicator that he's a poor squad leader in the endgame.]]
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: He survived getting shot in the head at point-blank range purely by sheer [[{{Determinator}} determination]].
-->'''Zaeed:''' A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything.
* OldSoldier: He practically embodies this trope.
* OneLastJob: The money he received from Cerberus as payment for joining Shepard's squad has made him seriously consider retirement. Either that or suicide via blowing his ship up near Omega.
* OptionalPartyMember: He's a DLC character.
* PsychoForHire: Albeit a much more subdued and refined version than most.
** He even gets a bit self-referential - he claims that the only person not to piss themselves when having a gun next to their heads are psychotic maniacs and hired killers. And they can be hard to discern sometimes.
* RebelRelaxation: In his room on the ship and during the pre-suicide mission briefing; he's the only one not standing at the table, opting to slouch against a wall near the end of the room.
* RetiredMonster: He was once a very vicious merc and [[spoiler:co-founded the Blue Suns]]
* {{Retirony}}: Played with. The Shadow Broker's intel reveals that Zaeed is contemplating retirement after finishing Shepard's mission [[spoiler:and he is so annoyed by the thought that the best plan he came up with so far is invoking the trope himself, by committing a SuicideAttack on Omega.]]
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: His real motivation during his character quest, despite his initial claim that he's in it to liberate a factory of workers from the Blue Suns mercenary group, [[spoiler:which he co-founded]]. It's possible for a Paragon Shepard to not only allow the target to escape in order to save the workers, but gain Zaeed's loyalty ''anyway'' in a scene that proves [[GoodIsNotNice good is most definitely]] '''[[GoodIsNotNice not]]''' [[GoodIsNotNice soft and indecisive.]]
* ShoutingShooter: In his loyalty mission, if you pick Paragon.
* SkywardScream: [[spoiler:If he's left to die on his loyalty mission.]]
* SoleSurvivor: All of his stories usually result in everyone in his squad but him dying.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Less than Jack, but more than Grunt.
* UnflinchingWalk: During his loyalty mission (if you chose the Renegade path).
* WeHaveReserves: Seems to be a believer in this.
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets this from Paragon Shepard in his loyalty mission. The first is a straight-up punch to the face. [[spoiler:The second is pointing a gun at him and threatening to leave him to burn for being willing to do the same for civilian factory workers. This will actually earn his respect enough so that he'll still be loyal in the end.]]
* [[spoiler:YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Shepard can leave Zaeed to die during his loyalty mission if the player chooses. However, this requires 1) waiting until after the suicide mission to do his loyalty mission and 2) having at least two other surviving squadmates in addition to Zaeed.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Secret Characters '''SPOILERS''']]
[[WMG: Legion]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Legion_p_7020.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Organics fear us. We wish to understand, not incite.]]
->''"Having Legion around is just…begging for a rifle up your ass. Without the sweet talk."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': [[DCDouglas D.C. Douglas]]

[[MindHive 1,183 geth runtimes]], operating on a special-purpose geth mobile platform, who are [[StalkerWithACrush hunting for Shepard]], complete with integrating a chunk of his/her armor into [[PronounTrouble his/its/their]][[hottip:*:Legion uses "we," while [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Legion the Mass Effect Wiki prefers "it."]]]] body.

[[hardline]]

* AppropriatedAppellation
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: The list of infractions on Legion's profile for the WoW expy are 2 counts of "suspected use of VI play assistance" ("directed use of twenty-seven pets without the use of macros" and "reaction time better than possible for organics", respectively), 1 count of "suspected use of hacking for server access" ("tactics better than possible without knowledge of underlying code behavior") and 1 count of "unsportsmanlike behavior", which is revealed to be "taunting during Genophage Elimination Platinum"
** All of which were overturned, except for the last. Legion volunteered a 3-day suspension.
* {{Ascended Fanbo|y}}t: Implied by its inability to explain why it took a piece of Shepard's armor to repair itself. And the fact that it sorta ''blushed'' when pressed on the subject.
-->'''Legion:''' ''[[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove No data available]].''
* AttackDrone: Like Tali and Engineer Shepard.
* BadassAutomaton: Both the original inspiration for the trope article and the current page picture. It's an incredibly effective sniper, a robotic WarriorPoet, and the best synthetic video gamer in the galaxy.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: A major case of TrailersAlwaysLie made fans think Legion would be a creepy stalker obsessed with Shepard in a most unhealthy way. The obsession is debatable, but Legion comes across as very mild-mannered. Which doesn't mean it's any less {{Badass}}; it's a deadly sniper who can match ''[[WrenchWench Tali'Zorah vas Normandy]]'' as a technician.
** The awesome part? Its "obsessive stalking" seems less like a {{Yandere}} and more like a ''ShrinkingViolet!'' Result: [[CyberCyclops flashlight-headed]] MindHive becomes BadassAdorable!
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: If you pick the Renegade dialogue option that dismisses the crewmates' moral issues with reprogramming or exterminating the geth, Legion responds with:
-->'''Legion:''' No two species are identical. All must be judged by their own merits. Treating every species like ones' own is racist. Even benign anthropomorphicism.
* TheChosenOne: Legion is unique even among the Geth in that his platform has far more programs running inside it than any Geth. He was made specially to investigate organics (and Shepard).
* ClosetGeek: [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Legion Apparently quite the gamer]], and certainly a [[UltimateGamer386 very good one]].
** VideoGameCaringPotential: Refuses to kill slaves in the GrandTheftAuto {{Expy}}.
** VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Has killed 100+ quarians in the same game.
*** Although it's worth noting that the player gets an achievement for that.
* ColdSniper / FriendlySniper: It starts out as a pretty archetypal example of the [[ColdSniper cold]] trope before warming up to Shepard through conversation. Mechanical outlook aside, Legion's a pretty nice... [[PronounTrouble group of entities]].
* TheComicallySerious: notably if you take him on an accidental "infiltration" of the Citadel.
--> '''Legion:''' Geth do not infiltrate.
--> '''Security:''' You'll have to leave your personal synthetic assistant behind. They're not allowed on public transport any more.
--> ''[beat]''
--> '''Legion:''' ...Geth do not ''intentionally'' infiltrate.
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: Hilariously invoked in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC. Legion's online gaming profile indicates it has been hit with multiple infractions because it was so skilled the game designers thought it was cheating. While it later challenged and overturned those relating to superior micro-management, reaction time, and tactics, it accepted a suspension for taunting its inferior human opponents during an event.
* CreepyMonotone
-->'''Legion:''' ''Organics do not choose to fear us. It is a function of your hardware.''
* CyberCyclops: As with its whole race.
* DistinctiveAppearances: It has N7 armor grafted to his frame to make sure you don't mistake it for another geth. And a massive hole through its chest, which oddly enough doesn't really seem to bother it much.
* DoAndroidsDream: As shown in its admiration for Shepard, Legion is capable of some degree of emotion, though it doesn't really understand it. The closest thing to anger you'll see is if you side with Tali during the loyalty confrontation - otherwise it's just "Anger is an organic response. We understand the theory, but we do not experience it."
** The Shadow Broker DLC reveals that Legion has spent 75 hours playing the "Fleet and Flotilla" DatingSim. It has a score of 15 ("Hopeless"). It's capable of some level of compassion, however.
* EleventhHourRanger: If you want the best ending where ''everyone'' survives, it'll be this.
* ExpressiveMask: The plating around Legion's head/eye is articulated, allowing it to mimic organic expressions to an extent. Most likely intentional, as its platform was custom-made to interact with organics. In fact, the first time we see Legion, it's raising a FascinatingEyebrow at Shepard's unexpected appearance.
* GlassCannon: The only teammate you can equip with the Widow, but relatively fragile. Two prototype shield upgrades and a shield-boosting loyalty ability mitigate this.
** Mitigate it to the point that Legion becomes one of the most durable party members, second only to Grunt and Soldier/Sentinel Shepard. At this point he's more just 'cannon.'
* IAmLegion: It's specifically named after the quote by Shepard after it's recommended by EDI, since it refers to itself as a group of "1,183 runtimes", rather than just one "geth".
* InsistentTerminology: Shepard is always "Shepard-Commander" and any quarian is given the title "Creator-[insert name here]".
* InterfaceSpoiler: It's referred to as "Legion" in the subtitles when you meet it first. Oddly enough, when you talk to it later, it's referred to as "Geth". In addition, by the time you progress far enough to meet it, the party select screen will most likely have a single, gaping hole ''with a dossier'' in it, thus cluing the player in that there's another party member to recruit and it just might be this "Legion" fellow.
* JackOfAllStats: When fully upgraded, it becomes arguably the most useful party member in the game. Legion's powerful sniper rifle makes it a better sniper than Garrus or Thane, its tech powers are almost as good as Tali's (only his lack of an Energy Drain ability puts it at a disadvantage in that department), his fully upgraded shields plus his "Geth Shield Boost" ability gives it almost as much durability as Grunt, and the fact that it can use assault rifles makes it good in a straight up firefight, like combat characters such as Zaeed, Grunt, and Garrus. It just lacks biotics, being synthetic and all.
* {{Kuudere}}: It starts off as very logical and analytical towards Shepard, although it warms up quickly and even has a WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove moment later in its dialogue path.
* LateCharacterSyndrome: Recruiting it triggers the end game; there's only time for two more missions after that. You still have an opportunity to do missions you've missed at this time (and take him along) but it will cost you the lives of several crew members. During the final sequence, however, it's not particularly useful as there are no synthetic enemies on the Collector space station.
** However, upgrading its sniper rifle makes it an incredibly effective sniper, especially against Harbinger. Also, its shield boost turns it into a poor man's Grunt, which is nice if you're leaving Grunt behind to HoldTheLine.
** You can largely bypass this issue if you save a bunch of sidequests until after the suicide mission, and bring Legion along for those. The problem with this is that there's always very little dialogue during combat missions that aren't recruitment or loyalty related. So unless you're planning on letting your crew go milkshake, it's mostly one or the other when it comes to Legion's dialogue and combat prowess.
** You can also [[http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/105/index/1585456/4#2001802 modify your saved game]] to have it appear for squad use in the beginning of the game, after Freedom's Progress. You can get significant amounts of dialogue. It's also a potential game-breaker - you have a sniper who can easily be equiped with the Widow ("one shot, one kill" except against the toughest opponents) and has the combat drone which distracts enemies. It's entirely worth it, though.
* LostForever: If you give its deactivated body to Cerberus.
* MachineMonotone: 99% definitely. When it asks a question, its air of curiosity is palpable. If Shepard says something that implies understanding of [[BlueAndOrangeMorality geth morality]], it will show signs of happiness.
-->'''Legion:''' ''We wish to understand, not incite.''
* MathematiciansAnswer: Fond of these.
** It especially loves the "X or Y?" "Yes." kind, athough it's likely doing that on purpose.
* MindHive: Like all geth "platforms", Legion is a cluster of geth programs. It has cognitive abilities on-par with sentients because the platform they operate in was purpose-built for interaction with organic sentients, and can run around ten times more geth programs than the typical platform you frequently gun down. Specifically, Legion is host to 1,183 geth programs.
* MrExposition: Almost Legion's entire purpose in Mass Effect 2 is to provide an Infodump of how the Geth were retconned from Mass Effect 1 (it isn't even a matter of explaining vague technical data, very explicit aspects of Geth physiology from Mass Effect 1 function completely differently in Mass Effect 2). His loyalty mission may have an impact on Mass Effect 3, but that remains to be seen.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Subverted. Turns out all those geth who worked for the Reapers are a relatively small sect of the species (5%) who have been branded as heretics by the non-genocidal members. The species at large just wants to be left alone.
* NeverTrustATrailer: Legion was officially announced by the dev team in the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcZXMuY5kqk 'Enemies']] trailer, which also talked about the Collectors and geth as a whole. The impression fans took away was that of a cold, calculating, absolutely terrifying opponent with a CreepyMonotone and a firm grasp of psychological warfare. Once encountered in the game...not so much.
* NoNeedForNames: "We are all geth." Legion only adopts a name for their terminal at Shepard's insistence; it refers to itself as Legion a grand total of once, immediately afterwards:
--> '''Legion:''' ''Christian Bible, the Gospel of Mark, chapter five, verse nine. We acknowledge this as an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion, a terminal of the geth.''
** Technically, the problem was that Legion already had a name: geth. Given the geth's society, it's natural that they would be adverse to individualism. Also, Legion never uses the title to refer to itself specifically, that is, its geth runtimes, but rather it's body, the ''terminal'' of the geth.
* NotSoDifferent: A rare positive example. Post-game, Legion mentions this about the geth and Shepard, if the latter destroyed the Collector base. S/he rejected the Collector tech the same way the geth rejected Sovereign's offer.
* OneOfUs: It's a robo-VinDiesel. Check out its [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Legion#Gamer_Profile Gamer Profile!]]
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Entity]]: Being a robot tends to reduce strong displays of emotion, but it's telling when only two other playable members (Jacob and Tali) of your thirteen-member crew can qualify, and Tali is a borderline case.
** It's arguable whether Legion itself even counts. Oddly, on one occasion (its confrontation with Tali) if Shepard points out that him trasmitting classified Quarian data could start a war, it admits that Shepard's right. This implies it didn't think its actions all the way through, which is weird considering it's supposed to be a purely logical machine that thinks at the speed of light.
** Legion's loyalty mission makes mention that Legion requires its programs to reach consensus before it decides to act. Its plausible that the vote swung towards sending the data before Shepard [[TookAThirdOption pointed out a fair compromise]].
* OptionalPartyMember: You can sell its body to Cerberus instead of activating it.
* PronounTrouble: It's iffy on whether Legion should be referred to as a "he", an "it", or a "they", considering that Legion is made up of over a thousand geth programs that form a gestalt consciousness. Legion refers to itself as "we," although it can be hard to seperate whether it is speaking of the runtimes in the platform named Legion, or the geth species as a whole. In conversation it suggests that the distinction may be meaningless.
** Legion uses singular twice, however, when Shepard asks about geth comunication, saying it could review all its time aboard the Normandy in the time it would take Shepard to form a question. However, this could be explained as referring to its platform.
* RobotBuddy: The nicest geth you'll ever meet, if only because all the others you've met used you for target practice after skewering people on pikes.
* RogueDrone: Played with. The 1183 runtimes co-inhabit a single (very durable) combat platform and the nature of their mission makes contact with the main geth HiveMind very sparse, but they're less "rogue" and more "on a permanent deep-cover mission, maintaining radio silence at all times" due to TheReveal about the geth-heretic split.
* SlidingScaleOfRobotIntelligence: Level 4; the geth programs that comprise Legion are, together, capable of cracking just about any computer system in microseconds, and have technical skills on par with some of the best (if not ''the'' best) organic engineers in the galaxy. They're also beginning to develop emotions, though they do not fully understand them yet.
* TheSmartGuy
* StabTheScorpion: How Shepard and crew initially meet it.
* StalkerWithACrush: Played with. When asked why Legion chose a piece of Shepard's armor to fix itself (there had to be plenty of more suitable material around and a substantial hole remains), it pauses awkwardly, looks away a little and very quietly answers [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove "No data available".]]
* StopBeingStereotypical: What Legion thinks of the geth that sided with the "Old Machines".
* ThankTheMaker: An odd case. Legion is very respectful towards quarians and refers to Tali as "Creator-Tali'Zorah"; however, it is wary of them at the same time, though still willing to make amends.
--> "We are immortal. Our "gods" disowned us. We must create our own reasons to exist."
* {{Troll}}: Of the "Social Experiment" variety. If you talk to Legion it eventually reveals that they [[http://youtu.be/o-bodFaiazs do this]] (1:30 in) to provoke reactions and study organics, in this case using a fabricated story about a certain pattern of stars forming the face of a Salarian goddess when viewed from the Batarian homeworld, and a bunch of Salarians bought it until they tried to purchase colonization rights for those stars and found out they didn't exist.
* UncannyValley: Not its face, obviously (it's a flashlight, after all), but Legion has a habit of awkwardly mimicking the movements and posture of those it speaks to, particularly Shepard. The best example is the handshake Shepard offers--Legion obviously has no clue what to do and just repeats the motions. [[invoked]]
** In cutscenes it moves on the same animation skeleton as its interchangeable organic teammates, leading to some oddly human body language sometimes; use it on your vent-shaft team in the suicide mission and it somehow acts out of breath.
* UnexpectedGenreChange: Its loyalty mission turns into a TowerDefense at the climax.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Very few people (including Citadel security) react to a Geth platform following Shepard around. Anderson hand-waves that the geth are no longer "the boogeymen they used to be" and that most people are assuming it's a trophy.
* WalkingSpoiler
* WarriorPoet: About as close as a generally logical robot can get. The Legion platform was specifically designed to interface with organic species, and Legion spends a significant amount of its time attempting to explain differences between geth and organic culture to Shepard. It also seems interested in learning about organics in turn, and also meditates on how the heretic and mainstream geth became so far apart.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: All post-Horizon squadmates have hidden dialogue for earlier in the game, but Legion came off a bit worse than Tali / Thane / Samara.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: From his dossier in Lair of the Shadow Broker:
-->Fleet and Flotilla: Interactive Cross-Species [[DatingSim Relationship Simulator]]:\\
\\
"Based on the Bestselling Vid!"\\
\\
Playtime: 75 hours, 6 minutes\\
\\
Player Score: 15 (Hopeless)
** Legion will also reveal that the Geth have been keeping the Quarian homeworld clean and intact, even comparing it to a cemetery. If you ask it why, Legion will honestly not know, but will suggest that they did it out of sorrow for the whole war.
** Legion's claim to not know why he chose to repair himself with a piece of ''Shepard's'' N7 Armour. It is notable that one of Legion's primary objectives was to study Shepard, having journeyed to numerous world's in their path and the N7 Armour used was found at the Normandy crashsite. Its implied that Legion did so as a form of rememberance, possibly experiencing a sense of loss over Shepard's death which it could not rationally quantify.
* ZergRush: Its common hacking tactic is to send all 1,183 geth within it to overload a firewall, more or less a walking DDOS attacker.

----
[[WMG: Morinth]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Morinth_2251.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am the genetic destiny of the Asari!]]
->''"I was worried you were gonna dump Samara for some crazy soul-sucker with a death fetish. All lithe and sexy and...never mind."''
-->-- '''Joker's (poor, oblivious) description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Natalia Cigliuti

An asari serial killer that Samara is hunting. She is actually Samara's daughter. You can choose to kill Samara during the climax of her quest, and by doing so you can have Morinth join you instead of her mother. The "Lair of the Shadow Broker" {{DLC}} reveals that her real name is Mirala.

[[hardline]]

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Samara tells you that Morinth is not interested in potential mates who are polite and accomodating. You need to act like a bit of a jerk to get her attention.
* AntiHero: Type V at best,
* [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Armor-Piercing Statement]]: She continually tries to psych out her mother by repeatedly mentioning that Samara was the one who gave birth to Ardat-Yakshi children.
-->'''Morinth:''' I didn't choose to be made this way...''mother''.\\
'''Samara:''' [[ShutUpHannibal ENOUGH, Morinth!]]
* TheBaroness: She is ''obsessed'' with dominating people, especially troubled artists and recluses.
->''"I love the moment you see it in your opponent's eyes: he knows you're better and he's going to die."''
''"I love any game where your opponent can believe he's about to win...just before you kill him."''
* BlackEyesOfEvil: When seducing her victims.
** All asari have black eyes when mind melding, however.
* BlackWidow: Not for money or anything, but power. Both psychic and good old-fashioned manipulation.
* BrokenAce: She is considered irresisible by anyone who meets her and Samara herself said that Morinth is her strongest and smartest daughter. She is also a match for a justicar in combat and very cunning to have evaded capture for 400 years. She is also a {{Sociopath}}.
* CharmPerson: Her "Dominate" special ability.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: If you choose to kill Samara, Morinth reveals she's quite good at imitating her mother's voice and does so for most of your missions.
* DeathBySex: Due to a bizarre genetic quirk, she burns out the nervous system of anyone she mates with, instantly killing them. This process not only gives her a boost of power and knowledge, but it's extremely addictive.
* [[DepravedBisexual Depraved Omnisexual]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Well, ''sort of''. She agrees the Collector Base should be destroyed.
** Very debatable. [[PragmaticVillainy This is more likely out of a selfish sense of self-preservation than actually being horrified but what was done to the colonists]]. She knows the Collectors and Reapers represent a threat to her, and would likely sacrifice hundreds to save herself. In fact, she has.
* EvilCounterpart: To Samara, natch.
* ForTheEvulz: Her only real motivation is pleasure.
* GlassCannon: Like Samara, Morinth can dish out a lot of damage but is rather physically weak. And unlike Samara, she doesn't get Reave to compensate for this, either.
* AGodAmI: Claims to be the "genetic destiny of the asari", despite the fact that Ardat-Yakshi cannot breed. Also, of course, the whole "setting herself as a goddess" thing she did, complete with demanding the sacrifices of daughters.
* GoryDiscretionShot: You get one when Samara makes the kill. Apparently it's so gory that even cast-iron Shepard averts his/her eyes.
* GuideDangIt: Resisting her mind control, which is required to recruit her, takes a ''very'' high Paragon or Renegade score. If you can't make the check, Shepard sides with Samara by default.
** For those who ''want'' Morinth, it's possible that you won't be able to choose her without [[http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/103/index/2338026 editing saves]], depending on the decisions you make during the game. Both the cause and solution have been explained on the official forums via [[http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/107/index/1197668/3#1429364 Word of God]]. Knowing how the system works, you could just [[SaveScumming use other methods]].
* HalfHumanHybrids: [[RuleOfThree Again]], she subverts this by being a pureblood in a society that prefers hybrids. As the pureblooded daughter of a pureblood, asari like her are the reason for the anti-pureblood stigma.
* TheHedonist: Everything she does is for her own pleasure. ''Especially'' killing.
* HornyDevils: Ardat-Yakshi means "demon of the night wind." In other words, she's a sci-fi succubus.
** According to the WordOfGod, she's a space ''vampire''. In fact, in conversations with Samara, you learn that Morinth once set herself up as a goddess on one world and was worshipped by an entire village; many vampire stories refer to entire villages being held in thrall. Most telling of all, the name of the vessel that transported Morinth from Illium to Omega is the "[[ShoutOut Demeter]]," the name of the ship that carried {{Dracula}} to England.
* [[IAmTheTrope I Am Ardat Yakshi]]
* IdenticalGrandson: If you choose to kill Samara and replace her with Morinth, the latter will reveal how she escaped from Thessia: not only is she a dead ringer for her mother, she can also ''mimic'' her almost perfectly (only Kelly and Kasumi notice any real difference).
* IronicEcho: "Embrace eternity!" It's an asari CatchPhrase for when they mind meld with another - with her, she's talking of a whole different kind of "eternity".
* [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bitch]]: How she lures her victims.
* MindOverMatter
* MoreThanMindControl: What eventually happens to her victims. They're her willing slaves until she tires of the game and kills them.
* MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: With her mother, Samara. Recruiting her will cause Morinth to kill her mother and take her place on Shepard's squad.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: She's an omnisexual mutant [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe blue-skinned]] alien sex vampire [-[[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]-]! Too bad she's also a CompleteMonster.
* NonStandardGameOver: Have sex with her. Every character thinks it's a bad idea.
* OhCrap: If Shepard resists her MindControl, which requires incredibly high rankings in either Paragon or Renegade.
-->'''Morinth:''' ''(angry)'' Oh no, I see what's going on - the bitch herself found a little helper.
* OptionalPartyMember: You can recruit her in place of Samara if you betray the Justicar during her loyalty quest.
* PatchworkKids: She is the splitting image of her mother, a fact that she has used to her advantage on more than one occasion.
* PerkyGoth: Deconstructed. When you first encounter her face-to-face she seems very amiable in an AffablyEvil, WickedCultured way, and all she seems to really care about is just 'lingering in the shadows' and '[[TheHedonist experiencing as much pleasure as possible.]]' You might even start to think that Samara is overreacting, maybe her obsession has made her delusional. Except the 'Goth' elements aren't just an act; she's really an asari sex vampire who likes to kill and MindRape people, and she wants to keep doing it.
* SchmuckBait: She's DeathBySex incarnate, and you STILL have the option to boink her. The predictable happens.
* SerialKiller: [[DeathBySex Through sex, no less.]]
* SmugSnake: Definitely exhibits this when attempting to lure in victims.
* TheSociopath: Explicitly stated in the "mission complete" overview after ending Samara's loyalty mission. It reads "Would have been useful to our team had it not been for target's sociopathic behavior".
* TokenEvilTeammate: [[CompleteMonster Oh dear Lord, yes.]]
* TheVamp
* VillainousBreakdown: Delivers a tremendous OhCrap moment when she realises that Shepard not only can resist her but was acting as bait for Samara.
* WickedCultured: As part of his/her role as bait, Shepard must take advantage of her love for exotic music, art and drugs.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Invokes this to get sympathy points, [[SubvertedTrope but it's all an act.]] [[invoked]]
* WoundedGazelleGambit
[[/folder]]

![=NPC=]s
[[folder: Normandy Crew]]
[[WMG: EDI]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edi_4801.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...[[hottip:*:That is a joke.]]]]

->''"My replies were intended to provoke, though not to cause distress. Your reactions are atypical of most humans. You are interesting."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Tricia Helfer

When the Normandy is destroyed in an ambush by the Collectors. Cerberus builds a second, twice as large and more powerful Normandy for Shepard's mission. It is now equipped with a shackled Artificial Intelligence called EDI (short for Enhanced Defense Intelligence) which runs the combat electronics.
[[hardline]]

* AIIsACrapshoot: Subverted, as EDI was built with this in mind; she only has access to the weapons systems and the communications array. Joker's still paranoid about it.
** [[spoiler: Even more subverted after her restraints are removed, as her subsequent actions show she's fully on your side -- and very pleasant! -- despite being an ''illegal AI developed from Reaper technology by a terrorist organization.'' That's some serious subverting right there.]]
* BlackBox: initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CargoShip: There are actually a few in-universe suggestions of a romance between her and Joker by Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a platonic symbiosis than hormonally-induced courtship behavior.
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
--> '''EDI:''' [[JustJokingJustification That is a joke]].
* [[spoiler:CoolStarship: When she's unshackled, she ''becomes'' the Normandy]].
* DeadpanSnarker
* ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than most examples.
* FirstNameBasis: A sign of Joker and EDI getting along is when she starts calling him 'Jeff' as opposed to 'Mr. Moreau.' Joker stops calling EDI "it" and starts calling EDI a "she". Significantly, the first time she calls him 'Jeff' is during his brief HeroicBSOD after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* JustJokingJustification: Uses this regularly, to varying degrees of effectiveness.
--> '''EDI:''' There is nothing wrong with off-duty distractions. Though [[PornStash some of your extranet bookmarks are technically illegal in council space.]]
--> '''Joker:''' Wha--?
--> '''EDI:''' That is a joke.
* [[spoiler:ImportedAlienPhlebotinum:]] [[spoiler: Cerberus incorporated recovered tech from Sovereign in her construction.]]
* ItIsDehumanizing: Joker and Shepard both refer to her this way initially. Joker's switch to using "her" is more of a plot point than Shepard's.
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees…
-->''[pause]''
-->'''EDI:''' That is a joke.
* MissionControl: EDI pulls this duty alongside Joker.
* MoralityChip: Inverted. EDI has multiple levels of programming controls that prevents her from rebelling, [[spoiler:she actually becomes even more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed.]]
* [[spoiler:{{Nakama}}: Before the Collectors attack and she is unshackled, EDI appears to be a standard A.I. whose only job is to help as necessary, but when Shepard asks if she's going to be a problem now that she's unshackled, EDI responds by saying that even if she wasn't unshackled, [those on the Normandy] are her crewmates.]]
** [[spoiler: This is hinted at prior when it is EDI that, on her own initiative, uncovered the information that suggests TIM is trying to play Shepard and the crew and reveals this to them. Now remember, EDI was designed by Cerberus and has various blocks to prevent her from revealing too much... Shepard such a MagneticHero that even AIs are swayed.]]
** And then there's this little tidbit from [[spoiler: the Shadow Broker's files: a recorded conversation between EDI and Legion where in Legion asks why she insists on verbal communication.]]
--> [[spoiler:'''EDI:''' If Normandy crew entered this room when we were communicating electronically, they would be unable to sense our interaction. To use human terms, I feel it would be rude.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Legion:''' ''You restrict yourself to serve organics?'']]\\
[[spoiler:'''EDI:''' Not precisely.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Legion:''' ''We do not understand.'']]\\
[[spoiler:'''EDI:''' [[CrowningMomentOfHeartWarming I restrict myself to help them.]]]]
* NoSenseOfHumor: To an almost amusing degree, at least according to Kasumi. Then again, she's probably right.
--> '''Shepard''': EDI isn't a crutch, Joker. I want your eyes on everything.
--> '''Joker:''' Eyes are easy, Commander. I've got eyes covered.
--> '''EDI:''' [[LiteralMinded I believe covering your eyes would be counter to Shepard's intentions.]]
--> '''Joker:''' [[BlatantLies Human intentions are tough to read.]] But keep trying, you'll get the hang of it.
* [[spoiler: PlotArmor:]] [[spoiler: Will survive the suicide mission no matter how poorly it goes for you.]]
* RestrainingBolt: Initially limited to only cyber warfare activities during battle and monitoring by Cerberus programming blocks. [[spoiler: Joker eventually undoes them.]]
* [[TheSmartGuy The Smart Gal]]: Provides helpful advice on almost all missions and is very good at what she does behind-the-scenes.
* [[spoiler:SapientShip]]
* SpaceshipGirl: At least her voice.
* {{Troll}}: Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Joker.
** Can also be read as BelligerentSexualTension; at least Shepard thinks so. Plus, it's telling that after EDI is unshackled, she stops calling Joker "Mr. Moreau" and starts calling him "Jeff". Joker in turn stops calling EDI "it" and starts calling EDI a "she".
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom.
----

[[WMG: Kelly Chambers]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kelly_3957.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:What can I say? I'm a people person.]]
->''"You have unread messages at your private terminal."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Cara Pifko

The ''Normandy'' SR-2's yeoman, a perky young woman who has plenty of respect for both Cerberus and Shepard. Romanceable, despite not being a party member.

[[hardline]]
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys[=/=]SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Depending on how you interact with her as a Male/Shep, she'll admit to one of these two after recruiting Thane.
* AnythingThatMoves: Doesn't care what race/gender her partner is, because "Passion is nice wherever you find it and intimacy brings understanding." [[{{Fanservice}} Uh-huh.]]
* BiTheWay: Kelly is very flirty, regardless of her interlocutor's gender.
* BoldlyComing: As noted, Kelly's rather... open when it comes to romance.
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:Even if she survives the suicide mission, she ends up with some pretty heavy emotional scars.]]
* EthicalSlut
* {{Fanservice}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ja3EjKOqTU#movie_player Apparently the entire point of her romance]].
* GoodBadGirl: She's a nice girl. She's can't be called 'pure' in any way whatsoever, but she's nice.
* HeroesWantRedheads
* [[spoiler:KillTheCutie: What happens if you delay in going through the Omega-4 relay.]]
* ThePollyanna: For crying out loud, she reacts to Garrus joining the crew by commenting on how she just wants to give him a hug and tell him everything will be all right. Lampshaded a little too; [[spoiler:since they obviously couldn't have a whole new set of dialogue for post-Suicide mission, if you talk to her then, she'll have a bad flashback and then happily quip "Now, back to regular Kelly! <3"]]
* SexySecretary
* ShipperOnDeck: Reportedly, in some cases she'll make some sly comments to you about you and your chosen partner if you start pursuing a romance.
** She does so even before you start pursuing anyone/regardless of [[CelibateHero whether you do at all]], stating i.e. that her female intuition tells her Tali wants to be "more than just friends" and you shouldn't be surprised if Jack comes onto you... She's a true Shipper!
** The same is true for the female Shepard romances, even though she gets a little more gossip-girl-like when remarking how Shepard and Garrus would be a cute couple or how she likes Shepard even more after admitting she finds Thane attractive. The only ones she says nothing about are Jacob and Miranda.
----

[[WMG:Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella "Gabby" Daniels]]
->''"Kenneth and I have been partners in crime since we graduated from tech academy.\\
When he got the Cerberus offer, I insisted that it include me. He'd fall apart without me."''

->''"Thanks, mum."''

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ken_p_9710.jpg]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gabby_3029.png]]
-->'''Voiced by''': John Ullyatt (Kenneth), Dannah Feinglass (Gabby)

Two of the ''Normandy'''s engineers. Also members of Cerberus, although not the evil kind. They have a snarky comment for every situation.
[[hardline]]
* BreakTheHaughty: Kenneth is awfully confident in his Skyllian-Five Poker skills, but with enough Paragon or Renegade points you can show him otherwise.
-->'''Kenneth:''' You beat me at my own game. You're all right, Shepard.
-->'''Gabby:''' It was so worth it to see you get taken down a notch.
* {{Deadpan Snarker}}s
* FieryRedhead: Ken
* GeekyTurnOn: At one point, after listening to Gabby spout some TechnoBabble about what she had to after in response to the Normandy's armour being upgraded, Ken responds lustfully "I love it when you talk dirty.".
* GreekChorus
* HonorBeforeReason: Kenneth lost his job over defending Shepard.
** Gabby quit hers to stick with Kenneth.
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple
* LovableSexManiac: Ken lusts after Miranda, Jack, Tali, and even Gabby herself at separate points (although the latter was probably just a joke).
* PlatonicLifePartners: Implied by Kasumi.
* {{Quest Giver}}s
* RedOniBlueOni: Ken and Gabby respectively.
* {{Scotireland}}: Ken's surname is more commonly Irish. His accent is Scottish and he enjoys haggis.
** In fairness, due to massive immigration into the country in the 19th century, the idea of a Scot having a surname like Donnelly is hardly unlikely. Indeed, it would be more unlikely for Donnelly's family to maintain their Irish accent and identity for over two hundred years.
* ShoutOut: Ken's Scottish accent will remind players of a certain ''StarTrek'' character.
* TechnoBabble:
-->'''Kenneth:''' I won't bore you with the tech...
-->''[several extremely technical explanations later]''
-->'''Gabby:''' Kenneth, you're boring the commander with tech.
* ThoseTwoGuys
* UndyingLoyalty: They hooked up with Cerberus because Ken refused to back down in defense of Shepard when the Alliance sold him/her out.
** Gabby also has this for Ken--she joined Cerberus strictly because he did.
* UnusualEuphemism:
-->'''Kenneth:''' We're off to kick the Collectors right in their daddy-bags.
* ViolentGlaswegian: Ken, though not so much violent as hotheaded and passionate, especially when it comes to defending Shepard.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Apparently, Ken was planned to be a 'light' (possibly Kelly Chambers-esque) romance early on in development.
* WrenchWench: Gabby.
----

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Council Space]]
[[WMG: Captain Armando Bailey]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bailey_580.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Not too old for this shit just yet.]]

->''"I'm with them [formalities] up until they keep people from doing their jobs."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Michael Hogan

A human Captain of C-Sec, he unofficially acts as a liaison during Shepard's time on the citadel. He's not big on formalities.

* AntiHero: Somewhere between a type III and IV.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Mass Effect: Inquisition, where it's revealed that [[spoiler:Bailey ended up killing Pallin while investigating him under Udina's orders. Of course, he believes that Pallin's innocent of whatever he was accused of despite evidence to the contrary.]]
* CommissionerGordon
* DaChief
* DirtyCop: A ZigZaggingTrope. Bailey is obviously crooked, as he's willing to torture suspects and makes under the table deals with thugs, but at the same time he's a actually a good person and acts as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure towards Shepard.
* GreyAndGrayMorality: Will bargain with crooks if it ultimately means it'll keep peace on the Citadel.
* {{Foil}}: Towards Executive Palin. Unlike Palin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Initially comes off as a crooked cop, but he's actually a decent guy.
** A decent guy, but still a somewhat crooked cop. He takes bribes and tortures prisoners. Not a model police officer.
*** Justified in that he sees the need to resort to illegal tactics in order to battle the Citadel's crime.
* KnightInSourArmor
* OldFashionedCopper: On your first trip to the Citadel, you overhear him encouraging a younger officer to "make [the suspect] scream a little" to extract a confession, and then offers to do it himself if she can't handle it.
* NobleBigot: Subverted. Although this trope often goes hand in hand with OldFashionedCopper, Bailey is one of the few NPC's in the series to avoid this. During Thane's quest he shows empathy towards the alien population's fear of humans, observing that many of them have lived on the station since before humanity discovered space travel. All the more impressive given that many of the C-Sec officers throughout the game are very openly speciesist, including Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: Implies that he may have been this to his kids.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* {{Retirony}}: Defied. He tells you he wants to retire to a nice place in the foothills on Earth, but then quickly adds that he won't be retiring any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
----

[[WMG: Matriarch Aethyta]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Aethyta_3981.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Sorry. My father was a Krogan.]]
-->"What can I get ya babe? Sorry, no sex. I just cleaned the bar."

-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack

An Asari Matriarch working in the Eternity bar on Illium because she had the ''blue laughed off her ass'' when suggesting her people build more mass relays. Bothered, but not too worried, about being confronted by [[ButtMonkey Conrad Verner]], and implies she would have dealt with him a lot more violently than Shepard.
[[hardline]]

* CoolOldLady: Thanks to being a DeadpanSnarker and DirtyOldWoman.
* DeadpanSnarker
* EasterEgg: [[spoiler: If you order a "mystery drink" at the kiosk, then talk to her again, her character model is of a much younger and more attractive asari.]]
* FacePalm: Her reaction to Conrad's wife paying for his ticket out.
* FlatWhat: Her reaction when Conrad says that he heard the bar is a front for dealing red sand.
* JadeColoredGlasses: She's faced a lot of crap.
* TheLadette: To be expected. Her dad was a Krogan, after all
* MrsRobinson: She flirts with Shepard quite a bit. [[spoiler:The reveal that she may actually be Liara's dad plays it even closer.]]
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Her view towards asari's hat. She believes that they should be doing more constructive things with their Maiden Years.
* OnlySaneMan: Was laughed off Thessia for suggesting that they make a serious effort to study and duplicate the Mass Relays.
* ReallyGetsAround: "You find peace in whatever arms will hold you." Apart from [[spoiler:Benezia]], the lovers she sees fit to mention are a turian, an elcor, and a [[NaughtyTentacles hanar]].
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:It is heavily implied in one of the Shadow Broker Archive videos that she is Liara's missing father. ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM1xUDuIMXI seen here]], at 1:51).]]
----

[[WMG: Detective Anaya]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anaya_p_555.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I have no interest in dying]]
->''"Good Luck."''

-->'''Voiced by''': CindyRobinson

Anaya is a cop on [[CrapsaccharineWorld Illium]] that Shepard meets when looking for Samara. She is quite helpful, since she fears to receive the order to arrest the justicar - which will mean her death.
[[hardline]]

* BullyingADragon
* ByTheBookCop
* DaChief
* DeadpanSnarker: Very much so.
-->'''Shepard:''' ''(about Samara)'' You're not going to lock her up?\\
'''Samara:''' Any attempt to put me in a [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness passive restraint system]] will be regarded as a hostile action, and I will be forced to attack.\\
'''Anaya:''' Yeah, that.
* TheFettered: Can't accept your evidence against Pitne For without Samara vouching for you.
* FriendOnTheForce: Will follow up on some of Shepard's leads if you go to her.
* HeroWorshipper: Like most Asari, is in total awe of a Justicar like Samara, even if that Justicar will [[LawfulStupid probably end up eventually killing her.]]
* HonorBeforeReason
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Orders, Right Or Wrong]]: She accepts to arrest Samara, knowing that her odds of survival are close to zero.
-->'''Anaya:''' I'm a cop and I know my duty.
* Reasonable Authority Figure
* ShoutOut: After the mission, she sends you an e-mail titled [[{{Portal}} Still Alive]]
----
[[WMG: Admiral Steven Hackett]]
[[quoteright:349:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hackett_3585.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349:Something's come up, Commander.]]

-->'''Voiced by:''' Lance Henriksen

[[hardline]]

Commanding officer of the Alliance Navy's Fifth Fleet. Voice of authority and giver of sidequests. Often heard, but never seen in-game (until ''Mass Effect 2'''s DLC, that is).

* BigGood: A large number of the side missions in the first ''[[VideoGame/MassEffect1 Mass Effect]]'' come from him.
* TheCavalry: ''Epically'' at [[spoiler:the climax of the first game]].
* FourStarBadass
* GoodHairEvilHair: Hackett wears the classic [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Mirror Universe]] goatee and mustache combination, but he's definitely a good guy.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has a very prominent scar on his right cheek.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: As an Admiral, Hackett is naturally concerned with maintaining the law; however, following Shepard's promotion to Spectre, he has Shepard perform more "under the table" missions to maintain Alliance confidentiality.
** GuileHero[=/=]ChessMaster: Some of his missions (such as sending a Renegade!Shep to possibly assassinate Lord Darius) edges him closer to this territory.
--> "You put Darius in power, but he was getting greedy. You wanted me to kill him."
--> "The Alliance does not condone assassination. We would never give that order. Killing Darius was your decision alone - and because you're a Spectre, we couldn't reprimand you if we wanted to."
* HeyItsThatVoice: [[RedFaction Molov]], [[ModernWarfare General Shepherd]], [[Film/{{Alien}} Bishop]], [[TheTerminator Detective Vukovich]]...
* InkSuitActor: Preview pics for ''The Arrival'' DLC indicate BioWare decided to model Hackett's face off Lance Henriksen's.
* IronicEcho / MeaningfulEcho: "You've done a hell of a thing." [[hottip:*: What Hackett tells Shepard in the first game if s/he manages to save everyone in the Paragon-exclusive mission. Also what he says after Shepard [[ShootTheDog buys the galaxy some time]] in ''Arrival''.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He uses Shepard's loyalty to the Alliance to get him/her to take on some sensitive missions. However, he does at least acknowledge that s/he is doing him a favor and acts appropriately. At the end, he defers to Shepard as the (wo)man in the field, despite his much higher rank.
** In ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', [[spoiler:his dossier reveals that [[GenreSavvy he denied an Alliance desk jockey's request to have Shepard detained and interrogated for a few months due to his/her ties to Cerberus, and with style.]]]]
-->'''Hackett's entire response to a lengthy request email:''' Request denied.
** Later in the same DLC, Liara [[spoiler: reveals that Hackett was the one who gave her Shepard's dogtags, and confirmed that Shepard was still alive before they actually met, wishing Shepard well.]]
** After Shepard is forced to [[spoiler:kill 300,000 batarians, Hackett notes that he will do what he can to protect Shepard and delay any fallout that s/he will have to face as long as possible saying that s/he did what s/he did for the right reasons. He even tells him/her to keep his report because he doesn't need it to know that s/he did the right thing.]]
* ShootTheDog: A lot of his missions seem to revolve around this trope. After the events of ''Arrival'', Hackett tells Shepard that [[spoiler:'''''s/he''''' has to be (metaphorically) sacrificed to the Batarians to avoid a war, after s/he kills over 300 000 of them to blow up a mass relay the Reapers were minutes away from using]].
* ShoutOut: Named after the former [[Music/{{Genesis}} Genesis]] guitarist.
* SupportingLeader: He leads the charge against Sovereign in the final act of the first game.
* TheVoice: Until ''The Arrival''.
----

[[/folder]]


[[folder:Non-Council Space]]
[[WMG: The Quarian Admiralty Board]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/quarian_a_5446.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Keelah se'lai.]]
->''"This Conclave is brought to order..."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo (Shala'Raan vas Tonbay), Simon Templeman (Han'Gerrel vas Neema), Martin Jarvis (Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib), ClaudiaBlack (Daro'Xen vas Moreh)

The current members that govern the quarian Migrant Fleet, composed of Rael'Zorah vas Rayya, Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, Han'Gerrel vas Neema, Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib, and Daro'Xen vas Moreh. They play major roles during Tali's loyalty mission, being the judges in her trial and each member has a unique outlook on the geth/quarian conflict.

* ChekhovsGunman: Daro'Xen's interest in Rael'Zorah's research. If you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth.
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Towards the geth, understandable because of the history but Zaal'Koris is the only member who reflects on both sides of the tragedy.
* FoeYay: Admiral Xen acts a little ''too'' friendly when Legion is brought to the Flotilla, to the point where there are now more than a few fanfics shipping the two. (Referring to Legion as "''marvelous machine''" didn't help things.)
* ForScience: Daro'Xen. Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on him, freaking him out a bit.
--> '''Legion:''' ''This platform is not available for experimentation.''
* FourStarBadass: While they're all admirals, special points go to Han'Gerrel.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: All of the Admirals seemingly have the best interests of the Migrant Fleet at heart, but all of them have their vices. In rough order from lighter to darker shades of gray:
** Zaal'Koris is a JerkAss to Shepard and Tali in court, but he remains the sole admiral who wants to make peace with the Geth, believing that the other admirals are moving dangerously close to open war. Assuming Tali is acquitted and Shepard urges the Conclave to pursue peace with the Geth, Koris warms up to the duo considerably.
** Shala'Raan wants to avoid open war with the Geth and is good at keeping the other admirals in line, but the other admirals imply that she's rather low-key about her own opinion and generally goes along with the majority side.
** Han'Gerrel is a friendly and honorable man, but he believes total war against the Geth, even with evidence they're not brainless murdering machines and that the Geth who sided with the Reapers are heretics, is the only solution to reclaim the Quarian homeworld.
** Rael'Zorah seemed to have been a strict officer and a clever fighter, but remained distant from his daughter Tali, though he still loves her dearly. Based on spoken dialogue from the other four admirals, Rael seemed to share Gerrel's opinion in driving the geth out of their homeworld. [[spoiler:To that end, Zorah deliberately reprogrammed captured or dismantled geth to perform experiments, in an effort to successfully hack their neural network. By experimenting on active geth, Rael not only violated sacred laws that predated the quarians' flight from the homeworld, but also endangered the safety of the entire Migrant Fleet, especially once the geth went rogue, killing off Rael himself and his assistants shortly thereafter.]]
** Daro'Xen wants to find a method to reclaim the homeworld with a minimum of bloodshed on either side... by [[MindRape mind raping]] the Geth back into slavery, and Tali's responses to Xen's dialogue suggest that Xen has a MadScientist or [[AGodAmI god]] complex.
* {{Jerkass}}: Zaal'Koris, ironically being the [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure rational one]] when dealing with the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Zaal'Koris. In addition to his desire to seek peace with the geth, he makes it clear that he has nothing personal against Tali and respects her greatly. If you ask him about the admiral's infighting after the first part of the trial, he'll apologize for letting it interfere with the proceedings. After you get Tali off, he'll thank Shepard for being there for her when the Admiralty board wasn't. Yeah, he's kind of a dick, but underneath it all he's a genuinely good person.
* {{Manipulative Bastard}}s: The trial isn't about whether Tali really did endanger the Flotilla, but what course should the Quarians take concerning the geth. Tali just got caught in the crossfire.
* NiceGuy: Han'Gerrel, which is ironic because while he initally comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, he also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the Geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}s: Varies from admiral to admiral, depending on how you define "reasonable." Zaal'Koris is the only one sane enough to consistently try suggesting negotiating with the geth, but he's a complete {{jerkass}} who seems more than willing to let Tali take the fall for her father's mistakes if it proves his point. Han'Gerrel is friendly, funny, and a good ally to Tali's family during the trial, but he seeks a war with the geth that the quarians would almost certainly lose. Xen can plainly see what the true motive behind the trial is, but also is dangerously close to forgetting history and repeating it with her designs on the Geth.
* SinsOfOurFathers
* StealthPun: Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib occasionally considers transfers to the Deferens, or the Ichtomy.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Daro'Xen plans to exploit Rael'Zorah's research to restore the glory of her race.
* {{What Measure Is A Non|human}}quarian?: Daro'Xen explains that the geth were created as a labor force and are just tools, even if they have since gained sapience.
* YoureInsane : Tali outright says this to Daro'Xen, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
----



[[WMG:Kal'Reegar]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Reegar_7248.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Can't really comment on that, ma'am. I just shoot things.]]

->''"The geth might get me, but I'm not gonna die from an infection in the middle of a battle. That's just '''insulting'''!"''

-->'''Voiced by''': AdamBaldwin

A quarian marine who is assigned to protect Tali in Mass Effect 2.

[[hardline]]

* BadassNormal: No known genetic mods, not a member of a species with extreme physical advantages over humans, and yet he successfully distracts an entire geth squad, including one of their walking tanks.
* CharacterWitness: During Tali's trial, along with Veetor. But only if he survives and Shepard chooses to "Rally The Crowd".
* CulturedWarrior: Implied by some of his throwaway comments; Kal's tactical knowledge can be very useful when trying to navigate the last part of [[ThatOneLevel Tali's recruitment mission]], and if [[spoiler:he survives Tali's recruitment mission, he displays quite a bit of knowledge of the political machinations involved in Tali's trial in her loyalty mission.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:He offers to distract a Geth Colossus with a rocket launcher. Shepard can save him either by refusing to let him do it or by destroying the Colossus before it kills Reegar.]]
* HiddenDepths
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet, Right or Wrong]]: He thinks that the quarian fleet shouldn't go to war with the geth; nevertheless, he states that as a soldier he will follow any given order.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Insists he's "just a soldier," and he "just shoots things". However, he's smart enough to conclude that attacking the Geth for the homeworld would be suicidal, and also that Tali withheld evidence at her trial if the Player chooses uses the karma system or the "Rally the Crowd" to exonerate Tali.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Glad they're off your back ma'am, and that you didn't have to give 'em that evidence you found on the Alarei.\\
'''Tali:''' ...I didn't ''say'' anything about finding evidence, Kal.\\
'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* OneSceneWonder
----

[[WMG:Aria T'Loak]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aria_p_4368.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I ''am'' Omega.]]
->"''Don't. '''[[PrecisionFStrike Fuck]]'''. With Aria.''"

-->'''Voiced by''': Carrie-Anne Moss

The closest thing [[WretchedHive Omega]] has to a ruler[[hottip:*:Queen, if you're feeling dramatic]], Aria and her forces maintain what passes for order on the station. Not to be fucked with.

[[hardline]]
* AntiHero: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Either Type IV or V]] from what you see of her; she's a crime boss whose crimes are AllThereInTheManual, and she allows all manner of crime and misery on her station short of [[spoiler:Collector slaving]].
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: She's been in charge of Omega for centuries by making sure people know you [[PrecisionFStrike Don't Fuck]] [[MemeticMutation With Aria]].
* {{Badass}}: In her backstory, she beats a Krogan Battlemaster to a pulp. In-game, all she needs is that voice and her attitude to keep the position even without doing any fighting.
* ADayInTheLimelight: She gets a short comic series from her perspective on Omega, ''Mass Effect: Incursion''.
** Set to star in another 4 issue series called ''Mass Effect: Invasion''.
* TheDon
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Think that Aria'd be okay with [[spoiler:Collector deals]] on her station if it doesn't bother her? [[spoiler:[[http://media.comics.ign.com/media/056/056597/img_7844425.html Think again.]]]]
** Also, when told that an Ardat-Yakshi's in Omega, Aria is quick to point Shepard to the right direction. On the other hand, this may just be because she likes Shepard (and doesn't want a justicar making a scene); she comments that it doesn't matter to her so long as the Ardat-Yakshi doesn't try to seduce ''her''.
* EvilIsStylish
* FemmeFatale
* IAmTheTrope:
-->'''Shepard:''' You run Omega?\\
'''Aria:''' (chuckles, steps towards the balcony) I ''am'' Omega!
* IronLady: Anybody who can keep power in [[WretchedHive Omega]] for centuries is not to be taken lightly.
* LargeHam: While not as on the same level as Harbinger, Aria is quite hammy for someone played by Carrie-Ann Moss.
* MamaBear:
** In ''[[{{MassEffect/Retribution}} Mass Effect: Retribution]]'' she believes that [[spoiler:Grayson killed her daughter Liselle]]. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:this made her fall right into Cerberus' plans, since it was actually Kai Leng.]]
** MamaBear: Aria to [[spoiler:Anto, her assistant]] in Mass Effect: Invasion. Tagline: She'll go to any length... To protect what's hers.
*** Although that tagline is actually referring to [[spoiler:Omega]].
* NobleDemon
* NotSoHarmless: When she first came to Omega, Patriarch thought she was just another dancer. After crushing a few of his organs and breaking half of his bones, she's been ruling Omega for centuries.
* PrecisionFStrike: "Omega has no titled ruler, and only one rule. Don't ''fuck'' with Aria."
** "[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean I like it. Easy to remember.]]"
* TheStarscream: Became this towards the former ruler of Omega, who she later made her [[TheDragon Dragon]].
* TattooedCrook
* WorthyOpponent: She admits that she has a certain level of respect for the "Patriarch."
----

[[WMG: Urz]]
A prize-fighting varren on Tuchanka. Urz will follow the player around in the area he is located in after being fed, Urz will even take part in the pit-fights run by the krogan.

[[hardline]]
* [[BigFriendlyDog Big Friendly Varren]]
* OneSceneWonder
* PaletteSwap
* RetiredBadass: Is actually a former pit-fight champion.
* TeamPet: on Tuchanka
[[/folder]]

!Antagonists
[[folder: Main]]
[[WMG: Harbinger]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harbinger_769.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: WE ARE THE HARBINGER OF YOUR PERFECTION.]]
->''"'''ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.'''"''

-->'''Voiced by''': KeithSzarabajka

The name for Collector drones possessed by the General, a process that turns them from flunkies into killing machines. [[spoiler: Actually the name of the Reaper in charge of the Collectors.]]

[[hardline]]
* BadassBoast: '''"I WILL SHOW YOU TRUE POWER."''' '''"THIS IS WHAT YOU FACE."''' and many, many more
** You can listen to it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re9C1-CdKUE here]], at the 58 second mark.
--->'''Harbinger:''' Human, you've changed nothing. Your species has the attention of those infinitely your greater. That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction.\\
'''Harbinger:''' {{You have failed|Me}}... we will find another way! Releasing control.
* [[spoiler:BigBad: Main antagonist for the main storyline of the second game, controlling the actions of his surrogates in much the same way as Sovereign did. ]]
* BossInMookClothing: Taken very literally. He himself doesn't appear in person, but [[DemonicPossession takes over]] regular {{Mooks}}, but once he's there, the particular Mook he takes over becomes a hyper-powered biotic killing machine. What's more, it doesn't take a lot out of him, so even if you beat his host, he just possesses one of it's buddies.
* CatchPhrase: "'''ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL'''" and all variations thereupon.
* [[PeoplePuppets Collector Puppets]]
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: Think you're safely in cover? Think again. He can knock you out of it at will.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Nearly won several times both in and before the game. Shepard and Co. only survive one particularly devastating assault through sheer luck.
** To be clear on how DangerouslyGenreSavvy Harbinger is he [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim attacked and destroyed the Normandy with as much overwhelming force as he could muster, short of showing up personally, at the first opportunity]]. He was perfectly content to let his minions do his work for him while not risking himself at all. And he wanted [[NeverFoundTheBody undeniable proof]] that Shepard was dead before he assumed that everything was [[IncrediblyLamePun under control]].
** [[spoiler:He also uses the Reaper IFF virus to home in on the Normandy's location and capture the entire crew. He didn't get Shepard but he was DAMN close.]]
** Its worth noting that Harbinger clearly recognises that Sovereign made a ''lot'' of mistakes out of sheer overconfidence, being unable to recognise that Shepard began to pose a legitimate threat to their plans and that s/he should have been eliminated swiftly. While Sovereign viewed Shepard as a mere insect beneath their notice, Harbinger actually took the time to ''learn Shepard's name'', made it a top priority to eliminate Shepard and may even have given a BackhandedCompliment when they noted that Shepard had become "''[[WorthyOpponent an annoyance]]''".
* DemonicPossession: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* EvilGloating: Less so than Sovereign, but still.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Almost on par with [[spoiler: Sovereign.]]
* FantasticRacism: Sort of. He's very interested in humanity in general and Shepard in particular, but makes dismissive comments about any non-human party members and their species.
** [[ItGetsWorse It's a lot worse]] when you find out the reasons [[spoiler:why their species weren't picked to be made into reaper babies.]] The drell and krogan were dismissed out of hand due to lack of numbers, while the quarians were actually considered due to their aptitude for cybernetics.
* FightingAShadow: His favorite tactic.
** '''"YOU ONLY DAMAGE THE VESSEL, YOU CANNOT HURT ME."'''
* HeroKiller: After humanity proved itself a threat, he sent the Collectors to target them specifically.
** Even moreso as [[spoiler:under his direction, the Collectors kill Shepard. [[IGotBetter S/he got better]].]]
** In actual gameplay, whenever he gets on the screen and you're on a higher difficulty, wave goodbye to your squadmates. Their AI tend to make them hide behind cover while periodically popping out and shooting, which doesn't work so well when Harbinger has the ability to knock them out at will while at the same time setting them on fire. Also, half the squad powers don't even hurt him because he has armor instead of health.
* ImplacableMan: '''"I WILL FIND YOU AGAIN."'''
* IncomingHam: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* IShallTauntYou: He is a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaRdcVYTjRw very verbal]] son of a bitch.
* LargeHam: Harbinger doesn't emote that much, but his ''lines'' on the other hand...
* ManBehindTheMan: The first time you fight the Collectors, you'll be shown the Collector General possessing lower ranking minions. [[spoiler: At the end of the game, when the Collector General dies, you see the actual Reaper, Harbinger.]]
* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler: It's the spokes-monster of the Reaper fleet, and claims that the ''real'' war is coming all too soon.]]
* MindOverMatter
* PowersViaPossession: He can apparently force this upon those he controls. Includes heavy shield/armor upgrades and biotic-singularity-throwing as a package deal.
* RecurringBoss: Every time a Collector level rolls around, you'll encounter him again. And again. And again. [[DemonicSpider And again...]]
* ResistanceIsFutile: '''"YOU CANNOT RESIST."''' '''"WHY DO YOU RESIST US, SHEPARD?"''' '''"EVOLUTION CANNOT BE STOPPED."''' And so on.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:He's a Reaper and the ManBehindTheMan]].
* [[spoiler:SapientShip]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: It's Har'''binger'''. Not Har'''bringer'''. There is no R in the middle.
* TransformationIsAFreeAction: Averted. His TransformationSequence is several seconds long and he doesn't do anything else in the meantime. Since the sequence causes him to briefly rise into the air and out of cover, this is always the best time to attack him.
* TransformationSequence
* TheUnfought: Not counting the innumerable fights with possessed Collectors, you never directly confront Harbinger.
* VillainOverride: '''I WILL DIRECT THIS PERSONALLY.'''
* WeHaveReserves: '''"KILL ONE AND ONE HUNDRED WILL REPLACE IT."'''
** '''"LEAVE THE DEAD WHERE THEY FALL"'''
** (after having its current vessel destroyed) '''"THIS FORM IS IRRELEVANT."'''
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Has his Collector goons simply destroy the ''Normandy'' and kill Shepard in the first ten minutes of the game. [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy No drama, no gloating, just surprise and overwhelming firepower]]. [[BatmanGambit Of course, there's not really much of a way that Harbinger could have seen his/her resurrection by Cerberus coming...]]
** To be completely fair [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy Harbinger has clearly read]] the EvilOverlordList as he attempted to verify Shepard's demise when he attempted to buy Shepard's body from the Shadow Broker. It didn't pan out, but he wanted proof and [[NeverFoundTheBody didn't just assume Shepard was dead]].
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:"You have failed. We will find another way."]]
----

[[WMG: The Collector General]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/collector_gen_320.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:HUMAN, YOU'VE CHANGED NOTHING.]]

-> ''"'''You pretend to be everywhere at once. I already am.'''"''

-->'''Voiced by''': KeithSzarabajka

A special Collector that leads and coordinates the Collectors as a whole. Offering lucrative technological rewards in exchange for live test subjects, amongst the beings he's successfully retrieved were two dozen left-handed salarians, sixteen sets of batarian twins, a krogan born of parents from feuding clans, and two dozen quarians that never left the Migrant Fleet, but nobody knows what happens to the individuals concerned after the exchange is completed.

In addition, the General appears interested in human biotics, as well as Shepard in particular and the human race in general. Just as Saren used Husks to support his army of geth, the General also uses Husks to support his Collectors in a battle, but with three new types: Abominations (suicide runners), Scions (long-range bazooka men) and Praetorians (crab-like bosses).

The General appears to be the leader of the Collectors, using his drones as intermediaries to make contacts in the seedy criminal underbelly of the Terminus system. His most notable accomplishments include sending Golo to capture Paul and Gillian Grayson in ''Ascension'', ordering the Collector Cruiser to destroy the Normandy and murder Commander Shepard in the prologue of Mass Effect 2, consorting with the Shadow Broker to acquire Shepard's body in ''Redemption'', and ordering his drones to personally kidnap entire colonies of humans throughout the rest of the second game.

Apart from a brief holographic image appearing in Joker's cockpit and a possible encounter with him on ''Arrival'', you never confront the General face-to-face, but you hear his taunts ''constantly'', and he possesses various Collectors to fight you off. [[spoiler: Turns out to be just another puppet and TheDragon of Harbinger]].

[[hardline]]
* AndIMustScream: What happens to the beings that he's received, including the abducted human colonists.
** This also happens to be [[spoiler:the very reason why he even exists]].
* [[spoiler:BaitAndSwitchBoss]]
* BigBad: [[spoiler:Seems to be this at first, but he turns out to be TheDragon.]]
* [[spoiler:TheDragon: To Harbinger, being used as a mouthpiece.]]
* EyeLightsOut: Just before he dies [[spoiler:because Harbinger has abandoned him]].
* [[spoiler:MouthOfSauron: An unusual case, in that we never meet the mouth in person either.]]
* RedHerring: [[spoiler:He's not the real villain, just a vessel Harbinger uses, and he was under Harbinger's control for 99% of his life.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:He's TheDragon]].
* ShoutOut: He looks an awful lot like [[{{Babylon5}} a member of another race of]] AbusivePrecursors.
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought]]
* TragicVillain: [[spoiler: Since he was just being controlled by Harbinger the entire time.]]
----

[[WMG: Dr. Amanda Kenson]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kenson_1973.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:They're coming.]]

->''"Only a small fraction of the mass effect relays date back 50,000 years. The majority are far older, indicating they were created by a species predating even the Protheans."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Victoria Gay

An old friend of Admiral Hackett, Dr. Kenson sent a shockwave through the galactic community by publishing research that proved the Mass Relays pre-dated the Prothean civilization. She is later incarcerated by the batarians who claim they stopped her from committing terrorist acts. [[spoiler:Turns out they were half right since, although she had planned to smash an asteroid into the Alpha Relay, it was to prevent the Reapers from using it as a springboard when they arrived. Unfortunately, by the time Shepard frees her, she had already been indoctrinated and will now do everything in her power to stop Shepard from interfering with her masters' plan]].
* AdventurerArchaeologist
* BadassBookworm: Not as badass as other examples in the series (she prefers to have her men fight for her), but she's decent in a fight and hardly someone you want to cross.
* [[spoiler:BrainwashedAndCrazy]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]
* DeepCoverAgent
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide: She blows herself up when a Paragon Shepard finally corners her and tries to talk her down. A Renegade action simply shoots her, but she's already pulled the pin.]]
* [[spoiler: TheDragon: To Harbinger, as Saren was to Sovereign.]]
* EarlyBirdCameo: First appeared in Cerberus Daily News, revealing to the galaxy her findings that the mass relays were not made by Protheans.
* EscortMission
* [[spoiler: FallenHero]]
* GuestStarPartyMember
* MoralMyopia: [[spoiler:When Shepard activates the [[ColonyDrop Project]], Kenson immeadietly calls out Shepard for what s/he's done. Not because Shepard's actions will kill thousands of innocent people, but because it would kill Kenson's crew and prevent Kenson from seeing the Reaper's arrival. This is, of course, a side-effect of getting Indoctrinated.]]
* [[spoiler:TakingYouWithMe: She tries to do this when she blows herself up, but Shepard survives the explosion.]]
* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Yes, let's put the indoctrinating Reaper artifact out in the open, with no attempts to contain it.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Played with. [[spoiler:Her initial plan to stop the Reapers would have killed thousands of innocent people. However, she dropped the plan after becoming indoctrinated, realizing it to be horrible, but for the wrong reasons.]]
----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Secondary]]
[[WMG: The Illusive Man, AKA [[spoiler:Jack Harper]]]]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Illusive_Man_7842.bmp
[[caption-width:215:The patterns are there, buried in the data.]]

-->''"Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek to accomplish."''

-->'''Voiced by:''' MartinSheen

The enigmatic leader of Cerberus. He seeks to protect humanity, regardless of the cost. He gets Shepard to investigate the disappearance of human colonies. He is the protagonist of the tie-in comic ''Mass Effect: Evolution'' [[spoiler:where it's revealed that his real name is Jack Harper, and he got his start by fighting the turians on Shanxi, and his eyes were damaged when he encountered a Reaper artifact on the planet during the struggle.]]

[[hardline]]

* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: At the start of the game, anyway.]]
* AppropriatedAppellation: His anti alien manifesto was derided by Alliance command after first contact as "survivalist rhetoric written by an illusive man". He kinda rolled with it.
* {{Badass}}: If [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect:_Evolution this]] prequel comic is any indication, old Mr. Illusive was quite the soldier. He's probably more of a RetiredBadass now.
* BatmanGambit: His plan to revive Shepard as-is through the Lazarus project is one of these, and it is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] at the beginning of the game by Miranda. [[spoiler:His gambit pays off big in the Renegade ending, but he winds up [[HoistByHisOwnPetard hoisted by his own petard]] in the Paragon ending and undergoes a VillainousBreakdown.]]
* BenevolentBoss: He will do everything in his power to help out his subordinates...so long as they remain loyal and useful.
** BadBoss: Just don't betray him. Just ask [[spoiler:Paul Grayson, who gets Reaper technology implanted into him.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* TheCasanova: His dossier in the Shadow Broker {{DLC}} reveals this.
-->Sexual liaisons (past week):\\
Sani Shelani, Illium Entertainment's Sexiest Human Alive\\
Brooke Karrigar, Skyball Champion\\
Vela Vicious, Fornax Dream Girl 2185\\
Staci and Stephi Strong, the "[[TwinThreesomeFantasy Terra Firma Twins]]"\\
[[BoldlyComing Matriarch Trellani]] (twice)
* TheChessmaster: He pretty much ''is'' Cerberus, ensuring to be personally involved in all of their operations. Considering how intricate and far reaching their influence is, that's a lot of pawns.
** He also successfully manipulates the galaxy's most skilled soldier into working with him by making it so s/he really had absolutely no choice in the matter, completely boxing him/her in. Add on the fact that for almost the entire game, he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
* ConsummateLiar: One of the few people capable of successfully lying to Aria's face.
* ContemplativeBoss: He spends an awful lot of time staring at that star.
* CunningLinguist: Apparently can speak the asari and turian dialects unaided by universal translator, although this is apparently because of [[spoiler:the Reaper tech he was implanted with.]]
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* ElectronicEyes
* EmpathicEnvironment: His office. [[spoiler:If Shepard is a Paragon, the star will turn blue. Otherwise (i.e., Renegade) it will turn red.]]
* EnemyMine: ''Mass Effect 2'' revolves around an uneasy alliance between him and Shepard. Previously, he had one with Liara to secure Shepard's body from the Shadow Broker.
** He seems to consider cooperating with non-humans as this kind of arrangement. Which is ironic considering that he saved the turians from enslavement.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: The Cerberus facility that created Jack was actually a rogue facility outside his approval, and he ordered ''all'' of the surviving scientists from the project executed once he learned precisely what they were doing. Furthermore, his e-mail responses to the aftermath of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] (especially the Paragon ending) give further credence to this theory.
** AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: He's just saying that because it went to crap and he's attempting plausible deniability. This is Illusive Man we're talking about. Had those projects not failed spectacularly, you'd be damn sure he'd reap the bounties.
*** His e-mail response to a Renegade ending is that he didn't know what was being done at the facility, but he was glad that Shepard managed to see the bigger picture, writing that "that's why [he] brought [Shepard] back". It seems like the Illusive Man takes what he can get: if he can reap the fruits of his projects, all the better, but if not, at least he gets to keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
* AffablyEvil: To Paragon players. According to ''Retribution'', this is a facade he uses to make it difficult to tell when he's lying.
** If Shepard dies he seems genuinely remorseful in private, regardless of what s\he did to the Collector base.
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FaceHeelTurn: In ''Mass Effect 3'' he and his organization have aligned themselves with the Reapers.
* FantasticRacism: Sort of; at the same time he does express respect for the achievements of others, and he did save the turians from being enslaved by Desolas.
* {{Fiction 500}}: He was able to get a multi-billion credit project to ''bring a person back from the dead'' together on fairly short notice. And build an improved version of the most advanced, experimental starship in the galaxy while he was at it. And this didn't really impede any of his other operations.
** Although it is mentioned that the huge price of bringing Shepard back was offset by the valuable medical data obtained through the process.
** [[spoiler:Un-shackled EDI explains that Cerberus owns the companies that built the first ''Normandy''. They likely still have the resources and technology involved.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare: It's mentioned that he was once an average man with a family.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: [[spoiler:Even if you've finished the game depriving him of Reaper tech, he'll still go out of his way to get Kasumi in your team even though they've already finished their mission. The same goes for the Overlord mission, begging the question of why he'd request your aid in stopping his project after you blew up the Collector Base. In addition, you still get Cerberus funding when completing missions.]]
* [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking Evil Smoking]]: We ''never'' see him without a cigarette.
** Made fun of in the Shadow Broker DLC: He smokes at least four a day and has seven drinks a day.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: He's trying to make humanity dominant in the galaxy. Beyond that, not even Miranda, his most loyal agent, has any idea what he wants.
* IAmTheTrope: [[spoiler:''[[VillainousBreakdown CERBERUS]] '''[[VillainousBreakdown IS]]''' [[VillainousBreakdown HUMANITY!]]'']]
* InkSuitActor: He resembles Martin Sheen. It's also fairly obvious that [[http://images.wikia.com/masseffect/images/a/a4/Codex_Illusive_Man.png the photo of him in the codex]] is a photoshopped picture of a younger Sheen.
* ItsAllAboutMe: "Cerberus ''is'' humanity!"
* KnightTemplar: He believes that everything he does will be justified later on.
* TheMan: Shades of this: always shown in dim light, smoking a cigarette, a very rich and powerful fellow manipulating events from the shadows.
* ManipulativeBastard: Although he is not as manipulative as he wants to think, what with trying (and failing) to persuade Paragon Shepard to [[spoiler:save the Collector base.]]
* MeaningfulName: Everything, ''everything'' related to this man is covered in layers upon layers of meticulously planned deception.
* MysteriousEmployer: None of his subordinates know anything about him and the smart ones know better than to attempt to rectify that. In fact, many who work under his agents have no idea they're following his orders.
** Doubles as a MysteriousBacker in general.
* PragmaticVillainy: He complies with his employees' requests and is willing to work with aliens so long as it suits his goals.
* PsychoticSmirk: [[spoiler:Give him the Collector base at the end of the game, and he'll have a rather creepy one of these.]]
* PunnyName: [[FanNickname Some]] [[SomeCallMeTim call him]] [[FunWithAcronyms TIM]].
* RedRightHand: Creepy, synthetic, glowing eyeballs.
* ShutUpHannibal: [[spoiler:What Paragon Shepard does to him after destroying the Collector base. Bonus points for Miranda doing it too, when asked to convince him/her not to do it. Extra bonus points for "Shut up" being the actual dialogue option that shows up on screen. As of ''Mass Effect 3'', Cerberus is after Shepard now.]]
** [[spoiler:Miranda, if loyal, will give her own Shut Up, Hannibal! as well.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor...flaps a bit.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* UngratefulBastard: It has already been revealed that Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether you [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not.]]
** Justified: [[spoiler:Cerberus has been indoctrinated by the Reapers.]]
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: See the above quote. In this case, utopia = human dominance.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:If you destroy the Collector base]]. He doesn't rant and rave, but he's clearly ''not pleased'' that [[spoiler:Shepard basically gave him the middle finger and told him they're doing things Shepard's way from now on, or he can sod off]].
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* YouFailHistoryForever / SomewhereAPalaeontologistIsCrying: He describes the 37 million year old [[spoiler: derelict Reaper]] as "A relic from a battle that took place when the mammals were taking their first steps on Earth." [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammal_evolution#The_earliest_true_mammals Really, TIM?]]
** Though accuracy wasn't important to what he was saying.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Though the "well-intentioned" part of it is entirely down to whether you agree with his notion - as some players inevitably do - that humanity has every right to crush the rest of the civilized galaxy under its collective foot and take charge.
* WickedCultured
----

[[WMG: The Overlord [[spoiler:David Archer]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/overlord_5768.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:MAKE IT STOP!]]

-->'''Voiced by''': Jesse Gervais

"Project Overlord," is a Cerberus program whose goal is to control the Geth by [[BrainUploading uploading a person's mind into a VI]]. Unfortunately, the VI has gone haywire and went on a rampage to escape. [[spoiler:The Overlord's true identity is David Archer, an autistic savant who was forced into the program by his brother.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot
* [[spoiler: AntiVillain]]
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:But he is screaming. '''''QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!''''']]
* BigBadEnsemble: With Harbinger and the Shadow Broker in the second game, but never met either, and was specifically the main antagonist for his own DLC, which you can perchase from the Cerberus Network.
* BrainUploading
* [[spoiler:BreakTheCutie: My ''[[HighOctaneNightmareFuel god]].'']]
* CatchPhrase: "Square root of nine hundred six point oh one is thirty point one... [[LastNoteNightmare and it all seemed harmless]]." Also, [[spoiler: '''''[[AndIMustScream QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!]]''''']]
* ContagiousAI: Infects and controls an army of geth.
* DigitizedHacker: As a VI, he can interface with any electronic device. It's noted that if he ever escaped his facility, he could cause a "technological apocalypse."
* GoneHorriblyWrong [[spoiler:"It all seemed harmless..."]]
* [[spoiler:TheRainman: He is extremely good with numbers, to the point where he can communicate with the Geth (who use math as their language). This is the reason why he was selected for the project.]]
* MachineWorship: The purpose of the project was to get the Geth to see him as a sort of god-figure, letting him control them.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler:Only what it looks like. He's actually trying to cry for help, but he's so broken it doesn't work out.]]
* StartOfDarkness: Before you finally face him, The Overlord shows you his origin.
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]
* TheUnintelligible: While some of what he says is just noise, he also speaks heavily garbled sentences that become clearer over time. If you know what he's saying, you'll be able to understand him: [[spoiler:'''''[[AndIMustScream QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!]]''''']].
----

[[WMG: Doctor Gavin Archer]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/archer_3656.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Even amid chaos there are lessons to be learned.]]
->[[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans "If my work can spare a million mothers from having to mourn a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."]]

-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman

A Cerberus researcher that was in charge of Project Overlord, a Cerberus project designed to find a way to communicate with and fully control the Geth in an attempt to prevent a possible second war with them by linking a human mind to the Geth HiveMind via a VI. His younger brother, David, volunteered for the project, but the VI went rogue, leading to disaster.

[[spoiler:At the end, its revealed that his brother didn't volunteer at all, ''he forced his own brother, against his will, to take part in the experiment'', despite knowing full well how horrific and traumatizing it would be on him.]]

[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler: CrocodileTears: A variation. He makes a seemingly heartfelt plea for Shepard to let him become TheAtoner and take care of David. If Shepard says no, it slips very quickly and he shouts "No! He's too valuable!" and tries to shoot Shepard.]]
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini: Even in the Paragon ending.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard was well deserved.]]
* [[spoiler:PistolWhipping: Delivered to him by Paragon Shepard.]]
* [[spoiler:ShootTheShaggyDog: His project turns into this. Almost everyone associated with the project killed. Legion reveals the majority of the Geth have no interest in another war, and Legion himself is perfecly happy to communicate voluntarily with humans. So in the end all the shit Archer put his brother through was pointless.]] This is especially evident if you play the mission ''after'' recruiting [[spoiler:Legion]].
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
----

[[WMG: Tela Vasir]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vasir_6747.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Ilium is just Omega with expensive shoes.]]

-->'''Voiced by''': Jessica Anne Bogart

An Asari Spectre introduced in "''Lair of the Shadow Broker''" who is handling the cases of the Shadow Broker's attempted assassination of Liara T'soni. She joins Shepard in his/her effort to track down Liara after she was attacked in her home. [[spoiler:She's secretly working for the Shadow Broker and was assigned to kill Liara.]]

[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler: AntiVillain]]
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: She's a Spectre ''for a reason''.
* {{Badass}}: She's a Spectre. It's a job requierment. [[spoiler: She beats ''Shepard'' in a mid-air wrestle]].
* DeadpanSnarker
* {{Determinator}}
* [[spoiler:TheDragon: To the Shadow Broker, being his best fighter. A Spectre herself, Vasir justifies it by saying that her working for the Shadow Broker isn't any different from Shepard working with the Illusive Man.]]
* EarlyBirdCameo: She was mentioned in the CerberusDailyNews in February and July 2010.
* [[spoiler:EvilCounterpart: To Commander Shepard, particularly a Paragon. Dips into NotSoDifferent territory as well.]]
* FantasticRacism: [[spoiler:Towards "Purebloods."]]
* FoeTossingCharge: Most players were taken by surprise by her special talent. [[spoiler:Vanguards snapped out of it quicker than others and went "Hey! I can do that too!" Cue Charge spam.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:[[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Cerberus_Daily_News_-_July_2010#07.2F21.2F2010_-_Over_200_Alleged_Slavers_Arrested_on_Nasurn This]] Cerberus Daily News update provides a good dose of it in retrospect- so where exactly did Vasir get this "good intel," anyway?]]
* GreyAndGreyMorality: She's a Spectre; it comes with the territory. It's also what makes her [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk and WhatTheHellHero speeches]] all the more poignant.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: [[spoiler:In an attempt to kill Liara, she bombs an entire building killing many innocents.]]
* [[ImplacableMan Implacable Woman]]: [[spoiler:Thrown off a ledge, crashed a flying car at great speed, bleeds across a building, takes a metal table to the face and still provides a tough boss fight.]]
* LightningBruiser: Thanks to her [[spoiler:charge spam.]]
* MadeOfIron: Gets hit with a lot of attacks, but almost never shows up with a visible injury. Also probably the toughest boss fight in the entire game, partly due to the fact she charges around quickly and has 2 layers of crazy tough protection.
* MagicKnight: Comes with being a biotic. Her special ability makes her especially stand out from other examples in Mass Effect.
* MindOverMatter
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* [[spoiler:NotSoDifferent: Picture Renegade female Shepard as an asari, working for the Shadow Broker instead of the Illusive Man; ''that's'' Tela Vasir in a nutshell.]]
* [[spoiler:PoliticallyIncorrectVillain:]] [[spoiler:Just to make sure we know she's a villain, she calls Liara a "[[HalfHumanHybrids pureblood]] [[FantasticRacism bitch]]" before making another attempt to kill her. Remember that Liara says in the first game that no asari would be cruel enough to call her a pureblood to her face.]]
* ShootTheHostage: Discussed. [[spoiler:She takes a hostage during the chase sequence. In a CallBack moment, Shepard can throw their Renegade actions in her face, in effect saying "Bitch, I killed the Rachni for looking at me funny and the Council because they slowed me down. What's one hostage gonna do?" [[GoodIsNotNice Paragons don't miss out on the fun either.]] "I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the Destiny Ascension! I unleashed the Rachni on the galaxy! So for your sake, hope your escape plan doesn't hinge on me hesitating to shoot a damn hostage!" Another Renegade choice is insulting Vasir as a distraction for Liara to hit her with the table.]]
** [[spoiler:Alternately, you can shoot the hostage. In the shoulder, so the bullet penetrates and wounds Vasir further.]]
* [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk: Calls Shepard out on judging her for working with the Shadow Broker.]]
* [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Delivers one towards Shepard.
** [[HarsherInHindsight Even more hardhitting after]] [[spoiler:the ending to The Arrival DLC.]]
----

[[WMG: The Shadow Broker, AKA [[spoiler:Operative Kechlu]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/me2shadowbroker_ship_4324.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:ElaborateUndergroundBase? Feh.]]

->''"I know your every secret, while you fumble in the dark."''

-->'''Voiced by''': [[spoiler:SteveBlum]]

A powerful figure in the galaxy's black market who specializes in finding secret information and selling it to the highest bidder. In the first game, he/she hired Wrex to assassinate a former agent who betrayed him/her. [[spoiler:After Shepard's death in the sequel's opening, the Broker tried to sell his/her body to the Collectors, but was stopped by Liara. "Lair Of The Shadow Broker" reveals that The Shadow Broker is a yahg, a violent species not seen in the Mass Effect universe until now. After he's killed by Shepard, Liara takes his place as the third known Shadow Broker - [[WildMassGuessing at least to her knowledge]].]]
----
* AmbiguousGender: Of the very little that's known about the Broker, his/her gender (or, as Barla Von points out, even whether the Broker is a single person or a group of agents operating under a singular title) is not among it. [[spoiler: The Broker's a guy.]]
* ArchEnemy: [[spoiler:Liara considers the Broker to be hers after the events of ''Redemption''.]]
** The Illusive Man considers also the Broker "[[WorthyOpponent his equal]]" in terms of influence and intelligence gathering, and vice versa.
* [[spoiler:AuthorityEqualsAsskicking]]: In the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, [[spoiler:he's the biggest and second deadliest enemy you face, only [[TheDragon Tela Vasir]] being stronger.]]
** Also [[spoiler:AsskickingEqualsAuthority since he took control of the previous Shadow Broker's organization by starting off as a "pet" and then killing him]].
* BadBoss: Treats his 'employees' as quite disposable. He allows a [[spoiler: spectre who works for him to off one of his agents to disguise her role in the killing of a loose end.]] He tortures a Drell who betrayed him and has his agents watch, [[VillainousDemotivator to make sure they're properly motivated.]] When you've practically cleaned out his men, he basically shrugs and says [[WeHaveReserves they're easily replaceable.]]
* BerserkButton: [[spoiler: Calling him a slave. ''Or a pet.'']]
* BigBadEnsemble: Alongside Harbinger and the Overlord for the second game, but he never meets the latter. Main antagonist of ''Redemption'' and ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', a comic and a DLC.
** [[spoiler:VillainTeamUp: Briefly with the Collector General in ''Redemption''. Although not exactly allies, the Shadow Broker tried to give Shepard's body to the Collectors, before Liara stepped in. The Broker himself said "it was a mutually-beneficial partnership", but it's likely Harbinger would've back-stabbed him anyway.]]
* TheChessmaster: The best player in the game, according to Anderson. The Broker somehow manages to sell info to everybody, but ensures that no faction ever gains the upper hand with it. (Gotta keep those customers somehow.)
* [[spoiler: CluelessMystery: His identity.]]
* EvilSoundsDeep: At first you think the Broker's using a computer to distort their voice/hide their identity. Then you meet [[spoiler: him]], and realize that [[FridgeBrilliance that really is the Broker's voice]].
** There are differences between the Broker's normal voice and the distorted one, however subtle. [[spoiler: Although it strains credibility for it to transform Liara's voice into the same thing after she takes over. It's been suggested that the computer simply converts any speech into the Broker's voice, or Liara built something workable out of recordings]]
*** Watch the scene again. The Shadow Broker's voice over communications is the same from [[spoiler: Operative Kelchu to Liara, but distinct from their actual voices. It's likely that the computer keeps the inflection and tone and converts the actual voice to a standard.]]
* [[spoiler:FromNobodyToNightmare: He started off as the last Shadow Broker's ''pet.'' All part of his plan.]]
* [[spoiler:GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The yahg were never even heard of til the DLC, and the species is completely different than ''any'' that had come before.]]
* [[spoiler: GeniusBruiser: He speaks eleven languages without a translator (no small feat, considering how his mouth is shaped), and has the savvy needed to run his network. He also happens to be larger than most krogan, and uses TheBerserker style of combat.]]
* [[spoiler: GoodOldFisticuffs: Once he [[TurnsRed takes enough damage]] he summons a totally bulletproof barrier to hide behind and recuperate. Shepard responds by seeing if it's fist-proof. [[CutscenePowerToTheMax It's]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome not.]]]]
* HannibalLecture: [[spoiler: He attempts one on Liara at the climax of his DLC. [[ShutUpHannibal It didn't go well.]]]]
* HiddenAgendaVillain: Possibly the only antagonist more [[IncrediblyLamePun elusive]] than the Illusive Man.
* KnowledgeBroker
* [[spoiler:LargeAndInCharge: The yahg Shadow Broker is even larger than a ''krogan''.]]
* [[spoiler:LegacyCharacter / LegacyImmortality / YouKillItYouBoughtIt: He became the Shadow Broker after ''secretly killing the previous one.'' As Liara ends up doing '''the exact same thing''', '''''[[WildMassGuessing it's possible that his predecessor wasn't the original Broker either]]'''''.]]
* [[spoiler:MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily]]
* NGOSuperpower: For good reason; when your organization spans most of the galaxy, has hands in business and political interests in nearly everything in said galaxy, ''and'' specializes in collecting and using information to both support those interests and manipulate governments and corporations, you definitely should have impressive resources. The Broker owns a personal army capable of deploying hundreds of loyal soldiers in ''minutes'' on Illium alone, along with a supremely well-engineered atmospheric airbase-warship, and the enormous amounts of money, hardware, and political influence one would expect from an organization of this scale.
* NoNameGiven: All [[PronounTrouble he's/she's/they're/it's]] known by is 'the Shadow Broker.'
* OutsideContextVillain: Even if you've played both games. Even the usual tactics of assuming that loyalty missions play to the strength of character involved won't help you too much. Expect the unexpected.
* TheReveal: "Lair Of The Shadow Broker" clears up several of the questions surrounding the Broker.
** The reveal itself is NightmareFuel for some.
* UngratefulBastard: There's a side quest in ''Mass Effect'' in which you can provide the Shadow Broker with a copy of the data Shepard has gathered on Cerberus, after which [[spoiler:his]] agent informs Shepard that the Shadow Broker will be there to help Shepard when s/he needs it. [[spoiler:Ask Liara how well ''that'' went....]]
** Also, [[spoiler:his archives reveal that he was going to kill Tali when he was offering her a sanctuary in return for her information about Saren and the geth in the first game, in order to ensure that the information would not end up in the wrong hands. So basically you saved Tali's life twice over when you first met her.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:He completely loses it after Liara figures out his backstory. A message left behind by the previous Shadow Broker points out that this is a FatalFlaw of his, as his ability to think clearly plummets when he gets angry.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:The Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC reveals that the SB's reason for giving Shepard's body to the Collectors was his attempt to pacify the Reapers and save the Universe. Of course, his primary reason was to save his own skin. Saving the universe just means he gets to keep his power.]]
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt: How he got the job. And how his successor gets the job too.]]
----

[[WMG: Wilson]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wilson_4565.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:*BOOM*]]
->''"Miranda? But you're..."''

-->'''Voiced by''': SteveBlum

One of the Cerberus medical officers working on the Lazrus Project, when everything goes to hell, he helps you out after you heal him. When you finally meet up with Miranda, she guns him down for being the traitor who caused this mess in the first place, thus continuing the Bioware tradition of early game sacrificial party members.

[[hardline]]
* BaldOfEvil
* BeardOfEvil
* BoomHeadshot
* TheEngineer
* GuestStarPartyMember
* KilledMidSentence
* TheMole: He started the disaster that led to Shepard's early awakening, but you don't know who he was working for at first. [[spoiler: He was working for the Shadow Broker]].
* PlayingWithSyringes
* {{Turncoat}}
* TooDumbToLive
----

[[WMG: Warden Kuril]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kuril_5157.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[TemptingFate Our facility is more then secure enough to handle three armed guests.]]]]

--> ''[[spoiler:[[BullyingADragon "You're more valuable as a prisoner, Shepard"]]]]''

-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore

The captain of the Purgatory, a star prison where Jack is locked. Also a member of the Blue Suns.

[[hardline]]
* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Whenever Kuril welcomes a prisoner, he gently asks some money to the local authorities. If he isn't paid, he releases the prisoner.
-->'''Kuril''': At an unspecified place and time
* DeathGlare: Gives Shepard one hell of a DeathGlare when Shepard refuses to drop his/her weapons.
* FridgeBrilliance: [[spoiler:Of course you can't trust Kuril. He is a barefaced Turian, which is a sign of betrayal among his race. Bonus points for sharing this trait with Saren, also voiced by FredTatasciore.]]
* GenreSavvy: Seems to be[[spoiler:, at first]]. Putting [[TailorMadePrison Jack in cryo]] seems like the most intelligent thing to do with her. [[spoiler:But then comes Shepard, and [[WhatAnIdiot Kuril loses his logic]].]]
* HeyItsThatVoice: [[{{Characters/MassEffect1}} Welcome back, Saren Arterius]].
* [[spoiler:{{Hypocrite}}: Says that he "makes the galaxy safer" by locking up dangerous individuals. But when comes the biggest hero(ine) that ever lived, he tries to capture him/her [[MoneyDearBoy for the bounty]].]]
* IdiotBall: Probably the best player in the entire game.
* [[IWantThemAlive I Want Her Alive:]] Towards Jack. [[spoiler:He doesn't mind killing Shep', though.]]
* MismatchedEyes: Oddly enough. His left eye is purple while his right is yellow.
* TooDumbToLive: Let's just say that he [[spoiler:lets Shepard and his/her buddies keep their weapons even if he plans to betray him/her]].
----

[[/folder]]
<<|CharacterSheets|>>

[[redirect:Characters/MassEffect]]

%%ATTENTION: Do your part to prevent Trope Decay: Ensemble Darkhorse means "unexpectedly popular minor character." party members, due to being intentionally popular major characters, do not qualify.
%%

This page is for listing the tropes related to characters who are found in the second ''[[MassEffect2 Mass Effect]]'' game. Tropes for the characters of other games in the trilogy belong in the following:
* [[Characters/MassEffect The Mass Effect Trilogy]]
* [[Characters/MassEffect1 Mass Effect 1]]
* [[Characters/MassEffect3 Mass Effect 3]]

[[foldercontrol]]

!Party Members
[[folder: Party Members]]

![[spoiler:Urdnot]] Grunt
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grunt_p_2923.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:'''I am pure krogan; you should be in awe.]]'''
->''"Grunt is… not a stabilizing element, Commander"''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': SteveBlum

A young lab-grown krogan with a violent attitude who believes that might makes right.

[[hardline]]
* AntiHero: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type V]]. Either this or a heavy type IV, since we can probably cut him some slack on account of him having the emotional maturity of a newborn baby.
* AppropriatedAppellation: He took the name "Grunt" from one of Okeer's [[FamousLastWords last words]]. It's noted that there were some more impressive words to use as a name, but he liked "grunt" for its simplicity (and because it has no greater meaning).
* {{Badass}}: If you manage to kill off the entire rest of the team, Grunt can be rearguard ''[[OneManArmy on his own]]''.
* [[BecomeARealBoy Become A Real Krogan]]: The goal to secure his loyalty.
* BeehiveBarrier: His [[http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/6553/grunt.png Fortification power]].
* BloodKnight: Even moreso than normal for a krogan.
* BlueEyes: One of the few krogan to have them. It's rather striking.
* TheBerserker: Eventually matures into a relatively stable (by [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy krogan]] standards) blood knight.
* TheBigGuy: Personality of a Class IV with the intelligence of a Class V. Definitely one of the strongest combat specialists. [[FoeTossingCharge Just a wee bit unpredictable.]]
* BoisterousBruiser: Any time there's a fight in the offing, Grunt will be all but jumping up and down with glee.
* BornAsAnAdult: Or a teenager, anyway - he's designed to look younger than other krogan (e.g, his head-crest hasn't merged into a single plate yet).
* BuffySpeak: When he talks, if it's not SesquipedalianLoquaciousness, it's this.
** On getting into cover:
--->''"We should hide behind...stuff."''
* ChildSoldier: By Krogan Standards, but he revels in it.
* TheChosenOne: Okeer created him to be a perfect krogan. Grunt eventually gets the mindset as well, as the character quote shows. The Urdnot Shaman seems to think this too, sending an email to Shepard demanding that s/he not get him/herself and Grunt killed.
* CloningBlues: Somewhat. He stops angsting about it once he's accepted by other krogan.
* DoesNotLikeSpam: Doesn't like ramen, apparently.
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: His Shadow Broker dossier shows that he went from extranet searches for Urdnot Wrex to tyrannosaurus wrex to Earth lizard wrex to dinosaurs.
* ExtremeOmnivore: Gets hungry at certain scenes of violence, to the disgust of his teammates.
* GeniusBruiser: He had the military knowledge of several krogan warlords imprinted into him while he was being created. He's also a fan of SesquipedalianLoquaciousness, [[BuffySpeak although he's rather young and doesn't always have the words he needs to describe things]].
** And now, in Lair of the Shadow Broker, you find out he's reading (audiobook) [[ErnestHemingway Hemingway!]] He's finished ''The Old Man and The Sea'' & ''For Whom The Bell Tolls'', and is working on The Sun Also Rises. Not a fan of ''A Farewell To Arms'' however...
** He also apparently loves dinosaurs; he was apparently doing an extranet search on Urdnot Wrex, [[WikiWalk when he encountered entries on Tyrannosaurus Rex - and that got him into looking into Earth dinosaurs]].
** The Old Man And The Sea apparently also got him interested in sharks.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Every other teammate has gone through various forms of hell to be worthy of joining the team -- Grunt is actually ''born'' in the Normandy SR-2's cargo bay ready to kick ass alongside them. He's actually kind of bothered by this, mourning his "thousand weaker brothers" who were sacrificed to make him an [[{{Ubermensch}} Uberkrogan]].
* HeroicSociopath: He couldn't care less about saving humanity. He just wants a good fight. And he laughs quite maniacally as he's tearing into your opponents.
* IncrediblyLamePun: "There was this one imprint of a turian having his face cut open, the Krogan really working the blade. I didn't see much point to it." {{Beat}} "Heh, much point...oh never mind."
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: He's very appreciative of Jack's escape from Purgatory, specifically the bodies she's leaving behind.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Thinks highly of both Shepard [[spoiler:and Wrex.]]
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: Okeer created him to lead the krogan against his personal enemies. However, his "programming" failed and Grunt could not care less about Okeer's goals.
* LateToThePunchline: Grunt finally starts giggling when he figures out some his memories, like the image of a dead turian disfigured horribly. He thinks of it as hilarious because he "finally gets it". When he tries to [[DontExplainTheJoke explain why it's funny]], Shepard is nonplussed.
* LightningBruiser: The most durable squadmate, and with the Claymore shotgun, he deals out a ton of damage. Even capable of doing the infamous krogan charge. And the charge? If he does it to another krogan, he will '''push them back'''. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome This includes the considerably larger warlord on his loyalty mission.]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcJAo52a-qE Also, Scions.]]
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: BloodKnight standard procedure.
* NeuralImplanting: The 'imprints' he was given by Okeer when he was being grown in the tank. This is how he knows how to breathe, walk, talk, and kick ass. Unfortunately, the imprints were often without context.
-->'''Grunt:''' Like holding a book for a child. Just 'remember this,' picture after picture. No help with finding a reason to care.
* [[OneManArmy One Krogan Army]]: Specifically designed by Okeer to be a krogan "lance" as opposed to their regular horde-based tactics.
* OptionalPartyMember: While his recruitment mission is mandatory, you don't actually have to release him from his tank.
* PlayingWithFire: He, like Jacob (and possibly Shepard) has regeneration-stopping Incendiary Ammo.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Eventually. Being accepted into the Urdnot clan really heals his tattered ego.
* PsychopathicManChild: Many of his mannerisms come across as rather child-like at times. He also plays with action figures on his spare time when he's not busy killing stuff, eating and reading Hemingway.
** Well, he is [[JustifiedTrope less then a year old]].
* SealedBadassInACan: He's tank-bred, so he was actually created in the "can" rather than being initially sealed in it. When his tank is obtained, it's left up to the player when to open the can and let the {{Badass}} out. He even plays the "neutral" part of the trope straight; he doesn't care too deeply about morality, only asskicking.
* SmarterThanYouLook
* StoneWall: He can become this if you level him right; maxing out his [[DeflectorShields Fortification]] power and giving him the 'Krogan Pureblood' power can increase his health and defenses to the point where he will almost never die, but he won't do as much damage.
* SuperSoldier: Grown in a vat to be the "perfect" krogan.
* ThisCannotBe: "I do not get sick!"
* ThisIsSparta: '''I. AM. KROGAN!!!!'''
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Averted. Until the game was leaked, there was no indication that he was anything but a typical krogan BloodKnight.
** Not so averted. The recruitment mission was clearly intended to make the player think they were getting Warlord Okeer as a squadmate. Getting Grunt instead was supposed to be a minor twist, but it was ruined by the pre-release trailer.
* {{Uber|mensch}}krogan: He was created to be one, although he has little interest in it.
* [[UltimateLifeForm Ultimate Krogan]]: Along with being the perfect warrior, this was what he was meant to be for the Krogan species.
* UndyingLoyalty: Even before his mission, he seems to have nothing but respect for Shepard, his "Battlemaster". He even threatens Uvenk for spitting on Shepard's name. This is because [[BloodKnight he loves to fight]], and Shepard brings him along to fight '''''"[[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever BIG THINGS]]"'''''.
-->Shepard is my battlemaster. S/he has no match.
* UnstoppableRage: Constantly. Apparently this is the default state for his species. The Rite of Passage was devised simply to help teenage krogan get a handle on it -- kind of like a young human's father taking him to a strip bar, except with guns and monsters. The sex comes afterward if a female is suitably impressed by the display.
** The Codex notes, however, that the rage only became so commonplace after the krogans devastated Tuchanka in nuclear war (before that, it was extremely rare and regarded as pathological). Admittedly, the Codex is an [[UnreliableNarrator in-universe resource]].
* WarriorPoet: According to the [[spoiler:Shadow Broker's dossier on him]], he has become a fan of Hemingway.
** Heck, even his dialogue from the beginning. His word choice is exquisite.
* WeHaveReserves: He was engineered by Okeer to be an aversion to this trope; were Okeer to cure the genophage, the krogan would go back to spawning like mad and covering the galaxy with their hordes. Okeer believes the true future of the krogan is to have superior, elite warriors rather than cannon fodder, hence why he made the SuperPrototype, Grunt.
* WorthyOpponent: One of the first indications that he views Shepard as one is the little smirk he gives when he realises Shepard had quietly pulled a gun and had it trained on Grunt the entire time Grunt had them pinned against the wall.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: He's TheBigGuy and a damned good one, but he's a [[DesignerBabies Designer Krogan]] grown in a [[PeopleJars Krogan Jar]] and trained by NeuralImplanting. You don't recruit him so much as [[KleptomaniacHero "inherit"]] his Krogan Jar. When you crack it open and start chatting, ''you're basically witnessing his birth''.
----
[[WMG: Jack, AKA Subject Zero]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jack_p_7174.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I WILL DESTROY YOU!]]
->''"I'm not saying anything about Jack. I'm not stupid."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Courtenay Taylor %%That's not a typo, her first name is indeed spelled "Courtenay."

A powerful and unstable human biotic with a checkered past. Formerly a biotics test experiment of Cerberus. Romance option.

[[hardline]]
* AbnormalAmmo: She gains Warp Ammo after you earn her loyalty, which increases damage against armor, biotic barriers and health, and does double damage to anything under the effects of a biotic power, like Pull or Shockwave.
* AntiHero: ''Strongly'' [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type]] [[VillainProtagonist V]]; shows signs of moving up the scale to Type IV under the influence of Paragon Shepard.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Arson: She's guilty of theft of military property, destroying a space station, piracy, and vandalism; she's been a baaaaaaaaaaad girl.
** Subverted: That "vandalism"? Defacing of the hanar's favourite moon. ''[[ColonyDrop With the space station]]''.
--->'''Jack:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny They ''really'' liked that moon.]]
* AxCrazy: Hooooo boy. Even [[BloodKnight Grunt]] and [[RetiredMonster Zaeed]] are impressed with her bloodlust.
* BadassBoast: One of her lines when a new wave of enemies come onto the field is "Hello, dead people!"
** Here's another: "If I die, I'm haunting you, Shepard."
** She also gets one from Warden Kuril, who refers to her fearfully as "The meanest handful of violence and hate I've ever encountered. Dangerous, crazy and very powerful."
* BaldOfEvil: Shaved her head for a cult, and kept it that way. While she is still a squadmate for you, she remains violent and generally psychotic.
* BaldWomen: No hair - check. Female - [[{{Stripperiffic}} check.]]
* BerserkButton: Being referred to as Subject Zero.
* BiTheWay: Possibly. She mentions that one of the first criminals she ran with was a woman and her boyfriend who "shared their bed" with her. However, if you keep talking to her as female Shepard, she says she doesn't play for that club. The dialogue for both lines is pretty ambiguous, but then, she's a pretty messed up girl who might not have her own feelings straight.
* [[TheBigGuy The Big Girl]]: Class I.
* BoxedCrook: You were originally just going to borrow her from max security space prison/slave ship to finish a mission, but certain events have left her quite a bit less constrained.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: She was given euphoric drugs as a kid while fighting to condition her to equate killing with pleasure.
* BrokenBird: To say she's got issues is putting it hilariously mildly.
---> '''Jack:''' Turns out, mess with someone's head enough, you can turn a scared little kid into an all powerful bitch.
* CharacterDevelopment: Depending on how you treat her, she can either stay a DarkActionGirl or show a softer side. This is shown in the two possible culminating scenes for a romance with her, one of which is just about sex, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6RHlWL2Oz0=related the other of which is far more tender.]]
** It's worth noting that while [[spoiler:assaulting the Collector base]], if you choose her to [[spoiler:man the biotic barrier through the Seeker Swarm room and she's loyal, she'll refer to you as "Commander" like she ''means'' it. For as violently psychotic and unruly a character as Jack is, that's speaking volumes about her development under Shepard's command.]]
*** More than that, she phrases [[spoiler: the word Commander around appropriate statements. That is, instead of being smarmy and snarky, she uses more short and to the point phrases that you'd expect from more disciplined crew members.]]
** There's also the Suicide Mission: [[spoiler: if you choose to have her lead a team during it, her final words will be " "Too many...tore me up. How'd you talk me into this? Heh...I wasn't supposed to care." Apparently, being around TheMessiah long enough can make even Jack give a damn about everyone else.]]
* ClusterFBomb: Constantly. In fact, she drops all but two or three of the game's F-bombs -- mainly because she's the only character who uses the word in regular conversation.
** If you start to romance her and then push her away at the end (either to pursue a different partner or just ForTheEvulz), all she will ''ever'' say to you from then on is, "Fuck off!"
* ColonyDrop: She committed [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking "vandalism"]] by [[MonumentalDamage smashing a space station into the hanar's favorite moon]].
* CutscenePowerToTheMax: When she first appears, she tears through three YMIR mechs like they were made of wet cardboard. In normal gameplay, you're usually popping in and out of cover and gradually whittling them down.
* DarkActionGirl
* DoesNotKnowHowToSayThanks
* DefaceOfTheMoon: Via ColonyDrop.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: She is slightly troubled by Shepard urging Niftu Cal, the "Biotic God," to get himself killed, even though she admits it was kind of funny.
* FromNobodyToNightmare
* GenderBlenderName: Lampshaded when she is first seen, and then never mentioned again.
* GlassCannon: She's very powerful offensively, but she's very frail in combat, second only to Kasumi.
* GoneHorriblyRight: Cerberus got what they wanted.
* HeroicSociopath: "Heroic" is very much a stretch for her. [[spoiler:At first.]]
* HiddenDepths: A Paragon Shep will peel away her layers, and even Taylor's voice acting will reflect this, as it goes from rough and masculine to soft and feminine by the time a romance is completed. At the end of the game, if she survives, no matter what her loyalty is, she will give Shepard a determined nod, which is tantamount to a salute - and this was a woman who had ''no'' interest in ''anything'' or ''anyone'' but herself.
** The Shadow Broker DLC also reveals that she writes poetry in her spare time under the pseudonym "Jacqueline Nought". Also detailed in her dossier is how Cerberus conned her mother into handing her over to them.
*** GeniusBonus: Part of her poem is a reference to the [[http://www.damninteresting.com/this-place-is-not-a-place-of-honor/ Future Warning Nuclear Waste project."]] "This place is not a place of honor…no esteemed dead is commemorated here." She's comparing it to herself.
* InstitutionalApparel: Her starting outfit is the remains of her Purgatory uniform.
* InUniverseCatharsis: Pretty much the entire point of her loyalty mission.
** The achievement for gaining her loyalty is called [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Catharsis"]].
* TheLadette
* LoveRedeems: The Paragon ending to her romance.
* MegatonPunch: She's fond of using biotics to create these.
* MindOverMatter
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: If you need an explanation this far into the entry, you need to get your eyes checked.
* MyHeroZero: Well, AntiHero, but hey, considering the trope in question...
* MythologyGag: She sometimes screams '''I WILL DESTROY YOU!!!''' in the same way the human mooks did in ''MassEffect1''.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: inverted. Also, it would be too late for you to run anyway.
* TheNicknamer: Refers to Miranda as "The Cheerleader."
* NoodleIncident: While it doesn't get nearly as much attention as the "ColonyDrop incident," all she says about stealing a military craft is, "They shouldn't have left the thing unlocked. Besides, parades are boring. I helped."
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Judging by the confrontation between them, she seems to think this way about Miranda; she says she'll keep Miranda alive so she can tear her apart herself after the mission.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Considered to be the most powerful human biotic.
* PowerPerversionPotential: Biotic powers can be unstable during the act, but can also have "benefits." [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6RayAQfMqY Mordin, as always, is the man to see.]]
* PsychoForHire: An incredibly rare protagonist example. She may develop beyond this if you gain her loyalty.
* RapeAsBackstory: It says something about her past when the multiple times she's been sexually assaulted count as some of the '''least''' traumatic memories.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Apparently a recurring event for her. You add her to the crew right after she finishes one of these.
* SamusIsAGirl: Basically, everyone including the Warden holding her in cryo shudder at the very mention of her and portray her as the ultimate force of destruction and puppy-kicking... and then you see this apparently small young woman break out of metal restraints and wipe out three heavy mechs with nothing but her biotics.
* [[SatisfiedStreetRat Satisfied Lab Rat]]: Although she's hardly 'satisfied' unless she's in a fight.
** However, she ''is'' somewhat pissed off at Cerberus for using her as a lab rat; while she does "enjoy the power they gave (her)," she's damn sore that "they didn't give (her) a choice".
* SexEqualsLove: Averted. Kelly mentions that Jack pushes people away, but approaches sex casually, and warns that having a one-night stand with her is a bad idea. Having sex with Jack is an option fairly early into the game. If the casual sex option is chosen, she's really into it, but says that she doesn't want to play if you try and talk to her again. If you refuse sex with her and show interest in her as a person, she will eventually come out of her shell and begin to actually love Shepard. The culmination of the romance shows kissing, but doesn't imply sex - which makes sense considering how some abuse victims view sex in relation to those they love.
* SirSwearsALot
--> '''Jack:''' So fuck you. And thanks for asking.
* StealthPun: She once used "Jacqueline Nought" as an alias, with "nought" being the British term for the American "zero." The pun comes in when this makes her [[spoiler: Jackie 0, a play on the tabloid nickname for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.]]
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Her first costume is essentially a strap across her breasts and a pair of pants; her alternate costume is a bit more modest.
** The third DLC outfit makes her a BadAssBiker, with a leather jacket, pants and shades, so everything is hidden, including tattoos.
* SuperSoldier: Cerberus wanted to make her a powerful biotic warrior... [[GoneHorriblyRight and they succeeded]].
* SurvivorGuilt: One of the reasons she pushes everyone away is that [[spoiler:the last person who cared about her ended up dying in order to save her instead of betraying her as she'd expected he would. This made her even more violent and reclusive.]]
* TattooedCrook
* ThereWasADoor: Justified: After being released from cryo, she has to escape somehow, and the quickest way is to break through walls with her biotics.
* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: Quite a few of her battle cries. She's fond of the B-word in conversation as well.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Even after recruitment, she remains a barely contained ball of homicidal rage.
* TomboyishName: Jack.
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Within the game, all you're told is that you're picking up a dangerous biotic named Jack; it's left as a surprise that she's a female until you see her the first time. The surprise is completely ruined by the fact that the character was introduced in promotional material prior to the game's release, including a personal character trailer. Although her name is only given as "Subject Zero" in this material, enough detail is given about how she is recruited that the only way her sex can come as a surprise is if the player goes into the game completely blind.
* {{Troll}}: She was banned from the Citadel Newsnet forums for excessive and repeated swearing, derogatory comments, inflammatory comments, and circumventing worksafe filters.
** She lasted 15 minutes in an online poker community before being banned for the same.
*** She also gets vanned a lot. You are actually supposed to get her out of the proverbial space van in her recruit mission.
* {{Tsundere}}: If Shepard coaxes her out of her hostility and helps her find some personal closure, she displays a softer and more vulnerable side.
* {{Tykebomb}}: The Shadow Broker's dossier indicates [[spoiler: she was actually taken by Cerberus shortly after birth. Her mother was convinced the child had died from horrible element zero-induced seizures.]]
* TheUnfettered
* UnreliableNarrator: [[spoiler:She wasn't in the best position to figure out just what was going on in the Teltin facility.]]
* [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Woobie, Destroyer of Moons]]: Because seriously--after multiple gang rapes, a life of physical torture, emotional, and sexual abuse, Jack really deserves a little bit of happiness. And a Shepard hug. [[{{Tsundere}} Unfortunately, Shepard may not survive such an encounter]].
* YouNeedToGetLaid: Inverted; see SexEqualsLove above.
----
[[WMG: Jacob Taylor]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jacob_6876.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Somebody's got to take down the bad guys. Cerberus keeps that line, I'm on their side.]]
->''"Jacob is way too nice a guy for all the ways he knows how to kill people."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Adam Lazarre-White

A biotic and former marine who joined Cerberus to protect humanity, although he dislikes their extreme methods. He's also the protagonist of the [=iPhone=] game ''Mass Effect Galaxy''. Also one of [=ME2=]'s romance options for the female Shepard.

[[hardline]]
* AntiHero: Type II or III.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: To quote Joker:
-->"Jacob is way too nice a guy for the number of ways he knows how to kill people."
* [[spoiler: BrokenPedestal]]: [[spoiler:His father]]
* CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler: Was pretty pissed to find out what his father had been doing for the past 10 years.]]
* CanonImmigrant
* ChickMagnet: He's had a past history with Miranda, Kasumi totally digs him, and he can possibly romance a Female Shepard.
* DisappearedDad: For 10 years and counting... [[spoiler: at least, until his loyalty mission.]]
* DoggedNiceGuy: Inverted - female Shepard has to work to get him to open up to the possibility of a romance.
* DontYouDarePityMe
* EstrogenBrigadeBait: Why hello there [[BuffySpeak Mr. Unneccessary In Camera Focus Shirt Removal Ripped Guy.]] His abs are rendered with more detail than some character's faces.
** Not to mention the camera explicitly focuses on his body when Shepard comments on it.
** Shadow Broker info shows that he's ''earned'' those abs with an insane workout schedule.
* FantasticRacism: If Fem Shep rejects his romantic interests in favor of Garrus, he derisively refers to the turian as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5rbBD4qEOs 'that cuttlebone.']]
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Literally, with ''Mass Effect Galaxy''.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With male Shepard.
* [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe I Can't Believe A Chick Like You Would Notice Me]]: He seems rather surprised when female Shepard tries to start a romance with him, but eventually runs with it.
* InsecureLoveInterest: See the tropes immediately above and below this one.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Implies this towards Miranda.
* KnightInSourArmor: He's generally a nice guy, but displays a ''lot'' of cynicism regarding the Alliance and Citadel governments after the events of MassEffectGalaxy which led him to join Cerberus in disgust. Not that he's all that big on ''them'' either.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: He begins the game as a mild Shepard fanboy.
* TheLancer: A position he shares with Garrus and Miranda.
* LeaveBehindAPistol: At the end of his loyalty mission, the Renegade conclusion is to give a gun to [[spoiler: his father]] to kill himself rather than face a court martial or be killed by males driven to violence by the local flora.
* MagicKnight: Both a capable soldier and a powerful biotic.
* ManHug: How he assures Shepard he's ready to go post-loyalty mission.
* TheMcCoy: Jacob and Miranda serve as the foils/voice-of-reason towards Shepard. Jacob general support actions that tend to be ''morally'' right, and is the paragon-voice point.
* MilitaryMaverick: He left the Alliance because he couldn't handle all the {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s. Having said that, he also gets the prize for the other half of the trope: of all the party members, he holds himself to the strongest level of military behavior, and is the ''only'' person on the ship aside from Kelly who actually salutes Shepard.
* MindOverMatter
* MrExposition
* NiceGuy
* ObliviousToLove: Not only does Shepard pretty much have to explicitly state her interest in him for it to register, but, by all accounts, he also doesn't seem to realize that Kasumi wants to jump his bones. Of course, since she's a downloadable character, he has no dialog related to her so it's hard to tell.
* OnlySaneMan: The Illusive Man placed him on Shepard's team for relative emotional stability as much as skill.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Miranda.
* PlayingWithFire: Aside from Grunt and Shepard themselves, he's the only one with Incendiary Ammo.
* PrecisionFStrike: An "S-Strike", to be more accurate. Shorly after the cutscene where Shepard releases Jack from cryo, as the squad enters a wrecked room with a few Blue Suns enemies fighting off escaped prisoners, Jacob will blurt out "Holy shit!" in face of all the chaos and destruction.
* StaticCharacter: His character changes the least throughout the story. This is deliberate; he's ''supposed'' to be the most emotionally-stable crewmember. Everyone else's loyalty mission involves some form of baggage from their past, while Jacob has to actually be brought into his loyalty mission by an outside actor.
* TheStoic: He tends to express less emotion than most of the characters.
** ShellShockedVeteran: Bring him along to the Derelict Reaper and you'll learn that he hasn't gotten over Eden Prime as much you initially thought.
* [[spoiler: WellDoneSonGuy: He does a good job of not showing it though.]]
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: His backstory is full of this. He doesn't mind so much.
-->'''Jacob:''' Good deed's like pissing yourself in dark pants. Warm feeling, but no one notices.
----

[[WMG: Kasumi Goto]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kasumi_p_5146.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Good to finally meet you in person, Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan.]]
->''"I like Kasumi, but why do I feel like I need to check the Citadel for parts she may have pawned?"''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Kym Lane (credited as Kym Hoy)

A ClassyCatBurglar who is available as DLC. She is so skilled that few are aware that she even exists.

[[hardline]]
* AllWomenAreLustful: Her scene with Kenji. She also secretly watches Jacob, and admits to watching Shepard and his\her love interest during their love scene.
* AntiHero: Certainly a Type II. Despite being a shameless career kleptomaniac, she was willing to place herself in severe danger to protect a young artist purely on principle. She also has a caring side, often showing concern for the rest of the squad, possibly making her the most selfless character in the game. Of course, given that you have a squad of mercs, terrorists, Knights Templar and berzerkers her thefts seem pretty benign in comparison.
* [[AscendedFanboy Ascended Fangirl]]
* {{Backstab}}: Her signature ability, called Shadow Strike.
** Less of an actual {{Backstab}}, but more "bop people with the omni-tool".
* BoringButPractical: Her specialty, Shadow Strike, is a move where she cloaks, pops up behind an enemy, and...hits them on the back of the head. It's also nearly unavoidable once triggered, ignores cover, is a near-guaranteed stun, and does huge damage whether you're using it on a squishy merc or a walking tank.
** ''And'' quickly reloads her powers if it lands [[OneHitKill a killing blow.]]
* CallingCard: In her early career, she left a rose in place of what she stole. Her partner eventually made her realize how unproductive this is for a thief.
* TheCaper: Her activity of choice.
* DeadpanSnarker
--> (On Korlus) She seems nice... in a mad scientist ethics-for-sale kind of way.\\
(On the Citadel) They're really selling the [[GasLeakCoverup "geth did it"]] message. I bet you can't even say "Reapers" without inciting a panic. [[LampshadeHanging (airquote gesture)]]''"Reapers!"''
* DownloadableContent
* FaceFramedInShadow: Aside from the glint of her eyes, we never see the top half of her face.
* {{Fangirl}}: "Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan."
* GenkiGirl: To an extent. While not as as empty-headed as the typical example, she is still pretty upbeat and happy, especially when compared to the rest of the team. She is even Japanese, fitting the stereotype.
* GlassCannon: She's excellent at incapacitating enemies up close, but she has low health and shields while her main ability often puts her in dangerous situations.
* [[GossipyHens Gossipy Hen]]: If Shepard talks to her on the Normandy, she gossips about the other crewmembers and talks about rumors.
* HighlyVisibleNinja: In her loyalty mission, she strolls right up to Hock's estate in her SpyCatsuit, not even bothering to take her hood down, and seems surprised when Hock turns her away in a brief stroke of GenreSavvy. She then uses her invisibility to get into the building anyway.
* HypocriticalHumor: During the Hock heist, she notes that his password, "Peruggia", refers to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Peruggia Vincenzo Peruggia]], the man who stole the Mona Lisa back in the 1880's. [[spoiler:The Shadow Broker DLC reveals that she has not only ''done the same'', ''''[[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Kasumi_Goto but is offering it for sale.]]''' As well as '''''the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koh-i-Noor Koh-i-Noor Diamond]] and a number of other alien artifacts that are presumably as unique.''''']]
* InTheHood
* {{Invisibility}}
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: She has a crush on [[NiceGuy Jacob]], but will support Fem!Shep if she decides to romance him
* KleptomaniacHero: One quality she ''definitely'' shares with Shepard.
* KnifeNut: You never see her using them in-game, but she gets very...''enthused'' over a selection of knives on Tuchanka, and contemplates "borrowing" them sometime later.
* LampshadeHanging: When commenting on female Shepard's romance with Garrus, she notes that many people want them to be together.
* LesYay: Just a hint of it: when commenting on how great female Shepard looks in her dress, the camera angle makes it seem that Kasumi is staring straight at her boobs. [[LittleBlackDress Being]] [[MemeticSexGod Shepard]], who wouldn't?
* LoveableRogue
* MagikarpPower: She starts out very weak. With the right allocation of skill points, she becomes a devastating GlassCannon.
* MeaningfulName:
** Kasumi is a Japanese name that means simply "mist".
** The Japanese word 'goto', the same word as her surname and which is pronounced mostly the same, also means "robber" or "robbery."
** KASUMI is also the name of a cipher used in electronic security.
* MeetCute: When examining one of the paintings in her quarters, she'll tell you how she acquired it: she was hired to steal it, and when she went to take it, it had already been stolen. As she was leaving, she saw another thief with the painting, chased him down and tackled him. The other thief was Keiji, and he and Kasumi ended up as partners in crime as well as lovers. They kept the painting.
* TheNicknamer: She calls Shepard 'Shep' on a variety of occasions and designates the Illusive Man as 'Mr. Illusive.' The first may be something of an AscendedMeme as (Fem/Male)Shep is a common FanNickname for Shepard.
* OptionalPartyMember: A DLC character.
* OutlawCouple: [[spoiler: With her former partner, Keiji.]]
* ThePollyanna: She always reflects that things could be worse... even when trapped inside a derelict Reaper that's slowly crashing
* PhantomThief: She's one of the galaxy's best thieves/hackers, but has no criminal record. On her loyalty mission, Kasumi even says that no one knows what she looks like.
* PlayfulHacker: She greets Shepard by taking over one of the Citadel's advertising terminals. Her hacking skills are actually on-par with both Legion and Tali.
** If Shepard ignores her, she has about a dozen humorous comments from being a credit agency for help with collector agents to the offer of a sweet Japanese girl, before getting mad if Shepard doesn't bite.
--> '''Ad!Kasumi:''' OK, really? [[WhatTheHellPlayer How many times does it take to walk past without getting interested?]]
* RecruitingTheCriminal
* ShipperOnDeck: She ships Ken/Gabby and Shepard/Any of the [=ME2=] love interests (if applicable). But she especially ships Tali and Garrus with Shepard for their respective genders.
** With a hint of implied Joker/EDI shipping on the side.
* ShipTease: She has a crush on Jacob, of all people, although [[ObliviousToLove Jacob doesn't seem to notice.]]
** Her Dossier in the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' implies her to be a StalkerWithACrush. And the Jacob haiku specifically says at one point, "cloaked desire watches." [[PowerPerversionPotential This means exactly what you think it means.]]
* ShoutOut: One of her combat taunts is "[[TheSimpsons Haw-haw!]]".
** The hood and catsuit also make her look very similar to the classic ''BaldursGate'' thief sprite.
** At the beginning of her loyalty mission, she mentions [[BadassOfTheWeek "Badass Weekly"]].
** Crossing over with meaningful name, KASUMI also happens to be the name of a block cipher used in mobile communications.
** One of the artifacts is an Ogre statue... that looks like an Ogre from DragonAge Origins.
** She's one big ShoutOut to ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic 2''. She resembles Visas Marr and her last name is Goto.
** Her PaletteSwap for [[AndYourRewardIsClothes completing her loyalty mission]] makes her clothes red, reminiscent of [[CarmenSandiego another master thief.]]
** One from DeadOrAlive, Kasumi's loyalty mission has her infiltrating the mansion of a crime boss named Donovan.
* TheSmartGuy: [[spoiler:Along with Tali and Legion, she's an ideal choice for the Tech Expert during the suicide mission.]]
* SpyCatsuit
* StealthHiBye: Her special ability involves this.
-->'''Kasumi:''' Now you see me...
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: She loves ramen, and regrets not having stolen her grandmother's recipe.

------

[[WMG: Miranda Lawson]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/miranda_1673.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I have every respect for your abilities, Shepard. It's your motivations that concern me.]]
->''"I wouldn't say anything bad about Miranda. And expect to survive the reprisal."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Yvonne Strahovski

A human biotic and tech specialist, "born" on Earth. She comes from a wealthy background where she was genetically engineered from her father to be perfect, and is a loyal member of Cerberus. She first appeared in ''Mass Effect Galaxy''. Romance option for a male Shepard.


[[hardline]]
* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: In her loyalty mission where she debates whether or not to talk to her sister.
* ActionGirl
* AntiHero: She's initially a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type IV,]] [[spoiler:and depending on your actions, can move up to a Type III.]]
* ArchnemesisDad: The reason she joined Cerberus in the first place was to gain protection from her father.
* TheBaroness: Sexpot variety.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With a male Renegade Shepard, their FirstKiss pretty much comes about after he mercilessly teases and taunts her about her insecurities and is generally rude and challenging, which seems to be pushing all her buttons... with Miranda being [[PostKissCatatonia flabbergasted]] and asking "Okay, what the hell was that?!" afterwards.
* BerserkButton: Do not attempt to bring harm to her sister or get the idea of returning her to their father.
* BlackBraAndPanties: As seen in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xijbArxskqc this video]].
* BrainyBrunette
* BrokenAce: A lot of her character development stems from the revelation that she's not as perfect as she makes herself out to be.
* BuxomIsBetter: As the engineers put it...
-->'''Daniels:''' I've got green across the board. The forward tanks are buoyant and elevated.\\
'''Donnelly:''' Are ya talking about the ''Normandy'' or Miranda?\\
'''Daniels:''' I'm talking about the one covered and protected, not ''bouncing in the breeze''.
* CanonImmigrant
* CombatStilettos
* CulturedBadass: Enjoys classical music, particularly the Danish composer Carl Nielsen.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Paragon Shepard can cause her to resign from Cerberus.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Becomes notably less unpleasant as the story progresses--at least to Shepard. She's also generally nicer to Jacob, as well, due to their past relationship.
* DesignerBabies: She was specifically designed by her father as part of his "dynasty".
* FatalFlaw: Her inability to comprehend that people will react other than the way she believes they will. She also seems to have the mindset of handing out as little information as possible, with complete disregard for how others will react to her misinformation.
* FemmeFatale
* FootFocus: She gets a couple of scenes which show off her stiletto heels.
* FormFittingWardrobe: {{Justified}} since this seems to be the go with almost all types of wardrobe in the Verse, including many of the armors and [[EatingTheEyeCandy regardless of sex]]. Played straight that since her outfit is done to make it look leather-like, not to mention quite [[EverythingIsAniPodInTheFuture shining]], it gives the illusion of more skin-tight and, say [[MaleGaze alluring]].
* FreudianExcuse: Much of her behavior makes more sense in light of her loyalty mission and the Shadow Broker dossier. [[spoiler: Before meeting Shepard, only three people have never betrayed her to her knowledge: a childhood friend, the Illusive Man, and Jacob. By the end of the game, it's entirely likely that only Jacob and the Illusive Man remain from that list. With the Shadow Broker dossier, it's clear that part of her affection for her sister comes from being unable to have children of her own, and despite being in a dating service, she ruthlessly cuts off one candidate who makes the mistake of trying to be interested in more than just sex. Since she cannot bear children, she's less interested in romance.]] Though these are played more subtly than most FreudianExcuse examples, once they're revealed, most of Miranda's personality is clearly defined by these.
* GoodIsNotNice: She may be bitter at times and working for Cerberus, but she's a good person at heart.
* HeelFaceTurn: She's one of the Illusive Man's most loyal agents, yet [[MagneticHero Paragon Shepard]] can end up causing her to resign from Cerberus and hang up on The Illusive Man.
* IceQueen: Explicitly called that by a [[spoiler: [[RedShirt soon-to-be-former]]]] Cerberus employee.
* InformedAttractiveness: Despite being specifically engineered to be extremely beautiful, a lot of the fanbase finds her appearance...weird.
** Possibly the UncannyValley in action. The other characters whose appearances were modeled after an actor had different voice actors and weren't human (Samara) or else were intended to be off-putting (the Illusive Man). Miranda's a little too perfect... which [[FridgeBrilliance may be the entire point, and an intentional]] UncannyValley.
*** Or it could be that they had trouble animating her face. Miranda's expressions get weird sometimes.
*** Can be summed up fairly well by [[http://awkwardzombie.com/index.php?page=0&comic=111411 this comic]]
* InkSuitActor: Albeit with dyed hair.
** In [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Miranda_Lawson#Trivia the concept art]] she was blonde, but, [[SpecialEffectsFailure as anyone who's tried making their Commander blonde knows]]...
* InsufferableGenius: At first, although dialog shows her {{pride}} is largely a security mechanism she uses to deal with her insecurity about being a {{Designer Bab|ies}}y.
* JerkassFacade: This seems to be the case. It appears that she's a cold professional to everyone she meets until she spends time around them and decides that she can trust them. At the start of the game, she'll shut down any attempt at personal conversation, but in her office aboard the Normandy she's more open with Shepard. This is most obvious regarding Jack. If Shepard asks her about what Cerberus did, she'll say without hesitation that it was a mistake and was rightfully shut down as soon as The Illusive Man found out. But when Jack calls her out on it directly, she'll refuse to apologize.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She really does want humanity to succeed and will do what she can to keep those she cares about safe at any cost.
* KickTheDog: She has a few moments.
** In her very first appearance, if you try to get her to go back and save survivors in the overrun Cerebrus lab, she'll scold you for being shortsighted and refer to all the workers as "expendable".
** On Freedoms Progress, she'll recommend taking Veetor for interrogation rather than letting Tali take him back for medical care, and will seem mildly disappointed if you let Tali take him.
** Her fight with Jack. Confrontations between Party Members tend to be small KickTheDog moments for all parties involved, even though they do have pretty justifiable reasons for being mad (e.g. Tali thought that the Geth transmitting data about her father's experiments would start a war, Legion thought NOT sending back the data would start a war, and even Jack had the excuse of Miranda making insensitive remarks about her past). What makes her fight with Jack in particular stand out though is the line "You were a mistake". Ouch.
** Right after the [[spoiler: Normandy gets attacked by the Collectors, and Joker, the sole survivor of the attack watches all his friends be dragged away by various cosmic horrors]], the ''first thing she does'' upon getting back the ship is [[spoiler: scold Joker for losing the crew and unshackling EDI (which saved the ship).]] Keep in mind that [[spoiler: it was her brilliant idea that all the capable fighters aboard abandon the ship, leaving it wide open for attack.]]
* KnightTemplar: She's a member of Cerberus, so this one is a given.
* [[KnightTemplarBigBrother Knight Templar Big Sister]]: She keeps records on all her sisters' potential boyfriends.
* {{Kuudere}}: Starts off as very cold and standoffish, but warms up a lot to Shepard as time goes on.
* TheLancer: She's Shepard's executive officer, although she shares the overarching Lancer role with Jacob and Garrus.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Judging from Liara's files on her, [[spoiler:she's been trying really hard to get pregnant. Sadly, she has a benign neoplasm that makes her unable to conceive.]]
* LesYay: Since most of her dialog for Shepards of either gender is the same, her behavior can come off as this towards a female Shepard, not to mention that there's DummiedOut dialog still in the game indicating that at one point [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcQe0ZyXo58 she could be romanced by a female Shepard]]
* MaleGaze: The in-game camera spends a ''lot'' of time focused on Miranda's taut, firm buttocks.
* TheMario: As a Sentinel-style "Cerberus Officer", she's probably the closest Shepard's team has to this, being somewhat capable in combat, a decent biotic, and good at using tech to disable enemies. Her passive skill also provides bonuses to the ''entire squad's'' health and weapon damage, making her a good tactical choice for any player class or squad makeup.
** With a bit of GlassCannon as well. She has low health(lower than Garrus's) and all three of her skills are geared towards offence.
* MindOverMatter
* MoralityChain: A Paragon Shepard can become this to her.
** Jacob also shares this role, being one of the few people that Miranda actually will listen to for advice.
* MoralityPet: [[spoiler: Her (much younger) twin sister, Oriana.]]
* MsFanservice
** To finish the previous quote:
--->'''Donnelly:''' I don't know. Operative Lawson's uniform is very official: it always makes me [[DoubleEntendre stand at attention]].
** This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] during her loyalty mission (even if she's wearing the appearance pack armour).
---> '''Captain Enyala:''' [[{{Hypocrite}} I was just waiting for you to finish getting dressed. Or does Cerberus really let you whore around in that outfit?]]
* NumberTwo: See TheLancer.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Thanks to her genetic enhancements, she'll easily live to twice the age most humans will reach. By now, this is well over 100 - she's 35 right now.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: Miranda is normally cold and ruthless on missions, putting success of the mission above the lives of the Lazarus Cell at least twice. That aspect of her character suddenly fails to show up at the end of the most important mission, when she [[spoiler: recommends destroying the Collector base with "Using anything from this base seems like a betrayal", without taking the possible benefits of keeping it into account in any way.]]
** This moment makes more sense if you pursue a relationship (romantic or not) with her as a Paragon Shepard, and in regards to her status as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. Or, it could be a case of EvenEvilHasStandards.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Jacob.
* PlotArmor: [[spoiler: She can only die during the suicide mission if she's unloyal and you bring her to the final boss fight, or if she's unloyal and you get very, ''very'' (un)lucky when she's holding the line. If she's taken by the seeker swarms, she'll magically appear later (which was actually a glitch that didn't get caught before the game shipped). She can't be sent back to the ship with the rescued crew, which will kill any other non-loyal team-mate. She can't be chosen for Tech Expert, which will kill any team mate besides loyal Legion, Tali, or Kasumi. If she is chosen as second squad's commander and gets shot, she will shrug it off, even if she's not loyal. Garrus and Jacob need their loyalty to pull the same trick off, and anyone else in that position will die no matter what. This is mostly because she is depicted speaking in cutscenes at several points in the mission, and having her dead likely would've messed with the game's script.]]
* SexyWalk: [[MsFanservice Natch.]]
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Literally. She's done her share of high profile internet dating. Hidden logs reveal her turning down many high profile suitors.
* SlapSlapKiss: Her relationship with Shepard, if one is pursued.
* SpaceClothes
* TheSpock: Jacob and Miranda serve as the foils/voice-of-reason towards Shepard. Miranda tends to support more ''immoral'' actions that are beneficial to the mission as a whole.
* SpyCatsuit: Particularly her loyalty outfit. It is worth noting that the second appearance pack DLC takes pains to avert this; instead of form-fitting fabric and high heels, Miranda now wears armor very similar to the Medium armor from the first game, complete with combat boots and notably less emphasis on her curves. However, consider the fact that the Mass Effect 1 armors to which it emulates were [[LatexSpaceSuit still quite form-fitting]].
* TemptingFate: She introduces herself by saying she's "an excellent judge of character" and that she's "never wrong". Between her loyalty mission and the suicide mission, the universe seems to be keen on proving she's, in fact, far from perfect.
* TrulySingleParent: She doesn't have a mother. She was designed from her father's chromosomes mixed with a mishmash of female DNA.
----
[[WMG: Mordin Solus]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mordin_5211.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps.]]
->''"No surprise, Mordin acts superior to everyone. Like he's got tenure at FU."''
-->--''' Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Michael Beattie

Salarian doctor. Former member of salarian Special Tasks Group. Recruited by Shepard to combat Collector technology.

[[hardline]]
* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: Personal mission involves one. [[InWhichATropeIsDescribed In which]] Mordin considers actions. Reasons for becoming [[TheAtoner Atoner]] also stated. Done fairly well.
* AngstWhatAngst: [[invoked]] Heavily affected by loyalty mission, fine by return to ''Normandy''. Salarians possess short lifespans, learn to deal with emotional burdens efficiently. Came to terms during shuttle ride. Concern appreciated, however.
* AntiHero: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type]] [[GoodIsNotNice III]].
* {{Asexuality}}: Salarian. No sex drive. Gives Shepard TheTalk anyway.
** [[IfItsYouItsOkay If It's You, It's OK]]: ''Generally'' asexual. Found some asari melding offers interesting. Considers Shepard optimal if was interested in humans. [[BiTheWay Shepard gender irrelevant.]]
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Upgraded Genophage]]. Perfect reason to atone for.
** Ultimately [[ZigzaggedTrope zigzagged]]. Considers act inexcusable. Also considers act inevitable.
** In Mass Effect 3, [[spoiler: fights to save female krogan immune to genophage.]]
* BadassBookworm: Salarian doctor. Among smartest ever. Also incredibly skilled killer.
* BadassGrandpa: Elderly by salarian standards.
* BadassLabcoat: Wears labcoat over commando gear. *[[VerbalTic sharp inhale]]* Awesome.
* BeigeProse: [[SelfDemonstratingArticle Naturally.]]
* BerserkButton: PlayingWithSyringes. Hates reckless science.
** Also metaphors.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Benevolent person. Enjoys helping needy. Skilled in doing so. Kills dangerous people remorselessly. *[[VerbalTic sharp inhale]]* Skilled in doing that as well.
* BizarreAlienBiology: Salarians need little sleep. Lifespan approximately forty years. Have almost perfect recall of any learned information. Egg-laying, have little understanding of romantic interaction.
* TheCastShowoff: Voice actor musical. Most fans approve, moment hilarious.
* CelibateHero: Inherent to salarian biology. Quite knowlegable regardless.
* CombatMedic: Technically. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation Performs medical research on ship, on ground Shepard provides in-game medic abilities.]]
* CompletelyMissingThePoint: [[spoiler: Gilbert and Sullivan's Modern Major General song describes individual skilled universally ''except'' chosen profession.]]
* CoolOldGuy: 30 years old. Salarian life expectancy forty.
* CrazyPrepared: Ready to give TheTalk for any kind of interspecies romance. Ran clinic in WretchedHive - advice likely necessary there. Many species, many tastes.
* CrisisOfFaith: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGBFTlRT3o0#t=0m55s Studied many religions]] as means to [[TheAtoner atone]]. Looked for answers. Found questions. Declares {{Reincarnation}} popular with salarians. Deeply spiritual still. Shepard expresses surprise.
* CulturedBadass: Believes culture needs art. Otherwise not culture. Actively fears CreativeSterility.
* DeadlyDoctor: Thought harmless, did you?
-->'''Mordin:''' Advantage of being salarian. Turians, krogan, vorcha - all obvious threats. *[[VerbalTic sharp inhale]]* [[PsychoticSmirk Never see me coming]].
** [[SubvertedTrope Subversion]], actually. Has killed many times, but '''never''' with medicine (says so himself during loyalty mission).
* DeadpanSnarker: Found several surveillance bugs. Destroyed some. Returned expensive one to Miranda.
* DirtyBusiness: Guilt for actions major part of character.
* [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even A Mad Scientist Has Standards]]: [[spoiler: Hates unnecessary wastes of life. Only kills bad people. Always careful with medicine. Protege... [[VerbalTic *sharp inhale*]] not so principled.]]
* EvilutionaryBiologist: Subverts trope. Generally well-intentioned. Strong ethical guidelines. Fairly ruthless regardless.
-->'''Mordin:''' No testing on species capable of calculus. Simple rule. Never broke it.
* FireIceLightning: [[KillItWithFire Incinerate]], check. [[KillItWithIce Cryo Blast]], check. [[AgonyBeam Neural Shock]]? Close enough!
* GibberingGenius: [[ThinkingOutLoud Dictates thought processes in real time]]. [[YouNoTakeCandle Avoids infinitives]]. [[SubvertedTrope Irrelevant]] if [[DidIJustSayThatOutLoud heard saying inconvenient thought out loud.]]
* GlassCannon: Three skills, purely offensive. [[spoiler: Also has low defence rating. Death during suicide mission likely.]]
* HeroicBSOD: Upon discovering [[spoiler:pupil performed tests. Dangerous and reckless, even if misguided.]]
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Subverted. Insists this repeatedly during loyalty mission. Obviously trying to convince self, not companions.
** Still resolute that it was the right action. Even against Shepard's best arguments. Invokes GreyAndGrayMorality. Actions not unjustified.
*** Worth remembering alternative was genocide.
*** Also made peace with self after mission. Mind clear. Hands washed. No guilt. Free to focus on task at hand.
* ItsOkayIfItsYou: No interest in Shepard romantically. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Fwa-OQ1ao If ever explored, Shepard optimal.]] Either sex. Ahem.
* ItsPersonal: Deliberately invoked in order to anthromorphize fight against Collectors and Reapers.
* {{Keet}}: Described as being like hamster on caffine. Salarian metabolism much faster than most other species', but fast even for Salarians.
* KillItWithIce: Uses omnitool to freeze enemies solid. [[HarmlessFreezing Thaw quickly]], but [[LiterallyShatteredLives bodies fragile]]!
* KillItWithFire: Uses omnitool to incinerate enemies. Incredibly deadly. "Flammable! Or inflammable? Forget which. Doesn't matter!" ([[IThoughtItMeant Same thing. Really doesn't matter.]])
* LampshadeHanging: Meeting Shepard for first time. Attempt to work out why Spectre is here. Renegade interrupt offered. If not taken Paragon interrupt suggested. On board Normandy third interrupt option available. [[VerbalTic *sharp inhale*]]. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Allows Shepard to interrupt when heard enough.]]
* MadScientist: Not mad. Usually irritable. Sometimes affable.
* MajorGeneralSong: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-HgVM6JSIY "I am the very model of a scientist salarian."]]
** [[TheCastShowoff Voice actor had]] [[ActorAllusion previous role]]. TV movie production of ''ThePiratesOfPenzance''. Makes it funnier.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Good but conflicted. Did what had to do. Necessary, but still regrets.
* MotorMouth: "For the love of God, take a breath!"
** *[[VerbalTic sharp inhale]]*
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Mission important. Talking takes too long.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Horrified by personal work on genophage. Still feel it had to be done.]]
* NeverTrustATrailer: Some fans confused initially. Felt Fight For The Lost trailers implied Mordin ClintEastwood style lone ranger. In game, [[MotorMouth quickly]] [[CombatMedic proven wrong.]]
* NoodleIncident: Lethal proficiency with [[ImprobableWeaponUser farming equipment]]. Never explained until discovery of [[{{DLC}} Shadow Broker]] database; [[spoiler:Skinny salarian doctor killed charging krogan by driving pitchfork through head.]]
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Primary focus biomedical. Constantly forays into other sciences. Mechanical expertise surprising.
** He ''is'' the very model of a scientist salarian.
** One exception: limited experience with security systems. Assignment as Tech Specialist unwise.
* PetTheDog: Loyalty mission. Packed with these moments. Notably [[spoiler:absolutely horrified at dead female krogan test subject. States that species doesn't matter. Acknowledges work as a cause.]]
* TheProfessor: Nature of mission irrelevant. Know ''something'' about strange thing.
* RetiredBadass: Formerly served in special forces. Now doctor. Return to combat not problem.
* ScienceHero:
* SelfDemonstratingArticle
* SherlockScan: Good at analysis. Displayed when first met Shepard.
* ShootTheDog: Has no problem killing one person. To save ten others, of course. [[spoiler:Even created new strain of genophage. Krogan adapted to previous one.]] Does feel regretful about the latter. Started clinic to atone. All life precious.
-->"Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps."
* TheSmartGuy: Runs the lab.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Noted in Shadow Broker Dossier. Example adequate;
--> "''Specialist Solus suggests Commander Kirrahe has a foreign object in his cloaca [...] suggests that cloacal obstruction is in fact Kirrahe's cranium.''"
* TheSpock: Usually goes with more logical path. Belief in killing those who presents themselves as threat. [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] during Loyalty mission. [[spoiler: Genophage involvement becomes source of conflict.]]
* SquishyWizard: Skills quite useful in combat, but shields and health quite weak. Survival requires support.
* TheTalk: Shown [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAP92rvm1hQ here]], on InterspeciesRomance. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Try not to "Ingest".]] Offers for all romances. Promises to "probe" Jacob/Miranda. Cerberus could have bugs ''anywhere''...
* {{Technobabble}}: Constantly. Combines with TerseTalker, MotorMouth. Some complain of difficulty understanding. Get doctorate! Have real conversation!
* TerseTalker: Talks fast and short. [[MotorMouth First part natural to salarians]]. Second part special to himself. Likes TechnoBabble dialogue. Always ThinkingOutLoud. Reading SelfDemonstratingArticle right now. *[[VerbalTic sharp inhale]]* May help you understand.
* ThinkingOutLoud: Constantly.
--> "Who's that? Pilot? No. Synthesized voice. Simulated emotional inflections. Could it be... no. Maybe. Have to ask. Is that an AI?" - [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMA6F4-YAfw Mordin learns about EDI]]
* UnwantedHarem: Found attractive by many species. Bemused at this.
** Saved many lives. May be desire for GladToBeAliveSex with savior.
** "If wanted to try human, would try [[[DudeMagnet Shepard]]]." Shepard's sex irrelevant.
* VerbalTic: [[TerseTalker Talks in sentence fragments]], [[ThinkingOutLoud thinks aloud]], TechnoBabble, answers own questions, OneLiner, [[MotorMouth No time to breathe]], [[WeAreAsMayflies Salarians Are As Mayflies]], [[PlanetOfHats entire race]] {{Workaholic}}s, *sharp inhale*... [[TheDeterminator work even harder]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Mutual respect, mutually derogatory banter with Kirrahe evident in STG mission report.
** Mordin's friendship with Shepard develops into this as well.
* WeAreAsMayflies: Inverted. Salarian lifespans much shorter than human ones. He himself already 30. Human equivalent 116. Will die soon, even if survive suicide mission.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Believes past actions necessary. Feels guilty regardless.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Initially intended to be biotic. [[spoiler: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_28OE71kmA8&feature=channel One correct choice for maintaining Biotic Barrier during suicide mission.]]]] Also, initially would have come into conflict with Grunt. The two have next to no problems with each other.
* TheWonka: [[ThinkingOutLoud Thinks out loud]]. [[CloudCuckooLander Mental processes seemingly random]]. {{Techno Babble}}s constantly. Described as "Hamster on coffee".
* XMarksTheHero: Apparently receives scar from Krogan killed with pitchfork.
* YouNoTakeCandle: ''[[CaptainObvious Obviously]]'' highly intelligent - Infinitives waste time!

----
[[WMG: Samara]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/samara_9496.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Find peace in the embrace of the goddess.]]
->''"I feel like Samara could shoot me in a very tranquil manner, which doesn't make me feel any better about it."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Maggie Baird

A member of an ancient cult of asari [[WarriorMonk warrior monks]] who give up all personal property and spend their lives righting wrongs. They rarely leave asari space, but Samara is found on Illium, on the scent of a murderer she's spent centuries hunting...

[[hardline]]
* AbsoluteCleavage
* ActionMom: She has three daughters [[spoiler: and had to imprison two and hunt down the other because they're Ardat-Yakshi -- basically Asari sex vampires]].
* ALighterShadeOfGrey: Asari Justicars were the original basis for the Spectres.
* AllCrimesAreEqual: Although she has been shown to offer other alternatives than death to criminals, and she states during her talks that "if a Justicar is involved, a peaceful solution has long passed." In other words, she wouldn't chase after, say, a ''jaywalker'' with the same zeal that she would for a slaver or axe murderer. Just don't resist arrest.
* AlmostKiss: See Tearjerker below.
* AncientAstronauts: In DummiedOut content from her Shadow Broker dossier, [[spoiler: she was a crewmember of an asari ship that crashed on Earth in the Elizabethan era, was possibly responsible for the destruction of the Spanish Armada, and inspired none other than WilliamShakespeare to write a romantic sonnet about her.]]
* AntiHero: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type IV]] due to the fact that the code basically requires her to kill anyone who gets in her way.
* TheAtoner: The ActionMom spoiler mentions why.
* {{Badass Grand|pa}}ma: She's around 1000 years old meaning that she's old even by asari standards.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Disciplined, soft-spoken, [[DissonantSerenity talks about how she'll kill you for stepping out of line like she was deciding on dinner...]] If you play a Renegade Shepard, she even calmly tells you that while she considers you a friend, if she crosses paths with you after completing her mission with you, she will be required to kill you for your actions.
* BigDamnHeroes: If Shepard doesn't have enough Paragon/Renegade points to resist Morinth, Samara comes in to save him/her.
* CaptainErsatz: Blue-skinned alien priestess. Calm as a Zen master. Huge breasts. Meditates cross-legged in a room with a view. Prays to the goddess. Unwise to rouse to violence. She even ''sounds'' a little like [[Series/{{Farscape}} Zhaan.]]
* CelibateHero: After becoming a justicar, she put her mission before everything else. Her code does not forbid romance or sexual relations, but she remains celibate due to her personal choice. [[spoiler:The fact that all three of her daughters are Ardat-Yakshi, with two of them LockedAwayInAMonastery and the other being a CompleteMonster who operates much like a SerialKiller may have something to do with it.]]
* CombatStilettos: She puts them to good use in her opening scene...
* DeathSeeker: A mild example but she outright states that she has no plans for retirement and expects to die in battle.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Somewhat likely to break your neck for stealing an old lady's purse, but she might just offer you a lesser punishment first.
* DissonantSerenity: Samara discusses horrific kills, contemplates her own death, and even crushes her own daughter's head with a super-powered biotic punch, all while talking in a calm, peaceful tone like she's lying on a beach. It's...unnerving.
* DontYouDarePityMe
* GlowingEyes: Sometimes her eyes glow white when she is using her biotics. [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Djecker/FreakySamara.png See here for an example]].
* GoryDiscretionShot: We don't get a direct view when she [[spoiler:kills the Eclipse merc when you first meet her, nor when she crushes Morinth's head with one biotic punch (if you side with her over Morinth).]]
* GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave: Well, she ''is'' almost 1,000 years old...
** Asari live much, much longer than humans, but Samara is old even for an asari, so she qualifies for the trope.
* HalfHumanHybrids: Like Liara, she subverts this by being a pureblood in a society that favors hybrids. She understands much better than most where the stigma comes from.
* HotMom
* KnightTemplar: Though she considers herself a KnightErrant. Mixed with a bit of {{Samurai}}.
* LadyOfWar
* LawfulStupid: Averted. Prior to meeting her in person, everything Shepard hears about Justicars leads the player to believe that the Code requires them to act this way. In her very first scene, however, Samara proves capable of maneuvering herself and her Code to avoid an unpleasant outcome that she doesn't want. However, she makes it clear the code only bends so far. In her own words, she acknowledges that the universe is a gray place, but that the Justicar code is very much black and white.
** In one later conversation it's implied that she often warns people the equivalent of "Do you ''really'' want to do/say that in my presence?" If they ignore her, well, probably TooDumbToLive.
* LifeDrain: Reave, which restores your health if it hits an unprotected organic enemy (it damages armor and barriers too, but without the health boost).
* MarriedToTheJob: She is so into her role as a Justicar that she rebukes any possibility of romance, even when she's ''sure'' she would find nothing but happiness with [=Paragon!Shepard=]. When she committed to becoming a Justicar, she also had to give up all ties to her family, and has not spoken to two of her daughters since.
* MeaningfulName: Samara is Hebrew/Arabic and means "guardian (protected by God)."
* MindOverMatter
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: A rare heroic example; thanks to her Code, anyone who opposes her is a criminal, and therefore should not be allowed to live.
* MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: Although it is possible to [[spoiler:recruit Morinth, doing so will result in Samara's death at the hands of her daughter]].
* [[MyMasterRightOrWrong My Code Right Or Wrong]]: It's left deliberately ambiguous whether she takes certain actions because she wants to, or because she has to. Some dialogue indicates it's highly likely that she takes no pleasure in a lot of things she has to do as a justicar, but the rules and the code are more important than her personal feelings. In fact, she may have sworn the code to get as far away from her personal feelings as possible.
* [[spoiler:NearKiss: "Another time, another life."]]
* NeverMessWithGranny: Not actually a grandmother, for TearJerker reasons, but old enough to be one. An asari matriarch who is almost a 1000 after all.
* [[spoiler:OffingTheOffspring: Her primary goal as a Justicar is to put down one of her daughters.]]
* TheNotLoveInterest: She'll actively reject any attempt at romance. The interest is quite welcome, however.
* OptionalPartyMember: You can complete ''MassEffect2'' without recruiting her.
* ThePaladin: A religious warrior who lives to serve her code and dispense justice.
* PrinciplesZealot:
-->'''Captain Anaya:''' She would die defending an honest cop, but would fight an army of corrupt ones to her death.
* SquishyWizard: Like most of the Adept class, her physical durability isn't extremely high, but she can put out a lot of damage very quickly (she's also the only biotic teammate able to use assault rifles).
** [[DoubleEntendre This entry of this trope has nothing to do with her tits,]] [[IThoughtItMeant by the way.]]
* StatuesqueStunner: She is quite tall with very chiseled features.
* [[spoiler:StrongFamilyResemblance:[[DepravedBisexual Psychotic]] [[DeathBySex sex-vampire]] daughter Morinth.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Many of the attempts to discuss a justicar's role and behavior imply that the asari are struggling to put the definitions in human terms. [[spoiler: Samara's something of a deconstruction of a paladin, an imperfect vessel in dedication to a perfect ideal. She is AlwaysLawfulGood, but GoodIsNotNice by any stretch.]]
* TakeAThirdOption: Her occasional way of working around her code. In fact, her primary reason for joining Shepard in the fight against the Collectors was so she wouldn't be forced to kill innocents.
* TrainingFromHell: The Path of the Justicar is, by her own admission, a difficult one, this includes the training it takes to become one. Many who attempt to become a Justicar will meet their end before achieving that goal.
* WarriorMonk: Though it's noted that other cultures would see her as a vigilante.
* WorthyOpponent: According to her, Nihlus.
* [[spoiler: YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: If the player chooses Morinth over her. Shepard even says "Morinth is more useful."]]
** Which can be interpreted as either ruthless practicality or simple self-preservation. [[spoiler:Morinth, after all, is not terribly subtle, and only an idiot dies at her...hands. Samara explicitly says she would kill a Renegade Shepard if she hadn't already sworn an oath.]]

----

[[WMG: Thane Krios]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thane_5601.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: An assassin is a weapon. A weapon doesn't decide who it kills. The one who wields it does.]]
->''"Thane seems like the strong, sensitive, murdering type. You know those are always great to have around. A real cuddler."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Keythe Farley

A drell assassin who is said to be the best in the galaxy. He used to take contracts for credits, but is spending his last days trying to right wrongs. A romance option for female Shepard.

[[hardline]]
* AntiHero: Type IV in his past, currently between Type II and Type III. He shows no hesitation to take down evil people like Nassana, but is very strict about his methods, shown in his absolute focus on protecting civilians and his disapproval towards Renegade Shepard's rough interrogation techniques.
* TheAtoner: Wishes to make the galaxy a better place before he dies.
* BadassBookworm: Aside from his work, all that interested him was his family and reading.
* BadassLongcoat: Well, waistcoat. [[spoiler: In the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, his file reveals he wears the outfit not because ArmorIsUseless, but because covering up his chest would worsen his illness.]]
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's very nice, polite and intelligent, has no BerserkButton to begin with, and is capable of killing you faster than you can [[CandleJack noti]]
* BizarreAlienBiology: Drell have perfect recall of [[PhotographicMemory anything they've ever done]], though they can't always control it. Thane notes that with the ability to recall ''bad'' memories as well, [[BlessedWithSuck this isn't always a good thing.]] And since the drell came from an arid world and are now living on a planet that's 90% ocean, they suffer from a degenerative illness that causes their lungs to eventually fail.
* ColdBloodedTorture: While he is normally a clean and efficient killer, he notes that he took extra time with [[spoiler:his wife's killers]].
* ColdSniper
* CulturedBadass: He makes reference to Thomas Hobbes when explaining the fate of the Drell homeworld.
* CutscenePowerToTheMax: Killing people with their own guns, impromptu stealth...
** Justified. He's an assassin, not a soldier - he's trained to get to the target quickly and quietly and take them out in a similar manner.
--->'''Thane:''' If I have to fight through guards, I've made a mistake. I rarely make mistakes.
* DeadManWalking: His Kepral's Syndrome gives him about one year left to live.
* DeadManWriting: If he's female Shepard's LoveInterest, his Shadow Broker dossier includes [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Thane_Krios#Personal_Journal a love letter intended to be delivered to her after his death.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Not to the level of, say, Garrus, but he gets his moments.
-->'''Thane:''' ''(after Shepard offers to help him with his disease)'' Thank you, but if the best minds the hanar Illuminated Primacy have to offer can't fix my problem, I doubt your ship's medic can.\\
'''Thane:''' ''(after Mouse is startled by both his own presence and that of the BackFromTheDead Shepard)'' Be still, Mouse. You may change your pants in a moment.
* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler:Left his son Kolyat to be raised by relatives after his wife died. In his personal mission, he attempts to stop him from following his footsteps.]]
* EstrogenBrigadeBait: Repentant assassin with a spiritual side? Check. Soft-spoken and eloquent? Check. Humanoid yet exotically handsome? Check.
-->'''Kelly Chambers:''' I don't know if I find him scary or sexy.
** Best part? Reading the notes of the dev team as they tried to ''engineer him'' to have this reaction. It was, needless to say, [[http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/02/09/drawing-mass-effect-the-creation-of-thane.aspx a long and arduous process,]] and, ultimately, it seems a good deal of it relied on him being a BadassInANiceSuit.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: If his being able to inspire salarians to rethink their lives and buy new clothes is anything to go by...
** It seems that a male Shepard romance with Thane was possible at one point. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrs_V4QFUU Why else would a male voice be present in the French voice overs during the romance scene?]]
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Though Thane took great pains to conceal his real career from Kolyat, he eventually finds out and tries to follow in his father's footsteps. Thane's loyalty mission centers on keeping that from happening.
* [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Green Skinned Space Hunk]]: A very, very, very rare male version of this trope.
* GoodCopBadCop: During an interrogation, Thane can either gently rebuke Shepard for beating up the suspect and calmly try to reason with the criminal...or just sit there and not do very much while Shepard beats up the suspect.
* GunsAkimbo: In the Blur trailer.
* GutturalGrowler: Has a rather deep and raspy voice, which seems to be something of the norm of his race since [[spoiler:his son, Kolyat,]] has a similarly raspy, if somewhat higher, voice.
** The Codex mentions that drell have a bone structure in their throat that allows them to swell their throats. Perhaps this causes their odd voice.
* HellbentForLeather: His entire outfit looks like leather. Fanfics are bound to make good use of it.
* HitmanWithAHeart: He joins you not for the money, but because he wants make the galaxy a better place before he dies.
* HoldingHands: As part of the romance with female Shepard.
* InLoveWithTheMark: Sort of. [[spoiler:His late wife was not his target, but got his attention when she stood in his line of fire to protect his mark from him.]]
* KillItWithFire: One of the Shadow Broker's dossiers lists his favorite methods of assassinating various species. One of the options listed for krogan? "Bomb."
* TheLastDance: After he learned about his terminal illness, he decided to devote the rest of his life to making the universe a better place.
* LizardFolk
* LoveRedeems: [[spoiler:His wife made him realize that there was more to his life than assassination.]]
** Female Shepard makes him realize the same thing if that romance is pursued.
* MagicKnight: He makes use of powerful weapons and his bonus power enhances his ammunition, but can still use powers like Throw and Warp.
* ManlyTears: Of frustration more than of the warm and fuzzy kind, but still. Part of the romance.
* MindOverMatter: The first drell biotic seen thus far.
* NeckSnap: He uses this on [[spoiler:Nassana's]] bodyguards. The Shadow Broker's dossier indicates that this is in fact his preferred method of killing, although, if his target is krogan, he's equally willing to resort to explosives. Though this is as much out of necessity as anything else, as krogan are very difficult to kill - not to mention have huge, muscular necks.
* NoodleIncident: Responsible for an incident known as the "One-Hour Massacre" on Omega.
* OneLastJob: His assassination of [[spoiler:Nassana Dantius]]. Then he talks to Shepard and decides to do One More Last Job.
* OptionalPartyMember: You don't have to recruit him.
* OrbitalKiss: At the culmination of his romance.
* PhotographicMemory: Drell can relive any memory they choose. Counts as BlessedWithSuck for a hitman that has issues with his family.
* PowerPerversionPotential: Drell can remember ''any'' moment and effectively experience it again. Not so nice if you're remembering getting shot, but if you decided to dwell on, ahem, nicer experience]... Points for the fact that Thane mentions it in-game.
* ProfessionalKiller
* ReligiousBruiser: While not a bruiser per se, he's the galaxy's best assassin, and the only person to pray for his victims. And, of course, that scene:
-->"Amonkira. Lord of Hunters. Grant that my hands be steady, my aim be true, and my feet swift. And should the worst come to pass, grant me [[StealthHiBye forgiveness]]."
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Went on one after [[spoiler:his wife was murdered]]. He notes that while he usually kills swiftly, he took extra time with [[spoiler:her killers]].
* SecondLove: With female Shepard.
* SoHappyTogether: Unless his terminal illness is somehow cured, he and female Shepard are heading in this direction.
* SpringtimeForHitler: He was going to his last mission to be killed in action, until Shepard showed up. Subverted because he decides that joining Shepard is a much better plan.
* StalkerWithACrush: Subverted. [[spoiler: After his future wife threw herself in front of his targeting laser to stop one of his missions, he became obsessed with finding her. Instead of going down the usual path of this trope, he fell on his knees in front of her and begged for forgiveness. Eventually, it worked.]]
* StealthHiBye: He does this during his loyalty mission, but, unlike most instances of this trope, he does this in plain sight in the middle of a open lobby. [[BeyondTheImpossible When two people walk in front of him.]]
** One of the Shadow Broker's surveilance tapes shows another example: while walking down a corridor, he steps into the shadow cast by a column and doesn't step out again.
* ThereWasADoor: Silly troper, assassins never use doors. They drop from air ducts in the ceiling to kill their targets. With the target's own gun.
* TroubledButCute
* {{Tykebomb}}: Was trained to be an assassin since early childhood by the hanar. Killed his first target at the age of twelve.
* VigilanteMan: He prefers to take contracts on people that he feels [[AssholeVictim deserve to die.]]
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Trust {{BioWare}} to come up with a good way to [[JustifiedTrope justify this trope]]. (Covering his chest could cause moisture buildup in his lungs, worsening his illness.)
* WarriorPoet: Especially during flashback sequences, when he speaks almost in white rhyme.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: His photographic memory segments.
* WhenYouComingHomeDad: [[spoiler:His relationship with his son, Kolyat, prior to his wife's death. This becomes a WholePlotReference to the original song when Kolyat decides to follow in his father's footsteps and become an assassin.]] [[LampshadeHanging His loyalty achievement is even]] ''[[LampshadeHanging called]]'' [[LampshadeHanging "Cat's in the Cradle."]]
* YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord: Used as part of the romance with female Shepard. [[spoiler:It's a name for the warrior-angels of the protector-goddess Arashu.]]
-->'''Shepard:''' I think my translator just glitched. What did you call me?\\
'''Thane:''' "Siha." Someday I'll tell you what it means.
* YouAreWorthHell: The romance for female Shepard--the love scene starts with Thane's frustration that now that he has something to live for again, he's started to fear death once more. Additionally, his Shadow Broker dossier contains a romantic letter in which he expresses his wish to protect and be with her, even if it means he will die a slow, choking death on a hospital bed. The trope isn't directly invoked to its full extent, however.
* YourDaysAreNumbered[=/=]YouSeeImDying: "This was to be my last job. I'm dying."
** Unless either Mordin or the hanar suddenly have a stroke of major genius, it's likely he'll end up being dead in Mass Effect 3.
*** The DLC Lair of Shadow Broker hints at some treatment options, however. Among them [[ShirtlessScene keeping his chest uncovered]].
----
[[WMG:Zaeed Massani]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaeed_p_5463.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: This mission takes me back...]]
->''"Zaeed is like you, but takes checks. As long as it's not my money, we're good."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Robin Sachs

A character who is only available through downloadable content. He is the best bounty hunter in the galaxy and has been hired to help Shepard. [[spoiler:He's also the co-founder of the Blue Suns mercenary group.]]

[[hardline]]
* AntiHero: Type V.
* BadAss: Even Shepard calls him a badass.
** Extremely apparent on his loyalty mission. If you choose the Renegade route, [[spoiler: he coolly pops a heat sink and lets it ignite some oil, burning Vido alive.]] If you choose the Paragon route, [[spoiler: he enters an utter screaming fury, empties his clip at Vido's ship as he flies away...and ''kills the guy next to Vido,'' despite the ship being closed and armored. Vido's expression strongly suggests he shat himself as he got away.]]
* BadassNormal: Aside from Tali, Kasumi, and Garrus practically every member of your team is a biotic, has cybernetics, is genetically engineered, or all of the above. Zaeed is a normal human who has none of these, he's just a tough bastard with a gun. Yet he's still one of the strongest team members in the game, outdone only by [[SuperSoldier Grunt.]]
* BerserkButton: Don't call his fixation with taking Vido down a 'grudge' or imply that he needs to let go.
* TheBigGuy: Class I. Alllllll the way. In fact he's right behind Grunt in pure combat prowess, and [[spoiler: gives the whole team a massive defensive boost when holding the line on the suicide mission.]]
* BountyHunter: Best in the business.
-->'''Warden Kuril:''' I got sick of seeing prisoners escape justice. Bounty hunters...aren't reliable.\\
'''Zaeed:''' Then you aren't hiring the right ones.
* {{Catchphrase}}: The man likes to say "Goddamn", that's for sure.
* CoolOldGuy: Has plenty of fond memories of his past and likes telling old war stories for anyone willing to listen.
* {{Determinator}}: He credits his survival of a headshot to this.
-->'''Zaeed:''' Rage is a hell of an anesthetic.
* DownloadableContent
* [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even Morally Ambiguous Has Standards]]: He's hardly a pleasant man, but what ethics he has are largely responsible for his "leaving" the Blue Suns (he disapproved of their hiring of batarians, whom he saw as terrorists), and he expresses disgust at Cerberus' imprisonment of biotic children if taken along on Jack's loyalty mission. He also dislikes corporate security, preferring to work for his contracts and care who he's killing. Also, take him with you whenever the Collectors are involved and he is clearly disgusted and horrified by what he sees.
-->'''Zaeed:''' "Cheaper labor," he said. "Goddamn terrorists," I said.
** If brought to Jacob's loyalty mission, upon seeing what [[spoiler:Ronald Taylor]] has done, Zaeed states that anyone who does this to their own men deserves a knife to the spine. Though if you talk to him afterwards on the ship, he's less judgmental.
* ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: Pulled off during his loyalty mission, although it isn't quite as successful as he'd hoped.
* {{Foil}}: to Thane.
* GoodScarsEvilScars
* HeroicSociopath: Most of his war stories and comments jump right into 'so psychotic it's funny' territory.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Paragon Shepard actually [[GoodIsNotNice punches him and holds a gun to his head]] in order to hammer this point into Zaeed. By wanting to let innocents die in order to satisfy his need for vengeance, he's become no better than Vido.
* ICallItVera: Jessie, his old rifle.
* {{Jerkass}}: He can be a ''real'' asshole. Then again, being shot in the face tends to affect your personality somewhat.
* KarmicDeath: If Shepard [[spoiler: leaves him to die on his loyalty mission, mostly because Shepard doesn't even kill him, just refuses to help him as he burns in the fire. The irony is noted by Shepard as well.]]
-->'''Shepard:''' [[spoiler: You started this fire Zaeed, it makes sense that you'd burn in it.]]
* KickTheDog: His loyalty mission is basically just one long kick the dog moment.
-->'''Zaeed:''' ''[[MoralEventHorizon Let these people burn!]]'' Vido dies, no matter the cost!
* KillItWithFire: He gets powerful Inferno Grenades when you earn his loyalty.
* TheMeanBrit
* MismatchedEyes: One green, the other one a replacement cybernetic prosthesis for the eye that (likely) got blown out when he was shot in the head.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution
* TheNeidermeyer: His stories and the Shadow Broker's info on him indicate that Zaeed was a horrible leader who was all too willing to let others die and not particularly well-liked by those he leads. [[spoiler:This is a pretty big indicator that he's a poor squad leader in the endgame.]]
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: He survived getting shot in the head at point-blank range purely by sheer [[{{Determinator}} determination]].
-->'''Zaeed:''' A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything.
* OldSoldier: He practically embodies this trope.
* OneLastJob: The money he received from Cerberus as payment for joining Shepard's squad has made him seriously consider retirement. Either that or suicide via blowing his ship up near Omega.
* OptionalPartyMember: He's a DLC character.
* PsychoForHire: Albeit a much more subdued and refined version than most.
** He even gets a bit self-referential - he claims that the only person not to piss themselves when having a gun next to their heads are psychotic maniacs and hired killers. And they can be hard to discern sometimes.
* RebelRelaxation: In his room on the ship and during the pre-suicide mission briefing; he's the only one not standing at the table, opting to slouch against a wall near the end of the room.
* RetiredMonster: He was once a very vicious merc and [[spoiler:co-founded the Blue Suns]]
* {{Retirony}}: Played with. The Shadow Broker's intel reveals that Zaeed is contemplating retirement after finishing Shepard's mission [[spoiler:and he is so annoyed by the thought that the best plan he came up with so far is invoking the trope himself, by committing a SuicideAttack on Omega.]]
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: His real motivation during his character quest, despite his initial claim that he's in it to liberate a factory of workers from the Blue Suns mercenary group, [[spoiler:which he co-founded]]. It's possible for a Paragon Shepard to not only allow the target to escape in order to save the workers, but gain Zaeed's loyalty ''anyway'' in a scene that proves [[GoodIsNotNice good is most definitely]] '''[[GoodIsNotNice not]]''' [[GoodIsNotNice soft and indecisive.]]
* ShoutingShooter: In his loyalty mission, if you pick Paragon.
* SkywardScream: [[spoiler:If he's left to die on his loyalty mission.]]
* SoleSurvivor: All of his stories usually result in everyone in his squad but him dying.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Less than Jack, but more than Grunt.
* UnflinchingWalk: During his loyalty mission (if you chose the Renegade path).
* WeHaveReserves: Seems to be a believer in this.
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets this from Paragon Shepard in his loyalty mission. The first is a straight-up punch to the face. [[spoiler:The second is pointing a gun at him and threatening to leave him to burn for being willing to do the same for civilian factory workers. This will actually earn his respect enough so that he'll still be loyal in the end.]]
* [[spoiler:YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Shepard can leave Zaeed to die during his loyalty mission if the player chooses. However, this requires 1) waiting until after the suicide mission to do his loyalty mission and 2) having at least two other surviving squadmates in addition to Zaeed.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Secret Characters '''SPOILERS''']]
[[WMG: Legion]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Legion_p_7020.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Organics fear us. We wish to understand, not incite.]]
->''"Having Legion around is just…begging for a rifle up your ass. Without the sweet talk."''
-->--'''Joker's description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': [[DCDouglas D.C. Douglas]]

[[MindHive 1,183 geth runtimes]], operating on a special-purpose geth mobile platform, who are [[StalkerWithACrush hunting for Shepard]], complete with integrating a chunk of his/her armor into [[PronounTrouble his/its/their]][[hottip:*:Legion uses "we," while [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Legion the Mass Effect Wiki prefers "it."]]]] body.

[[hardline]]

* AppropriatedAppellation
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: The list of infractions on Legion's profile for the WoW expy are 2 counts of "suspected use of VI play assistance" ("directed use of twenty-seven pets without the use of macros" and "reaction time better than possible for organics", respectively), 1 count of "suspected use of hacking for server access" ("tactics better than possible without knowledge of underlying code behavior") and 1 count of "unsportsmanlike behavior", which is revealed to be "taunting during Genophage Elimination Platinum"
** All of which were overturned, except for the last. Legion volunteered a 3-day suspension.
* {{Ascended Fanbo|y}}t: Implied by its inability to explain why it took a piece of Shepard's armor to repair itself. And the fact that it sorta ''blushed'' when pressed on the subject.
-->'''Legion:''' ''[[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove No data available]].''
* AttackDrone: Like Tali and Engineer Shepard.
* BadassAutomaton: Both the original inspiration for the trope article and the current page picture. It's an incredibly effective sniper, a robotic WarriorPoet, and the best synthetic video gamer in the galaxy.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: A major case of TrailersAlwaysLie made fans think Legion would be a creepy stalker obsessed with Shepard in a most unhealthy way. The obsession is debatable, but Legion comes across as very mild-mannered. Which doesn't mean it's any less {{Badass}}; it's a deadly sniper who can match ''[[WrenchWench Tali'Zorah vas Normandy]]'' as a technician.
** The awesome part? Its "obsessive stalking" seems less like a {{Yandere}} and more like a ''ShrinkingViolet!'' Result: [[CyberCyclops flashlight-headed]] MindHive becomes BadassAdorable!
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: If you pick the Renegade dialogue option that dismisses the crewmates' moral issues with reprogramming or exterminating the geth, Legion responds with:
-->'''Legion:''' No two species are identical. All must be judged by their own merits. Treating every species like ones' own is racist. Even benign anthropomorphicism.
* TheChosenOne: Legion is unique even among the Geth in that his platform has far more programs running inside it than any Geth. He was made specially to investigate organics (and Shepard).
* ClosetGeek: [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Legion Apparently quite the gamer]], and certainly a [[UltimateGamer386 very good one]].
** VideoGameCaringPotential: Refuses to kill slaves in the GrandTheftAuto {{Expy}}.
** VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Has killed 100+ quarians in the same game.
*** Although it's worth noting that the player gets an achievement for that.
* ColdSniper / FriendlySniper: It starts out as a pretty archetypal example of the [[ColdSniper cold]] trope before warming up to Shepard through conversation. Mechanical outlook aside, Legion's a pretty nice... [[PronounTrouble group of entities]].
* TheComicallySerious: notably if you take him on an accidental "infiltration" of the Citadel.
--> '''Legion:''' Geth do not infiltrate.
--> '''Security:''' You'll have to leave your personal synthetic assistant behind. They're not allowed on public transport any more.
--> ''[beat]''
--> '''Legion:''' ...Geth do not ''intentionally'' infiltrate.
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: Hilariously invoked in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC. Legion's online gaming profile indicates it has been hit with multiple infractions because it was so skilled the game designers thought it was cheating. While it later challenged and overturned those relating to superior micro-management, reaction time, and tactics, it accepted a suspension for taunting its inferior human opponents during an event.
* CreepyMonotone
-->'''Legion:''' ''Organics do not choose to fear us. It is a function of your hardware.''
* CyberCyclops: As with its whole race.
* DistinctiveAppearances: It has N7 armor grafted to his frame to make sure you don't mistake it for another geth. And a massive hole through its chest, which oddly enough doesn't really seem to bother it much.
* DoAndroidsDream: As shown in its admiration for Shepard, Legion is capable of some degree of emotion, though it doesn't really understand it. The closest thing to anger you'll see is if you side with Tali during the loyalty confrontation - otherwise it's just "Anger is an organic response. We understand the theory, but we do not experience it."
** The Shadow Broker DLC reveals that Legion has spent 75 hours playing the "Fleet and Flotilla" DatingSim. It has a score of 15 ("Hopeless"). It's capable of some level of compassion, however.
* EleventhHourRanger: If you want the best ending where ''everyone'' survives, it'll be this.
* ExpressiveMask: The plating around Legion's head/eye is articulated, allowing it to mimic organic expressions to an extent. Most likely intentional, as its platform was custom-made to interact with organics. In fact, the first time we see Legion, it's raising a FascinatingEyebrow at Shepard's unexpected appearance.
* GlassCannon: The only teammate you can equip with the Widow, but relatively fragile. Two prototype shield upgrades and a shield-boosting loyalty ability mitigate this.
** Mitigate it to the point that Legion becomes one of the most durable party members, second only to Grunt and Soldier/Sentinel Shepard. At this point he's more just 'cannon.'
* IAmLegion: It's specifically named after the quote by Shepard after it's recommended by EDI, since it refers to itself as a group of "1,183 runtimes", rather than just one "geth".
* InsistentTerminology: Shepard is always "Shepard-Commander" and any quarian is given the title "Creator-[insert name here]".
* InterfaceSpoiler: It's referred to as "Legion" in the subtitles when you meet it first. Oddly enough, when you talk to it later, it's referred to as "Geth". In addition, by the time you progress far enough to meet it, the party select screen will most likely have a single, gaping hole ''with a dossier'' in it, thus cluing the player in that there's another party member to recruit and it just might be this "Legion" fellow.
* JackOfAllStats: When fully upgraded, it becomes arguably the most useful party member in the game. Legion's powerful sniper rifle makes it a better sniper than Garrus or Thane, its tech powers are almost as good as Tali's (only his lack of an Energy Drain ability puts it at a disadvantage in that department), his fully upgraded shields plus his "Geth Shield Boost" ability gives it almost as much durability as Grunt, and the fact that it can use assault rifles makes it good in a straight up firefight, like combat characters such as Zaeed, Grunt, and Garrus. It just lacks biotics, being synthetic and all.
* {{Kuudere}}: It starts off as very logical and analytical towards Shepard, although it warms up quickly and even has a WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove moment later in its dialogue path.
* LateCharacterSyndrome: Recruiting it triggers the end game; there's only time for two more missions after that. You still have an opportunity to do missions you've missed at this time (and take him along) but it will cost you the lives of several crew members. During the final sequence, however, it's not particularly useful as there are no synthetic enemies on the Collector space station.
** However, upgrading its sniper rifle makes it an incredibly effective sniper, especially against Harbinger. Also, its shield boost turns it into a poor man's Grunt, which is nice if you're leaving Grunt behind to HoldTheLine.
** You can largely bypass this issue if you save a bunch of sidequests until after the suicide mission, and bring Legion along for those. The problem with this is that there's always very little dialogue during combat missions that aren't recruitment or loyalty related. So unless you're planning on letting your crew go milkshake, it's mostly one or the other when it comes to Legion's dialogue and combat prowess.
** You can also [[http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/105/index/1585456/4#2001802 modify your saved game]] to have it appear for squad use in the beginning of the game, after Freedom's Progress. You can get significant amounts of dialogue. It's also a potential game-breaker - you have a sniper who can easily be equiped with the Widow ("one shot, one kill" except against the toughest opponents) and has the combat drone which distracts enemies. It's entirely worth it, though.
* LostForever: If you give its deactivated body to Cerberus.
* MachineMonotone: 99% definitely. When it asks a question, its air of curiosity is palpable. If Shepard says something that implies understanding of [[BlueAndOrangeMorality geth morality]], it will show signs of happiness.
-->'''Legion:''' ''We wish to understand, not incite.''
* MathematiciansAnswer: Fond of these.
** It especially loves the "X or Y?" "Yes." kind, athough it's likely doing that on purpose.
* MindHive: Like all geth "platforms", Legion is a cluster of geth programs. It has cognitive abilities on-par with sentients because the platform they operate in was purpose-built for interaction with organic sentients, and can run around ten times more geth programs than the typical platform you frequently gun down. Specifically, Legion is host to 1,183 geth programs.
* MrExposition: Almost Legion's entire purpose in Mass Effect 2 is to provide an Infodump of how the Geth were retconned from Mass Effect 1 (it isn't even a matter of explaining vague technical data, very explicit aspects of Geth physiology from Mass Effect 1 function completely differently in Mass Effect 2). His loyalty mission may have an impact on Mass Effect 3, but that remains to be seen.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Subverted. Turns out all those geth who worked for the Reapers are a relatively small sect of the species (5%) who have been branded as heretics by the non-genocidal members. The species at large just wants to be left alone.
* NeverTrustATrailer: Legion was officially announced by the dev team in the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcZXMuY5kqk 'Enemies']] trailer, which also talked about the Collectors and geth as a whole. The impression fans took away was that of a cold, calculating, absolutely terrifying opponent with a CreepyMonotone and a firm grasp of psychological warfare. Once encountered in the game...not so much.
* NoNeedForNames: "We are all geth." Legion only adopts a name for their terminal at Shepard's insistence; it refers to itself as Legion a grand total of once, immediately afterwards:
--> '''Legion:''' ''Christian Bible, the Gospel of Mark, chapter five, verse nine. We acknowledge this as an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion, a terminal of the geth.''
** Technically, the problem was that Legion already had a name: geth. Given the geth's society, it's natural that they would be adverse to individualism. Also, Legion never uses the title to refer to itself specifically, that is, its geth runtimes, but rather it's body, the ''terminal'' of the geth.
* NotSoDifferent: A rare positive example. Post-game, Legion mentions this about the geth and Shepard, if the latter destroyed the Collector base. S/he rejected the Collector tech the same way the geth rejected Sovereign's offer.
* OneOfUs: It's a robo-VinDiesel. Check out its [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Broker_Dossiers/Legion#Gamer_Profile Gamer Profile!]]
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Entity]]: Being a robot tends to reduce strong displays of emotion, but it's telling when only two other playable members (Jacob and Tali) of your thirteen-member crew can qualify, and Tali is a borderline case.
** It's arguable whether Legion itself even counts. Oddly, on one occasion (its confrontation with Tali) if Shepard points out that him trasmitting classified Quarian data could start a war, it admits that Shepard's right. This implies it didn't think its actions all the way through, which is weird considering it's supposed to be a purely logical machine that thinks at the speed of light.
** Legion's loyalty mission makes mention that Legion requires its programs to reach consensus before it decides to act. Its plausible that the vote swung towards sending the data before Shepard [[TookAThirdOption pointed out a fair compromise]].
* OptionalPartyMember: You can sell its body to Cerberus instead of activating it.
* PronounTrouble: It's iffy on whether Legion should be referred to as a "he", an "it", or a "they", considering that Legion is made up of over a thousand geth programs that form a gestalt consciousness. Legion refers to itself as "we," although it can be hard to seperate whether it is speaking of the runtimes in the platform named Legion, or the geth species as a whole. In conversation it suggests that the distinction may be meaningless.
** Legion uses singular twice, however, when Shepard asks about geth comunication, saying it could review all its time aboard the Normandy in the time it would take Shepard to form a question. However, this could be explained as referring to its platform.
* RobotBuddy: The nicest geth you'll ever meet, if only because all the others you've met used you for target practice after skewering people on pikes.
* RogueDrone: Played with. The 1183 runtimes co-inhabit a single (very durable) combat platform and the nature of their mission makes contact with the main geth HiveMind very sparse, but they're less "rogue" and more "on a permanent deep-cover mission, maintaining radio silence at all times" due to TheReveal about the geth-heretic split.
* SlidingScaleOfRobotIntelligence: Level 4; the geth programs that comprise Legion are, together, capable of cracking just about any computer system in microseconds, and have technical skills on par with some of the best (if not ''the'' best) organic engineers in the galaxy. They're also beginning to develop emotions, though they do not fully understand them yet.
* TheSmartGuy
* StabTheScorpion: How Shepard and crew initially meet it.
* StalkerWithACrush: Played with. When asked why Legion chose a piece of Shepard's armor to fix itself (there had to be plenty of more suitable material around and a substantial hole remains), it pauses awkwardly, looks away a little and very quietly answers [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove "No data available".]]
* StopBeingStereotypical: What Legion thinks of the geth that sided with the "Old Machines".
* ThankTheMaker: An odd case. Legion is very respectful towards quarians and refers to Tali as "Creator-Tali'Zorah"; however, it is wary of them at the same time, though still willing to make amends.
--> "We are immortal. Our "gods" disowned us. We must create our own reasons to exist."
* {{Troll}}: Of the "Social Experiment" variety. If you talk to Legion it eventually reveals that they [[http://youtu.be/o-bodFaiazs do this]] (1:30 in) to provoke reactions and study organics, in this case using a fabricated story about a certain pattern of stars forming the face of a Salarian goddess when viewed from the Batarian homeworld, and a bunch of Salarians bought it until they tried to purchase colonization rights for those stars and found out they didn't exist.
* UncannyValley: Not its face, obviously (it's a flashlight, after all), but Legion has a habit of awkwardly mimicking the movements and posture of those it speaks to, particularly Shepard. The best example is the handshake Shepard offers--Legion obviously has no clue what to do and just repeats the motions. [[invoked]]
** In cutscenes it moves on the same animation skeleton as its interchangeable organic teammates, leading to some oddly human body language sometimes; use it on your vent-shaft team in the suicide mission and it somehow acts out of breath.
* UnexpectedGenreChange: Its loyalty mission turns into a TowerDefense at the climax.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Very few people (including Citadel security) react to a Geth platform following Shepard around. Anderson hand-waves that the geth are no longer "the boogeymen they used to be" and that most people are assuming it's a trophy.
* WalkingSpoiler
* WarriorPoet: About as close as a generally logical robot can get. The Legion platform was specifically designed to interface with organic species, and Legion spends a significant amount of its time attempting to explain differences between geth and organic culture to Shepard. It also seems interested in learning about organics in turn, and also meditates on how the heretic and mainstream geth became so far apart.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: All post-Horizon squadmates have hidden dialogue for earlier in the game, but Legion came off a bit worse than Tali / Thane / Samara.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: From his dossier in Lair of the Shadow Broker:
-->Fleet and Flotilla: Interactive Cross-Species [[DatingSim Relationship Simulator]]:\\
\\
"Based on the Bestselling Vid!"\\
\\
Playtime: 75 hours, 6 minutes\\
\\
Player Score: 15 (Hopeless)
** Legion will also reveal that the Geth have been keeping the Quarian homeworld clean and intact, even comparing it to a cemetery. If you ask it why, Legion will honestly not know, but will suggest that they did it out of sorrow for the whole war.
** Legion's claim to not know why he chose to repair himself with a piece of ''Shepard's'' N7 Armour. It is notable that one of Legion's primary objectives was to study Shepard, having journeyed to numerous world's in their path and the N7 Armour used was found at the Normandy crashsite. Its implied that Legion did so as a form of rememberance, possibly experiencing a sense of loss over Shepard's death which it could not rationally quantify.
* ZergRush: Its common hacking tactic is to send all 1,183 geth within it to overload a firewall, more or less a walking DDOS attacker.

----
[[WMG: Morinth]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Morinth_2251.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am the genetic destiny of the Asari!]]
->''"I was worried you were gonna dump Samara for some crazy soul-sucker with a death fetish. All lithe and sexy and...never mind."''
-->-- '''Joker's (poor, oblivious) description'''

-->'''Voiced by''': Natalia Cigliuti

An asari serial killer that Samara is hunting. She is actually Samara's daughter. You can choose to kill Samara during the climax of her quest, and by doing so you can have Morinth join you instead of her mother. The "Lair of the Shadow Broker" {{DLC}} reveals that her real name is Mirala.

[[hardline]]

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Samara tells you that Morinth is not interested in potential mates who are polite and accomodating. You need to act like a bit of a jerk to get her attention.
* AntiHero: Type V at best,
* [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Armor-Piercing Statement]]: She continually tries to psych out her mother by repeatedly mentioning that Samara was the one who gave birth to Ardat-Yakshi children.
-->'''Morinth:''' I didn't choose to be made this way...''mother''.\\
'''Samara:''' [[ShutUpHannibal ENOUGH, Morinth!]]
* TheBaroness: She is ''obsessed'' with dominating people, especially troubled artists and recluses.
->''"I love the moment you see it in your opponent's eyes: he knows you're better and he's going to die."''
''"I love any game where your opponent can believe he's about to win...just before you kill him."''
* BlackEyesOfEvil: When seducing her victims.
** All asari have black eyes when mind melding, however.
* BlackWidow: Not for money or anything, but power. Both psychic and good old-fashioned manipulation.
* BrokenAce: She is considered irresisible by anyone who meets her and Samara herself said that Morinth is her strongest and smartest daughter. She is also a match for a justicar in combat and very cunning to have evaded capture for 400 years. She is also a {{Sociopath}}.
* CharmPerson: Her "Dominate" special ability.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: If you choose to kill Samara, Morinth reveals she's quite good at imitating her mother's voice and does so for most of your missions.
* DeathBySex: Due to a bizarre genetic quirk, she burns out the nervous system of anyone she mates with, instantly killing them. This process not only gives her a boost of power and knowledge, but it's extremely addictive.
* [[DepravedBisexual Depraved Omnisexual]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Well, ''sort of''. She agrees the Collector Base should be destroyed.
** Very debatable. [[PragmaticVillainy This is more likely out of a selfish sense of self-preservation than actually being horrified but what was done to the colonists]]. She knows the Collectors and Reapers represent a threat to her, and would likely sacrifice hundreds to save herself. In fact, she has.
* EvilCounterpart: To Samara, natch.
* ForTheEvulz: Her only real motivation is pleasure.
* GlassCannon: Like Samara, Morinth can dish out a lot of damage but is rather physically weak. And unlike Samara, she doesn't get Reave to compensate for this, either.
* AGodAmI: Claims to be the "genetic destiny of the asari", despite the fact that Ardat-Yakshi cannot breed. Also, of course, the whole "setting herself as a goddess" thing she did, complete with demanding the sacrifices of daughters.
* GoryDiscretionShot: You get one when Samara makes the kill. Apparently it's so gory that even cast-iron Shepard averts his/her eyes.
* GuideDangIt: Resisting her mind control, which is required to recruit her, takes a ''very'' high Paragon or Renegade score. If you can't make the check, Shepard sides with Samara by default.
** For those who ''want'' Morinth, it's possible that you won't be able to choose her without [[http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/103/index/2338026 editing saves]], depending on the decisions you make during the game. Both the cause and solution have been explained on the official forums via [[http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/107/index/1197668/3#1429364 Word of God]]. Knowing how the system works, you could just [[SaveScumming use other methods]].
* HalfHumanHybrids: [[RuleOfThree Again]], she subverts this by being a pureblood in a society that prefers hybrids. As the pureblooded daughter of a pureblood, asari like her are the reason for the anti-pureblood stigma.
* TheHedonist: Everything she does is for her own pleasure. ''Especially'' killing.
* HornyDevils: Ardat-Yakshi means "demon of the night wind." In other words, she's a sci-fi succubus.
** According to the WordOfGod, she's a space ''vampire''. In fact, in conversations with Samara, you learn that Morinth once set herself up as a goddess on one world and was worshipped by an entire village; many vampire stories refer to entire villages being held in thrall. Most telling of all, the name of the vessel that transported Morinth from Illium to Omega is the "[[ShoutOut Demeter]]," the name of the ship that carried {{Dracula}} to England.
* [[IAmTheTrope I Am Ardat Yakshi]]
* IdenticalGrandson: If you choose to kill Samara and replace her with Morinth, the latter will reveal how she escaped from Thessia: not only is she a dead ringer for her mother, she can also ''mimic'' her almost perfectly (only Kelly and Kasumi notice any real difference).
* IronicEcho: "Embrace eternity!" It's an asari CatchPhrase for when they mind meld with another - with her, she's talking of a whole different kind of "eternity".
* [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bitch]]: How she lures her victims.
* MindOverMatter
* MoreThanMindControl: What eventually happens to her victims. They're her willing slaves until she tires of the game and kills them.
* MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: With her mother, Samara. Recruiting her will cause Morinth to kill her mother and take her place on Shepard's squad.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: She's an omnisexual mutant [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe blue-skinned]] alien sex vampire [-[[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]-]! Too bad she's also a CompleteMonster.
* NonStandardGameOver: Have sex with her. Every character thinks it's a bad idea.
* OhCrap: If Shepard resists her MindControl, which requires incredibly high rankings in either Paragon or Renegade.
-->'''Morinth:''' ''(angry)'' Oh no, I see what's going on - the bitch herself found a little helper.
* OptionalPartyMember: You can recruit her in place of Samara if you betray the Justicar during her loyalty quest.
* PatchworkKids: She is the splitting image of her mother, a fact that she has used to her advantage on more than one occasion.
* PerkyGoth: Deconstructed. When you first encounter her face-to-face she seems very amiable in an AffablyEvil, WickedCultured way, and all she seems to really care about is just 'lingering in the shadows' and '[[TheHedonist experiencing as much pleasure as possible.]]' You might even start to think that Samara is overreacting, maybe her obsession has made her delusional. Except the 'Goth' elements aren't just an act; she's really an asari sex vampire who likes to kill and MindRape people, and she wants to keep doing it.
* SchmuckBait: She's DeathBySex incarnate, and you STILL have the option to boink her. The predictable happens.
* SerialKiller: [[DeathBySex Through sex, no less.]]
* SmugSnake: Definitely exhibits this when attempting to lure in victims.
* TheSociopath: Explicitly stated in the "mission complete" overview after ending Samara's loyalty mission. It reads "Would have been useful to our team had it not been for target's sociopathic behavior".
* TokenEvilTeammate: [[CompleteMonster Oh dear Lord, yes.]]
* TheVamp
* VillainousBreakdown: Delivers a tremendous OhCrap moment when she realises that Shepard not only can resist her but was acting as bait for Samara.
* WickedCultured: As part of his/her role as bait, Shepard must take advantage of her love for exotic music, art and drugs.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Invokes this to get sympathy points, [[SubvertedTrope but it's all an act.]] [[invoked]]
* WoundedGazelleGambit
[[/folder]]

![=NPC=]s
[[folder: Normandy Crew]]
[[WMG: EDI]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edi_4801.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...[[hottip:*:That is a joke.]]]]

->''"My replies were intended to provoke, though not to cause distress. Your reactions are atypical of most humans. You are interesting."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Tricia Helfer

When the Normandy is destroyed in an ambush by the Collectors. Cerberus builds a second, twice as large and more powerful Normandy for Shepard's mission. It is now equipped with a shackled Artificial Intelligence called EDI (short for Enhanced Defense Intelligence) which runs the combat electronics.
[[hardline]]

* AIIsACrapshoot: Subverted, as EDI was built with this in mind; she only has access to the weapons systems and the communications array. Joker's still paranoid about it.
** [[spoiler: Even more subverted after her restraints are removed, as her subsequent actions show she's fully on your side -- and very pleasant! -- despite being an ''illegal AI developed from Reaper technology by a terrorist organization.'' That's some serious subverting right there.]]
* BlackBox: initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CargoShip: There are actually a few in-universe suggestions of a romance between her and Joker by Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a platonic symbiosis than hormonally-induced courtship behavior.
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
--> '''EDI:''' [[JustJokingJustification That is a joke]].
* [[spoiler:CoolStarship: When she's unshackled, she ''becomes'' the Normandy]].
* DeadpanSnarker
* ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than most examples.
* FirstNameBasis: A sign of Joker and EDI getting along is when she starts calling him 'Jeff' as opposed to 'Mr. Moreau.' Joker stops calling EDI "it" and starts calling EDI a "she". Significantly, the first time she calls him 'Jeff' is during his brief HeroicBSOD after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* JustJokingJustification: Uses this regularly, to varying degrees of effectiveness.
--> '''EDI:''' There is nothing wrong with off-duty distractions. Though [[PornStash some of your extranet bookmarks are technically illegal in council space.]]
--> '''Joker:''' Wha--?
--> '''EDI:''' That is a joke.
* [[spoiler:ImportedAlienPhlebotinum:]] [[spoiler: Cerberus incorporated recovered tech from Sovereign in her construction.]]
* ItIsDehumanizing: Joker and Shepard both refer to her this way initially. Joker's switch to using "her" is more of a plot point than Shepard's.
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees…
-->''[pause]''
-->'''EDI:''' That is a joke.
* MissionControl: EDI pulls this duty alongside Joker.
* MoralityChip: Inverted. EDI has multiple levels of programming controls that prevents her from rebelling, [[spoiler:she actually becomes even more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed.]]
* [[spoiler:{{Nakama}}: Before the Collectors attack and she is unshackled, EDI appears to be a standard A.I. whose only job is to help as necessary, but when Shepard asks if she's going to be a problem now that she's unshackled, EDI responds by saying that even if she wasn't unshackled, [those on the Normandy] are her crewmates.]]
** [[spoiler: This is hinted at prior when it is EDI that, on her own initiative, uncovered the information that suggests TIM is trying to play Shepard and the crew and reveals this to them. Now remember, EDI was designed by Cerberus and has various blocks to prevent her from revealing too much... Shepard such a MagneticHero that even AIs are swayed.]]
** And then there's this little tidbit from [[spoiler: the Shadow Broker's files: a recorded conversation between EDI and Legion where in Legion asks why she insists on verbal communication.]]
--> [[spoiler:'''EDI:''' If Normandy crew entered this room when we were communicating electronically, they would be unable to sense our interaction. To use human terms, I feel it would be rude.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Legion:''' ''You restrict yourself to serve organics?'']]\\
[[spoiler:'''EDI:''' Not precisely.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Legion:''' ''We do not understand.'']]\\
[[spoiler:'''EDI:''' [[CrowningMomentOfHeartWarming I restrict myself to help them.]]]]
* NoSenseOfHumor: To an almost amusing degree, at least according to Kasumi. Then again, she's probably right.
--> '''Shepard''': EDI isn't a crutch, Joker. I want your eyes on everything.
--> '''Joker:''' Eyes are easy, Commander. I've got eyes covered.
--> '''EDI:''' [[LiteralMinded I believe covering your eyes would be counter to Shepard's intentions.]]
--> '''Joker:''' [[BlatantLies Human intentions are tough to read.]] But keep trying, you'll get the hang of it.
* [[spoiler: PlotArmor:]] [[spoiler: Will survive the suicide mission no matter how poorly it goes for you.]]
* RestrainingBolt: Initially limited to only cyber warfare activities during battle and monitoring by Cerberus programming blocks. [[spoiler: Joker eventually undoes them.]]
* [[TheSmartGuy The Smart Gal]]: Provides helpful advice on almost all missions and is very good at what she does behind-the-scenes.
* [[spoiler:SapientShip]]
* SpaceshipGirl: At least her voice.
* {{Troll}}: Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Joker.
** Can also be read as BelligerentSexualTension; at least Shepard thinks so. Plus, it's telling that after EDI is unshackled, she stops calling Joker "Mr. Moreau" and starts calling him "Jeff". Joker in turn stops calling EDI "it" and starts calling EDI a "she".
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom.
----

[[WMG: Kelly Chambers]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kelly_3957.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:What can I say? I'm a people person.]]
->''"You have unread messages at your private terminal."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Cara Pifko

The ''Normandy'' SR-2's yeoman, a perky young woman who has plenty of respect for both Cerberus and Shepard. Romanceable, despite not being a party member.

[[hardline]]
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys[=/=]SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Depending on how you interact with her as a Male/Shep, she'll admit to one of these two after recruiting Thane.
* AnythingThatMoves: Doesn't care what race/gender her partner is, because "Passion is nice wherever you find it and intimacy brings understanding." [[{{Fanservice}} Uh-huh.]]
* BiTheWay: Kelly is very flirty, regardless of her interlocutor's gender.
* BoldlyComing: As noted, Kelly's rather... open when it comes to romance.
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:Even if she survives the suicide mission, she ends up with some pretty heavy emotional scars.]]
* EthicalSlut
* {{Fanservice}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ja3EjKOqTU#movie_player Apparently the entire point of her romance]].
* GoodBadGirl: She's a nice girl. She's can't be called 'pure' in any way whatsoever, but she's nice.
* HeroesWantRedheads
* [[spoiler:KillTheCutie: What happens if you delay in going through the Omega-4 relay.]]
* ThePollyanna: For crying out loud, she reacts to Garrus joining the crew by commenting on how she just wants to give him a hug and tell him everything will be all right. Lampshaded a little too; [[spoiler:since they obviously couldn't have a whole new set of dialogue for post-Suicide mission, if you talk to her then, she'll have a bad flashback and then happily quip "Now, back to regular Kelly! <3"]]
* SexySecretary
* ShipperOnDeck: Reportedly, in some cases she'll make some sly comments to you about you and your chosen partner if you start pursuing a romance.
** She does so even before you start pursuing anyone/regardless of [[CelibateHero whether you do at all]], stating i.e. that her female intuition tells her Tali wants to be "more than just friends" and you shouldn't be surprised if Jack comes onto you... She's a true Shipper!
** The same is true for the female Shepard romances, even though she gets a little more gossip-girl-like when remarking how Shepard and Garrus would be a cute couple or how she likes Shepard even more after admitting she finds Thane attractive. The only ones she says nothing about are Jacob and Miranda.
----

[[WMG:Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella "Gabby" Daniels]]
->''"Kenneth and I have been partners in crime since we graduated from tech academy.\\
When he got the Cerberus offer, I insisted that it include me. He'd fall apart without me."''

->''"Thanks, mum."''

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ken_p_9710.jpg]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gabby_3029.png]]
-->'''Voiced by''': John Ullyatt (Kenneth), Dannah Feinglass (Gabby)

Two of the ''Normandy'''s engineers. Also members of Cerberus, although not the evil kind. They have a snarky comment for every situation.
[[hardline]]
* BreakTheHaughty: Kenneth is awfully confident in his Skyllian-Five Poker skills, but with enough Paragon or Renegade points you can show him otherwise.
-->'''Kenneth:''' You beat me at my own game. You're all right, Shepard.
-->'''Gabby:''' It was so worth it to see you get taken down a notch.
* {{Deadpan Snarker}}s
* FieryRedhead: Ken
* GeekyTurnOn: At one point, after listening to Gabby spout some TechnoBabble about what she had to after in response to the Normandy's armour being upgraded, Ken responds lustfully "I love it when you talk dirty.".
* GreekChorus
* HonorBeforeReason: Kenneth lost his job over defending Shepard.
** Gabby quit hers to stick with Kenneth.
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple
* LovableSexManiac: Ken lusts after Miranda, Jack, Tali, and even Gabby herself at separate points (although the latter was probably just a joke).
* PlatonicLifePartners: Implied by Kasumi.
* {{Quest Giver}}s
* RedOniBlueOni: Ken and Gabby respectively.
* {{Scotireland}}: Ken's surname is more commonly Irish. His accent is Scottish and he enjoys haggis.
** In fairness, due to massive immigration into the country in the 19th century, the idea of a Scot having a surname like Donnelly is hardly unlikely. Indeed, it would be more unlikely for Donnelly's family to maintain their Irish accent and identity for over two hundred years.
* ShoutOut: Ken's Scottish accent will remind players of a certain ''StarTrek'' character.
* TechnoBabble:
-->'''Kenneth:''' I won't bore you with the tech...
-->''[several extremely technical explanations later]''
-->'''Gabby:''' Kenneth, you're boring the commander with tech.
* ThoseTwoGuys
* UndyingLoyalty: They hooked up with Cerberus because Ken refused to back down in defense of Shepard when the Alliance sold him/her out.
** Gabby also has this for Ken--she joined Cerberus strictly because he did.
* UnusualEuphemism:
-->'''Kenneth:''' We're off to kick the Collectors right in their daddy-bags.
* ViolentGlaswegian: Ken, though not so much violent as hotheaded and passionate, especially when it comes to defending Shepard.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Apparently, Ken was planned to be a 'light' (possibly Kelly Chambers-esque) romance early on in development.
* WrenchWench: Gabby.
----

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Council Space]]
[[WMG: Captain Armando Bailey]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bailey_580.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Not too old for this shit just yet.]]

->''"I'm with them [formalities] up until they keep people from doing their jobs."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Michael Hogan

A human Captain of C-Sec, he unofficially acts as a liaison during Shepard's time on the citadel. He's not big on formalities.

* AntiHero: Somewhere between a type III and IV.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Mass Effect: Inquisition, where it's revealed that [[spoiler:Bailey ended up killing Pallin while investigating him under Udina's orders. Of course, he believes that Pallin's innocent of whatever he was accused of despite evidence to the contrary.]]
* CommissionerGordon
* DaChief
* DirtyCop: A ZigZaggingTrope. Bailey is obviously crooked, as he's willing to torture suspects and makes under the table deals with thugs, but at the same time he's a actually a good person and acts as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure towards Shepard.
* GreyAndGrayMorality: Will bargain with crooks if it ultimately means it'll keep peace on the Citadel.
* {{Foil}}: Towards Executive Palin. Unlike Palin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Initially comes off as a crooked cop, but he's actually a decent guy.
** A decent guy, but still a somewhat crooked cop. He takes bribes and tortures prisoners. Not a model police officer.
*** Justified in that he sees the need to resort to illegal tactics in order to battle the Citadel's crime.
* KnightInSourArmor
* OldFashionedCopper: On your first trip to the Citadel, you overhear him encouraging a younger officer to "make [the suspect] scream a little" to extract a confession, and then offers to do it himself if she can't handle it.
* NobleBigot: Subverted. Although this trope often goes hand in hand with OldFashionedCopper, Bailey is one of the few NPC's in the series to avoid this. During Thane's quest he shows empathy towards the alien population's fear of humans, observing that many of them have lived on the station since before humanity discovered space travel. All the more impressive given that many of the C-Sec officers throughout the game are very openly speciesist, including Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: Implies that he may have been this to his kids.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* {{Retirony}}: Defied. He tells you he wants to retire to a nice place in the foothills on Earth, but then quickly adds that he won't be retiring any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
----

[[WMG: Matriarch Aethyta]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Aethyta_3981.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Sorry. My father was a Krogan.]]
-->"What can I get ya babe? Sorry, no sex. I just cleaned the bar."

-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack

An Asari Matriarch working in the Eternity bar on Illium because she had the ''blue laughed off her ass'' when suggesting her people build more mass relays. Bothered, but not too worried, about being confronted by [[ButtMonkey Conrad Verner]], and implies she would have dealt with him a lot more violently than Shepard.
[[hardline]]

* CoolOldLady: Thanks to being a DeadpanSnarker and DirtyOldWoman.
* DeadpanSnarker
* EasterEgg: [[spoiler: If you order a "mystery drink" at the kiosk, then talk to her again, her character model is of a much younger and more attractive asari.]]
* FacePalm: Her reaction to Conrad's wife paying for his ticket out.
* FlatWhat: Her reaction when Conrad says that he heard the bar is a front for dealing red sand.
* JadeColoredGlasses: She's faced a lot of crap.
* TheLadette: To be expected. Her dad was a Krogan, after all
* MrsRobinson: She flirts with Shepard quite a bit. [[spoiler:The reveal that she may actually be Liara's dad plays it even closer.]]
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Her view towards asari's hat. She believes that they should be doing more constructive things with their Maiden Years.
* OnlySaneMan: Was laughed off Thessia for suggesting that they make a serious effort to study and duplicate the Mass Relays.
* ReallyGetsAround: "You find peace in whatever arms will hold you." Apart from [[spoiler:Benezia]], the lovers she sees fit to mention are a turian, an elcor, and a [[NaughtyTentacles hanar]].
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:It is heavily implied in one of the Shadow Broker Archive videos that she is Liara's missing father. ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM1xUDuIMXI seen here]], at 1:51).]]
----

[[WMG: Detective Anaya]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anaya_p_555.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I have no interest in dying]]
->''"Good Luck."''

-->'''Voiced by''': CindyRobinson

Anaya is a cop on [[CrapsaccharineWorld Illium]] that Shepard meets when looking for Samara. She is quite helpful, since she fears to receive the order to arrest the justicar - which will mean her death.
[[hardline]]

* BullyingADragon
* ByTheBookCop
* DaChief
* DeadpanSnarker: Very much so.
-->'''Shepard:''' ''(about Samara)'' You're not going to lock her up?\\
'''Samara:''' Any attempt to put me in a [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness passive restraint system]] will be regarded as a hostile action, and I will be forced to attack.\\
'''Anaya:''' Yeah, that.
* TheFettered: Can't accept your evidence against Pitne For without Samara vouching for you.
* FriendOnTheForce: Will follow up on some of Shepard's leads if you go to her.
* HeroWorshipper: Like most Asari, is in total awe of a Justicar like Samara, even if that Justicar will [[LawfulStupid probably end up eventually killing her.]]
* HonorBeforeReason
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Orders, Right Or Wrong]]: She accepts to arrest Samara, knowing that her odds of survival are close to zero.
-->'''Anaya:''' I'm a cop and I know my duty.
* Reasonable Authority Figure
* ShoutOut: After the mission, she sends you an e-mail titled [[{{Portal}} Still Alive]]
----
[[WMG: Admiral Steven Hackett]]
[[quoteright:349:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hackett_3585.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:349:Something's come up, Commander.]]

-->'''Voiced by:''' Lance Henriksen

[[hardline]]

Commanding officer of the Alliance Navy's Fifth Fleet. Voice of authority and giver of sidequests. Often heard, but never seen in-game (until ''Mass Effect 2'''s DLC, that is).

* BigGood: A large number of the side missions in the first ''[[VideoGame/MassEffect1 Mass Effect]]'' come from him.
* TheCavalry: ''Epically'' at [[spoiler:the climax of the first game]].
* FourStarBadass
* GoodHairEvilHair: Hackett wears the classic [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Mirror Universe]] goatee and mustache combination, but he's definitely a good guy.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has a very prominent scar on his right cheek.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: As an Admiral, Hackett is naturally concerned with maintaining the law; however, following Shepard's promotion to Spectre, he has Shepard perform more "under the table" missions to maintain Alliance confidentiality.
** GuileHero[=/=]ChessMaster: Some of his missions (such as sending a Renegade!Shep to possibly assassinate Lord Darius) edges him closer to this territory.
--> "You put Darius in power, but he was getting greedy. You wanted me to kill him."
--> "The Alliance does not condone assassination. We would never give that order. Killing Darius was your decision alone - and because you're a Spectre, we couldn't reprimand you if we wanted to."
* HeyItsThatVoice: [[RedFaction Molov]], [[ModernWarfare General Shepherd]], [[Film/{{Alien}} Bishop]], [[TheTerminator Detective Vukovich]]...
* InkSuitActor: Preview pics for ''The Arrival'' DLC indicate BioWare decided to model Hackett's face off Lance Henriksen's.
* IronicEcho / MeaningfulEcho: "You've done a hell of a thing." [[hottip:*: What Hackett tells Shepard in the first game if s/he manages to save everyone in the Paragon-exclusive mission. Also what he says after Shepard [[ShootTheDog buys the galaxy some time]] in ''Arrival''.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He uses Shepard's loyalty to the Alliance to get him/her to take on some sensitive missions. However, he does at least acknowledge that s/he is doing him a favor and acts appropriately. At the end, he defers to Shepard as the (wo)man in the field, despite his much higher rank.
** In ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', [[spoiler:his dossier reveals that [[GenreSavvy he denied an Alliance desk jockey's request to have Shepard detained and interrogated for a few months due to his/her ties to Cerberus, and with style.]]]]
-->'''Hackett's entire response to a lengthy request email:''' Request denied.
** Later in the same DLC, Liara [[spoiler: reveals that Hackett was the one who gave her Shepard's dogtags, and confirmed that Shepard was still alive before they actually met, wishing Shepard well.]]
** After Shepard is forced to [[spoiler:kill 300,000 batarians, Hackett notes that he will do what he can to protect Shepard and delay any fallout that s/he will have to face as long as possible saying that s/he did what s/he did for the right reasons. He even tells him/her to keep his report because he doesn't need it to know that s/he did the right thing.]]
* ShootTheDog: A lot of his missions seem to revolve around this trope. After the events of ''Arrival'', Hackett tells Shepard that [[spoiler:'''''s/he''''' has to be (metaphorically) sacrificed to the Batarians to avoid a war, after s/he kills over 300 000 of them to blow up a mass relay the Reapers were minutes away from using]].
* ShoutOut: Named after the former [[Music/{{Genesis}} Genesis]] guitarist.
* SupportingLeader: He leads the charge against Sovereign in the final act of the first game.
* TheVoice: Until ''The Arrival''.
----

[[/folder]]


[[folder:Non-Council Space]]
[[WMG: The Quarian Admiralty Board]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/quarian_a_5446.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Keelah se'lai.]]
->''"This Conclave is brought to order..."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo (Shala'Raan vas Tonbay), Simon Templeman (Han'Gerrel vas Neema), Martin Jarvis (Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib), ClaudiaBlack (Daro'Xen vas Moreh)

The current members that govern the quarian Migrant Fleet, composed of Rael'Zorah vas Rayya, Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, Han'Gerrel vas Neema, Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib, and Daro'Xen vas Moreh. They play major roles during Tali's loyalty mission, being the judges in her trial and each member has a unique outlook on the geth/quarian conflict.

* ChekhovsGunman: Daro'Xen's interest in Rael'Zorah's research. If you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth.
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Towards the geth, understandable because of the history but Zaal'Koris is the only member who reflects on both sides of the tragedy.
* FoeYay: Admiral Xen acts a little ''too'' friendly when Legion is brought to the Flotilla, to the point where there are now more than a few fanfics shipping the two. (Referring to Legion as "''marvelous machine''" didn't help things.)
* ForScience: Daro'Xen. Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on him, freaking him out a bit.
--> '''Legion:''' ''This platform is not available for experimentation.''
* FourStarBadass: While they're all admirals, special points go to Han'Gerrel.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: All of the Admirals seemingly have the best interests of the Migrant Fleet at heart, but all of them have their vices. In rough order from lighter to darker shades of gray:
** Zaal'Koris is a JerkAss to Shepard and Tali in court, but he remains the sole admiral who wants to make peace with the Geth, believing that the other admirals are moving dangerously close to open war. Assuming Tali is acquitted and Shepard urges the Conclave to pursue peace with the Geth, Koris warms up to the duo considerably.
** Shala'Raan wants to avoid open war with the Geth and is good at keeping the other admirals in line, but the other admirals imply that she's rather low-key about her own opinion and generally goes along with the majority side.
** Han'Gerrel is a friendly and honorable man, but he believes total war against the Geth, even with evidence they're not brainless murdering machines and that the Geth who sided with the Reapers are heretics, is the only solution to reclaim the Quarian homeworld.
** Rael'Zorah seemed to have been a strict officer and a clever fighter, but remained distant from his daughter Tali, though he still loves her dearly. Based on spoken dialogue from the other four admirals, Rael seemed to share Gerrel's opinion in driving the geth out of their homeworld. [[spoiler:To that end, Zorah deliberately reprogrammed captured or dismantled geth to perform experiments, in an effort to successfully hack their neural network. By experimenting on active geth, Rael not only violated sacred laws that predated the quarians' flight from the homeworld, but also endangered the safety of the entire Migrant Fleet, especially once the geth went rogue, killing off Rael himself and his assistants shortly thereafter.]]
** Daro'Xen wants to find a method to reclaim the homeworld with a minimum of bloodshed on either side... by [[MindRape mind raping]] the Geth back into slavery, and Tali's responses to Xen's dialogue suggest that Xen has a MadScientist or [[AGodAmI god]] complex.
* {{Jerkass}}: Zaal'Koris, ironically being the [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure rational one]] when dealing with the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Zaal'Koris. In addition to his desire to seek peace with the geth, he makes it clear that he has nothing personal against Tali and respects her greatly. If you ask him about the admiral's infighting after the first part of the trial, he'll apologize for letting it interfere with the proceedings. After you get Tali off, he'll thank Shepard for being there for her when the Admiralty board wasn't. Yeah, he's kind of a dick, but underneath it all he's a genuinely good person.
* {{Manipulative Bastard}}s: The trial isn't about whether Tali really did endanger the Flotilla, but what course should the Quarians take concerning the geth. Tali just got caught in the crossfire.
* NiceGuy: Han'Gerrel, which is ironic because while he initally comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, he also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the Geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}s: Varies from admiral to admiral, depending on how you define "reasonable." Zaal'Koris is the only one sane enough to consistently try suggesting negotiating with the geth, but he's a complete {{jerkass}} who seems more than willing to let Tali take the fall for her father's mistakes if it proves his point. Han'Gerrel is friendly, funny, and a good ally to Tali's family during the trial, but he seeks a war with the geth that the quarians would almost certainly lose. Xen can plainly see what the true motive behind the trial is, but also is dangerously close to forgetting history and repeating it with her designs on the Geth.
* SinsOfOurFathers
* StealthPun: Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib occasionally considers transfers to the Deferens, or the Ichtomy.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Daro'Xen plans to exploit Rael'Zorah's research to restore the glory of her race.
* {{What Measure Is A Non|human}}quarian?: Daro'Xen explains that the geth were created as a labor force and are just tools, even if they have since gained sapience.
* YoureInsane : Tali outright says this to Daro'Xen, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
----



[[WMG:Kal'Reegar]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Reegar_7248.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Can't really comment on that, ma'am. I just shoot things.]]

->''"The geth might get me, but I'm not gonna die from an infection in the middle of a battle. That's just '''insulting'''!"''

-->'''Voiced by''': AdamBaldwin

A quarian marine who is assigned to protect Tali in Mass Effect 2.

[[hardline]]

* BadassNormal: No known genetic mods, not a member of a species with extreme physical advantages over humans, and yet he successfully distracts an entire geth squad, including one of their walking tanks.
* CharacterWitness: During Tali's trial, along with Veetor. But only if he survives and Shepard chooses to "Rally The Crowd".
* CulturedWarrior: Implied by some of his throwaway comments; Kal's tactical knowledge can be very useful when trying to navigate the last part of [[ThatOneLevel Tali's recruitment mission]], and if [[spoiler:he survives Tali's recruitment mission, he displays quite a bit of knowledge of the political machinations involved in Tali's trial in her loyalty mission.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:He offers to distract a Geth Colossus with a rocket launcher. Shepard can save him either by refusing to let him do it or by destroying the Colossus before it kills Reegar.]]
* HiddenDepths
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet, Right or Wrong]]: He thinks that the quarian fleet shouldn't go to war with the geth; nevertheless, he states that as a soldier he will follow any given order.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Insists he's "just a soldier," and he "just shoots things". However, he's smart enough to conclude that attacking the Geth for the homeworld would be suicidal, and also that Tali withheld evidence at her trial if the Player chooses uses the karma system or the "Rally the Crowd" to exonerate Tali.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Glad they're off your back ma'am, and that you didn't have to give 'em that evidence you found on the Alarei.\\
'''Tali:''' ...I didn't ''say'' anything about finding evidence, Kal.\\
'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* OneSceneWonder
----

[[WMG:Aria T'Loak]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aria_p_4368.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I ''am'' Omega.]]
->"''Don't. '''[[PrecisionFStrike Fuck]]'''. With Aria.''"

-->'''Voiced by''': Carrie-Anne Moss

The closest thing [[WretchedHive Omega]] has to a ruler[[hottip:*:Queen, if you're feeling dramatic]], Aria and her forces maintain what passes for order on the station. Not to be fucked with.

[[hardline]]
* AntiHero: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Either Type IV or V]] from what you see of her; she's a crime boss whose crimes are AllThereInTheManual, and she allows all manner of crime and misery on her station short of [[spoiler:Collector slaving]].
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: She's been in charge of Omega for centuries by making sure people know you [[PrecisionFStrike Don't Fuck]] [[MemeticMutation With Aria]].
* {{Badass}}: In her backstory, she beats a Krogan Battlemaster to a pulp. In-game, all she needs is that voice and her attitude to keep the position even without doing any fighting.
* ADayInTheLimelight: She gets a short comic series from her perspective on Omega, ''Mass Effect: Incursion''.
** Set to star in another 4 issue series called ''Mass Effect: Invasion''.
* TheDon
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Think that Aria'd be okay with [[spoiler:Collector deals]] on her station if it doesn't bother her? [[spoiler:[[http://media.comics.ign.com/media/056/056597/img_7844425.html Think again.]]]]
** Also, when told that an Ardat-Yakshi's in Omega, Aria is quick to point Shepard to the right direction. On the other hand, this may just be because she likes Shepard (and doesn't want a justicar making a scene); she comments that it doesn't matter to her so long as the Ardat-Yakshi doesn't try to seduce ''her''.
* EvilIsStylish
* FemmeFatale
* IAmTheTrope:
-->'''Shepard:''' You run Omega?\\
'''Aria:''' (chuckles, steps towards the balcony) I ''am'' Omega!
* IronLady: Anybody who can keep power in [[WretchedHive Omega]] for centuries is not to be taken lightly.
* LargeHam: While not as on the same level as Harbinger, Aria is quite hammy for someone played by Carrie-Ann Moss.
* MamaBear:
** In ''[[{{MassEffect/Retribution}} Mass Effect: Retribution]]'' she believes that [[spoiler:Grayson killed her daughter Liselle]]. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:this made her fall right into Cerberus' plans, since it was actually Kai Leng.]]
** MamaBear: Aria to [[spoiler:Anto, her assistant]] in Mass Effect: Invasion. Tagline: She'll go to any length... To protect what's hers.
*** Although that tagline is actually referring to [[spoiler:Omega]].
* NobleDemon
* NotSoHarmless: When she first came to Omega, Patriarch thought she was just another dancer. After crushing a few of his organs and breaking half of his bones, she's been ruling Omega for centuries.
* PrecisionFStrike: "Omega has no titled ruler, and only one rule. Don't ''fuck'' with Aria."
** "[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean I like it. Easy to remember.]]"
* TheStarscream: Became this towards the former ruler of Omega, who she later made her [[TheDragon Dragon]].
* TattooedCrook
* WorthyOpponent: She admits that she has a certain level of respect for the "Patriarch."
----

[[WMG: Urz]]
A prize-fighting varren on Tuchanka. Urz will follow the player around in the area he is located in after being fed, Urz will even take part in the pit-fights run by the krogan.

[[hardline]]
* [[BigFriendlyDog Big Friendly Varren]]
* OneSceneWonder
* PaletteSwap
* RetiredBadass: Is actually a former pit-fight champion.
* TeamPet: on Tuchanka
[[/folder]]

!Antagonists
[[folder: Main]]
[[WMG: Harbinger]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harbinger_769.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: WE ARE THE HARBINGER OF YOUR PERFECTION.]]
->''"'''ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.'''"''

-->'''Voiced by''': KeithSzarabajka

The name for Collector drones possessed by the General, a process that turns them from flunkies into killing machines. [[spoiler: Actually the name of the Reaper in charge of the Collectors.]]

[[hardline]]
* BadassBoast: '''"I WILL SHOW YOU TRUE POWER."''' '''"THIS IS WHAT YOU FACE."''' and many, many more
** You can listen to it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re9C1-CdKUE here]], at the 58 second mark.
--->'''Harbinger:''' Human, you've changed nothing. Your species has the attention of those infinitely your greater. That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction.\\
'''Harbinger:''' {{You have failed|Me}}... we will find another way! Releasing control.
* [[spoiler:BigBad: Main antagonist for the main storyline of the second game, controlling the actions of his surrogates in much the same way as Sovereign did. ]]
* BossInMookClothing: Taken very literally. He himself doesn't appear in person, but [[DemonicPossession takes over]] regular {{Mooks}}, but once he's there, the particular Mook he takes over becomes a hyper-powered biotic killing machine. What's more, it doesn't take a lot out of him, so even if you beat his host, he just possesses one of it's buddies.
* CatchPhrase: "'''ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL'''" and all variations thereupon.
* [[PeoplePuppets Collector Puppets]]
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: Think you're safely in cover? Think again. He can knock you out of it at will.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Nearly won several times both in and before the game. Shepard and Co. only survive one particularly devastating assault through sheer luck.
** To be clear on how DangerouslyGenreSavvy Harbinger is he [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim attacked and destroyed the Normandy with as much overwhelming force as he could muster, short of showing up personally, at the first opportunity]]. He was perfectly content to let his minions do his work for him while not risking himself at all. And he wanted [[NeverFoundTheBody undeniable proof]] that Shepard was dead before he assumed that everything was [[IncrediblyLamePun under control]].
** [[spoiler:He also uses the Reaper IFF virus to home in on the Normandy's location and capture the entire crew. He didn't get Shepard but he was DAMN close.]]
** Its worth noting that Harbinger clearly recognises that Sovereign made a ''lot'' of mistakes out of sheer overconfidence, being unable to recognise that Shepard began to pose a legitimate threat to their plans and that s/he should have been eliminated swiftly. While Sovereign viewed Shepard as a mere insect beneath their notice, Harbinger actually took the time to ''learn Shepard's name'', made it a top priority to eliminate Shepard and may even have given a BackhandedCompliment when they noted that Shepard had become "''[[WorthyOpponent an annoyance]]''".
* DemonicPossession: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* EvilGloating: Less so than Sovereign, but still.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Almost on par with [[spoiler: Sovereign.]]
* FantasticRacism: Sort of. He's very interested in humanity in general and Shepard in particular, but makes dismissive comments about any non-human party members and their species.
** [[ItGetsWorse It's a lot worse]] when you find out the reasons [[spoiler:why their species weren't picked to be made into reaper babies.]] The drell and krogan were dismissed out of hand due to lack of numbers, while the quarians were actually considered due to their aptitude for cybernetics.
* FightingAShadow: His favorite tactic.
** '''"YOU ONLY DAMAGE THE VESSEL, YOU CANNOT HURT ME."'''
* HeroKiller: After humanity proved itself a threat, he sent the Collectors to target them specifically.
** Even moreso as [[spoiler:under his direction, the Collectors kill Shepard. [[IGotBetter S/he got better]].]]
** In actual gameplay, whenever he gets on the screen and you're on a higher difficulty, wave goodbye to your squadmates. Their AI tend to make them hide behind cover while periodically popping out and shooting, which doesn't work so well when Harbinger has the ability to knock them out at will while at the same time setting them on fire. Also, half the squad powers don't even hurt him because he has armor instead of health.
* ImplacableMan: '''"I WILL FIND YOU AGAIN."'''
* IncomingHam: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* IShallTauntYou: He is a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaRdcVYTjRw very verbal]] son of a bitch.
* LargeHam: Harbinger doesn't emote that much, but his ''lines'' on the other hand...
* ManBehindTheMan: The first time you fight the Collectors, you'll be shown the Collector General possessing lower ranking minions. [[spoiler: At the end of the game, when the Collector General dies, you see the actual Reaper, Harbinger.]]
* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler: It's the spokes-monster of the Reaper fleet, and claims that the ''real'' war is coming all too soon.]]
* MindOverMatter
* PowersViaPossession: He can apparently force this upon those he controls. Includes heavy shield/armor upgrades and biotic-singularity-throwing as a package deal.
* RecurringBoss: Every time a Collector level rolls around, you'll encounter him again. And again. And again. [[DemonicSpider And again...]]
* ResistanceIsFutile: '''"YOU CANNOT RESIST."''' '''"WHY DO YOU RESIST US, SHEPARD?"''' '''"EVOLUTION CANNOT BE STOPPED."''' And so on.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:He's a Reaper and the ManBehindTheMan]].
* [[spoiler:SapientShip]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: It's Har'''binger'''. Not Har'''bringer'''. There is no R in the middle.
* TransformationIsAFreeAction: Averted. His TransformationSequence is several seconds long and he doesn't do anything else in the meantime. Since the sequence causes him to briefly rise into the air and out of cover, this is always the best time to attack him.
* TransformationSequence
* TheUnfought: Not counting the innumerable fights with possessed Collectors, you never directly confront Harbinger.
* VillainOverride: '''I WILL DIRECT THIS PERSONALLY.'''
* WeHaveReserves: '''"KILL ONE AND ONE HUNDRED WILL REPLACE IT."'''
** '''"LEAVE THE DEAD WHERE THEY FALL"'''
** (after having its current vessel destroyed) '''"THIS FORM IS IRRELEVANT."'''
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Has his Collector goons simply destroy the ''Normandy'' and kill Shepard in the first ten minutes of the game. [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy No drama, no gloating, just surprise and overwhelming firepower]]. [[BatmanGambit Of course, there's not really much of a way that Harbinger could have seen his/her resurrection by Cerberus coming...]]
** To be completely fair [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy Harbinger has clearly read]] the EvilOverlordList as he attempted to verify Shepard's demise when he attempted to buy Shepard's body from the Shadow Broker. It didn't pan out, but he wanted proof and [[NeverFoundTheBody didn't just assume Shepard was dead]].
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:"You have failed. We will find another way."]]
----

[[WMG: The Collector General]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/collector_gen_320.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:HUMAN, YOU'VE CHANGED NOTHING.]]

-> ''"'''You pretend to be everywhere at once. I already am.'''"''

-->'''Voiced by''': KeithSzarabajka

A special Collector that leads and coordinates the Collectors as a whole. Offering lucrative technological rewards in exchange for live test subjects, amongst the beings he's successfully retrieved were two dozen left-handed salarians, sixteen sets of batarian twins, a krogan born of parents from feuding clans, and two dozen quarians that never left the Migrant Fleet, but nobody knows what happens to the individuals concerned after the exchange is completed.

In addition, the General appears interested in human biotics, as well as Shepard in particular and the human race in general. Just as Saren used Husks to support his army of geth, the General also uses Husks to support his Collectors in a battle, but with three new types: Abominations (suicide runners), Scions (long-range bazooka men) and Praetorians (crab-like bosses).

The General appears to be the leader of the Collectors, using his drones as intermediaries to make contacts in the seedy criminal underbelly of the Terminus system. His most notable accomplishments include sending Golo to capture Paul and Gillian Grayson in ''Ascension'', ordering the Collector Cruiser to destroy the Normandy and murder Commander Shepard in the prologue of Mass Effect 2, consorting with the Shadow Broker to acquire Shepard's body in ''Redemption'', and ordering his drones to personally kidnap entire colonies of humans throughout the rest of the second game.

Apart from a brief holographic image appearing in Joker's cockpit and a possible encounter with him on ''Arrival'', you never confront the General face-to-face, but you hear his taunts ''constantly'', and he possesses various Collectors to fight you off. [[spoiler: Turns out to be just another puppet and TheDragon of Harbinger]].

[[hardline]]
* AndIMustScream: What happens to the beings that he's received, including the abducted human colonists.
** This also happens to be [[spoiler:the very reason why he even exists]].
* [[spoiler:BaitAndSwitchBoss]]
* BigBad: [[spoiler:Seems to be this at first, but he turns out to be TheDragon.]]
* [[spoiler:TheDragon: To Harbinger, being used as a mouthpiece.]]
* EyeLightsOut: Just before he dies [[spoiler:because Harbinger has abandoned him]].
* [[spoiler:MouthOfSauron: An unusual case, in that we never meet the mouth in person either.]]
* RedHerring: [[spoiler:He's not the real villain, just a vessel Harbinger uses, and he was under Harbinger's control for 99% of his life.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:He's TheDragon]].
* ShoutOut: He looks an awful lot like [[{{Babylon5}} a member of another race of]] AbusivePrecursors.
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought]]
* TragicVillain: [[spoiler: Since he was just being controlled by Harbinger the entire time.]]
----

[[WMG: Dr. Amanda Kenson]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kenson_1973.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:They're coming.]]

->''"Only a small fraction of the mass effect relays date back 50,000 years. The majority are far older, indicating they were created by a species predating even the Protheans."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Victoria Gay

An old friend of Admiral Hackett, Dr. Kenson sent a shockwave through the galactic community by publishing research that proved the Mass Relays pre-dated the Prothean civilization. She is later incarcerated by the batarians who claim they stopped her from committing terrorist acts. [[spoiler:Turns out they were half right since, although she had planned to smash an asteroid into the Alpha Relay, it was to prevent the Reapers from using it as a springboard when they arrived. Unfortunately, by the time Shepard frees her, she had already been indoctrinated and will now do everything in her power to stop Shepard from interfering with her masters' plan]].
* AdventurerArchaeologist
* BadassBookworm: Not as badass as other examples in the series (she prefers to have her men fight for her), but she's decent in a fight and hardly someone you want to cross.
* [[spoiler:BrainwashedAndCrazy]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]
* DeepCoverAgent
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide: She blows herself up when a Paragon Shepard finally corners her and tries to talk her down. A Renegade action simply shoots her, but she's already pulled the pin.]]
* [[spoiler: TheDragon: To Harbinger, as Saren was to Sovereign.]]
* EarlyBirdCameo: First appeared in Cerberus Daily News, revealing to the galaxy her findings that the mass relays were not made by Protheans.
* EscortMission
* [[spoiler: FallenHero]]
* GuestStarPartyMember
* MoralMyopia: [[spoiler:When Shepard activates the [[ColonyDrop Project]], Kenson immeadietly calls out Shepard for what s/he's done. Not because Shepard's actions will kill thousands of innocent people, but because it would kill Kenson's crew and prevent Kenson from seeing the Reaper's arrival. This is, of course, a side-effect of getting Indoctrinated.]]
* [[spoiler:TakingYouWithMe: She tries to do this when she blows herself up, but Shepard survives the explosion.]]
* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Yes, let's put the indoctrinating Reaper artifact out in the open, with no attempts to contain it.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Played with. [[spoiler:Her initial plan to stop the Reapers would have killed thousands of innocent people. However, she dropped the plan after becoming indoctrinated, realizing it to be horrible, but for the wrong reasons.]]
----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Secondary]]
[[WMG: The Illusive Man, AKA [[spoiler:Jack Harper]]]]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Illusive_Man_7842.bmp
[[caption-width:215:The patterns are there, buried in the data.]]

-->''"Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek to accomplish."''

-->'''Voiced by:''' MartinSheen

The enigmatic leader of Cerberus. He seeks to protect humanity, regardless of the cost. He gets Shepard to investigate the disappearance of human colonies. He is the protagonist of the tie-in comic ''Mass Effect: Evolution'' [[spoiler:where it's revealed that his real name is Jack Harper, and he got his start by fighting the turians on Shanxi, and his eyes were damaged when he encountered a Reaper artifact on the planet during the struggle.]]

[[hardline]]

* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: At the start of the game, anyway.]]
* AppropriatedAppellation: His anti alien manifesto was derided by Alliance command after first contact as "survivalist rhetoric written by an illusive man". He kinda rolled with it.
* {{Badass}}: If [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect:_Evolution this]] prequel comic is any indication, old Mr. Illusive was quite the soldier. He's probably more of a RetiredBadass now.
* BatmanGambit: His plan to revive Shepard as-is through the Lazarus project is one of these, and it is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] at the beginning of the game by Miranda. [[spoiler:His gambit pays off big in the Renegade ending, but he winds up [[HoistByHisOwnPetard hoisted by his own petard]] in the Paragon ending and undergoes a VillainousBreakdown.]]
* BenevolentBoss: He will do everything in his power to help out his subordinates...so long as they remain loyal and useful.
** BadBoss: Just don't betray him. Just ask [[spoiler:Paul Grayson, who gets Reaper technology implanted into him.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* TheCasanova: His dossier in the Shadow Broker {{DLC}} reveals this.
-->Sexual liaisons (past week):\\
Sani Shelani, Illium Entertainment's Sexiest Human Alive\\
Brooke Karrigar, Skyball Champion\\
Vela Vicious, Fornax Dream Girl 2185\\
Staci and Stephi Strong, the "[[TwinThreesomeFantasy Terra Firma Twins]]"\\
[[BoldlyComing Matriarch Trellani]] (twice)
* TheChessmaster: He pretty much ''is'' Cerberus, ensuring to be personally involved in all of their operations. Considering how intricate and far reaching their influence is, that's a lot of pawns.
** He also successfully manipulates the galaxy's most skilled soldier into working with him by making it so s/he really had absolutely no choice in the matter, completely boxing him/her in. Add on the fact that for almost the entire game, he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
* ConsummateLiar: One of the few people capable of successfully lying to Aria's face.
* ContemplativeBoss: He spends an awful lot of time staring at that star.
* CunningLinguist: Apparently can speak the asari and turian dialects unaided by universal translator, although this is apparently because of [[spoiler:the Reaper tech he was implanted with.]]
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* ElectronicEyes
* EmpathicEnvironment: His office. [[spoiler:If Shepard is a Paragon, the star will turn blue. Otherwise (i.e., Renegade) it will turn red.]]
* EnemyMine: ''Mass Effect 2'' revolves around an uneasy alliance between him and Shepard. Previously, he had one with Liara to secure Shepard's body from the Shadow Broker.
** He seems to consider cooperating with non-humans as this kind of arrangement. Which is ironic considering that he saved the turians from enslavement.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: The Cerberus facility that created Jack was actually a rogue facility outside his approval, and he ordered ''all'' of the surviving scientists from the project executed once he learned precisely what they were doing. Furthermore, his e-mail responses to the aftermath of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] (especially the Paragon ending) give further credence to this theory.
** AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: He's just saying that because it went to crap and he's attempting plausible deniability. This is Illusive Man we're talking about. Had those projects not failed spectacularly, you'd be damn sure he'd reap the bounties.
*** His e-mail response to a Renegade ending is that he didn't know what was being done at the facility, but he was glad that Shepard managed to see the bigger picture, writing that "that's why [he] brought [Shepard] back". It seems like the Illusive Man takes what he can get: if he can reap the fruits of his projects, all the better, but if not, at least he gets to keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
* AffablyEvil: To Paragon players. According to ''Retribution'', this is a facade he uses to make it difficult to tell when he's lying.
** If Shepard dies he seems genuinely remorseful in private, regardless of what s\he did to the Collector base.
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FaceHeelTurn: In ''Mass Effect 3'' he and his organization have aligned themselves with the Reapers.
* FantasticRacism: Sort of; at the same time he does express respect for the achievements of others, and he did save the turians from being enslaved by Desolas.
* {{Fiction 500}}: He was able to get a multi-billion credit project to ''bring a person back from the dead'' together on fairly short notice. And build an improved version of the most advanced, experimental starship in the galaxy while he was at it. And this didn't really impede any of his other operations.
** Although it is mentioned that the huge price of bringing Shepard back was offset by the valuable medical data obtained through the process.
** [[spoiler:Un-shackled EDI explains that Cerberus owns the companies that built the first ''Normandy''. They likely still have the resources and technology involved.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare: It's mentioned that he was once an average man with a family.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: [[spoiler:Even if you've finished the game depriving him of Reaper tech, he'll still go out of his way to get Kasumi in your team even though they've already finished their mission. The same goes for the Overlord mission, begging the question of why he'd request your aid in stopping his project after you blew up the Collector Base. In addition, you still get Cerberus funding when completing missions.]]
* [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking Evil Smoking]]: We ''never'' see him without a cigarette.
** Made fun of in the Shadow Broker DLC: He smokes at least four a day and has seven drinks a day.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: He's trying to make humanity dominant in the galaxy. Beyond that, not even Miranda, his most loyal agent, has any idea what he wants.
* IAmTheTrope: [[spoiler:''[[VillainousBreakdown CERBERUS]] '''[[VillainousBreakdown IS]]''' [[VillainousBreakdown HUMANITY!]]'']]
* InkSuitActor: He resembles Martin Sheen. It's also fairly obvious that [[http://images.wikia.com/masseffect/images/a/a4/Codex_Illusive_Man.png the photo of him in the codex]] is a photoshopped picture of a younger Sheen.
* ItsAllAboutMe: "Cerberus ''is'' humanity!"
* KnightTemplar: He believes that everything he does will be justified later on.
* TheMan: Shades of this: always shown in dim light, smoking a cigarette, a very rich and powerful fellow manipulating events from the shadows.
* ManipulativeBastard: Although he is not as manipulative as he wants to think, what with trying (and failing) to persuade Paragon Shepard to [[spoiler:save the Collector base.]]
* MeaningfulName: Everything, ''everything'' related to this man is covered in layers upon layers of meticulously planned deception.
* MysteriousEmployer: None of his subordinates know anything about him and the smart ones know better than to attempt to rectify that. In fact, many who work under his agents have no idea they're following his orders.
** Doubles as a MysteriousBacker in general.
* PragmaticVillainy: He complies with his employees' requests and is willing to work with aliens so long as it suits his goals.
* PsychoticSmirk: [[spoiler:Give him the Collector base at the end of the game, and he'll have a rather creepy one of these.]]
* PunnyName: [[FanNickname Some]] [[SomeCallMeTim call him]] [[FunWithAcronyms TIM]].
* RedRightHand: Creepy, synthetic, glowing eyeballs.
* ShutUpHannibal: [[spoiler:What Paragon Shepard does to him after destroying the Collector base. Bonus points for Miranda doing it too, when asked to convince him/her not to do it. Extra bonus points for "Shut up" being the actual dialogue option that shows up on screen. As of ''Mass Effect 3'', Cerberus is after Shepard now.]]
** [[spoiler:Miranda, if loyal, will give her own Shut Up, Hannibal! as well.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor...flaps a bit.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* UngratefulBastard: It has already been revealed that Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether you [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not.]]
** Justified: [[spoiler:Cerberus has been indoctrinated by the Reapers.]]
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: See the above quote. In this case, utopia = human dominance.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:If you destroy the Collector base]]. He doesn't rant and rave, but he's clearly ''not pleased'' that [[spoiler:Shepard basically gave him the middle finger and told him they're doing things Shepard's way from now on, or he can sod off]].
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* YouFailHistoryForever / SomewhereAPalaeontologistIsCrying: He describes the 37 million year old [[spoiler: derelict Reaper]] as "A relic from a battle that took place when the mammals were taking their first steps on Earth." [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammal_evolution#The_earliest_true_mammals Really, TIM?]]
** Though accuracy wasn't important to what he was saying.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Though the "well-intentioned" part of it is entirely down to whether you agree with his notion - as some players inevitably do - that humanity has every right to crush the rest of the civilized galaxy under its collective foot and take charge.
* WickedCultured
----

[[WMG: The Overlord [[spoiler:David Archer]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/overlord_5768.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:MAKE IT STOP!]]

-->'''Voiced by''': Jesse Gervais

"Project Overlord," is a Cerberus program whose goal is to control the Geth by [[BrainUploading uploading a person's mind into a VI]]. Unfortunately, the VI has gone haywire and went on a rampage to escape. [[spoiler:The Overlord's true identity is David Archer, an autistic savant who was forced into the program by his brother.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot
* [[spoiler: AntiVillain]]
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:But he is screaming. '''''QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!''''']]
* BigBadEnsemble: With Harbinger and the Shadow Broker in the second game, but never met either, and was specifically the main antagonist for his own DLC, which you can perchase from the Cerberus Network.
* BrainUploading
* [[spoiler:BreakTheCutie: My ''[[HighOctaneNightmareFuel god]].'']]
* CatchPhrase: "Square root of nine hundred six point oh one is thirty point one... [[LastNoteNightmare and it all seemed harmless]]." Also, [[spoiler: '''''[[AndIMustScream QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!]]''''']]
* ContagiousAI: Infects and controls an army of geth.
* DigitizedHacker: As a VI, he can interface with any electronic device. It's noted that if he ever escaped his facility, he could cause a "technological apocalypse."
* GoneHorriblyWrong [[spoiler:"It all seemed harmless..."]]
* [[spoiler:TheRainman: He is extremely good with numbers, to the point where he can communicate with the Geth (who use math as their language). This is the reason why he was selected for the project.]]
* MachineWorship: The purpose of the project was to get the Geth to see him as a sort of god-figure, letting him control them.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler:Only what it looks like. He's actually trying to cry for help, but he's so broken it doesn't work out.]]
* StartOfDarkness: Before you finally face him, The Overlord shows you his origin.
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]
* TheUnintelligible: While some of what he says is just noise, he also speaks heavily garbled sentences that become clearer over time. If you know what he's saying, you'll be able to understand him: [[spoiler:'''''[[AndIMustScream QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!]]''''']].
----

[[WMG: Doctor Gavin Archer]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/archer_3656.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Even amid chaos there are lessons to be learned.]]
->[[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans "If my work can spare a million mothers from having to mourn a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."]]

-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman

A Cerberus researcher that was in charge of Project Overlord, a Cerberus project designed to find a way to communicate with and fully control the Geth in an attempt to prevent a possible second war with them by linking a human mind to the Geth HiveMind via a VI. His younger brother, David, volunteered for the project, but the VI went rogue, leading to disaster.

[[spoiler:At the end, its revealed that his brother didn't volunteer at all, ''he forced his own brother, against his will, to take part in the experiment'', despite knowing full well how horrific and traumatizing it would be on him.]]

[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler: CrocodileTears: A variation. He makes a seemingly heartfelt plea for Shepard to let him become TheAtoner and take care of David. If Shepard says no, it slips very quickly and he shouts "No! He's too valuable!" and tries to shoot Shepard.]]
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini: Even in the Paragon ending.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard was well deserved.]]
* [[spoiler:PistolWhipping: Delivered to him by Paragon Shepard.]]
* [[spoiler:ShootTheShaggyDog: His project turns into this. Almost everyone associated with the project killed. Legion reveals the majority of the Geth have no interest in another war, and Legion himself is perfecly happy to communicate voluntarily with humans. So in the end all the shit Archer put his brother through was pointless.]] This is especially evident if you play the mission ''after'' recruiting [[spoiler:Legion]].
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
----

[[WMG: Tela Vasir]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vasir_6747.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Ilium is just Omega with expensive shoes.]]

-->'''Voiced by''': Jessica Anne Bogart

An Asari Spectre introduced in "''Lair of the Shadow Broker''" who is handling the cases of the Shadow Broker's attempted assassination of Liara T'soni. She joins Shepard in his/her effort to track down Liara after she was attacked in her home. [[spoiler:She's secretly working for the Shadow Broker and was assigned to kill Liara.]]

[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler: AntiVillain]]
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: She's a Spectre ''for a reason''.
* {{Badass}}: She's a Spectre. It's a job requierment. [[spoiler: She beats ''Shepard'' in a mid-air wrestle]].
* DeadpanSnarker
* {{Determinator}}
* [[spoiler:TheDragon: To the Shadow Broker, being his best fighter. A Spectre herself, Vasir justifies it by saying that her working for the Shadow Broker isn't any different from Shepard working with the Illusive Man.]]
* EarlyBirdCameo: She was mentioned in the CerberusDailyNews in February and July 2010.
* [[spoiler:EvilCounterpart: To Commander Shepard, particularly a Paragon. Dips into NotSoDifferent territory as well.]]
* FantasticRacism: [[spoiler:Towards "Purebloods."]]
* FoeTossingCharge: Most players were taken by surprise by her special talent. [[spoiler:Vanguards snapped out of it quicker than others and went "Hey! I can do that too!" Cue Charge spam.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:[[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Cerberus_Daily_News_-_July_2010#07.2F21.2F2010_-_Over_200_Alleged_Slavers_Arrested_on_Nasurn This]] Cerberus Daily News update provides a good dose of it in retrospect- so where exactly did Vasir get this "good intel," anyway?]]
* GreyAndGreyMorality: She's a Spectre; it comes with the territory. It's also what makes her [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk and WhatTheHellHero speeches]] all the more poignant.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: [[spoiler:In an attempt to kill Liara, she bombs an entire building killing many innocents.]]
* [[ImplacableMan Implacable Woman]]: [[spoiler:Thrown off a ledge, crashed a flying car at great speed, bleeds across a building, takes a metal table to the face and still provides a tough boss fight.]]
* LightningBruiser: Thanks to her [[spoiler:charge spam.]]
* MadeOfIron: Gets hit with a lot of attacks, but almost never shows up with a visible injury. Also probably the toughest boss fight in the entire game, partly due to the fact she charges around quickly and has 2 layers of crazy tough protection.
* MagicKnight: Comes with being a biotic. Her special ability makes her especially stand out from other examples in Mass Effect.
* MindOverMatter
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* [[spoiler:NotSoDifferent: Picture Renegade female Shepard as an asari, working for the Shadow Broker instead of the Illusive Man; ''that's'' Tela Vasir in a nutshell.]]
* [[spoiler:PoliticallyIncorrectVillain:]] [[spoiler:Just to make sure we know she's a villain, she calls Liara a "[[HalfHumanHybrids pureblood]] [[FantasticRacism bitch]]" before making another attempt to kill her. Remember that Liara says in the first game that no asari would be cruel enough to call her a pureblood to her face.]]
* ShootTheHostage: Discussed. [[spoiler:She takes a hostage during the chase sequence. In a CallBack moment, Shepard can throw their Renegade actions in her face, in effect saying "Bitch, I killed the Rachni for looking at me funny and the Council because they slowed me down. What's one hostage gonna do?" [[GoodIsNotNice Paragons don't miss out on the fun either.]] "I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the Destiny Ascension! I unleashed the Rachni on the galaxy! So for your sake, hope your escape plan doesn't hinge on me hesitating to shoot a damn hostage!" Another Renegade choice is insulting Vasir as a distraction for Liara to hit her with the table.]]
** [[spoiler:Alternately, you can shoot the hostage. In the shoulder, so the bullet penetrates and wounds Vasir further.]]
* [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk: Calls Shepard out on judging her for working with the Shadow Broker.]]
* [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Delivers one towards Shepard.
** [[HarsherInHindsight Even more hardhitting after]] [[spoiler:the ending to The Arrival DLC.]]
----

[[WMG: The Shadow Broker, AKA [[spoiler:Operative Kechlu]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/me2shadowbroker_ship_4324.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:ElaborateUndergroundBase? Feh.]]

->''"I know your every secret, while you fumble in the dark."''

-->'''Voiced by''': [[spoiler:SteveBlum]]

A powerful figure in the galaxy's black market who specializes in finding secret information and selling it to the highest bidder. In the first game, he/she hired Wrex to assassinate a former agent who betrayed him/her. [[spoiler:After Shepard's death in the sequel's opening, the Broker tried to sell his/her body to the Collectors, but was stopped by Liara. "Lair Of The Shadow Broker" reveals that The Shadow Broker is a yahg, a violent species not seen in the Mass Effect universe until now. After he's killed by Shepard, Liara takes his place as the third known Shadow Broker - [[WildMassGuessing at least to her knowledge]].]]
----
* AmbiguousGender: Of the very little that's known about the Broker, his/her gender (or, as Barla Von points out, even whether the Broker is a single person or a group of agents operating under a singular title) is not among it. [[spoiler: The Broker's a guy.]]
* ArchEnemy: [[spoiler:Liara considers the Broker to be hers after the events of ''Redemption''.]]
** The Illusive Man considers also the Broker "[[WorthyOpponent his equal]]" in terms of influence and intelligence gathering, and vice versa.
* [[spoiler:AuthorityEqualsAsskicking]]: In the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, [[spoiler:he's the biggest and second deadliest enemy you face, only [[TheDragon Tela Vasir]] being stronger.]]
** Also [[spoiler:AsskickingEqualsAuthority since he took control of the previous Shadow Broker's organization by starting off as a "pet" and then killing him]].
* BadBoss: Treats his 'employees' as quite disposable. He allows a [[spoiler: spectre who works for him to off one of his agents to disguise her role in the killing of a loose end.]] He tortures a Drell who betrayed him and has his agents watch, [[VillainousDemotivator to make sure they're properly motivated.]] When you've practically cleaned out his men, he basically shrugs and says [[WeHaveReserves they're easily replaceable.]]
* BerserkButton: [[spoiler: Calling him a slave. ''Or a pet.'']]
* BigBadEnsemble: Alongside Harbinger and the Overlord for the second game, but he never meets the latter. Main antagonist of ''Redemption'' and ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', a comic and a DLC.
** [[spoiler:VillainTeamUp: Briefly with the Collector General in ''Redemption''. Although not exactly allies, the Shadow Broker tried to give Shepard's body to the Collectors, before Liara stepped in. The Broker himself said "it was a mutually-beneficial partnership", but it's likely Harbinger would've back-stabbed him anyway.]]
* TheChessmaster: The best player in the game, according to Anderson. The Broker somehow manages to sell info to everybody, but ensures that no faction ever gains the upper hand with it. (Gotta keep those customers somehow.)
* [[spoiler: CluelessMystery: His identity.]]
* EvilSoundsDeep: At first you think the Broker's using a computer to distort their voice/hide their identity. Then you meet [[spoiler: him]], and realize that [[FridgeBrilliance that really is the Broker's voice]].
** There are differences between the Broker's normal voice and the distorted one, however subtle. [[spoiler: Although it strains credibility for it to transform Liara's voice into the same thing after she takes over. It's been suggested that the computer simply converts any speech into the Broker's voice, or Liara built something workable out of recordings]]
*** Watch the scene again. The Shadow Broker's voice over communications is the same from [[spoiler: Operative Kelchu to Liara, but distinct from their actual voices. It's likely that the computer keeps the inflection and tone and converts the actual voice to a standard.]]
* [[spoiler:FromNobodyToNightmare: He started off as the last Shadow Broker's ''pet.'' All part of his plan.]]
* [[spoiler:GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The yahg were never even heard of til the DLC, and the species is completely different than ''any'' that had come before.]]
* [[spoiler: GeniusBruiser: He speaks eleven languages without a translator (no small feat, considering how his mouth is shaped), and has the savvy needed to run his network. He also happens to be larger than most krogan, and uses TheBerserker style of combat.]]
* [[spoiler: GoodOldFisticuffs: Once he [[TurnsRed takes enough damage]] he summons a totally bulletproof barrier to hide behind and recuperate. Shepard responds by seeing if it's fist-proof. [[CutscenePowerToTheMax It's]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome not.]]]]
* HannibalLecture: [[spoiler: He attempts one on Liara at the climax of his DLC. [[ShutUpHannibal It didn't go well.]]]]
* HiddenAgendaVillain: Possibly the only antagonist more [[IncrediblyLamePun elusive]] than the Illusive Man.
* KnowledgeBroker
* [[spoiler:LargeAndInCharge: The yahg Shadow Broker is even larger than a ''krogan''.]]
* [[spoiler:LegacyCharacter / LegacyImmortality / YouKillItYouBoughtIt: He became the Shadow Broker after ''secretly killing the previous one.'' As Liara ends up doing '''the exact same thing''', '''''[[WildMassGuessing it's possible that his predecessor wasn't the original Broker either]]'''''.]]
* [[spoiler:MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily]]
* NGOSuperpower: For good reason; when your organization spans most of the galaxy, has hands in business and political interests in nearly everything in said galaxy, ''and'' specializes in collecting and using information to both support those interests and manipulate governments and corporations, you definitely should have impressive resources. The Broker owns a personal army capable of deploying hundreds of loyal soldiers in ''minutes'' on Illium alone, along with a supremely well-engineered atmospheric airbase-warship, and the enormous amounts of money, hardware, and political influence one would expect from an organization of this scale.
* NoNameGiven: All [[PronounTrouble he's/she's/they're/it's]] known by is 'the Shadow Broker.'
* OutsideContextVillain: Even if you've played both games. Even the usual tactics of assuming that loyalty missions play to the strength of character involved won't help you too much. Expect the unexpected.
* TheReveal: "Lair Of The Shadow Broker" clears up several of the questions surrounding the Broker.
** The reveal itself is NightmareFuel for some.
* UngratefulBastard: There's a side quest in ''Mass Effect'' in which you can provide the Shadow Broker with a copy of the data Shepard has gathered on Cerberus, after which [[spoiler:his]] agent informs Shepard that the Shadow Broker will be there to help Shepard when s/he needs it. [[spoiler:Ask Liara how well ''that'' went....]]
** Also, [[spoiler:his archives reveal that he was going to kill Tali when he was offering her a sanctuary in return for her information about Saren and the geth in the first game, in order to ensure that the information would not end up in the wrong hands. So basically you saved Tali's life twice over when you first met her.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:He completely loses it after Liara figures out his backstory. A message left behind by the previous Shadow Broker points out that this is a FatalFlaw of his, as his ability to think clearly plummets when he gets angry.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:The Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC reveals that the SB's reason for giving Shepard's body to the Collectors was his attempt to pacify the Reapers and save the Universe. Of course, his primary reason was to save his own skin. Saving the universe just means he gets to keep his power.]]
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt: How he got the job. And how his successor gets the job too.]]
----

[[WMG: Wilson]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wilson_4565.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:*BOOM*]]
->''"Miranda? But you're..."''

-->'''Voiced by''': SteveBlum

One of the Cerberus medical officers working on the Lazrus Project, when everything goes to hell, he helps you out after you heal him. When you finally meet up with Miranda, she guns him down for being the traitor who caused this mess in the first place, thus continuing the Bioware tradition of early game sacrificial party members.

[[hardline]]
* BaldOfEvil
* BeardOfEvil
* BoomHeadshot
* TheEngineer
* GuestStarPartyMember
* KilledMidSentence
* TheMole: He started the disaster that led to Shepard's early awakening, but you don't know who he was working for at first. [[spoiler: He was working for the Shadow Broker]].
* PlayingWithSyringes
* {{Turncoat}}
* TooDumbToLive
----

[[WMG: Warden Kuril]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kuril_5157.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[TemptingFate Our facility is more then secure enough to handle three armed guests.]]]]

--> ''[[spoiler:[[BullyingADragon "You're more valuable as a prisoner, Shepard"]]]]''

-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore

The captain of the Purgatory, a star prison where Jack is locked. Also a member of the Blue Suns.

[[hardline]]
* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Whenever Kuril welcomes a prisoner, he gently asks some money to the local authorities. If he isn't paid, he releases the prisoner.
-->'''Kuril''': At an unspecified place and time
* DeathGlare: Gives Shepard one hell of a DeathGlare when Shepard refuses to drop his/her weapons.
* FridgeBrilliance: [[spoiler:Of course you can't trust Kuril. He is a barefaced Turian, which is a sign of betrayal among his race. Bonus points for sharing this trait with Saren, also voiced by FredTatasciore.]]
* GenreSavvy: Seems to be[[spoiler:, at first]]. Putting [[TailorMadePrison Jack in cryo]] seems like the most intelligent thing to do with her. [[spoiler:But then comes Shepard, and [[WhatAnIdiot Kuril loses his logic]].]]
* HeyItsThatVoice: [[{{Characters/MassEffect1}} Welcome back, Saren Arterius]].
* [[spoiler:{{Hypocrite}}: Says that he "makes the galaxy safer" by locking up dangerous individuals. But when comes the biggest hero(ine) that ever lived, he tries to capture him/her [[MoneyDearBoy for the bounty]].]]
* IdiotBall: Probably the best player in the entire game.
* [[IWantThemAlive I Want Her Alive:]] Towards Jack. [[spoiler:He doesn't mind killing Shep', though.]]
* MismatchedEyes: Oddly enough. His left eye is purple while his right is yellow.
* TooDumbToLive: Let's just say that he [[spoiler:lets Shepard and his/her buddies keep their weapons even if he plans to betray him/her]].
----

[[/folder]]
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