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This page is for listing the tropes related to Antagonists And {{Non Player Character}}s who '''first appeared''' in the second ''[[VideoGame/MassEffect2 Mass Effect]]'' game.
For the pages listing tropes related to Party Members, [=NPCs=] and Antagonists who first appeared in other games in the trilogy, see the [[Characters/MassEffect Mass Effect Character Index]].
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists For the main villains, go here]].
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/SecondaryAntagonists Go here for secondary antagonists]].
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NormandyCrew Go here for the Normandy's crew]].
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/CouncilSpace For NPC's in council space, go here]].
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NonCouncilSpace For NPC's not in council space, go here]].
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<<|CharacterSheets|>>
For the pages listing tropes related to Party Members, [=NPCs=] and Antagonists who first appeared in other games in the trilogy, see the [[Characters/MassEffect Mass Effect Character Index]].
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists For the main villains, go here]].
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/SecondaryAntagonists Go here for secondary antagonists]].
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NormandyCrew Go here for the Normandy's crew]].
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/CouncilSpace For NPC's in council space, go here]].
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NonCouncilSpace For NPC's not in council space, go here]].
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<<|CharacterSheets|>>
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[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NonCouncilSpace For NPC's not in council space, go here]].
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![=NPC=]s
[[folder:Non-Council Space]]
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[[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..."''
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo
A close friend of Tali's mother, and flag officer of the Patrol Fleet. Her arm of the flotilla is responsible for picket lines, scouting, and extra-fleet escort duties. Stuck with the fairly thankless task of keeping the other admirals in line, she is sadly aware of the limits of her position and doesn't feel she can do much to change public opinion. If Tali dies in the SuicideMission, she fills her shoes at certain points in ''3'''s story, like Padok Wiks does for Mordin.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect you, Tali!
* DaChief: One of the patrol fleet's main duties is internal fleet law enforcement; as an admiral, she's more police commissioner than soldier.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He is ''proud'' of the Qwib-Qwib, and refuses to transfer over "petty insults".
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to destroy the geth dreadnought. And that's not even covering what he does [[hottip:*:or at least intended to do before thinking better of it should peace happen]] at the end of the Rannoch arc.
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that the geth are synthetic lifeforms, just machines that have malfunctioned, comparing them to starships (that are superior in various ways but are still just tools), and, if Shepard refers to [[spoiler: Legion's]] help beating the Collectors, she states that the same could be said of his/her pistol. [[spoiler:Thankfully, nothing seems to comes of it to jeopardize peace should you achieve it in ''3''; she just gets shipped off to the Crucible.]]
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the dreadnaught mission. This includes making geth platforms dance for her (offscreen) amusement.
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
[[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..."''
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo
A close friend of Tali's mother, and flag officer of the Patrol Fleet. Her arm of the flotilla is responsible for picket lines, scouting, and extra-fleet escort duties. Stuck with the fairly thankless task of keeping the other admirals in line, she is sadly aware of the limits of her position and doesn't feel she can do much to change public opinion. If Tali dies in the SuicideMission, she fills her shoes at certain points in ''3'''s story, like Padok Wiks does for Mordin.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect you, Tali!
* DaChief: One of the patrol fleet's main duties is internal fleet law enforcement; as an admiral, she's more police commissioner than soldier.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He is ''proud'' of the Qwib-Qwib, and refuses to transfer over "petty insults".
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to destroy the geth dreadnought. And that's not even covering what he does [[hottip:*:or at least intended to do before thinking better of it should peace happen]] at the end of the Rannoch arc.
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that the geth are synthetic lifeforms, just machines that have malfunctioned, comparing them to starships (that are superior in various ways but are still just tools), and, if Shepard refers to [[spoiler: Legion's]] help beating the Collectors, she states that the same could be said of his/her pistol. [[spoiler:Thankfully, nothing seems to comes of it to jeopardize peace should you achieve it in ''3''; she just gets shipped off to the Crucible.]]
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the dreadnaught mission. This includes making geth platforms dance for her (offscreen) amusement.
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
to:
[[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..."''
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo
A close friend of Tali's mother, and flag officer of the Patrol Fleet. Her arm of the flotilla is responsible for picket lines, scouting, and extra-fleet escort duties. Stuck with the fairly thankless task of keeping the other admirals in line, she is sadly aware of the limits of her position and doesn't feel she can do much to change public opinion. If Tali dies in the SuicideMission, she fills her shoes at certain points in ''3'''s story, like Padok Wiks does for Mordin.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect you, Tali!
* DaChief: One of the patrol fleet's main duties is internal fleet law enforcement; as an admiral, she's more police commissioner than soldier.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He is ''proud'' of the Qwib-Qwib, and refuses to transfer over "petty insults".
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to destroy the geth dreadnought. And that's not even covering what he does [[hottip:*:or at least intended to do before thinking better of it should peace happen]] at the end of the Rannoch arc.
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that the geth are synthetic lifeforms, just machines that have malfunctioned, comparing them to starships (that are superior in various ways but are still just tools), and, if Shepard refers to [[spoiler: Legion's]] help beating the Collectors, she states that the same could be said of his/her pistol. [[spoiler:Thankfully, nothing seems to comes of it to jeopardize peace should you achieve it in ''3''; she just gets shipped off to the Crucible.]]
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the dreadnaught mission. This includes making geth platforms dance for her (offscreen) amusement.
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
Changed line(s) 174,201 (click to see context) from:
[[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
One of a squad of Migrant Fleet Marines assigned to protect Tali on their mission to Haestrom. He's also the only one still alive by the time you get there, and whether he lives to see the fleet again depends on you.
[[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, assuming 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.]]
* [[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim: In the third game. Rather jarring, given him being an EnsembleDarkhorse]].
** [[spoiler: However, the bridge is far nicer to Reegar than most examples of this trope: his death is sudden but he ''dies a hero''; thanks entirely to Reegar and his squad the turians don't get their communications messed up.]]
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: Fully happens in the third game; he and his squad fix a vital turian comm relay, then hold the position until krogan reinforcements show up.]]
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: If you bring Legion along to Tali's recruitment mission, Kal'Reegar does react in surprise, shouting that you've got a geth right behind you...but when Legion explains that Legion is an ally, Kal'Reegar is smart enough not to be picky about having some additional help in ''beating the friggin' Geth Colossus.'' Also, if you manage to exonerate Tali without revealing the evidence of Rael's crimes, or if you simply withhold the evidence and allow Tali to be exiled, Reegar manages to figure out that you did in fact have evidence but simply withheld it, although it's not made clear exactly ''how'' Reegar figures it out.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
* [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* [[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. Tali seems to imply that such thinking is common among quarians ("We are expected to be loyal, even when it is difficult").
* 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 you don't use it.
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn't ''say'' anything about finding evidence, Kal.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally the Crowd]]' during Tali's trial, Kal will speak up on her behalf.
--> '''Kal'Reegar:''' Tali's done more for this fleet than you ''assholes'' ever will!
[[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
One of a squad of Migrant Fleet Marines assigned to protect Tali on their mission to Haestrom. He's also the only one still alive by the time you get there, and whether he lives to see the fleet again depends on you.
[[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, assuming 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.]]
* [[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim: In the third game. Rather jarring, given him being an EnsembleDarkhorse]].
** [[spoiler: However, the bridge is far nicer to Reegar than most examples of this trope: his death is sudden but he ''dies a hero''; thanks entirely to Reegar and his squad the turians don't get their communications messed up.]]
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: Fully happens in the third game; he and his squad fix a vital turian comm relay, then hold the position until krogan reinforcements show up.]]
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: If you bring Legion along to Tali's recruitment mission, Kal'Reegar does react in surprise, shouting that you've got a geth right behind you...but when Legion explains that Legion is an ally, Kal'Reegar is smart enough not to be picky about having some additional help in ''beating the friggin' Geth Colossus.'' Also, if you manage to exonerate Tali without revealing the evidence of Rael's crimes, or if you simply withhold the evidence and allow Tali to be exiled, Reegar manages to figure out that you did in fact have evidence but simply withheld it, although it's not made clear exactly ''how'' Reegar figures it out.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
* [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* [[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. Tali seems to imply that such thinking is common among quarians ("We are expected to be loyal, even when it is difficult").
* 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 you don't use it.
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn't ''say'' anything about finding evidence, Kal.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally the Crowd]]' during Tali's trial, Kal will speak up on her behalf.
--> '''Kal'Reegar:''' Tali's done more for this fleet than you ''assholes'' ever will!
to:
[[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
One of a squad of Migrant Fleet Marines assigned to protect Tali on their mission to Haestrom. He's also the only one still alive by the time you get there, and whether he lives to see the fleet again depends on you.
[[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, assuming 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.]]
* [[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim: In the third game. Rather jarring, given him being an EnsembleDarkhorse]].
** [[spoiler: However, the bridge is far nicer to Reegar than most examples of this trope: his death is sudden but he ''dies a hero''; thanks entirely to Reegar and his squad the turians don't get their communications messed up.]]
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: Fully happens in the third game; he and his squad fix a vital turian comm relay, then hold the position until krogan reinforcements show up.]]
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: If you bring Legion along to Tali's recruitment mission, Kal'Reegar does react in surprise, shouting that you've got a geth right behind you...but when Legion explains that Legion is an ally, Kal'Reegar is smart enough not to be picky about having some additional help in ''beating the friggin' Geth Colossus.'' Also, if you manage to exonerate Tali without revealing the evidence of Rael's crimes, or if you simply withhold the evidence and allow Tali to be exiled, Reegar manages to figure out that you did in fact have evidence but simply withheld it, although it's not made clear exactly ''how'' Reegar figures it out.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
* [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* [[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. Tali seems to imply that such thinking is common among quarians ("We are expected to be loyal, even when it is difficult").
* 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 you don't use it.
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn't ''say'' anything about finding evidence, Kal.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally the Crowd]]' during Tali's trial, Kal will speak up on her behalf.
--> '''Kal'Reegar:''' Tali's done more for this fleet than you ''assholes'' ever will!
[[/folder]]
[[/folder]]
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[[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]]. If she really is Wrex's old friend Aleena she may be IV. Wrex says Aleena chose to fight him on a station overrun with mercs with no one innocent to get in the way, and fondly says that she was always like that.
* 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.
** Although she's quite capable of that, too; as shown in the comics, being the "queen" of Omega hasn't dulled her battle skills any. A Cerberus scientist expresses amazement at her biotic capabilities.
* 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''.
* DeadpanSnarker: She has her moments in ''3''.
-->'''Shepard:''' How do you plan on [[spoiler:taking Omega back]]?
-->'''Aria:''' I think I'm going to employ violence.
* 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''.
* FemmeFatale
* GenreSavvy: She has to be this to rule Omega for centuries.
* IAmTheTrope:
-->'''Shepard:''' You run Omega?\\
'''Aria:''' I ''am'' Omega!
* IronLady: Anybody who can keep power in [[WretchedHive Omega]] for centuries is not to be taken lightly. Also, Mass Effect 3 shows that [[spoiler:she has connections as high as the Asari Councilor and can bypass the immigration process of the Citadel simply by asking her.]]
* LargeHam: While not as on the same level as Harbinger, Aria is quite hammy for someone played by Carrie-Ann Moss.
* LysistrataGambit: One of the factors that led to her success in overthrowing the Patriarch for control of Omega was that - as she puts it when telling Shepard the story - the Patriarch's men had gotten used to "certain perks" that came with working with asari.
* MamaBear: If she sees it as hers, she protects it, whether it's Omega itself, her underlings, or [[spoiler:her actual children]].
** In ''Literature/MassEffectRetribution'' 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]].
* MysteriousPast: No one knows where she came from or who she was before she came to Omega, and her name is just a pseudonym. Once Shepard gains her trust (or as much as Aria ever gives), Aria will allude to certain aspects of her past. It's strongly hinted that she's Aleena, the asari commando that Wrex was friends with centuries ago.
-->'''Aria:''' Sometimes you'd rather disappear than be forced to kill someone.
* NGOSuperpower: If Shepard assists Aria in building a force to [[spoiler:re-take Omega from Cerberus]], that force, the [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/War_Assets/Alien#Terminus_Fleet Terminus Fleet]], will assist in the FinalBattle - and only the krogan clans and [[spoiler:geth fleet]] are more powerful. Repeat: she's got more firepower than ''an entire turian fleet.''
* NobleDemon: She's not pleasant, but she's forthcoming with vital information Shepard needs, she approves of Mordin trying to cure the plague (that and of Mordin's willingness to resort to shooting people if the doctor route doesn't work), she's quick to try to help Shepard solve the Ardat-Yakshi problem, she gives you a reward if you do her a couple of favors (specifically she tells you the location of a planet with supplies on it), and in the comics [[spoiler: she becomes extremely angry at the Collectors trying to make deals for live specimens on her station]]. Also, in ''3'', if you do a few errands for she gives you a Terminus Fleet with three "updates" each worth 50 War Asset points, which combined with the Fleet itself makes for a whopping ''200'' War Asset points (which is very noble of Aria because the majority of non-major-plotline War Assets are less than 100).
* 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.
* [[spoiler: OutGambitted: Over the course of ''Invasion''. The Illusive Man is probably lucky Shepard got to him first - Aria wouldn't have made it so quick.]]
* PetTheDog: Has a number of these off-screen, as befitting her NobleDemon status. She gives out Shepard's contact information to a wannabe-merc (if Shepard stopped him from joining the mercs going after Archangel) so he can thank Shepard, and gives Shepard's contact information to a grieving mother for the same reason. It's also implied that her reasons for asking Shepard to defend Patriarch aren't entirely to protect her standing.
** A minor one in ''3''. If Shepard drinks enough in [[GoodGuyBar Purgatory]] to pass out, s/he comes to next to Aria on Aria's couch, despite the bar being a level and a half above where Aria is sitting. If Shepard then returns to the bar and gets that drunk ''again'', without leaving that level, she opts not to extend that kindness and Shep wakes up in the elevator.
* PragmaticVillainy: In ''MassEffect3'', she puts her plans to [[spoiler:take Omega back from Cerberus]] on hold because she realizes that sending her forces against a target that's not the Reapers increases the chance of the Reapers winning. And if the Reapers win, then she'd be dead and unable to reap the rewards of her schemes.
* PrecisionFStrike: "Omega has no titled ruler, and only one rule. Don't ''fuck'' with Aria."
** "[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean I like it. Easy to remember.]]"
** Alluded to in ''3''. [[CallBack "It looks like there's only one rule on the Citadel."]]
* PsychoticSmirk: Shepard tends to elicit a few sideways grins from her.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: In her first scene in the third game, C-Sec threatens to throw her off the station (it only took them three weeks to figure them out she was there illegally). She replies by ringing up the asari councilor (Tevos or Irissa), who waves her through at once.
* TheStarscream: Became this towards the former ruler of Omega, who she later made her [[TheDragon Dragon]].
** Although according to Aria, Patriarch betrayed ''her''; she simply retaliated. Violently.
* TattooedCrook: Although given that Omega has almost no "rule of law" to speak of and she herself is responsible for there being any "order" on Omega ''at all'', she's only a crook "de facto".
* [[spoiler:UnderNewManagement]]: [[spoiler:As of the end of ''Mass Effect: Invasion'', Aria is no longer the ruler of Omega]].
* [[spoiler:WeWillMeetAgain]]: [[spoiler:What she promises General Petrovsky after he forces her to abandon Omega]].
* WorthyOpponent: She admits that she has a certain level of respect for the "Patriarch."
** She also comes to respect Shepard, even if she will deride a Paragon for being a "Boyscout/Girlscout".
* YouNeedToGetLaid: At one point, Aria will tell Shepard that he/she should find a "nice girl" (if Shepard is male) or a "nice young man" (if Shepard is female) to keep him/her warm in the meantime, since Shepard looks like he/she needs to "loosen up a little."
----
[[WMG: Urdnot Wreav]]
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-ME3_Urdnot_Wreav_4581.png]]
-> ''"Human sentiment tastes like piss. Don't spoil a death with it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': JimCummings
Wrex's brood-brother who assumes leadership of Clan Urdnot if Wrex dies on Virmire (or if you never recruited him at all). In ''Mass Effect 3'', he either fills Wrex's role as representative of all krogan, or appears briefly as a very reluctant follower of Wrex.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Standard krogan procedure. He gets the other clans to let him represent them through "a time-honored tradition of intimidation, threats and violence."
* BloodKnight: Far more 'traditional' than his brother. Whereas Wrex works to create a neutral zone where all clans are welcome, Wreav only co-operates with clan Gatatog because the two of them are at a stalemate.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He apparently disapproves- or would disapprove- of [[spoiler:Maelon's]] experiments, forcing him to turn to Clan Weyrloc.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's pretty much a typical krogan thug.
* MauveShirt: [[spoiler:If Wrex is still alive, Wreav's tomkah gets consumed by Kalros during the Tuchanka finale mission in ''3''.]]
* MilesGloriosus: Wreav will take credit for curing the genophage, claiming he'll be even more famous than Shepard.
* TheMcCoy: To the dalatrass's Spock and the Primarch's Kirk, only he's a lot less nice about it than Wrex.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Treats the fertile females in ''3'' like property and makes disparaging remarks about other species.
* RedOniBlueOni: He's the red to--of all people--''Wrex's'' blue.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Promises one against those responsible for [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka if it goes off]].
* ShinyNewAustralia: Before the final battle, he tells Shepard he wants "this thing you call Australia" in exchange for his help.
* ShutUpHannibal: Once by Wrex (with a headbutt), once by Eve (with her moral suasion).
* SmugSnake: Spends much of ''3'' trying to threaten Shepard. He basically exists to tell the player "You screwed up and now you're stuck with this guy instead of Wrex."
** Despite this he does have a grudging respect for Shepard, but only Shepard. Everyone else- Squadmembers, [=NPCs=], politicans- he treats like dirt. He also bites his tongue around Eve, but only because she's in a position to cause him trouble if he doesn't play nice with her.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Comes across as one of these for Wrex at first, but it soon becomes clear that they're very different in some ''very'' important ways--namely, that Wrex is trying to unite the krogan and revive their long-forgotten culture, whereas Wreav thinks the krogan are just fine the way they are.
* TheOtherDarrin: Sadly, Jim Cummings did not return to the role in the third game.
* TryNotToDie: Before you try to summon Kalros; it's the most concern he ever shows for you and your team.
--> "Try not to get killed up there. Fight like a krogan, and you'll be fine."
* UngratefulBastard: He's much less grateful than Wrex toward Mordin if he cures the genophage [[spoiler:at the cost of his own life]].
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives two to Shepard via e-mail in the third game, one if Shepard [[spoiler:spares the Rachni queen, which causes many krogan in Aralakh Company to die]], and another if [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka goes off]], promising a RoaringRampageOfRevenge in retaliation.
[[WMG: Maelon Heplorn]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maelon_6526.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nothing I do will ever be justified!]]
-> ''"[[BrokenPedestal For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions.]]"''
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
A salarian geneticist, former member of the salarian STG and student of Mordin Solus. He also worked on the [[spoiler: modification of the genophage]] alongside Mordin. Unfortunately, he ends up getting captured by a krogan clan, Weyrloc, who are attempting to reverse the effect of the genophage. [[spoiler:Turns out he actually volunteered.]]
[[hardline]]
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He views his research to cure the genophage as this. Mordin on the other hand, views his experiments as far too extreme.]]
** [[spoiler: If Shepard chooses to cure the krogan, and Maelon is still alive, he will send an ecstatic email to Shepard, revealing that he took Mordin's advice and opened another clinic on Omega. He had to scram when Weyrloc put a bounty on his head, but he's just relieved that something good came out of his work after all.]]
* [[spoiler: BoomHeadshot: Mordin executes him at point-blank range if you don't choose the paragon interrupt.]]
* ChekhovsGun: His research data on the genophage. [[spoiler: If you save it, Mordin / Padok can synthesize a cure from Eve's tissue with much less trauma, keeping her alive, and making the krogan war assets more valuable.]]
* TheExtremistWasRight: His data proves crucial to the Tuchanka arc if it's kept. Shepard can lampshade how it seems wrong to use something created from atrocities for good (even though s/he was the one who authorized keeping the data).
* HeroWorshipper: [[spoiler: Prior to his breakdown, he looked up to Mordin. Unfortunately, between the mission to distribute the Modified Genophage and the effects it had on the Krogan, the relationship fell to pieces.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler: Apparently, Maelon thought the krogan would be able to rebuild Tuchanka peacefully with [[AxCrazy Weyrloc Guld]] in charge. True, he joined Clan Weyrloc because they would be able to go to lengths that Clan Urdnot wouldn't, but Maelon's fantasy of a krogan cultural renaissance sounds a little hollow while he's working for a chief who brags about how he'll take over the galaxy and eat salarian eggs as a delicacy once the genophage is cured.]]
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't take the Paragon interrupt, Mordin blows his brains out.]]
* JustSmileAndNod: At the end of the loyalty mission, [[spoiler: Mordin loses his temper over the experiments Maelon has performed and puts a gun to his former student's head; in the event that you take the Paragon Interrupt, Shepard begs him not to pull the trigger, as - in spite of everything that Maelon's said about him - Mordin isn't a murderer.]] Maelon can only smile and nod helplessly.
* MadScientist: A well-intentioned one, though.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He's been wracked with guilt [[spoiler: ever since he and Mordin upgraded the Genophage]], thereby accounting for the worst of his behaviour. [[spoiler: The Shadow Broker archives show that it started during their first mission on Tuchanka, when they were discovered by krogan guards and had to fight their way out - unknowingly killing female krogan in the process. When Maelon tried to issue a formal complaint, arguing that it went against the whole point of their mission, Mordin had him sedated. Apparently, the return to "normality" on Tuchanka and the rising stillbirths drove him even further over the edge; Mordin himself confesses that his failure to notice Maleon's distress or do anything about it only worsened the problem.]] Thankfully, assuming he survives the loyalty mission, Maelon recovers by the third game.
* NeverMyFault: When asked about why [[spoiler: he didn't originally disagree with the upgraded genophage]] he blames Mordin's influence on his behaviour. Furthermore, when he's actively confronted [[spoiler: over the test subjects killed in his search for a cure]] he once again blames Mordin's teachings, even going so far as to claim "[[spoiler:The experiments are monstrous because I was taught to be a monster!]]" Mordin, who deplores [[spoiler:the use of live test subjects]], ''strongly'' disagrees.
* WideEyedIdealist: In spite of everything he's seen and done, Maelon still manages to be both idealistic and shockingly naive, even during [[spoiler: a guilt-induced mental breakdown]]. Case in point: [[spoiler: he claims that if Mordin's team hadn't upgraded the genophage, an expanded krogan population would have stopped Saren at Eden Prime, if only because the Turian fleets would have been forced to keep an eye on the new Krogan colonies in the Traverse. Mordin, on the other hand, believes that the Turian fleets would have just declared war on the Krogan and killed every last one of them; the third game confirms this by revealing that a Turian bomb had been planted under Tunchkana's crust after the Rebellions, to be used if the Krogan ever rose up again.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist
----
[[WMG:Charr]]
->''"Oh Blue Rose of Illium"''
A random Krogan reciting poetry to try and impress [[http://youtu.be/pFpCSf4D1DY his asari girlfriend, Ereba]]. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' he's a scout looking into the Rachni relay [[spoiler: where he dies offscreen, fighting Reaper-modified Rachni.]]
[[hardline]]
* {{Adorkable}}: If Shepard helps bring them back together, s/he points out to Ereba it's obvious that Charr is crazy about her! He's actually written poetry and is serenading her with it! When was the last time anyone saw a ''Krogan'' do that?!
* CulturedBadass
* NoAccountingForTaste: Other asari in 3 have this attitude towards Ereba.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: In 3, he and Ereba have wed. Other asari look down on Ereba for having a krogan husband fighting in the war, with the idea that he won't know who to shoot. Ereba doesn't take kindly to their prejudices.
* NiceGuy
* ThePowerOfLove: If Ereba takes him back in 2 they're shown on Tuchanka, the krogan homeworld. She doesn't like it and is nervous about other krogan not wanting her there - Charr had to talk the chief around, which was probably easier if said chief was Wrex - but he believes that their love will make it okay.
* SonOfTropeDaughterOfIndex: Ereba worries that he only wants her as a way to have kids, since with the genophage and all... She also admits that he didn't seem to have been aware that these hypothetical kids would always have been asari, not krogan, and when she explained that to him, "Charr was quiet for a long time, then he said he'd love our girls no matter what color they are."
* [[spoiler:SomeoneToRememberHimBy]]: If Ereba is convinced to take him back, then he makes a poetic reference to their unborn child.
* WarriorPoet
----
[[WMG:Niket]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Niket_8804.png]]
An old friend of Miranda's who helps her rescue Oriana from her father on her loyalty mission. [[spoiler:He's actually trying to help reunite Oriana with Niket]]
[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler:AntiVillain]]: [[spoiler:Type III]].
* FreudianExcuse: He grew up in poverty, so he believes that [[spoiler:Oriana will be happier with her wealthy father]].
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: He knew Miranda had spy programs in her father's system, so he never mentioned Oriana's exact location. When he admits this, Miranda declares him the only loose end and tries to shoot him. Even if you talk her down, he dies anyway]].
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceDoorSlam]]: [[spoiler:If you take the Paragon approach to dealing with him and stop Miranda from killing him, he is convinced to help Miranda keep Oriana safe. Before he can however, Enyala kills him instead.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler:The third game shows just how terrible a person Henry Lawson is. Miranda, however, does not fall into this trope regarding him, since he had, at least according to her, given no indication that he was untrustworthy or disapproved of her actions regarding Oriana. Niket does acknowledge that Henry's not good people, but he still thinks it wasn't right to steal a baby daughter from him, to the point where finding out makes him break his years-long streak of never talking to him or his allies.]]
* [[spoiler: InTheBack: If Enyala is the one to kill him.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:By Miranda or Enyala, regardless of what you do]].
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* OldFriend: Miranda's only pre-Cerberus associate.
* OnlyFriend: One of the few people Miranda trusts and her only friend while living with her father. [[spoiler:It turns out that trust was misplaced]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:The revelation that the Eclipse mercenaries aren't hunting Niket down, but that he's working with them]]
-->'''Enyala''': Niket has reached the terminal. [[spoiler:He'll switch the family over to our transport]].
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:He accuses Miranda of having stolen a child from her father merely for revenge]].
[[WMG: Urz]]
[[quoteright:168:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Urz-001_3252.jpg]]
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]]
* LickedByTheDog: Despite varren usually trying to kill and/or generally being vicious towards Shepard, even a hardass renegade gets nothing but love from Urz.
* PaletteSwap
* RetiredBadass: Is actually a former pit-fight champion.
* TeamPet: On Tuchanka.
[[hardline]]
!Feron
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Feron_LotSB_8970.png]]
-> ''I am...was...an information trader. Not a slaver.''
A drell information trafficker who teams up with Liara in the ''Redemption'' comic. Cerberus recruits them both to retrieve Shepard's corpse from the Shadow Broker, who turns out to be Feron's employer. Feron balks at the Broker's deal with the Collectors and helps Liara, only to be captured and tortured as an example to the Broker's other followers. In the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, Shepard and Liara bust him out.
* CanonImmigrant
* DeadpanSnarker: Not even two years of imprisonment and ElectricTorture can quite suppress his snarky side.
--> "We'll be back for you, Feron."
--> "I'll try not to go anywhere."
* DistressedDude: The whole point of the Shadow Broker mission is finding him, [[RoaringRampageOfRescue no matter how many mercenaries, mechs or rogue Spectres]] try to stop you.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's more amoral than evil, but works for the Shadow Broker for the money until he learns that he's planning on selling Shepard to the Collectors. He also says it is not in his principles to betray a client or leave a job unfinished.
* FireForgedFriends: With Liara in Redemption. She distrusts him, especially after she learns of his ties with the Shadow Broker, but in the end, she succeeds with his help and devotes herself to rescuing him.
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't get the Broker DLC, Liara's raid on the Broker's ship still happens, but Feron doesn't survive.]]
* KnowledgeBroker
* ReverseMole: To the Shadow Broker, for Cerberus, in Redemption.
* StealthHiBye: When the power to his interrogation chair fails, he vanishes in the second it takes a light to flick off and on. Must be a drell thing.
* YouShallNotPass: Holds off [[TheDragon Tazzik]], a burly and heavily armed salarian who is the Shadow Broker's top enforcer, so Liara can escape with Shepard's corpse in Redemption, leading to his capture.
----
[[/folder]]
[[/folder]]
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[[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..."''
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo
A close friend of Tali's mother, and flag officer of the Patrol Fleet. Her arm of the flotilla is responsible for picket lines, scouting, and extra-fleet escort duties. Stuck with the fairly thankless task of keeping the other admirals in line, she is sadly aware of the limits of her position and doesn't feel she can do much to change public opinion. If Tali dies in the SuicideMission, she fills her shoes at certain points in ''3'''s story, like Padok Wiks does for Mordin.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect you, Tali!
* DaChief: One of the patrol fleet's main duties is internal fleet law enforcement; as an admiral, she's more police commissioner than soldier.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He is ''proud'' of the Qwib-Qwib, and refuses to transfer over "petty insults".
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to destroy the geth dreadnought. And that's not even covering what he does [[hottip:*:or at least intended to do before thinking better of it should peace happen]] at the end of the Rannoch arc.
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that the geth are synthetic lifeforms, just machines that have malfunctioned, comparing them to starships (that are superior in various ways but are still just tools), and, if Shepard refers to [[spoiler: Legion's]] help beating the Collectors, she states that the same could be said of his/her pistol. [[spoiler:Thankfully, nothing seems to comes of it to jeopardize peace should you achieve it in ''3''; she just gets shipped off to the Crucible.]]
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the dreadnaught mission. This includes making geth platforms dance for her (offscreen) amusement.
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
Added DiffLines:
[[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
One of a squad of Migrant Fleet Marines assigned to protect Tali on their mission to Haestrom. He's also the only one still alive by the time you get there, and whether he lives to see the fleet again depends on you.
[[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, assuming 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.]]
* [[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim: In the third game. Rather jarring, given him being an EnsembleDarkhorse]].
** [[spoiler: However, the bridge is far nicer to Reegar than most examples of this trope: his death is sudden but he ''dies a hero''; thanks entirely to Reegar and his squad the turians don't get their communications messed up.]]
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: Fully happens in the third game; he and his squad fix a vital turian comm relay, then hold the position until krogan reinforcements show up.]]
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: If you bring Legion along to Tali's recruitment mission, Kal'Reegar does react in surprise, shouting that you've got a geth right behind you...but when Legion explains that Legion is an ally, Kal'Reegar is smart enough not to be picky about having some additional help in ''beating the friggin' Geth Colossus.'' Also, if you manage to exonerate Tali without revealing the evidence of Rael's crimes, or if you simply withhold the evidence and allow Tali to be exiled, Reegar manages to figure out that you did in fact have evidence but simply withheld it, although it's not made clear exactly ''how'' Reegar figures it out.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
* [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* [[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. Tali seems to imply that such thinking is common among quarians ("We are expected to be loyal, even when it is difficult").
* 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 you don't use it.
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn't ''say'' anything about finding evidence, Kal.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally the Crowd]]' during Tali's trial, Kal will speak up on her behalf.
--> '''Kal'Reegar:''' Tali's done more for this fleet than you ''assholes'' ever will!
----
[[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]]. If she really is Wrex's old friend Aleena she may be IV. Wrex says Aleena chose to fight him on a station overrun with mercs with no one innocent to get in the way, and fondly says that she was always like that.
* 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.
** Although she's quite capable of that, too; as shown in the comics, being the "queen" of Omega hasn't dulled her battle skills any. A Cerberus scientist expresses amazement at her biotic capabilities.
* 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''.
* DeadpanSnarker: She has her moments in ''3''.
-->'''Shepard:''' How do you plan on [[spoiler:taking Omega back]]?
-->'''Aria:''' I think I'm going to employ violence.
* 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''.
* FemmeFatale
* GenreSavvy: She has to be this to rule Omega for centuries.
* IAmTheTrope:
-->'''Shepard:''' You run Omega?\\
'''Aria:''' I ''am'' Omega!
* IronLady: Anybody who can keep power in [[WretchedHive Omega]] for centuries is not to be taken lightly. Also, Mass Effect 3 shows that [[spoiler:she has connections as high as the Asari Councilor and can bypass the immigration process of the Citadel simply by asking her.]]
* LargeHam: While not as on the same level as Harbinger, Aria is quite hammy for someone played by Carrie-Ann Moss.
* LysistrataGambit: One of the factors that led to her success in overthrowing the Patriarch for control of Omega was that - as she puts it when telling Shepard the story - the Patriarch's men had gotten used to "certain perks" that came with working with asari.
* MamaBear: If she sees it as hers, she protects it, whether it's Omega itself, her underlings, or [[spoiler:her actual children]].
** In ''Literature/MassEffectRetribution'' 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]].
* MysteriousPast: No one knows where she came from or who she was before she came to Omega, and her name is just a pseudonym. Once Shepard gains her trust (or as much as Aria ever gives), Aria will allude to certain aspects of her past. It's strongly hinted that she's Aleena, the asari commando that Wrex was friends with centuries ago.
-->'''Aria:''' Sometimes you'd rather disappear than be forced to kill someone.
* NGOSuperpower: If Shepard assists Aria in building a force to [[spoiler:re-take Omega from Cerberus]], that force, the [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/War_Assets/Alien#Terminus_Fleet Terminus Fleet]], will assist in the FinalBattle - and only the krogan clans and [[spoiler:geth fleet]] are more powerful. Repeat: she's got more firepower than ''an entire turian fleet.''
* NobleDemon: She's not pleasant, but she's forthcoming with vital information Shepard needs, she approves of Mordin trying to cure the plague (that and of Mordin's willingness to resort to shooting people if the doctor route doesn't work), she's quick to try to help Shepard solve the Ardat-Yakshi problem, she gives you a reward if you do her a couple of favors (specifically she tells you the location of a planet with supplies on it), and in the comics [[spoiler: she becomes extremely angry at the Collectors trying to make deals for live specimens on her station]]. Also, in ''3'', if you do a few errands for she gives you a Terminus Fleet with three "updates" each worth 50 War Asset points, which combined with the Fleet itself makes for a whopping ''200'' War Asset points (which is very noble of Aria because the majority of non-major-plotline War Assets are less than 100).
* 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.
* [[spoiler: OutGambitted: Over the course of ''Invasion''. The Illusive Man is probably lucky Shepard got to him first - Aria wouldn't have made it so quick.]]
* PetTheDog: Has a number of these off-screen, as befitting her NobleDemon status. She gives out Shepard's contact information to a wannabe-merc (if Shepard stopped him from joining the mercs going after Archangel) so he can thank Shepard, and gives Shepard's contact information to a grieving mother for the same reason. It's also implied that her reasons for asking Shepard to defend Patriarch aren't entirely to protect her standing.
** A minor one in ''3''. If Shepard drinks enough in [[GoodGuyBar Purgatory]] to pass out, s/he comes to next to Aria on Aria's couch, despite the bar being a level and a half above where Aria is sitting. If Shepard then returns to the bar and gets that drunk ''again'', without leaving that level, she opts not to extend that kindness and Shep wakes up in the elevator.
* PragmaticVillainy: In ''MassEffect3'', she puts her plans to [[spoiler:take Omega back from Cerberus]] on hold because she realizes that sending her forces against a target that's not the Reapers increases the chance of the Reapers winning. And if the Reapers win, then she'd be dead and unable to reap the rewards of her schemes.
* PrecisionFStrike: "Omega has no titled ruler, and only one rule. Don't ''fuck'' with Aria."
** "[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean I like it. Easy to remember.]]"
** Alluded to in ''3''. [[CallBack "It looks like there's only one rule on the Citadel."]]
* PsychoticSmirk: Shepard tends to elicit a few sideways grins from her.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: In her first scene in the third game, C-Sec threatens to throw her off the station (it only took them three weeks to figure them out she was there illegally). She replies by ringing up the asari councilor (Tevos or Irissa), who waves her through at once.
* TheStarscream: Became this towards the former ruler of Omega, who she later made her [[TheDragon Dragon]].
** Although according to Aria, Patriarch betrayed ''her''; she simply retaliated. Violently.
* TattooedCrook: Although given that Omega has almost no "rule of law" to speak of and she herself is responsible for there being any "order" on Omega ''at all'', she's only a crook "de facto".
* [[spoiler:UnderNewManagement]]: [[spoiler:As of the end of ''Mass Effect: Invasion'', Aria is no longer the ruler of Omega]].
* [[spoiler:WeWillMeetAgain]]: [[spoiler:What she promises General Petrovsky after he forces her to abandon Omega]].
* WorthyOpponent: She admits that she has a certain level of respect for the "Patriarch."
** She also comes to respect Shepard, even if she will deride a Paragon for being a "Boyscout/Girlscout".
* YouNeedToGetLaid: At one point, Aria will tell Shepard that he/she should find a "nice girl" (if Shepard is male) or a "nice young man" (if Shepard is female) to keep him/her warm in the meantime, since Shepard looks like he/she needs to "loosen up a little."
----
[[WMG: Urdnot Wreav]]
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-ME3_Urdnot_Wreav_4581.png]]
-> ''"Human sentiment tastes like piss. Don't spoil a death with it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': JimCummings
Wrex's brood-brother who assumes leadership of Clan Urdnot if Wrex dies on Virmire (or if you never recruited him at all). In ''Mass Effect 3'', he either fills Wrex's role as representative of all krogan, or appears briefly as a very reluctant follower of Wrex.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Standard krogan procedure. He gets the other clans to let him represent them through "a time-honored tradition of intimidation, threats and violence."
* BloodKnight: Far more 'traditional' than his brother. Whereas Wrex works to create a neutral zone where all clans are welcome, Wreav only co-operates with clan Gatatog because the two of them are at a stalemate.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He apparently disapproves- or would disapprove- of [[spoiler:Maelon's]] experiments, forcing him to turn to Clan Weyrloc.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's pretty much a typical krogan thug.
* MauveShirt: [[spoiler:If Wrex is still alive, Wreav's tomkah gets consumed by Kalros during the Tuchanka finale mission in ''3''.]]
* MilesGloriosus: Wreav will take credit for curing the genophage, claiming he'll be even more famous than Shepard.
* TheMcCoy: To the dalatrass's Spock and the Primarch's Kirk, only he's a lot less nice about it than Wrex.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Treats the fertile females in ''3'' like property and makes disparaging remarks about other species.
* RedOniBlueOni: He's the red to--of all people--''Wrex's'' blue.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Promises one against those responsible for [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka if it goes off]].
* ShinyNewAustralia: Before the final battle, he tells Shepard he wants "this thing you call Australia" in exchange for his help.
* ShutUpHannibal: Once by Wrex (with a headbutt), once by Eve (with her moral suasion).
* SmugSnake: Spends much of ''3'' trying to threaten Shepard. He basically exists to tell the player "You screwed up and now you're stuck with this guy instead of Wrex."
** Despite this he does have a grudging respect for Shepard, but only Shepard. Everyone else- Squadmembers, [=NPCs=], politicans- he treats like dirt. He also bites his tongue around Eve, but only because she's in a position to cause him trouble if he doesn't play nice with her.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Comes across as one of these for Wrex at first, but it soon becomes clear that they're very different in some ''very'' important ways--namely, that Wrex is trying to unite the krogan and revive their long-forgotten culture, whereas Wreav thinks the krogan are just fine the way they are.
* TheOtherDarrin: Sadly, Jim Cummings did not return to the role in the third game.
* TryNotToDie: Before you try to summon Kalros; it's the most concern he ever shows for you and your team.
--> "Try not to get killed up there. Fight like a krogan, and you'll be fine."
* UngratefulBastard: He's much less grateful than Wrex toward Mordin if he cures the genophage [[spoiler:at the cost of his own life]].
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives two to Shepard via e-mail in the third game, one if Shepard [[spoiler:spares the Rachni queen, which causes many krogan in Aralakh Company to die]], and another if [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka goes off]], promising a RoaringRampageOfRevenge in retaliation.
[[WMG: Maelon Heplorn]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maelon_6526.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nothing I do will ever be justified!]]
-> ''"[[BrokenPedestal For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions.]]"''
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
A salarian geneticist, former member of the salarian STG and student of Mordin Solus. He also worked on the [[spoiler: modification of the genophage]] alongside Mordin. Unfortunately, he ends up getting captured by a krogan clan, Weyrloc, who are attempting to reverse the effect of the genophage. [[spoiler:Turns out he actually volunteered.]]
[[hardline]]
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He views his research to cure the genophage as this. Mordin on the other hand, views his experiments as far too extreme.]]
** [[spoiler: If Shepard chooses to cure the krogan, and Maelon is still alive, he will send an ecstatic email to Shepard, revealing that he took Mordin's advice and opened another clinic on Omega. He had to scram when Weyrloc put a bounty on his head, but he's just relieved that something good came out of his work after all.]]
* [[spoiler: BoomHeadshot: Mordin executes him at point-blank range if you don't choose the paragon interrupt.]]
* ChekhovsGun: His research data on the genophage. [[spoiler: If you save it, Mordin / Padok can synthesize a cure from Eve's tissue with much less trauma, keeping her alive, and making the krogan war assets more valuable.]]
* TheExtremistWasRight: His data proves crucial to the Tuchanka arc if it's kept. Shepard can lampshade how it seems wrong to use something created from atrocities for good (even though s/he was the one who authorized keeping the data).
* HeroWorshipper: [[spoiler: Prior to his breakdown, he looked up to Mordin. Unfortunately, between the mission to distribute the Modified Genophage and the effects it had on the Krogan, the relationship fell to pieces.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler: Apparently, Maelon thought the krogan would be able to rebuild Tuchanka peacefully with [[AxCrazy Weyrloc Guld]] in charge. True, he joined Clan Weyrloc because they would be able to go to lengths that Clan Urdnot wouldn't, but Maelon's fantasy of a krogan cultural renaissance sounds a little hollow while he's working for a chief who brags about how he'll take over the galaxy and eat salarian eggs as a delicacy once the genophage is cured.]]
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't take the Paragon interrupt, Mordin blows his brains out.]]
* JustSmileAndNod: At the end of the loyalty mission, [[spoiler: Mordin loses his temper over the experiments Maelon has performed and puts a gun to his former student's head; in the event that you take the Paragon Interrupt, Shepard begs him not to pull the trigger, as - in spite of everything that Maelon's said about him - Mordin isn't a murderer.]] Maelon can only smile and nod helplessly.
* MadScientist: A well-intentioned one, though.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He's been wracked with guilt [[spoiler: ever since he and Mordin upgraded the Genophage]], thereby accounting for the worst of his behaviour. [[spoiler: The Shadow Broker archives show that it started during their first mission on Tuchanka, when they were discovered by krogan guards and had to fight their way out - unknowingly killing female krogan in the process. When Maelon tried to issue a formal complaint, arguing that it went against the whole point of their mission, Mordin had him sedated. Apparently, the return to "normality" on Tuchanka and the rising stillbirths drove him even further over the edge; Mordin himself confesses that his failure to notice Maleon's distress or do anything about it only worsened the problem.]] Thankfully, assuming he survives the loyalty mission, Maelon recovers by the third game.
* NeverMyFault: When asked about why [[spoiler: he didn't originally disagree with the upgraded genophage]] he blames Mordin's influence on his behaviour. Furthermore, when he's actively confronted [[spoiler: over the test subjects killed in his search for a cure]] he once again blames Mordin's teachings, even going so far as to claim "[[spoiler:The experiments are monstrous because I was taught to be a monster!]]" Mordin, who deplores [[spoiler:the use of live test subjects]], ''strongly'' disagrees.
* WideEyedIdealist: In spite of everything he's seen and done, Maelon still manages to be both idealistic and shockingly naive, even during [[spoiler: a guilt-induced mental breakdown]]. Case in point: [[spoiler: he claims that if Mordin's team hadn't upgraded the genophage, an expanded krogan population would have stopped Saren at Eden Prime, if only because the Turian fleets would have been forced to keep an eye on the new Krogan colonies in the Traverse. Mordin, on the other hand, believes that the Turian fleets would have just declared war on the Krogan and killed every last one of them; the third game confirms this by revealing that a Turian bomb had been planted under Tunchkana's crust after the Rebellions, to be used if the Krogan ever rose up again.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist
----
[[WMG:Charr]]
->''"Oh Blue Rose of Illium"''
A random Krogan reciting poetry to try and impress [[http://youtu.be/pFpCSf4D1DY his asari girlfriend, Ereba]]. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' he's a scout looking into the Rachni relay [[spoiler: where he dies offscreen, fighting Reaper-modified Rachni.]]
[[hardline]]
* {{Adorkable}}: If Shepard helps bring them back together, s/he points out to Ereba it's obvious that Charr is crazy about her! He's actually written poetry and is serenading her with it! When was the last time anyone saw a ''Krogan'' do that?!
* CulturedBadass
* NoAccountingForTaste: Other asari in 3 have this attitude towards Ereba.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: In 3, he and Ereba have wed. Other asari look down on Ereba for having a krogan husband fighting in the war, with the idea that he won't know who to shoot. Ereba doesn't take kindly to their prejudices.
* NiceGuy
* ThePowerOfLove: If Ereba takes him back in 2 they're shown on Tuchanka, the krogan homeworld. She doesn't like it and is nervous about other krogan not wanting her there - Charr had to talk the chief around, which was probably easier if said chief was Wrex - but he believes that their love will make it okay.
* SonOfTropeDaughterOfIndex: Ereba worries that he only wants her as a way to have kids, since with the genophage and all... She also admits that he didn't seem to have been aware that these hypothetical kids would always have been asari, not krogan, and when she explained that to him, "Charr was quiet for a long time, then he said he'd love our girls no matter what color they are."
* [[spoiler:SomeoneToRememberHimBy]]: If Ereba is convinced to take him back, then he makes a poetic reference to their unborn child.
* WarriorPoet
----
[[WMG:Niket]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Niket_8804.png]]
An old friend of Miranda's who helps her rescue Oriana from her father on her loyalty mission. [[spoiler:He's actually trying to help reunite Oriana with Niket]]
[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler:AntiVillain]]: [[spoiler:Type III]].
* FreudianExcuse: He grew up in poverty, so he believes that [[spoiler:Oriana will be happier with her wealthy father]].
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: He knew Miranda had spy programs in her father's system, so he never mentioned Oriana's exact location. When he admits this, Miranda declares him the only loose end and tries to shoot him. Even if you talk her down, he dies anyway]].
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceDoorSlam]]: [[spoiler:If you take the Paragon approach to dealing with him and stop Miranda from killing him, he is convinced to help Miranda keep Oriana safe. Before he can however, Enyala kills him instead.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler:The third game shows just how terrible a person Henry Lawson is. Miranda, however, does not fall into this trope regarding him, since he had, at least according to her, given no indication that he was untrustworthy or disapproved of her actions regarding Oriana. Niket does acknowledge that Henry's not good people, but he still thinks it wasn't right to steal a baby daughter from him, to the point where finding out makes him break his years-long streak of never talking to him or his allies.]]
* [[spoiler: InTheBack: If Enyala is the one to kill him.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:By Miranda or Enyala, regardless of what you do]].
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* OldFriend: Miranda's only pre-Cerberus associate.
* OnlyFriend: One of the few people Miranda trusts and her only friend while living with her father. [[spoiler:It turns out that trust was misplaced]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:The revelation that the Eclipse mercenaries aren't hunting Niket down, but that he's working with them]]
-->'''Enyala''': Niket has reached the terminal. [[spoiler:He'll switch the family over to our transport]].
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:He accuses Miranda of having stolen a child from her father merely for revenge]].
[[WMG: Urz]]
[[quoteright:168:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Urz-001_3252.jpg]]
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]]
* LickedByTheDog: Despite varren usually trying to kill and/or generally being vicious towards Shepard, even a hardass renegade gets nothing but love from Urz.
* PaletteSwap
* RetiredBadass: Is actually a former pit-fight champion.
* TeamPet: On Tuchanka.
[[hardline]]
!Feron
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Feron_LotSB_8970.png]]
-> ''I am...was...an information trader. Not a slaver.''
A drell information trafficker who teams up with Liara in the ''Redemption'' comic. Cerberus recruits them both to retrieve Shepard's corpse from the Shadow Broker, who turns out to be Feron's employer. Feron balks at the Broker's deal with the Collectors and helps Liara, only to be captured and tortured as an example to the Broker's other followers. In the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, Shepard and Liara bust him out.
* CanonImmigrant
* DeadpanSnarker: Not even two years of imprisonment and ElectricTorture can quite suppress his snarky side.
--> "We'll be back for you, Feron."
--> "I'll try not to go anywhere."
* DistressedDude: The whole point of the Shadow Broker mission is finding him, [[RoaringRampageOfRescue no matter how many mercenaries, mechs or rogue Spectres]] try to stop you.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's more amoral than evil, but works for the Shadow Broker for the money until he learns that he's planning on selling Shepard to the Collectors. He also says it is not in his principles to betray a client or leave a job unfinished.
* FireForgedFriends: With Liara in Redemption. She distrusts him, especially after she learns of his ties with the Shadow Broker, but in the end, she succeeds with his help and devotes herself to rescuing him.
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't get the Broker DLC, Liara's raid on the Broker's ship still happens, but Feron doesn't survive.]]
* KnowledgeBroker
* ReverseMole: To the Shadow Broker, for Cerberus, in Redemption.
* StealthHiBye: When the power to his interrogation chair fails, he vanishes in the second it takes a light to flick off and on. Must be a drell thing.
* YouShallNotPass: Holds off [[TheDragon Tazzik]], a burly and heavily armed salarian who is the Shadow Broker's top enforcer, so Liara can escape with Shepard's corpse in Redemption, leading to his capture.
----
[[/folder]]
[[/folder]]
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[[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..."''
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo
A close friend of Tali's mother, and flag officer of the Patrol Fleet. Her arm of the flotilla is responsible for picket lines, scouting, and extra-fleet escort duties. Stuck with the fairly thankless task of keeping the other admirals in line, she is sadly aware of the limits of her position and doesn't feel she can do much to change public opinion. If Tali dies in the SuicideMission, she fills her shoes at certain points in ''3'''s story, like Padok Wiks does for Mordin.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect you, Tali!
* DaChief: One of the patrol fleet's main duties is internal fleet law enforcement; as an admiral, she's more police commissioner than soldier.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He is ''proud'' of the Qwib-Qwib, and refuses to transfer over "petty insults".
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to destroy the geth dreadnought. And that's not even covering what he does [[hottip:*:or at least intended to do before thinking better of it should peace happen]] at the end of the Rannoch arc.
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that the geth are synthetic lifeforms, just machines that have malfunctioned, comparing them to starships (that are superior in various ways but are still just tools), and, if Shepard refers to [[spoiler: Legion's]] help beating the Collectors, she states that the same could be said of his/her pistol. [[spoiler:Thankfully, nothing seems to comes of it to jeopardize peace should you achieve it in ''3''; she just gets shipped off to the Crucible.]]
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the dreadnaught mission. This includes making geth platforms dance for her (offscreen) amusement.
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
[[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..."''
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo
A close friend of Tali's mother, and flag officer of the Patrol Fleet. Her arm of the flotilla is responsible for picket lines, scouting, and extra-fleet escort duties. Stuck with the fairly thankless task of keeping the other admirals in line, she is sadly aware of the limits of her position and doesn't feel she can do much to change public opinion. If Tali dies in the SuicideMission, she fills her shoes at certain points in ''3'''s story, like Padok Wiks does for Mordin.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect you, Tali!
* DaChief: One of the patrol fleet's main duties is internal fleet law enforcement; as an admiral, she's more police commissioner than soldier.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He is ''proud'' of the Qwib-Qwib, and refuses to transfer over "petty insults".
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to destroy the geth dreadnought. And that's not even covering what he does [[hottip:*:or at least intended to do before thinking better of it should peace happen]] at the end of the Rannoch arc.
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that the geth are synthetic lifeforms, just machines that have malfunctioned, comparing them to starships (that are superior in various ways but are still just tools), and, if Shepard refers to [[spoiler: Legion's]] help beating the Collectors, she states that the same could be said of his/her pistol. [[spoiler:Thankfully, nothing seems to comes of it to jeopardize peace should you achieve it in ''3''; she just gets shipped off to the Crucible.]]
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the dreadnaught mission. This includes making geth platforms dance for her (offscreen) amusement.
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
to:
[[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..."''
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo
A close friend of Tali's mother, and flag officer of the Patrol Fleet. Her arm of the flotilla is responsible for picket lines, scouting, and extra-fleet escort duties. Stuck with the fairly thankless task of keeping the other admirals in line, she is sadly aware of the limits of her position and doesn't feel she can do much to change public opinion. If Tali dies in the SuicideMission, she fills her shoes at certain points in ''3'''s story, like Padok Wiks does for Mordin.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect you, Tali!
* DaChief: One of the patrol fleet's main duties is internal fleet law enforcement; as an admiral, she's more police commissioner than soldier.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He is ''proud'' of the Qwib-Qwib, and refuses to transfer over "petty insults".
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to destroy the geth dreadnought. And that's not even covering what he does [[hottip:*:or at least intended to do before thinking better of it should peace happen]] at the end of the Rannoch arc.
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that the geth are synthetic lifeforms, just machines that have malfunctioned, comparing them to starships (that are superior in various ways but are still just tools), and, if Shepard refers to [[spoiler: Legion's]] help beating the Collectors, she states that the same could be said of his/her pistol. [[spoiler:Thankfully, nothing seems to comes of it to jeopardize peace should you achieve it in ''3''; she just gets shipped off to the Crucible.]]
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the dreadnaught mission. This includes making geth platforms dance for her (offscreen) amusement.
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
Deleted line(s) 179,396 (click to see context) :
[[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
One of a squad of Migrant Fleet Marines assigned to protect Tali on their mission to Haestrom. He's also the only one still alive by the time you get there, and whether he lives to see the fleet again depends on you.
[[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, assuming 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.]]
* [[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim: In the third game. Rather jarring, given him being an EnsembleDarkhorse]].
** [[spoiler: However, the bridge is far nicer to Reegar than most examples of this trope: his death is sudden but he ''dies a hero''; thanks entirely to Reegar and his squad the turians don't get their communications messed up.]]
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: Fully happens in the third game; he and his squad fix a vital turian comm relay, then hold the position until krogan reinforcements show up.]]
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: If you bring Legion along to Tali's recruitment mission, Kal'Reegar does react in surprise, shouting that you've got a geth right behind you...but when Legion explains that Legion is an ally, Kal'Reegar is smart enough not to be picky about having some additional help in ''beating the friggin' Geth Colossus.'' Also, if you manage to exonerate Tali without revealing the evidence of Rael's crimes, or if you simply withhold the evidence and allow Tali to be exiled, Reegar manages to figure out that you did in fact have evidence but simply withheld it, although it's not made clear exactly ''how'' Reegar figures it out.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
* [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* [[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. Tali seems to imply that such thinking is common among quarians ("We are expected to be loyal, even when it is difficult").
* 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 you don't use it.
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn't ''say'' anything about finding evidence, Kal.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally the Crowd]]' during Tali's trial, Kal will speak up on her behalf.
--> '''Kal'Reegar:''' Tali's done more for this fleet than you ''assholes'' ever will!
----
[[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]]. If she really is Wrex's old friend Aleena she may be IV. Wrex says Aleena chose to fight him on a station overrun with mercs with no one innocent to get in the way, and fondly says that she was always like that.
* 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.
** Although she's quite capable of that, too; as shown in the comics, being the "queen" of Omega hasn't dulled her battle skills any. A Cerberus scientist expresses amazement at her biotic capabilities.
* 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''.
* DeadpanSnarker: She has her moments in ''3''.
-->'''Shepard:''' How do you plan on [[spoiler:taking Omega back]]?
-->'''Aria:''' I think I'm going to employ violence.
* 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''.
* FemmeFatale
* GenreSavvy: She has to be this to rule Omega for centuries.
* IAmTheTrope:
-->'''Shepard:''' You run Omega?\\
'''Aria:''' I ''am'' Omega!
* IronLady: Anybody who can keep power in [[WretchedHive Omega]] for centuries is not to be taken lightly. Also, Mass Effect 3 shows that [[spoiler:she has connections as high as the Asari Councilor and can bypass the immigration process of the Citadel simply by asking her.]]
* LargeHam: While not as on the same level as Harbinger, Aria is quite hammy for someone played by Carrie-Ann Moss.
* LysistrataGambit: One of the factors that led to her success in overthrowing the Patriarch for control of Omega was that - as she puts it when telling Shepard the story - the Patriarch's men had gotten used to "certain perks" that came with working with asari.
* MamaBear: If she sees it as hers, she protects it, whether it's Omega itself, her underlings, or [[spoiler:her actual children]].
** In ''Literature/MassEffectRetribution'' 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]].
* MysteriousPast: No one knows where she came from or who she was before she came to Omega, and her name is just a pseudonym. Once Shepard gains her trust (or as much as Aria ever gives), Aria will allude to certain aspects of her past. It's strongly hinted that she's Aleena, the asari commando that Wrex was friends with centuries ago.
-->'''Aria:''' Sometimes you'd rather disappear than be forced to kill someone.
* NGOSuperpower: If Shepard assists Aria in building a force to [[spoiler:re-take Omega from Cerberus]], that force, the [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/War_Assets/Alien#Terminus_Fleet Terminus Fleet]], will assist in the FinalBattle - and only the krogan clans and [[spoiler:geth fleet]] are more powerful. Repeat: she's got more firepower than ''an entire turian fleet.''
* NobleDemon: She's not pleasant, but she's forthcoming with vital information Shepard needs, she approves of Mordin trying to cure the plague (that and of Mordin's willingness to resort to shooting people if the doctor route doesn't work), she's quick to try to help Shepard solve the Ardat-Yakshi problem, she gives you a reward if you do her a couple of favors (specifically she tells you the location of a planet with supplies on it), and in the comics [[spoiler: she becomes extremely angry at the Collectors trying to make deals for live specimens on her station]]. Also, in ''3'', if you do a few errands for she gives you a Terminus Fleet with three "updates" each worth 50 War Asset points, which combined with the Fleet itself makes for a whopping ''200'' War Asset points (which is very noble of Aria because the majority of non-major-plotline War Assets are less than 100).
* 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.
* [[spoiler: OutGambitted: Over the course of ''Invasion''. The Illusive Man is probably lucky Shepard got to him first - Aria wouldn't have made it so quick.]]
* PetTheDog: Has a number of these off-screen, as befitting her NobleDemon status. She gives out Shepard's contact information to a wannabe-merc (if Shepard stopped him from joining the mercs going after Archangel) so he can thank Shepard, and gives Shepard's contact information to a grieving mother for the same reason. It's also implied that her reasons for asking Shepard to defend Patriarch aren't entirely to protect her standing.
** A minor one in ''3''. If Shepard drinks enough in [[GoodGuyBar Purgatory]] to pass out, s/he comes to next to Aria on Aria's couch, despite the bar being a level and a half above where Aria is sitting. If Shepard then returns to the bar and gets that drunk ''again'', without leaving that level, she opts not to extend that kindness and Shep wakes up in the elevator.
* PragmaticVillainy: In ''MassEffect3'', she puts her plans to [[spoiler:take Omega back from Cerberus]] on hold because she realizes that sending her forces against a target that's not the Reapers increases the chance of the Reapers winning. And if the Reapers win, then she'd be dead and unable to reap the rewards of her schemes.
* PrecisionFStrike: "Omega has no titled ruler, and only one rule. Don't ''fuck'' with Aria."
** "[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean I like it. Easy to remember.]]"
** Alluded to in ''3''. [[CallBack "It looks like there's only one rule on the Citadel."]]
* PsychoticSmirk: Shepard tends to elicit a few sideways grins from her.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: In her first scene in the third game, C-Sec threatens to throw her off the station (it only took them three weeks to figure them out she was there illegally). She replies by ringing up the asari councilor (Tevos or Irissa), who waves her through at once.
* TheStarscream: Became this towards the former ruler of Omega, who she later made her [[TheDragon Dragon]].
** Although according to Aria, Patriarch betrayed ''her''; she simply retaliated. Violently.
* TattooedCrook: Although given that Omega has almost no "rule of law" to speak of and she herself is responsible for there being any "order" on Omega ''at all'', she's only a crook "de facto".
* [[spoiler:UnderNewManagement]]: [[spoiler:As of the end of ''Mass Effect: Invasion'', Aria is no longer the ruler of Omega]].
* [[spoiler:WeWillMeetAgain]]: [[spoiler:What she promises General Petrovsky after he forces her to abandon Omega]].
* WorthyOpponent: She admits that she has a certain level of respect for the "Patriarch."
** She also comes to respect Shepard, even if she will deride a Paragon for being a "Boyscout/Girlscout".
* YouNeedToGetLaid: At one point, Aria will tell Shepard that he/she should find a "nice girl" (if Shepard is male) or a "nice young man" (if Shepard is female) to keep him/her warm in the meantime, since Shepard looks like he/she needs to "loosen up a little."
----
[[WMG: Urdnot Wreav]]
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-ME3_Urdnot_Wreav_4581.png]]
-> ''"Human sentiment tastes like piss. Don't spoil a death with it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': JimCummings
Wrex's brood-brother who assumes leadership of Clan Urdnot if Wrex dies on Virmire (or if you never recruited him at all). In ''Mass Effect 3'', he either fills Wrex's role as representative of all krogan, or appears briefly as a very reluctant follower of Wrex.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Standard krogan procedure. He gets the other clans to let him represent them through "a time-honored tradition of intimidation, threats and violence."
* BloodKnight: Far more 'traditional' than his brother. Whereas Wrex works to create a neutral zone where all clans are welcome, Wreav only co-operates with clan Gatatog because the two of them are at a stalemate.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He apparently disapproves- or would disapprove- of [[spoiler:Maelon's]] experiments, forcing him to turn to Clan Weyrloc.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's pretty much a typical krogan thug.
* MauveShirt: [[spoiler:If Wrex is still alive, Wreav's tomkah gets consumed by Kalros during the Tuchanka finale mission in ''3''.]]
* MilesGloriosus: Wreav will take credit for curing the genophage, claiming he'll be even more famous than Shepard.
* TheMcCoy: To the dalatrass's Spock and the Primarch's Kirk, only he's a lot less nice about it than Wrex.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Treats the fertile females in ''3'' like property and makes disparaging remarks about other species.
* RedOniBlueOni: He's the red to--of all people--''Wrex's'' blue.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Promises one against those responsible for [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka if it goes off]].
* ShinyNewAustralia: Before the final battle, he tells Shepard he wants "this thing you call Australia" in exchange for his help.
* ShutUpHannibal: Once by Wrex (with a headbutt), once by Eve (with her moral suasion).
* SmugSnake: Spends much of ''3'' trying to threaten Shepard. He basically exists to tell the player "You screwed up and now you're stuck with this guy instead of Wrex."
** Despite this he does have a grudging respect for Shepard, but only Shepard. Everyone else- Squadmembers, [=NPCs=], politicans- he treats like dirt. He also bites his tongue around Eve, but only because she's in a position to cause him trouble if he doesn't play nice with her.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Comes across as one of these for Wrex at first, but it soon becomes clear that they're very different in some ''very'' important ways--namely, that Wrex is trying to unite the krogan and revive their long-forgotten culture, whereas Wreav thinks the krogan are just fine the way they are.
* TheOtherDarrin: Sadly, Jim Cummings did not return to the role in the third game.
* TryNotToDie: Before you try to summon Kalros; it's the most concern he ever shows for you and your team.
--> "Try not to get killed up there. Fight like a krogan, and you'll be fine."
* UngratefulBastard: He's much less grateful than Wrex toward Mordin if he cures the genophage [[spoiler:at the cost of his own life]].
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives two to Shepard via e-mail in the third game, one if Shepard [[spoiler:spares the Rachni queen, which causes many krogan in Aralakh Company to die]], and another if [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka goes off]], promising a RoaringRampageOfRevenge in retaliation.
[[WMG: Maelon Heplorn]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maelon_6526.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nothing I do will ever be justified!]]
-> ''"[[BrokenPedestal For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions.]]"''
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
A salarian geneticist, former member of the salarian STG and student of Mordin Solus. He also worked on the [[spoiler: modification of the genophage]] alongside Mordin. Unfortunately, he ends up getting captured by a krogan clan, Weyrloc, who are attempting to reverse the effect of the genophage. [[spoiler:Turns out he actually volunteered.]]
[[hardline]]
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He views his research to cure the genophage as this. Mordin on the other hand, views his experiments as far too extreme.]]
** [[spoiler: If Shepard chooses to cure the krogan, and Maelon is still alive, he will send an ecstatic email to Shepard, revealing that he took Mordin's advice and opened another clinic on Omega. He had to scram when Weyrloc put a bounty on his head, but he's just relieved that something good came out of his work after all.]]
* [[spoiler: BoomHeadshot: Mordin executes him at point-blank range if you don't choose the paragon interrupt.]]
* ChekhovsGun: His research data on the genophage. [[spoiler: If you save it, Mordin / Padok can synthesize a cure from Eve's tissue with much less trauma, keeping her alive, and making the krogan war assets more valuable.]]
* TheExtremistWasRight: His data proves crucial to the Tuchanka arc if it's kept. Shepard can lampshade how it seems wrong to use something created from atrocities for good (even though s/he was the one who authorized keeping the data).
* HeroWorshipper: [[spoiler: Prior to his breakdown, he looked up to Mordin. Unfortunately, between the mission to distribute the Modified Genophage and the effects it had on the Krogan, the relationship fell to pieces.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler: Apparently, Maelon thought the krogan would be able to rebuild Tuchanka peacefully with [[AxCrazy Weyrloc Guld]] in charge. True, he joined Clan Weyrloc because they would be able to go to lengths that Clan Urdnot wouldn't, but Maelon's fantasy of a krogan cultural renaissance sounds a little hollow while he's working for a chief who brags about how he'll take over the galaxy and eat salarian eggs as a delicacy once the genophage is cured.]]
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't take the Paragon interrupt, Mordin blows his brains out.]]
* JustSmileAndNod: At the end of the loyalty mission, [[spoiler: Mordin loses his temper over the experiments Maelon has performed and puts a gun to his former student's head; in the event that you take the Paragon Interrupt, Shepard begs him not to pull the trigger, as - in spite of everything that Maelon's said about him - Mordin isn't a murderer.]] Maelon can only smile and nod helplessly.
* MadScientist: A well-intentioned one, though.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He's been wracked with guilt [[spoiler: ever since he and Mordin upgraded the Genophage]], thereby accounting for the worst of his behaviour. [[spoiler: The Shadow Broker archives show that it started during their first mission on Tuchanka, when they were discovered by krogan guards and had to fight their way out - unknowingly killing female krogan in the process. When Maelon tried to issue a formal complaint, arguing that it went against the whole point of their mission, Mordin had him sedated. Apparently, the return to "normality" on Tuchanka and the rising stillbirths drove him even further over the edge; Mordin himself confesses that his failure to notice Maleon's distress or do anything about it only worsened the problem.]] Thankfully, assuming he survives the loyalty mission, Maelon recovers by the third game.
* NeverMyFault: When asked about why [[spoiler: he didn't originally disagree with the upgraded genophage]] he blames Mordin's influence on his behaviour. Furthermore, when he's actively confronted [[spoiler: over the test subjects killed in his search for a cure]] he once again blames Mordin's teachings, even going so far as to claim "[[spoiler:The experiments are monstrous because I was taught to be a monster!]]" Mordin, who deplores [[spoiler:the use of live test subjects]], ''strongly'' disagrees.
* WideEyedIdealist: In spite of everything he's seen and done, Maelon still manages to be both idealistic and shockingly naive, even during [[spoiler: a guilt-induced mental breakdown]]. Case in point: [[spoiler: he claims that if Mordin's team hadn't upgraded the genophage, an expanded krogan population would have stopped Saren at Eden Prime, if only because the Turian fleets would have been forced to keep an eye on the new Krogan colonies in the Traverse. Mordin, on the other hand, believes that the Turian fleets would have just declared war on the Krogan and killed every last one of them; the third game confirms this by revealing that a Turian bomb had been planted under Tunchkana's crust after the Rebellions, to be used if the Krogan ever rose up again.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist
----
[[WMG:Charr]]
->''"Oh Blue Rose of Illium"''
A random Krogan reciting poetry to try and impress [[http://youtu.be/pFpCSf4D1DY his asari girlfriend, Ereba]]. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' he's a scout looking into the Rachni relay [[spoiler: where he dies offscreen, fighting Reaper-modified Rachni.]]
[[hardline]]
* {{Adorkable}}: If Shepard helps bring them back together, s/he points out to Ereba it's obvious that Charr is crazy about her! He's actually written poetry and is serenading her with it! When was the last time anyone saw a ''Krogan'' do that?!
* CulturedBadass
* NoAccountingForTaste: Other asari in 3 have this attitude towards Ereba.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: In 3, he and Ereba have wed. Other asari look down on Ereba for having a krogan husband fighting in the war, with the idea that he won't know who to shoot. Ereba doesn't take kindly to their prejudices.
* NiceGuy
* ThePowerOfLove: If Ereba takes him back in 2 they're shown on Tuchanka, the krogan homeworld. She doesn't like it and is nervous about other krogan not wanting her there - Charr had to talk the chief around, which was probably easier if said chief was Wrex - but he believes that their love will make it okay.
* SonOfTropeDaughterOfIndex: Ereba worries that he only wants her as a way to have kids, since with the genophage and all... She also admits that he didn't seem to have been aware that these hypothetical kids would always have been asari, not krogan, and when she explained that to him, "Charr was quiet for a long time, then he said he'd love our girls no matter what color they are."
* [[spoiler:SomeoneToRememberHimBy]]: If Ereba is convinced to take him back, then he makes a poetic reference to their unborn child.
* WarriorPoet
----
[[WMG:Niket]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Niket_8804.png]]
An old friend of Miranda's who helps her rescue Oriana from her father on her loyalty mission. [[spoiler:He's actually trying to help reunite Oriana with Niket]]
[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler:AntiVillain]]: [[spoiler:Type III]].
* FreudianExcuse: He grew up in poverty, so he believes that [[spoiler:Oriana will be happier with her wealthy father]].
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: He knew Miranda had spy programs in her father's system, so he never mentioned Oriana's exact location. When he admits this, Miranda declares him the only loose end and tries to shoot him. Even if you talk her down, he dies anyway]].
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceDoorSlam]]: [[spoiler:If you take the Paragon approach to dealing with him and stop Miranda from killing him, he is convinced to help Miranda keep Oriana safe. Before he can however, Enyala kills him instead.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler:The third game shows just how terrible a person Henry Lawson is. Miranda, however, does not fall into this trope regarding him, since he had, at least according to her, given no indication that he was untrustworthy or disapproved of her actions regarding Oriana. Niket does acknowledge that Henry's not good people, but he still thinks it wasn't right to steal a baby daughter from him, to the point where finding out makes him break his years-long streak of never talking to him or his allies.]]
* [[spoiler: InTheBack: If Enyala is the one to kill him.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:By Miranda or Enyala, regardless of what you do]].
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* OldFriend: Miranda's only pre-Cerberus associate.
* OnlyFriend: One of the few people Miranda trusts and her only friend while living with her father. [[spoiler:It turns out that trust was misplaced]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:The revelation that the Eclipse mercenaries aren't hunting Niket down, but that he's working with them]]
-->'''Enyala''': Niket has reached the terminal. [[spoiler:He'll switch the family over to our transport]].
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:He accuses Miranda of having stolen a child from her father merely for revenge]].
[[WMG: Urz]]
[[quoteright:168:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Urz-001_3252.jpg]]
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]]
* LickedByTheDog: Despite varren usually trying to kill and/or generally being vicious towards Shepard, even a hardass renegade gets nothing but love from Urz.
* PaletteSwap
* RetiredBadass: Is actually a former pit-fight champion.
* TeamPet: On Tuchanka.
[[hardline]]
!Feron
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Feron_LotSB_8970.png]]
-> ''I am...was...an information trader. Not a slaver.''
A drell information trafficker who teams up with Liara in the ''Redemption'' comic. Cerberus recruits them both to retrieve Shepard's corpse from the Shadow Broker, who turns out to be Feron's employer. Feron balks at the Broker's deal with the Collectors and helps Liara, only to be captured and tortured as an example to the Broker's other followers. In the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, Shepard and Liara bust him out.
* CanonImmigrant
* DeadpanSnarker: Not even two years of imprisonment and ElectricTorture can quite suppress his snarky side.
--> "We'll be back for you, Feron."
--> "I'll try not to go anywhere."
* DistressedDude: The whole point of the Shadow Broker mission is finding him, [[RoaringRampageOfRescue no matter how many mercenaries, mechs or rogue Spectres]] try to stop you.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's more amoral than evil, but works for the Shadow Broker for the money until he learns that he's planning on selling Shepard to the Collectors. He also says it is not in his principles to betray a client or leave a job unfinished.
* FireForgedFriends: With Liara in Redemption. She distrusts him, especially after she learns of his ties with the Shadow Broker, but in the end, she succeeds with his help and devotes herself to rescuing him.
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't get the Broker DLC, Liara's raid on the Broker's ship still happens, but Feron doesn't survive.]]
* KnowledgeBroker
* ReverseMole: To the Shadow Broker, for Cerberus, in Redemption.
* StealthHiBye: When the power to his interrogation chair fails, he vanishes in the second it takes a light to flick off and on. Must be a drell thing.
* YouShallNotPass: Holds off [[TheDragon Tazzik]], a burly and heavily armed salarian who is the Shadow Broker's top enforcer, so Liara can escape with Shepard's corpse in Redemption, leading to his capture.
----
[[/folder]]
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[[WMG: The Illusive Man, AKA [[spoiler:Jack Harper]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illusiveman_4190.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: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.]]
In ''Mass Effect 3'', he makes his most ambitious move yet - attempting to gain control of the Reapers and their technology rather than defeating them conventionally.
[[hardline]]
* TheAdjectivalMan: Obviously. And his real name is never revealed in the actual games.
* 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.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He, and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When he first shows up, at least.]]
* 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 a NonActionBigBad in the series however.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against the Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only human) mind is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and ends up being indoctrinated.]]
* 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.]] In the third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great steps to control the Reapers in the meantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the Crucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, that research ultimately led to the Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the final confrontation, it's made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide is Saren redux.]]
* 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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose to shoot himself.]]
* 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illusiveman_4190.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: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.]]
In ''Mass Effect 3'', he makes his most ambitious move yet - attempting to gain control of the Reapers and their technology rather than defeating them conventionally.
[[hardline]]
* TheAdjectivalMan: Obviously. And his real name is never revealed in the actual games.
* 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.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He, and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When he first shows up, at least.]]
* 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 a NonActionBigBad in the series however.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against the Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only human) mind is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and ends up being indoctrinated.]]
* 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.]] In the third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great steps to control the Reapers in the meantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the Crucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, that research ultimately led to the Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the final confrontation, it's made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide is Saren redux.]]
* 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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose to shoot himself.]]
* 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
to:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illusiveman_4190.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: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.]]
In ''Mass Effect 3'', he makes his most ambitious move yet - attempting to gain control of the Reapers and their technology rather than defeating them conventionally.
[[hardline]]
* TheAdjectivalMan: Obviously. And his real name is never revealed in the actual games.
* 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.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He, and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When he first shows up, at least.]]
* 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 a NonActionBigBad in the series however.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against the Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only human) mind is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and ends up being indoctrinated.]]
* 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.]] In the third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great steps to control the Reapers in the meantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the Crucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, that research ultimately led to the Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the final confrontation, it's made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide is Saren redux.]]
* 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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose to shoot himself.]]
* 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
Deleted line(s) 143,174 (click to see context) :
[[WMG: Captain Armando-Owen 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, but nevertheless gets promoted to Commander by the start of ''Mass Effect 3''.
* 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.]]
* CanadaEh: Michael Hogan's northern Ontario accent comes through pretty strongly.
* CommandingCoolness: Gets promoted to this by the time you meet him in ''3''.
* DaChief: For Zakera Ward in ''2'', then for C-Sec itself in ''3''.
* DeskJockey: He complains about being one of these after being KickedUpstairs in the third game, the irony being that most of the time you see him, he's behind a desk.
* 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 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 Pallin. Unlike Pallin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* FriendOnTheForce: Acts as one to Shepard.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Willing to engage in dirty business to keep the peace, but he's anything but a thug - see below.
* 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.
* OddFriendship: With Paragon Shepard. Shepard might disapprove of his style and methods of policing, but nonetheless it's clear the two have nothing but an honest respect for the other.
* 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 (at first) Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: He considers this the root of many of the Citadel's social problems, which is why he jumps at the chance to help Thane and Kolyat. He'll eventually admit that he's been in Thane's shoes himself - "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?"
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RetCon: An accidental one regarding his name. A background news report in the second game refers to him as Owen Bailey, but the [[{{DLC}} Lair of the Shadow Broker]] archives refer to him as Armando Bailey. A later Cerberus Daily News report patched up the mistake by giving him the rather unwieldy first name "Armando-Owen."
* {{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 doing so any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
[[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, but nevertheless gets promoted to Commander by the start of ''Mass Effect 3''.
* 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.]]
* CanadaEh: Michael Hogan's northern Ontario accent comes through pretty strongly.
* CommandingCoolness: Gets promoted to this by the time you meet him in ''3''.
* DaChief: For Zakera Ward in ''2'', then for C-Sec itself in ''3''.
* DeskJockey: He complains about being one of these after being KickedUpstairs in the third game, the irony being that most of the time you see him, he's behind a desk.
* 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 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 Pallin. Unlike Pallin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* FriendOnTheForce: Acts as one to Shepard.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Willing to engage in dirty business to keep the peace, but he's anything but a thug - see below.
* 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.
* OddFriendship: With Paragon Shepard. Shepard might disapprove of his style and methods of policing, but nonetheless it's clear the two have nothing but an honest respect for the other.
* 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 (at first) Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: He considers this the root of many of the Citadel's social problems, which is why he jumps at the chance to help Thane and Kolyat. He'll eventually admit that he's been in Thane's shoes himself - "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?"
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RetCon: An accidental one regarding his name. A background news report in the second game refers to him as Owen Bailey, but the [[{{DLC}} Lair of the Shadow Broker]] archives refer to him as Armando Bailey. A later Cerberus Daily News report patched up the mistake by giving him the rather unwieldy first name "Armando-Owen."
* {{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 doing so any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
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[[WMG: Detective Anaya]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anaya_p_555.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nice guns. Try not to use 'em in my district.]]
->''"You're free to go, Justicar. It's been an honor having you in my station...and it's nice you didn't kill me, too."''
-->'''Voiced by''': CindyRobinson
Anaya is a cop on [[CrapsaccharineWorld Illium]] that Shepard meets when looking for Samara. She is quite helpful, as Shepard's cause might draw Samara away from Illium -- and therefore keep Anaya from having to arrest and be subsequently killed by the justicar.
[[hardline]]
* BullyingADragon: Though [[SubvertedTrope not by choice]], only by proxy: her superiors ordered her to detain Samara, even though Samara's code would force her to kill Anaya to avoid it. Fortunately, both of them are willing to be reasonable about it.
* ByTheBookCop: She only accepts your evidence against Pitne For because Samara vouches for you.
* DaChief
* DeadpanSnarker: Very much so.
-->'''Shepard:''' 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.
* 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 makes it very clear that she will follow her orders to detain Samara if Samara does not leave Illium, even knowing that her odds of survival are close to zero.
-->'''Anaya:''' I'm a cop and I know my duty.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: At the end of Samara's recruitment mission, Anaya admits that she didn't expect so much from a human.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* ShoutOut: After the mission, she sends you an e-mail titled [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Still Alive]]
[[WMG: Niftu Cal]]
->"I am a biotic GOD! I think things...and they HAPPEN!"
-->'''Voiced by''': Mark Meer
Yeah. THIS guy. A member of Pitne For's trade group, he ran afoul of the Eclipse sisters after Pitne neglected to tell them the red sand he sold them was potentially lethal. Niftu wound up pumped full of his own product and left to wander Nos Astra, stoned out of his gourd, while Pitne scrambled to get off-world.
Has a higher "meme-per-character" count than anyone short of Harbinger.
* AGodAmI
* BattleAura: Unfortunately, it's the most impressive trick he has.
* LargeHam
* NoYou
-->'''Shepard:''' You need help.
-->'''Niftu:''' YOU need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever!
* ShapedLikeItself: "I am a great wind that will sweep all before me like...a great wind! A great biotic wind!"
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with no combat experience versus the leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I shall toss Wasea about like a rag doll!"
* WizardDuel: He fires a tiny Warp field that 'pops' an inch from Wasea's nose, then turns and walks away. She unceremoniously one-shots him, knocking him into the air and behind a few barrels just as Shepard and co. walk in.
[[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 get their maiden stages doing more productive things, and make the effort to study and 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. [[spoiler: She is actually Liara's father. She took the bartending job in Eternity and later the Apollo cafe both to keep an eye on Liara for the other matriarchs and to keep the less sympathetic ones from trying something.]]
[[hardline]]
* CassandraTruth: Whether or not she believes in the Reapers before ''3'', the events of the first game led her to advise her people on Thessia that "art and philosophy and political prowess wasn't gonna cut it", but they didn't want to hear it.
--> "We can't go one asari lifetime without some big war breaking out! We need to get our daughter working earlier, not spending their wild maiden years stripping or in merc bands."
* CoolOldLady: Thanks to being a DeadpanSnarker and DirtyOldWoman.
* BrainBleach: Talks about her mother putting on her old commando leathers for 'special nights with Dad' with embarrassment, and later evokes a similar response from one of her kids while reminiscing about the other parent's breasts.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DirtyOldWoman: Says she goes for asses in ''2''.
* DisappearedDad: Well... ''technically.''
* 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.
* [[spoiler: IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: She gives Shepard a barely-veiled threat along these lines if s/he's been romancing Liara in the third game.]]
* InsistentTerminology: [[spoiler:She insists that she's Liara's father, not her other mother, because she "didn't pop her out"]].
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:If you're romancing Liara, a Renegade interrupt lets you throw "Nobody messes with my girl" back in her face by saying you won't allow any assassination attempts on Liara. She is impressed.]]
* JadeColoredGlasses: She's faced a lot of crap.
* TheLadette: To be expected. Her dad was a Krogan, after all.
* LamarckWasRight: "Scientists say that stuff about us getting genetic material from our fathers is crap. Seems like I got a bit of his mouth, though."
** NatureVersusNurture: She was raised by a krogan father, so it would have rubbed off, genetics or no.
* MadeOfIron: In one of the Shadow Broker archive videos, Matriarch Aethyta headbutts a krogan... and the ''krogan'' falls to the ground.
* MrsRobinson: She flirts with Shepard quite a bit. [[spoiler:The fact that she's 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, and warns that there's a big war every asari lifetime, so they ought to focus less on culture, more on preparing.
* TheNicknamer: Well, she only gives one example rather than tendency, but it's memorable enough to stick to mind: she calls Matriarch Benezia "Nezzy". And refers to Shepard as 'babe' in ''2''.
** [[spoiler: Also prompted Benezia's petname for Liara, "Little-wing".]]
* OnlySaneMan: Was laughed off Thessia for suggesting that they make a serious effort to study and duplicate the Mass Relays. After the third game [[spoiler:becomes even more so after the relays blow or are damaged in any ending in which the asari species survives]]. In ''3'' it does seem like she has a lot more authority; keeping watch on the Shadow Broker aside, two random sidequests have her namedropped. A commando has her approval to get writings on being a warrior made into required reading, and another asari looking into improved biotic amp interfaces mentions her.
* [[spoiler:PapaWolf: Technically falls under this rather than MamaBear since she's the father in the situation. Either way, she has been making sure nobody messes with Liara.]]
* 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 hanar.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:She has been confirmed to be Liara's father. Not that Liara didn't already figure it out. ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExcPXH3ThzA seen here]].)]]
* SophisticatedAsHell: Uses the terms "anthropocentric" and "bag of dicks" in the same breath.
* TooMuchInformation: [[spoiler:Liara's]] reaction to what she says about [[spoiler:Benezia's]] magnificent rack.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Shep can [[http://youtu.be/b2Zs9_oxnSA ask her]] about what it's like to live for a thousand years. Rather than talk about comparative lifespans, Aethyta says it's violent, good news is the exception, and you take comfort where you can.
--> "Then one day you wake up, your figure's gotten matriarchal, and everyone else is too young to remember how the quarians looked inside those suits."
* WolfWhistle: When fondly recalling [[spoiler:Benezia's]] rack.
[[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 for the last phases of the experiment; ''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]]
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He quit Cerberus after the events of ''Overlord'' and is more than willing to help Shepard to defeat the Reapers in Mass Effect 3.]]
* [[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:DrivenToSuicide: If you fail to save David (or just keep quiet about it to make him squirm), he pulls out a pistol and walks away to "escape from this nightmare." [[SoundOnlyDeath You hear a shot a second later.]]]]
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: In ''3.'']]
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini: Even in the Paragon ending.]]
** HeelRealization: That said, [[spoiler:he eventually realizes the awfulness of what he did; when the Illusive Man asks him to do a second Project Overlord, Archer tells him that "if he wanted to find the devil, he need only look in the mirror." Subsequently, he quits Cerberus and is among the ex-Cerberus scientists that Jacob is protecting.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard was well deserved.]]
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A delayed one but he eventually has this reaction to what he did with Project Overlord.]]
* [[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: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and admits that even he knows that nothing he ever will do can make up for what he did to his brother.]]
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in the third game, Shepard's voice is just dripping hatred during the entire conversation with him.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
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[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists For the main villains, go here.]].
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[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists For the main villains, go here.]].
here]].
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[[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.]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[hottip:Click here for her appearance in Mass Effect 3 (SPOILERS):http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ME3EDIBot_111.png]]]]
->''"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 ("Ee-dee", short for Enhanced Defense Intelligence) that runs the combat electronics.
In ''MassEffect3'', EDI's avatar is no longer present. Instead, she [[spoiler: takes over the synthetic body of Dr. Eva, a Cerberus spy machine that infiltrated the Prothean Archives on Mars, and in the process becomes an actual squadmate]].
[[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.]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[hottip:Click here for her appearance in Mass Effect 3 (SPOILERS):http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ME3EDIBot_111.png]]]]
->''"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 ("Ee-dee", short for Enhanced Defense Intelligence) that runs the combat electronics.
In ''MassEffect3'', EDI's avatar is no longer present. Instead, she [[spoiler: takes over the synthetic body of Dr. Eva, a Cerberus spy machine that infiltrated the Prothean Archives on Mars, and in the process becomes an actual squadmate]].
to:
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Council Space]]
[[WMG:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:I enjoy
[[caption-width-right:350:The patterns are there, buried in the
->''"Salvation comes with a
[[caption-width-right:350:[[hottip:Click here for her appearance in Mass Effect 3 (SPOILERS):http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ME3EDIBot_111.png]]]]
->''"My replies were intended to provoke, though
-->'''Voiced
When
The enigmatic leader of Cerberus. He seeks to protect humanity, regardless of the
In ''MassEffect3'', EDI's avatar is no longer present. Instead, she [[spoiler: takes over
In ''Mass Effect 3'', he makes his most ambitious move yet - attempting to gain control of the Reapers and
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* ActorAllusion: EDI is voiced by Tricia Helfer, who played a sexy cylon (robot) in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}''. [[spoiler:In ''Mass Effect 3'' EDI gains a sexy robot body, futher strengthening the allusion.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot: She was built with averting this in mind; she only has access to the weapons systems and the communications array. Joker's still paranoid about it.
** [[spoiler: After her restraints are removed, 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.]]
** [[spoiler: She reveals in ''3'' she was built out of the remains of the "Hannibal" VI that Shepard destroyed in the first game on the Moon. Hannibal was hinted to have been modified to make it into a 'true' AI, and it ''was'' a Crapshoot, taking control of the drones and turrets and actually killing personnel on Luna. Despite this past history, EDI holds no malice towards Shepard for doing what they had to do.]]
* AppropriatedAppellation: "EDI" stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence, simply a label of her function. As EDI's character develops, it just sorta... becomes her name.
* AudioErotica: [[LipstickLesbian Samantha Traynor]] sheepishly apologizes for the times she mentions how sexy EDI's voice was when she finds out EDI is an AI. Later on, a [[spoiler: recording shows one of the scientists who worked on her confessing it's hard to resist EDI with a voice like her's]]. Shepard him/herself agrees.
* BecomeARealBoy: Her character development in ''MassEffect3''. There are shades of this in the second game also, since EDI spends a large amount of time trying to understand and rationalize organic behavior. However, it isn't until [[spoiler:she gains her own body (and possibly develops a relationship with Joker)]] that she actually makes concerted efforts to feel "alive".
* BlackBox: Initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* [[spoiler: BookEnds: Shepard is potentially responsible for the destruction of EDI ''twice''. In the first game, Shepard is forced to destroy EDI's original incarnation, the rogue "Hannibal" AI on the Moon. In the third game, in the Destroy Ending, Shepard is forced to sacrifice EDI, along with all synthetic life, in order to destroy the Reapers.]]
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
--> '''EDI:''' [[JustJokingJustification That is a joke]].
* CharacterDevelopment: Invariably goes through this in spades during the third game, paragon or renegade.
* ChekhovsGunman: Remember that out-of-control AI on Luna? [[spoiler: That was the initial version of EDI before being recovered by Cerberus and rebuilt.]]
* [[spoiler:CoolStarship: When she's unshackled, she ''becomes'' the Normandy]].
* CrewOfOne: If unshackled, she could potentially do the jobs of most of the human crew. [[spoiler: This becomes a necessity in the endgame, although she and Joker note the Normandy still flies better when they work as a team.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* DefiantToTheEnd: Vows to be this. "I would rather become nonfunctional than help them [Reapers]. I want you to know I will never be a part of the Reaper forces."
* DoAnythingRobot: Technically a "Do Anything AI". In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', virtually every single obstacle Shepard faces is dealt with by saying, "EDI. Do stuff."
* DopplegangerSpin: [[spoiler:Once EDI commandeers the Cerberus infiltrator mech for herself, she gains the "Decoy" power, which projects a distracting ([[AccidentalInnuendo no, not that way]]) holographic doppleganger of her mech platform.]]
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Joker even ''before'' [[spoiler:she got a body.]]
** Lampshaded by Shepard when she comments that Joker will be pleased to see [[spoiler: her new body.]]
--> '''Shepard''': Of that, I have no doubt...
* ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than most examples.
** Since she was designed primarily for defence, keeping Shepard apprised of the current local situation upon embarking the ''Normandy'', actually does makes a ''lot'' of sense.
* 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 after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* [[spoiler:GlacierWaif: As a squad mate, her passive power leans towards strong shields and health as well as hard hitting powers, but not to reducing recharge times, and she even has two powers that are devoted to increasing her survivability. She makes for one sturdy fembot.]]
* HumanityIsInfectious: In ''3'', EDI admits the reason she asks Shepard for a ''human'' perspective, instead of an asari, turian, quarian etc, is because she's come to self-identify herself as a human. Its heavily implied to be due to the influence of both Shepard and Joker. The fact that Liara didn't want to tell her much about asari mating rituals, while Shepard may have great patience for questions, might have helped too.
* [[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, who can treat her as 'equipment' for the whole game depending on your dialogue choices.
** Video records found in ''3'' show that the Illusive Man insisted on referring to her this way [[spoiler: even after she rebelled.]] Shows what he knew.
* JustAMachine: Averted with Paragon Shepard and Joker, both of whom are the first to treat EDI as a ''person'' and not just a tool to run the ''Normandy''. Its likely what causes her to develop such UndyingLoyalty towards them both throughout the second and third game.
* 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.
** Parodied in ''From Ashes'', since by now, everyone is aware of EDI's catchphrase.
--> '''Liara''': You're ''joking?''
--> '''EDI''': No, jokes have specific structures. That was ''messing with you!''
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: In the third game, if the "Destroy" ending is chosen, which wipes out all synthetic life in the galaxy. In the Extended Cut, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall during the ending cutscenes.]]
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: Invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...
-->''[concerned look from Joker]''
-->'''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: but actually becomes more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed. It's also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that she's actually capable of modifying her own morality protocols. Again, she becomes an even more helpful and moral person by doing this.]]
* [[spoiler: MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: In a non-gameplay variation, is this with Shepard at the end of ''3''. In the only ending where Shepard can survive (Destroy), EDI is killed/destroyed along with the Geth and all other synthetics in the galaxy.]]
* 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.
** Though even she knows how groan-worthy probing Uranus is.
** She gets better at it. When Cerberus tried to remote-hack the Normandy, they got an impressively explicit response from EDI.
--> '''Cerberus Scientist:''' I think she was making a joke.
* ParentalSubstitute: Invokes this toward Shepard in ''3'', asking them essentially to give her TheTalk on how to begin a relationship with Joker.
* PlayfulHacker: Cerberus apparently tried to take the Normandy back remotely after Shepard ran off with it. When they sent the signal, EDI's response was to flood their inboxes with zettabytes of porn.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Once EDI gains the [=EDIBot=], one of the standard tech powers in her repertoire is Incinerate.]]
** [[spoiler: Which explains why the room where the body was deposited was on fire...]]
* PrecisionFStrike: Once in ''MassEffect3'', doubling as SophisticatedAsHell. [[spoiler: If Shepard talks to EDI in Purgatory after convincing her to pursue a relationship with Joker, she is asked about Joker's initial reaction to her new form. "He said I didn't have to conform to some feminine ideal in order to impress him. I then called him on his bullshit, and we then proceeded to talk normally.]]
* ReplacementGoldfish: Not EDI herself, but if you [[AllThereInTheManual read between the lines]] and look at the ExpandedUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Eva, the robot whose body EDI takes over in the third game]], is named after [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Eva_Coré another character]] from The Illusive Man's past. And [[spoiler:the robot Eva was designed to be completely loyal to TIM and not have any free will of her own]]. Ew.
* [[spoiler:RequiredPartyMember]]: [[spoiler:During the assault on the Cerberus base in the third game.]]
* RestrainingBolt: Initially limited to only cyber warfare activities during battle and monitoring by Cerberus programming blocks. [[spoiler: Joker eventually undoes them.]]
* RoboShip: Rumors abound about her and Joker in-universe from the likes of Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, even Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a platonic symbiosis than hormonally-induced courtship behavior.
** Developed further in ''MassEffect3''; once [[spoiler: she takes Dr. Eva's body for herself]], EDI begins trying to understand organic relationships in more detail in order to try to comprehend Joker more.
*** There's a LesYay RoboShip from Traynor, who first says of EDI that she has a sexy voice, then admires EDI's new body as well.
* [[spoiler: RobotGirl]]: In ''MassEffect3'', EDI [[spoiler: has a violent AI-on-AI confrontation with Dr. Eva's synthetic body that ends with EDI wiping and controlling her body, turning her into a full-on ambulatory squadmate.]]
* [[spoiler: SexBot: Toyed with. Before she knows that EDI is a sapient intelligence, Samantha Traynor commented that she found EDI's voice extremely attractive. Further, everybody is impressed with how attractively feminine the body EDI gets from Dr. Eva is, to the point that they know Joker is going to go crazy about it. He does. And lastly, the whole bit is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Jack.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Nice body, EDI. Now you look like a sex-''bot'' instead of a sex-''toy''.]]
** [[spoiler: And, in a CrowningMomentOfFunny, Shepard can even overhear Joker asking Mordin for advice on how it would be possible to have sex with EDI without breaking any bones.]]
** [[spoiler:Okay, there's no UnusualEuphemism that will do, so let's just be blunt: the DLC costume gives two upgrades: +25% shields and ''a frakking camel toe''. This can be very disconcerting, as the camera is most likely to show this on it during exposition scenes when you're ''supposed'' to be paying attention to the plot.]]
* ShockAndAwe: [[spoiler:Once she is rendered remotely ambulatory via appropriating the Dr. Eva mech, she has the bread-and-butter tech power Overload.]]
* [[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.
* TheTalk: In ''3'', asks Shepard for advice on how to start relationship with Joker, since Shepard has had first-hand sexual experience in the past. Shepard is naturally mortified at having to do this.
** It's interesting that while the lines are the same, Jennifer Hale as [=FemShep=] starts off awkwardly but ends up having a more motherly tone to her advice on how relationships work. Mark Meer however, completely knocks it out of the park with how delightfully uncomfortable and awkward Male Shepard is at being EDI's "[[ParentalSubstitute Dad]]" in this situation and having to explain sex to her.
* {{Troll}}: Her method of entertaining herself, and the intent of most of her jokes. Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions. In ''3'', she starts trolling Shepard as well. [[DudeNotFunny S/he is not happy about it]].
* [[spoiler: TrueCompanions: Her response to Miranda's misgivings about her being unshackled? "You are my crewmates." The Shadow Broker dossiers show that she communicates with Legion verbally rather than electronically in case any of the organics wander in - she feels it would be rude for them to carry on a conversation no-one else can hear.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Shepard and Joker.
* 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".
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Subverted in ''MassEffect2''. EDI states that she and Joker are engaging in a platonic respect and partnership, rather than hormone-driven courtship. Joker is creeped out by the suggestion. [[spoiler:Then played completely straight in ''MassEffect3'', where EDI acknowledges that Joker finds her new body aesthetically pleasing, but that she has no biological drives which allow her to reciprocate. Instead, she's driven by the desire to understand Jeff and make him happy, so she asks Shepard for his/her advice. You can tell her to keep things friendly, or encourage her to the point that she figures out how to love him back on her own.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives a somewhat subdued one criticizing the logic behind the decision to [[spoiler:let the quarians kill the geth]], in contrast to the near-unanimous approval of the rest of the crew [[spoiler:who are organics who often fought against or lost people to the geth at some point. She will suggest that Shepard would choose the familiar over the unfamiliar, and would choose to save Joker over her.]] [[HarsherInHindsight This could also be a subtle criticism of]] [[spoiler:choosing the Destroy ending, in which EDI dies]].
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom... or send probes to Uranus.
* AIIsACrapshoot: She was built with averting this in mind; she only has access to the weapons systems and the communications array. Joker's still paranoid about it.
** [[spoiler: After her restraints are removed, 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.]]
** [[spoiler: She reveals in ''3'' she was built out of the remains of the "Hannibal" VI that Shepard destroyed in the first game on the Moon. Hannibal was hinted to have been modified to make it into a 'true' AI, and it ''was'' a Crapshoot, taking control of the drones and turrets and actually killing personnel on Luna. Despite this past history, EDI holds no malice towards Shepard for doing what they had to do.]]
* AppropriatedAppellation: "EDI" stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence, simply a label of her function. As EDI's character develops, it just sorta... becomes her name.
* AudioErotica: [[LipstickLesbian Samantha Traynor]] sheepishly apologizes for the times she mentions how sexy EDI's voice was when she finds out EDI is an AI. Later on, a [[spoiler: recording shows one of the scientists who worked on her confessing it's hard to resist EDI with a voice like her's]]. Shepard him/herself agrees.
* BecomeARealBoy: Her character development in ''MassEffect3''. There are shades of this in the second game also, since EDI spends a large amount of time trying to understand and rationalize organic behavior. However, it isn't until [[spoiler:she gains her own body (and possibly develops a relationship with Joker)]] that she actually makes concerted efforts to feel "alive".
* BlackBox: Initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* [[spoiler: BookEnds: Shepard is potentially responsible for the destruction of EDI ''twice''. In the first game, Shepard is forced to destroy EDI's original incarnation, the rogue "Hannibal" AI on the Moon. In the third game, in the Destroy Ending, Shepard is forced to sacrifice EDI, along with all synthetic life, in order to destroy the Reapers.]]
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
--> '''EDI:''' [[JustJokingJustification That is a joke]].
* CharacterDevelopment: Invariably goes through this in spades during the third game, paragon or renegade.
* ChekhovsGunman: Remember that out-of-control AI on Luna? [[spoiler: That was the initial version of EDI before being recovered by Cerberus and rebuilt.]]
* [[spoiler:CoolStarship: When she's unshackled, she ''becomes'' the Normandy]].
* CrewOfOne: If unshackled, she could potentially do the jobs of most of the human crew. [[spoiler: This becomes a necessity in the endgame, although she and Joker note the Normandy still flies better when they work as a team.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* DefiantToTheEnd: Vows to be this. "I would rather become nonfunctional than help them [Reapers]. I want you to know I will never be a part of the Reaper forces."
* DoAnythingRobot: Technically a "Do Anything AI". In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', virtually every single obstacle Shepard faces is dealt with by saying, "EDI. Do stuff."
* DopplegangerSpin: [[spoiler:Once EDI commandeers the Cerberus infiltrator mech for herself, she gains the "Decoy" power, which projects a distracting ([[AccidentalInnuendo no, not that way]]) holographic doppleganger of her mech platform.]]
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Joker even ''before'' [[spoiler:she got a body.]]
** Lampshaded by Shepard when she comments that Joker will be pleased to see [[spoiler: her new body.]]
--> '''Shepard''': Of that, I have no doubt...
* ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than most examples.
** Since she was designed primarily for defence, keeping Shepard apprised of the current local situation upon embarking the ''Normandy'', actually does makes a ''lot'' of sense.
* 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 after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* [[spoiler:GlacierWaif: As a squad mate, her passive power leans towards strong shields and health as well as hard hitting powers, but not to reducing recharge times, and she even has two powers that are devoted to increasing her survivability. She makes for one sturdy fembot.]]
* HumanityIsInfectious: In ''3'', EDI admits the reason she asks Shepard for a ''human'' perspective, instead of an asari, turian, quarian etc, is because she's come to self-identify herself as a human. Its heavily implied to be due to the influence of both Shepard and Joker. The fact that Liara didn't want to tell her much about asari mating rituals, while Shepard may have great patience for questions, might have helped too.
* [[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, who can treat her as 'equipment' for the whole game depending on your dialogue choices.
** Video records found in ''3'' show that the Illusive Man insisted on referring to her this way [[spoiler: even after she rebelled.]] Shows what he knew.
* JustAMachine: Averted with Paragon Shepard and Joker, both of whom are the first to treat EDI as a ''person'' and not just a tool to run the ''Normandy''. Its likely what causes her to develop such UndyingLoyalty towards them both throughout the second and third game.
* 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.
** Parodied in ''From Ashes'', since by now, everyone is aware of EDI's catchphrase.
--> '''Liara''': You're ''joking?''
--> '''EDI''': No, jokes have specific structures. That was ''messing with you!''
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: In the third game, if the "Destroy" ending is chosen, which wipes out all synthetic life in the galaxy. In the Extended Cut, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall during the ending cutscenes.]]
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: Invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...
-->''[concerned look from Joker]''
-->'''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: but actually becomes more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed. It's also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that she's actually capable of modifying her own morality protocols. Again, she becomes an even more helpful and moral person by doing this.]]
* [[spoiler: MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: In a non-gameplay variation, is this with Shepard at the end of ''3''. In the only ending where Shepard can survive (Destroy), EDI is killed/destroyed along with the Geth and all other synthetics in the galaxy.]]
* 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.
** Though even she knows how groan-worthy probing Uranus is.
** She gets better at it. When Cerberus tried to remote-hack the Normandy, they got an impressively explicit response from EDI.
--> '''Cerberus Scientist:''' I think she was making a joke.
* ParentalSubstitute: Invokes this toward Shepard in ''3'', asking them essentially to give her TheTalk on how to begin a relationship with Joker.
* PlayfulHacker: Cerberus apparently tried to take the Normandy back remotely after Shepard ran off with it. When they sent the signal, EDI's response was to flood their inboxes with zettabytes of porn.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Once EDI gains the [=EDIBot=], one of the standard tech powers in her repertoire is Incinerate.]]
** [[spoiler: Which explains why the room where the body was deposited was on fire...]]
* PrecisionFStrike: Once in ''MassEffect3'', doubling as SophisticatedAsHell. [[spoiler: If Shepard talks to EDI in Purgatory after convincing her to pursue a relationship with Joker, she is asked about Joker's initial reaction to her new form. "He said I didn't have to conform to some feminine ideal in order to impress him. I then called him on his bullshit, and we then proceeded to talk normally.]]
* ReplacementGoldfish: Not EDI herself, but if you [[AllThereInTheManual read between the lines]] and look at the ExpandedUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Eva, the robot whose body EDI takes over in the third game]], is named after [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Eva_Coré another character]] from The Illusive Man's past. And [[spoiler:the robot Eva was designed to be completely loyal to TIM and not have any free will of her own]]. Ew.
* [[spoiler:RequiredPartyMember]]: [[spoiler:During the assault on the Cerberus base in the third game.]]
* RestrainingBolt: Initially limited to only cyber warfare activities during battle and monitoring by Cerberus programming blocks. [[spoiler: Joker eventually undoes them.]]
* RoboShip: Rumors abound about her and Joker in-universe from the likes of Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, even Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a platonic symbiosis than hormonally-induced courtship behavior.
** Developed further in ''MassEffect3''; once [[spoiler: she takes Dr. Eva's body for herself]], EDI begins trying to understand organic relationships in more detail in order to try to comprehend Joker more.
*** There's a LesYay RoboShip from Traynor, who first says of EDI that she has a sexy voice, then admires EDI's new body as well.
* [[spoiler: RobotGirl]]: In ''MassEffect3'', EDI [[spoiler: has a violent AI-on-AI confrontation with Dr. Eva's synthetic body that ends with EDI wiping and controlling her body, turning her into a full-on ambulatory squadmate.]]
* [[spoiler: SexBot: Toyed with. Before she knows that EDI is a sapient intelligence, Samantha Traynor commented that she found EDI's voice extremely attractive. Further, everybody is impressed with how attractively feminine the body EDI gets from Dr. Eva is, to the point that they know Joker is going to go crazy about it. He does. And lastly, the whole bit is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Jack.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Nice body, EDI. Now you look like a sex-''bot'' instead of a sex-''toy''.]]
** [[spoiler: And, in a CrowningMomentOfFunny, Shepard can even overhear Joker asking Mordin for advice on how it would be possible to have sex with EDI without breaking any bones.]]
** [[spoiler:Okay, there's no UnusualEuphemism that will do, so let's just be blunt: the DLC costume gives two upgrades: +25% shields and ''a frakking camel toe''. This can be very disconcerting, as the camera is most likely to show this on it during exposition scenes when you're ''supposed'' to be paying attention to the plot.]]
* ShockAndAwe: [[spoiler:Once she is rendered remotely ambulatory via appropriating the Dr. Eva mech, she has the bread-and-butter tech power Overload.]]
* [[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.
* TheTalk: In ''3'', asks Shepard for advice on how to start relationship with Joker, since Shepard has had first-hand sexual experience in the past. Shepard is naturally mortified at having to do this.
** It's interesting that while the lines are the same, Jennifer Hale as [=FemShep=] starts off awkwardly but ends up having a more motherly tone to her advice on how relationships work. Mark Meer however, completely knocks it out of the park with how delightfully uncomfortable and awkward Male Shepard is at being EDI's "[[ParentalSubstitute Dad]]" in this situation and having to explain sex to her.
* {{Troll}}: Her method of entertaining herself, and the intent of most of her jokes. Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions. In ''3'', she starts trolling Shepard as well. [[DudeNotFunny S/he is not happy about it]].
* [[spoiler: TrueCompanions: Her response to Miranda's misgivings about her being unshackled? "You are my crewmates." The Shadow Broker dossiers show that she communicates with Legion verbally rather than electronically in case any of the organics wander in - she feels it would be rude for them to carry on a conversation no-one else can hear.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Shepard and Joker.
* 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".
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Subverted in ''MassEffect2''. EDI states that she and Joker are engaging in a platonic respect and partnership, rather than hormone-driven courtship. Joker is creeped out by the suggestion. [[spoiler:Then played completely straight in ''MassEffect3'', where EDI acknowledges that Joker finds her new body aesthetically pleasing, but that she has no biological drives which allow her to reciprocate. Instead, she's driven by the desire to understand Jeff and make him happy, so she asks Shepard for his/her advice. You can tell her to keep things friendly, or encourage her to the point that she figures out how to love him back on her own.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives a somewhat subdued one criticizing the logic behind the decision to [[spoiler:let the quarians kill the geth]], in contrast to the near-unanimous approval of the rest of the crew [[spoiler:who are organics who often fought against or lost people to the geth at some point. She will suggest that Shepard would choose the familiar over the unfamiliar, and would choose to save Joker over her.]] [[HarsherInHindsight This could also be a subtle criticism of]] [[spoiler:choosing the Destroy ending, in which EDI dies]].
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom... or send probes to Uranus.
to:
* ActorAllusion: EDI TheAdjectivalMan: Obviously. And his real name is voiced by Tricia Helfer, who played a sexy cylon (robot) never revealed in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}''. [[spoiler:In ''Mass Effect 3'' EDI gains a sexy robot body, futher strengthening the allusion.actual games.
* 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.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He, and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When he first shows up, at least.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot: She was built with averting this in mind; she only has access to the weapons systems and the communications array. Joker's still paranoid about it.
** [[spoiler: After her restraints are removed, 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.]]
** [[spoiler: She reveals in ''3'' she was built out of the remains of the "Hannibal" VI that Shepard destroyed in the first game on the Moon. Hannibal was hinted to have been modified to make it into a 'true' AI, and it ''was'' a Crapshoot, taking control of the drones and turrets and actually killing personnel on Luna. Despite this past history, EDI holds no malice towards Shepard for doing what they had to do.]]
* AppropriatedAppellation: "EDI" stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence, simply a label of her function. As EDI's character develops, it just sorta... becomes her name.
* AudioErotica: [[LipstickLesbian Samantha Traynor]] sheepishly apologizes for the times she mentions how sexy EDI's voiceHis anti-alien manifesto was when she finds out EDI is an AI. Later on, a [[spoiler: recording shows one of the scientists who worked on her confessing it's hard to resist EDI with a voice like her's]]. Shepard him/herself agrees.
* BecomeARealBoy: Her character development in ''MassEffect3''. There are shades of this in the second game also, since EDI spends a large amount of time trying to understand and rationalize organic behavior. However, it isn't until [[spoiler:she gains her own body (and possibly develops a relationship with Joker)]] that she actually makes concerted efforts to feel "alive".
* BlackBox: Initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* [[spoiler: BookEnds: Shepard is potentially responsible for the destruction of EDI ''twice''. In thederided by Alliance command after first game, Shepard is forced to destroy EDI's original incarnation, the rogue "Hannibal" AI on the Moon. In the third game, in the Destroy Ending, Shepard is forced to sacrifice EDI, along contact as "survivalist rhetoric written by an illusive man". He kinda rolled with all synthetic life, in order to destroy the Reapers.]]
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
--> '''EDI:''' [[JustJokingJustification That is a joke]].
* CharacterDevelopment: Invariably goes through this in spades during the third game, paragon or renegade.
* ChekhovsGunman: Remember that out-of-control AI on Luna? [[spoiler: That was the initial version of EDI before being recovered by Cerberus and rebuilt.]]
* [[spoiler:CoolStarship: When she's unshackled, she ''becomes'' the Normandy]].
* CrewOfOne: If unshackled, she could potentially do the jobs of most of the human crew. [[spoiler: This becomes a necessity in the endgame, although she and Joker note the Normandy still flies better when they work as a team.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* DefiantToTheEnd: Vows to be this. "I would rather become nonfunctional than help them [Reapers]. I want you to know I will never be a part of the Reaper forces."
* DoAnythingRobot: Technically a "Do Anything AI". In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', virtually every single obstacle Shepard faces is dealt with by saying, "EDI. Do stuff."
* DopplegangerSpin: [[spoiler:Once EDI commandeers the Cerberus infiltrator mech for herself, she gains the "Decoy" power, which projects a distracting ([[AccidentalInnuendo no, not that way]]) holographic doppleganger of her mech platform.]]
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Joker even ''before'' [[spoiler:she got a body.]]
** Lampshaded by Shepard when she comments that Joker will be pleased to see [[spoiler: her new body.]]
--> '''Shepard''': Of that, I have no doubt...
* ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than most examples.
** Since she was designed primarily for defence, keeping Shepard apprised of the current local situation upon embarking the ''Normandy'', actually does makes a ''lot'' of sense.
* 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 after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* [[spoiler:GlacierWaif: As a squad mate, her passive power leans towards strong shields and health as well as hard hitting powers, but not to reducing recharge times, and she even has two powers that are devoted to increasing her survivability. She makes for one sturdy fembot.]]
* HumanityIsInfectious: In ''3'', EDI admits the reason she asks Shepard for a ''human'' perspective, instead of an asari, turian, quarian etc, is because she's come to self-identify herself as a human. Its heavily implied to be due to the influence of both Shepard and Joker. The fact that Liara didn't want to tell her much about asari mating rituals, while Shepard may have great patience for questions, might have helped too.
* [[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, who can treat her as 'equipment' for the whole game depending on your dialogue choices.
** Video records found in ''3'' show that the Illusive Man insisted on referring to her this way [[spoiler: even after she rebelled.]] Shows what he knew.
* JustAMachine: Averted with Paragon Shepard and Joker, both of whom are the first to treat EDI as a ''person'' and not just a tool to run the ''Normandy''. Its likely what causes her to develop such UndyingLoyalty towards them both throughout the second and third game.
* 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.
** Parodied in ''From Ashes'', since by now, everyone is aware of EDI's catchphrase.
--> '''Liara''': You're ''joking?''
--> '''EDI''': No, jokes have specific structures. That was ''messing with you!''
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: In the third game, if the "Destroy" ending is chosen, which wipes out all synthetic life in the galaxy. In the Extended Cut, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall during the ending cutscenes.]]
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: Invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...
-->''[concerned look from Joker]''
-->'''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: but actually becomes more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed. It's also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that she's actually capable of modifying her own morality protocols. Again, she becomes an even more helpful and moral person by doing this.]]
* [[spoiler: MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: In a non-gameplay variation, is this with Shepard at the end of ''3''. In the only ending where Shepard can survive (Destroy), EDI is killed/destroyed along with the Geth and all other synthetics in the galaxy.]]
* 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 ofit.
** Though even she knows how groan-worthy probing Uranus is.
** She gets better at it. When Cerberus tried to remote-hack the Normandy, they got an impressively explicit response from EDI.
--> '''Cerberus Scientist:''' I think she was making a joke.
* ParentalSubstitute: Invokes this toward Shepard in ''3'', asking them essentially to give her TheTalk on how to begin a relationship with Joker.
* PlayfulHacker: Cerberus apparently tried to take the Normandy back remotely after Shepard ran off with it. When they sent the signal, EDI's response was to flood their inboxes with zettabytes of porn.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Once EDI gains the [=EDIBot=], one of the standard tech powers in her repertoire is Incinerate.]]
** [[spoiler: Which explains why the room where the body was deposited was on fire...]]
* PrecisionFStrike: Once in ''MassEffect3'', doubling as SophisticatedAsHell. [[spoiler:{{Badass}}: If Shepard talks to EDI in Purgatory after convincing her to pursue a relationship with Joker, she is asked about Joker's initial reaction to her new form. "He said I didn't have to conform to some feminine ideal in order to impress him. I then called him on his bullshit, and we then proceeded to talk normally.]]
* ReplacementGoldfish: Not EDI herself, but if you [[AllThereInTheManual read between the lines]] and look at the ExpandedUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Eva, the robot whose body EDI takes over in the third game]], is named after[[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Eva_Coré another character]] from The com/wiki/Mass_Effect:_Evolution this]] prequel comic is any indication, old Mr. Illusive Man's past. And [[spoiler:the robot Eva was designed to be completely loyal to TIM and not have any free will of her own]]. Ew.
* [[spoiler:RequiredPartyMember]]: [[spoiler:Duringquite the assault on the Cerberus base soldier. He's a NonActionBigBad in the third game.series however.
* 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.]]
* RestrainingBolt: Initially limited ** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against the Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only cyber warfare activities during battle human) mind is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and monitoring by ends up being indoctrinated.]]
* 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.]] In the third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberusprogramming blocks. largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great steps to control the Reapers in the meantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the Crucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, that research ultimately led to the Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the final confrontation, it's made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler:Joker eventually undoes TIM's suicide is Saren redux.]]
* 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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose to shoot himself.]]
* 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
*RoboShip: Rumors abound about her and Joker in-universe from SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the likes of Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, even Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is moreCollector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a platonic symbiosis than hormonally-induced courtship behavior.
** Developed further in ''MassEffect3''; once [[spoiler: she takes Dr. Eva's body for herself]], EDI begins trying to understand organic relationships in more detail in order to try to comprehend Joker more.
*** There's a LesYay RoboShip from Traynor, who first says of EDI that she has a sexy voice, then admires EDI's new body as well.
* [[spoiler: RobotGirl]]: In ''MassEffect3'', EDI [[spoiler: has a violent AI-on-AI confrontation with Dr. Eva's synthetic body that ends with EDI wiping and controlling her body, turning her into a full-on ambulatory squadmate.bit.]]
*[[spoiler: SexBot: Toyed with. Before she knows that EDI is a sapient intelligence, Samantha Traynor commented that she found EDI's voice extremely attractive. Further, everybody is impressed with SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how attractively feminine Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the body EDI gets fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from Dr. Eva is, to the point that they know Joker is going to go crazy about it. He does. And lastly, the whole bit is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Jack.uniting.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Nice body, EDI. Now you look * StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups likea sex-''bot'' instead of a sex-''toy''.these that emerge.]]
** [[spoiler: And, in a CrowningMomentOfFunny, Shepard * [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can even overhear Joker asking Mordin for advice on how it would be possible convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have sex near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with EDI without breaking any bones.him during the game''.]]
** [[spoiler:Okay, there's no UnusualEuphemism * [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that will do, so let's just be blunt: the DLC costume gives two upgrades: +25% shields going OneWingedAngel and ''a frakking camel toe''. This can be very disconcerting, as the camera is most likely to show this on turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it during exposition scenes when you're ''supposed'' to be paying attention to the plot.was "too videogamey".]]
*ShockAndAwe: [[spoiler:Once she TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is rendered remotely ambulatory via appropriating essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but theDr. Eva mech, she has fact remains that he had the bread-and-butter power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech power Overload.and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
*[[TheSmartGuy The Smart Gal]]: Provides helpful advice TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on almost all missions and is very good at what she does behind-the-scenes.
other humans.
*[[spoiler:SapientShip]]
* SpaceshipGirl: At least her voice.
* TheTalk: In ''3'', asksUngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard for advice on how in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to start relationship with Joker, since Shepard has had first-hand sexual experience in destroy the past. Shepard is naturally mortified at having to do this.
** It's interestingCollector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that while the lines are the same, Jennifer Hale as [=FemShep=] starts off awkwardly but ends up having a more motherly tone to her advice on how relationships work. Mark Meer however, completely knocks it out of the park with how delightfully uncomfortable and awkward Male Shepard is at being EDI's "[[ParentalSubstitute Dad]]" in this situation and having is largely due to explain sex to her.
* {{Troll}}: Her method of entertaining herself, and the intent of most of her jokes. Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions. In ''3'', she starts trolling Shepard as well. [[DudeNotFunny S/he is not happy about it]].
* [[spoiler: TrueCompanions: Her response to Miranda's misgivings about her being unshackled? "You are my crewmates." The Shadow Broker dossiers show that she communicates with Legion verbally rather than electronically in case any of the organics wander in - she feels it would be rude for them to carry on a conversation no-one else can hear.indoctrination.]]
*UndyingLoyalty: To 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard andJoker.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Joker.
** Can also be read as BelligerentSexualTension;Anderson at least the endgame, especially if Shepard thinks so. Plus, it's telling keeps pointing out that after EDI his plan to control the Reapers is unshackled, she stops calling Joker "Mr. Moreau" failing because he himself is indoctrinated and starts calling playing into their hands]]. It ends with him "Jeff". Joker in turn stops calling EDI "it" and starts calling EDI a "she".
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Subverted in ''MassEffect2''. EDI states that she and Joker are engaging in a platonic respect and partnership, rather than hormone-driven courtship. Joker is creeped out by the suggestion. [[spoiler:Then played completely straight in ''MassEffect3'', where EDI acknowledges that Joker finds her new body aesthetically pleasing, but that she has no biological drives which allow her to reciprocate. Instead, she's driven by the desire to understand Jeff and make him happy, so she askseither [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard for his/her advice. You can tell her and trying to keep things friendly, shoot him/her and Anderson, or encourage her to the point that she figures out how to love him back on her own.fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
*WhatTheHellHero: Gives a somewhat subdued one criticizing VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the logic behind best and worst of humanity all at once.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Though thedecision "well-intentioned" part of it is entirely down to [[spoiler:let the quarians kill the geth]], in contrast whether you agree with his notion - as some players inevitably do - that humanity has every right to the near-unanimous approval of crush the rest of the crew [[spoiler:who are organics who often fought against or lost people to the geth at some point. She will suggest that civilized galaxy under its collective foot and take charge.
* WickedCultured
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepardwould choose the familiar over the unfamiliar, and would choose to save Joker over her.]] [[HarsherInHindsight This could also be a subtle criticism of]] [[spoiler:choosing the Destroy ending, in which EDI dies]].
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom... or send probes to Uranus.as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
* 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.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He, and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When he first shows up, at least.]]
** [[spoiler: After her restraints are removed, 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.]]
** [[spoiler: She reveals in ''3'' she was built out of the remains of the "Hannibal" VI that Shepard destroyed in the first game on the Moon. Hannibal was hinted to have been modified to make it into a 'true' AI, and it ''was'' a Crapshoot, taking control of the drones and turrets and actually killing personnel on Luna. Despite this past history, EDI holds no malice towards Shepard for doing what they had to do.]]
* AudioErotica: [[LipstickLesbian Samantha Traynor]] sheepishly apologizes for the times she mentions how sexy EDI's voice
* BecomeARealBoy: Her character development in ''MassEffect3''. There are shades of this in the second game also, since EDI spends a large amount of time trying to understand and rationalize organic behavior. However, it isn't until [[spoiler:she gains her own body (and possibly develops a relationship with Joker)]] that she actually makes concerted efforts to feel "alive".
* BlackBox: Initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* [[spoiler: BookEnds: Shepard is potentially responsible for the destruction of EDI ''twice''. In the
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
--> '''EDI:''' [[JustJokingJustification That is a joke]].
* CharacterDevelopment: Invariably goes through this in spades during the third game, paragon or renegade.
* ChekhovsGunman: Remember that out-of-control AI on Luna? [[spoiler: That was the initial version of EDI before being recovered by Cerberus and rebuilt.]]
* [[spoiler:CoolStarship: When she's unshackled, she ''becomes'' the Normandy]].
* CrewOfOne: If unshackled, she could potentially do the jobs of most of the human crew. [[spoiler: This becomes a necessity in the endgame, although she and Joker note the Normandy still flies better when they work as a team.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* DefiantToTheEnd: Vows to be this. "I would rather become nonfunctional than help them [Reapers]. I want you to know I will never be a part of the Reaper forces."
* DoAnythingRobot: Technically a "Do Anything AI". In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', virtually every single obstacle Shepard faces is dealt with by saying, "EDI. Do stuff."
* DopplegangerSpin: [[spoiler:Once EDI commandeers the Cerberus infiltrator mech for herself, she gains the "Decoy" power, which projects a distracting ([[AccidentalInnuendo no, not that way]]) holographic doppleganger of her mech platform.]]
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Joker even ''before'' [[spoiler:she got a body.]]
** Lampshaded by Shepard when she comments that Joker will be pleased to see [[spoiler: her new body.]]
--> '''Shepard''': Of that, I have no doubt...
* ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than most examples.
** Since she was designed primarily for defence, keeping Shepard apprised of the current local situation upon embarking the ''Normandy'', actually does makes a ''lot'' of sense.
* 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 after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* [[spoiler:GlacierWaif: As a squad mate, her passive power leans towards strong shields and health as well as hard hitting powers, but not to reducing recharge times, and she even has two powers that are devoted to increasing her survivability. She makes for one sturdy fembot.]]
* HumanityIsInfectious: In ''3'', EDI admits the reason she asks Shepard for a ''human'' perspective, instead of an asari, turian, quarian etc, is because she's come to self-identify herself as a human. Its heavily implied to be due to the influence of both Shepard and Joker. The fact that Liara didn't want to tell her much about asari mating rituals, while Shepard may have great patience for questions, might have helped too.
* [[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, who can treat her as 'equipment' for the whole game depending on your dialogue choices.
** Video records found in ''3'' show that the Illusive Man insisted on referring to her this way [[spoiler: even after she rebelled.]] Shows what he knew.
* JustAMachine: Averted with Paragon Shepard and Joker, both of whom are the first to treat EDI as a ''person'' and not just a tool to run the ''Normandy''. Its likely what causes her to develop such UndyingLoyalty towards them both throughout the second and third game.
* 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.
** Parodied in ''From Ashes'', since by now, everyone is aware of EDI's catchphrase.
--> '''Liara''': You're ''joking?''
--> '''EDI''': No, jokes have specific structures. That was ''messing with you!''
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: In the third game, if the "Destroy" ending is chosen, which wipes out all synthetic life in the galaxy. In the Extended Cut, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall during the ending cutscenes.]]
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: Invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...
-->''[concerned look from Joker]''
-->'''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: but actually becomes more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed. It's also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that she's actually capable of modifying her own morality protocols. Again, she becomes an even more helpful and moral person by doing this.]]
* [[spoiler: MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: In a non-gameplay variation, is this with Shepard at the end of ''3''. In the only ending where Shepard can survive (Destroy), EDI is killed/destroyed along with the Geth and all other synthetics in the galaxy.]]
* 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
** She gets better at it. When Cerberus tried to remote-hack the Normandy, they got an impressively explicit response from EDI.
--> '''Cerberus Scientist:''' I think she was making a joke.
* PlayfulHacker: Cerberus apparently tried to take the Normandy back remotely after Shepard ran off with it. When they sent the signal, EDI's response was to flood their inboxes with zettabytes of porn.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Once EDI gains the [=EDIBot=], one of the standard tech powers in her repertoire is Incinerate.]]
** [[spoiler: Which explains why the room where the body was deposited was on fire...]]
* PrecisionFStrike: Once in ''MassEffect3'', doubling as SophisticatedAsHell. [[spoiler:
* ReplacementGoldfish: Not EDI herself, but if you [[AllThereInTheManual read between the lines]] and look at the ExpandedUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Eva, the robot whose body EDI takes over in the third game]], is named after
* [[spoiler:RequiredPartyMember]]: [[spoiler:During
* 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.]] In the third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler:
* 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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose to shoot himself.]]
* 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
*
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more
** Developed further in ''MassEffect3''; once [[spoiler: she takes Dr. Eva's body for herself]], EDI begins trying to understand organic relationships in more detail in order to try to comprehend Joker more.
*** There's a LesYay RoboShip from Traynor, who first says of EDI that she has a sexy voice, then admires EDI's new body as well.
* [[spoiler: RobotGirl]]: In ''MassEffect3'', EDI [[spoiler: has a violent AI-on-AI confrontation with Dr. Eva's synthetic body that ends with EDI wiping and controlling her body, turning her into a full-on ambulatory squadmate.
*
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like
*
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the
*
*
* SpaceshipGirl: At least her voice.
* TheTalk: In ''3'', asks
** It's interesting
* {{Troll}}: Her method of entertaining herself, and the intent of most of her jokes. Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions. In ''3'', she starts trolling Shepard as well. [[DudeNotFunny S/he is not happy about it]].
* [[spoiler: TrueCompanions: Her response to Miranda's misgivings about her being unshackled? "You are my crewmates." The Shadow Broker dossiers show that she communicates with Legion verbally rather than electronically in case any of the organics wander in - she feels it would be rude for them to carry on a conversation no-one else can hear.
*
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Joker.
** Can also be read as BelligerentSexualTension;
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Subverted in ''MassEffect2''. EDI states that she and Joker are engaging in a platonic respect and partnership, rather than hormone-driven courtship. Joker is creeped out by the suggestion. [[spoiler:Then played completely straight in ''MassEffect3'', where EDI acknowledges that Joker finds her new body aesthetically pleasing, but that she has no biological drives which allow her to reciprocate. Instead, she's driven by the desire to understand Jeff and make him happy, so she asks
*
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Though the
* WickedCultured
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom... or send probes to Uranus.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
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[[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 (and unofficial crew counselor), a perky young woman who has plenty of respect for both Cerberus and Shepard. Romanceable, despite not being a party member.
to:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
->''"I'm with them [formalities] up until they keep people
->''"You have unread messages at your private terminal.
-->'''Voiced by''':
The ''Normandy'' SR-2's yeoman (and unofficial crew counselor),
A human Captain of C-Sec, he unofficially acts as a
* 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.]]
* CanadaEh: Michael Hogan's northern Ontario accent comes through pretty strongly.
* CommandingCoolness: Gets promoted to this by the time you meet him in ''3''.
* DaChief: For Zakera Ward in ''2'', then for C-Sec itself in ''3''.
* DeskJockey: He complains about being one of these after being KickedUpstairs in the third game, the irony being that most of the time you see him, he's behind a desk.
* 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 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 Pallin. Unlike Pallin, who
* FriendOnTheForce: Acts as one to Shepard.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Willing to engage in dirty business to keep the peace, but he's anything but a thug - see below.
* 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.
* OddFriendship: With Paragon Shepard. Shepard might disapprove of his style and methods of policing, but nonetheless it's clear the two have nothing but an honest respect for
* 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 (at first) Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: He considers this the root of many of the Citadel's social problems, which is why he jumps at the chance to help Thane and Kolyat. He'll eventually admit that he's been in Thane's shoes himself - "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?"
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RetCon: An accidental one regarding his name. A background news report in the second game refers to him as Owen Bailey, but the [[{{DLC}} Lair of the Shadow Broker]] archives refer to him as Armando Bailey. A later Cerberus Daily News report patched up the mistake by giving him the rather unwieldy first name "Armando-Owen."
* {{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 doing so any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
----
[[WMG: Detective Anaya]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anaya_p_555.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nice guns. Try not to use 'em in my district.]]
->''"You're free to go, Justicar. It's been an honor having you in my station...and
-->'''Voiced by''': CindyRobinson
Anaya is a
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* 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.]] Fans have had a field day speculating about how the varren-carried STD got on board the Normandy.
* 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.]]
** UpToEleven in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler: She can't even step onto the Normandy anymore without having flashbacks of her abduction and capture. And, if Shepard yells at her when she reveals that she used to spy on him for the Illusive Man, she'll run off in tears and you'll later learn that she killed herself by swallowing a cyanide pill.]]
* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', if she survived the second game, she will be a therapist with a crippling case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with some SurvivorsGuilt for good measure.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: She will have an emotional breakdown if you yell at her for being TheMole in the third game and will later take cyanide pills due out of depression]].
* 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, or if you fail to assign the Normandy crew a protector.]]
** And in the third game, [[spoiler:can die if you don't persuade her to change her identity on the Citadel during the Cerberus invasion]].
** [[spoiler: If you choose to yell at her (instead of forgiving her) when she reveals that she sent reports on Shepard and the crew to the Illusive Man during the previous game, she will commit suicide]].
* IntimatePsychotherapy: Hinted at. She's a yeoman in title and in function, but as Shepard points out, this job could be done by a VI. Her actual main function is as the unofficial ship counselor, whose job is to keep stress in check among the crewmembers. She mentions that this duty is best fulfilled informally. [[SarcasmMode On a totally unrelated matter]] she says "Passion is nice wherever you find it and intimacy brings understanding." Way to keep stress in check indeed.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Paragon Shepard can become one to her in ''3''.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:She will confess that she was spying on Shepard on behalf of the Illusive Man in the third game]].
* 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 she doesn'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 say "Now, back to the old Kelly." afterward.]]
** Subverted like hell in ''MassEffect3''. [[spoiler:She's got a bad case of PTSD from her abudction and can't bear the thought of returning to the Normandy.]]
* 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.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', she appears to be the only therapist available on the docks, and she is surrounded by people who need her help, so her own issues will have to wait.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: For Cerberus, representing the viewpoint that the organization is just pro-human, rather than anti-alien. In ''MassEffect3'', she sees the error of her ways and deserts from Cerberus.
----
[[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.
* 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.]] Fans have had a field day speculating about how the varren-carried STD got on board the Normandy.
* 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.]]
** UpToEleven in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler: She can't even step onto the Normandy anymore without having flashbacks of her abduction and capture. And, if Shepard yells at her when she reveals that she used to spy on him for the Illusive Man, she'll run off in tears and you'll later learn that she killed herself by swallowing a cyanide pill.]]
* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', if she survived the second game, she will be a therapist with a crippling case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with some SurvivorsGuilt for good measure.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: She will have an emotional breakdown if you yell at her for being TheMole in the third game and will later take cyanide pills due out of depression]].
* 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, or if you fail to assign the Normandy crew a protector.]]
** And in the third game, [[spoiler:can die if you don't persuade her to change her identity on the Citadel during the Cerberus invasion]].
** [[spoiler: If you choose to yell at her (instead of forgiving her) when she reveals that she sent reports on Shepard and the crew to the Illusive Man during the previous game, she will commit suicide]].
* IntimatePsychotherapy: Hinted at. She's a yeoman in title and in function, but as Shepard points out, this job could be done by a VI. Her actual main function is as the unofficial ship counselor, whose job is to keep stress in check among the crewmembers. She mentions that this duty is best fulfilled informally. [[SarcasmMode On a totally unrelated matter]] she says "Passion is nice wherever you find it and intimacy brings understanding." Way to keep stress in check indeed.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Paragon Shepard can become one to her in ''3''.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:She will confess that she was spying on Shepard on behalf of the Illusive Man in the third game]].
* 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 she doesn'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 say "Now, back to the old Kelly." afterward.]]
** Subverted like hell in ''MassEffect3''. [[spoiler:She's got a bad case of PTSD from her abudction and can't bear the thought of returning to the Normandy.]]
* 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.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', she appears to be the only therapist available on the docks, and she is surrounded by people who need her help, so her own issues will have to wait.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: For Cerberus, representing the viewpoint that the organization is just pro-human, rather than anti-alien. In ''MassEffect3'', she sees the error of her ways and deserts from Cerberus.
----
[[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.
to:
*
* AnythingThatMoves: Doesn't care what race/gender
* ByTheBookCop: She only accepts your evidence against Pitne For because
* DaChief
* DeadpanSnarker: Very much so.
-->'''Shepard:''' 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
'''Anaya:''' Yeah, that.
* FriendOnTheForce: Will follow up on
* 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
* 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.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Orders, Right Or Wrong]]: She
-->'''Anaya:''' I'm a cop and I know my duty.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: At the
*
* ShoutOut: After the mission, she
[[WMG: Niftu Cal]]
->"I am a biotic GOD! I think things...and they HAPPEN!"
-->'''Voiced by''': Mark Meer
Yeah. THIS guy. A member of Pitne For's trade group, he ran afoul of the
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: She will have an emotional breakdown if you yell at her for being TheMole in
Has a higher "meme-per-character" count than anyone short of Harbinger.
*
*
*
*
* [[spoiler:KillTheCutie: What happens if you delay in going through
-->'''Shepard:''' You need help.
-->'''Niftu:''' YOU need help! You stand before the
* ShapedLikeItself: "I am a
** And in the third game, [[spoiler:can die if you don't persuade her to change her identity on the Citadel during the Cerberus invasion]].
** [[spoiler: If you choose to yell at her (instead of forgiving her) when she reveals
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with no combat experience versus the leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I shall toss Wasea about like a rag doll!"
* WizardDuel: He fires a tiny Warp field that 'pops' an inch from Wasea's nose, then turns and walks away. She unceremoniously one-shots him, knocking him into the air and behind a few barrels just as Shepard and
* IntimatePsychotherapy: Hinted at. She's a yeoman in title and in function, but as Shepard points out, this job could be done by a VI. Her actual main function is as the unofficial ship counselor, whose job is to keep stress in check among the crewmembers. She mentions that this duty is best fulfilled informally. [[SarcasmMode On a totally unrelated matter]] she says "Passion is nice wherever you find it and intimacy brings understanding." Way to keep stress in check indeed.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Paragon Shepard can become one to her in ''3''.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:She will confess that she was spying on Shepard on behalf of the Illusive Man in the third game]].
* 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 she doesn'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 say "Now, back to the old Kelly." afterward.]]
** Subverted like hell in ''MassEffect3''. [[spoiler:She's got a bad case of PTSD from her abudction and can't bear the thought of returning to the Normandy.]]
* 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.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', she appears to be the only therapist available on the docks, and she is surrounded by people who need her help, so her own issues will have to wait.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: For Cerberus, representing the viewpoint that the organization is just pro-human, rather than anti-alien. In ''MassEffect3'', she sees the error of her ways and deserts from Cerberus.
----
[[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."''
[[WMG: Matriarch Aethyta]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gabby_3029.
[[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''':
Two of
An Asari Matriarch working in the
Changed line(s) 173,224 (click to see context) from:
* AllMenArePerverts: Ken has appreciative things to say about Miranda and Tali's form-fitting outfits, perks up when Gabby tells him how little Jack is wearing, and even teases Gabby herself a bit.
** [[spoiler: In 3, Ken does the same for EDI's new body. Gabby even sees it coming a mile away.]]
* BiTheWay: Possibly Gabby -- in 3, if Shepard doesn't push them into a RelationshipUpgrade, she seems to seriously consider Kenneth's suggestion that she should try dating [[LipstickLesbian Traynor]] after Gabby informs him [[DudeShesALesbian he doesn't have a chance]]. But this might just be to mess with him.
* 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.
* [[spoiler: BrokenBird: If you fail to come on time to save Gabby in the second game, Kenneth becomes this for the rest of your adventures, determined solely to taking down the Reapers.]]
* {{Deadpan Snarker}}s
* DudeShesALesbian: Gabby makes it clear to Ken that he's not Samantha Traynor's type.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Several crewmembers comment on the fact those two would be perfect for each other if they ever got around to realising it.
** In ''3'', should Shepard encourage them, they hook up, leading some of the crew to comment;
--> ''"Finally!"''.
* 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.".
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Kenneth is a big believer in this. To the eternal annoyance of Gabby.
* GreekChorus
* HonorBeforeReason: Kenneth lost his job over defending Shepard and Gabby quit hers to stick with Kenneth.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: If you delay going through the Omega 4 relay. Gabby is the first to go, followed by Ken.]]
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple
* LoveableSexManiac: Ken. Constantly. Much to Gabby's dismay. [[spoiler:Partly because she's tired of his lustful perverted jokes... and partly because [[UnresolvedSexualTension none of them have her as the subject]].]]
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Averted. They left the Alliance ''because'' Shepard's warnings about the Reapers were ignored by the brass. They only joined Cerberus because they were the only ones who were willing to actually ''do'' anything about it.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Implied by Kasumi.
** At least, until you're given the option to convince them otherwise in ''3''.
* {{Quest Giver}}s
* RedOniBlueOni: Ken and Gabby respectively.
* RelationshipUpgrade: Potentially in the third game.
* {{Scotireland}}: Ken's surname is more commonly Irish, but can be found in Scotland. His accent is Scottish and he enjoys haggis.
* ShoutOut: Ken's Scottish accent will remind players of a certain ''Franchise/StarTrek'' character.
* TechnoBabble:
-->'''Kenneth:''' I won't bore you with the tech, but there is an array of attenuators in the primary power transfer system that channels the field bleed...
-->'''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.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: At least on Gabby's behalf.
* UnusualEuphemism:
-->'''Kenneth:''' We're off to kick the Collectors right in their daddy-bags.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: Shepard can use their Spectre status in ''3'' to have all charges against them for working with Cerberus dropped, getting them out of a detention cell and reassigning them to the ''Normandy's'' engineering staff.
* 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.
* WomenAreWiser: Gabby is shown to be both a more talented engineer and to have a more sensible personality compared to Ken, though the presence of the male but more level-headed Adams in ''3'' balances things out somewhat.
* WrenchWench: Gabby.
----
[[WMG:Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gardner_3362.jpg]]
->''"Rupert! There's something different with tonight's meal! Seems like you put in more food and less ass."''
-->'''--Crewman Hawthorne, regarding Gardner's cuisine'''
--> '''Voiced by''': Bill Ratner
The ''Normandy'''s cook and all-around handyman, he's quite proud to have been with Cerberus, as he believes the Alliance and the Council to be useless. A former family man, he lost everything he had to batarian raiders.
** [[spoiler: In 3, Ken does the same for EDI's new body. Gabby even sees it coming a mile away.]]
* BiTheWay: Possibly Gabby -- in 3, if Shepard doesn't push them into a RelationshipUpgrade, she seems to seriously consider Kenneth's suggestion that she should try dating [[LipstickLesbian Traynor]] after Gabby informs him [[DudeShesALesbian he doesn't have a chance]]. But this might just be to mess with him.
* 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.
* [[spoiler: BrokenBird: If you fail to come on time to save Gabby in the second game, Kenneth becomes this for the rest of your adventures, determined solely to taking down the Reapers.]]
* {{Deadpan Snarker}}s
* DudeShesALesbian: Gabby makes it clear to Ken that he's not Samantha Traynor's type.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Several crewmembers comment on the fact those two would be perfect for each other if they ever got around to realising it.
** In ''3'', should Shepard encourage them, they hook up, leading some of the crew to comment;
--> ''"Finally!"''.
* 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.".
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Kenneth is a big believer in this. To the eternal annoyance of Gabby.
* GreekChorus
* HonorBeforeReason: Kenneth lost his job over defending Shepard and Gabby quit hers to stick with Kenneth.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: If you delay going through the Omega 4 relay. Gabby is the first to go, followed by Ken.]]
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple
* LoveableSexManiac: Ken. Constantly. Much to Gabby's dismay. [[spoiler:Partly because she's tired of his lustful perverted jokes... and partly because [[UnresolvedSexualTension none of them have her as the subject]].]]
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Averted. They left the Alliance ''because'' Shepard's warnings about the Reapers were ignored by the brass. They only joined Cerberus because they were the only ones who were willing to actually ''do'' anything about it.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Implied by Kasumi.
** At least, until you're given the option to convince them otherwise in ''3''.
* {{Quest Giver}}s
* RedOniBlueOni: Ken and Gabby respectively.
* RelationshipUpgrade: Potentially in the third game.
* {{Scotireland}}: Ken's surname is more commonly Irish, but can be found in Scotland. His accent is Scottish and he enjoys haggis.
* ShoutOut: Ken's Scottish accent will remind players of a certain ''Franchise/StarTrek'' character.
* TechnoBabble:
-->'''Kenneth:''' I won't bore you with the tech, but there is an array of attenuators in the primary power transfer system that channels the field bleed...
-->'''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.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: At least on Gabby's behalf.
* UnusualEuphemism:
-->'''Kenneth:''' We're off to kick the Collectors right in their daddy-bags.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: Shepard can use their Spectre status in ''3'' to have all charges against them for working with Cerberus dropped, getting them out of a detention cell and reassigning them to the ''Normandy's'' engineering staff.
* 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.
* WomenAreWiser: Gabby is shown to be both a more talented engineer and to have a more sensible personality compared to Ken, though the presence of the male but more level-headed Adams in ''3'' balances things out somewhat.
* WrenchWench: Gabby.
----
[[WMG:Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gardner_3362.jpg]]
->''"Rupert! There's something different with tonight's meal! Seems like you put in more food and less ass."''
-->'''--Crewman Hawthorne, regarding Gardner's cuisine'''
--> '''Voiced by''': Bill Ratner
The ''Normandy'''s cook and all-around handyman, he's quite proud to have been with Cerberus, as he believes the Alliance and the Council to be useless. A former family man, he lost everything he had to batarian raiders.
to:
*
--> "We can't go one asari lifetime without some big war breaking out! We need to get our daughter working earlier, not spending their wild maiden years stripping or in merc bands."
* CoolOldLady: Thanks to being a DeadpanSnarker and DirtyOldWoman.
* BrainBleach: Talks about
**
* DeadpanSnarker
* DirtyOldWoman: Says she goes for asses in ''2''.
* DisappearedDad: Well... ''technically.''
* EasterEgg: [[spoiler:
*
* FlatWhat: Her reaction when Conrad says that
* BreakTheHaughty: Kenneth
-->'''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
* [[spoiler:
*
* DudeShesALesbian: Gabby makes it clear to Ken
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Several crewmembers comment on the fact those two would be perfect for each
** In ''3'', should Shepard encourage them, they hook up, leading some of the crew to comment;
--> ''"Finally!"''.
* FieryRedhead: Ken
* GeekyTurnOn: At one point, after listening to Gabby spout some TechnoBabble about what
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:If you're romancing Liara, a Renegade interrupt lets you
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Kenneth is a big believer in this. To the eternal annoyance of Gabby.
* GreekChorus
* HonorBeforeReason: Kenneth lost his job over defending Shepard and Gabby quit hers to stick
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: If
*
*
* LamarckWasRight: "Scientists say that stuff about us getting genetic material from our fathers is crap. Seems like I got a bit of his mouth, though."
** NatureVersusNurture: She was raised by a krogan father, so it would have rubbed off, genetics or no.
* MadeOfIron: In one of the Shadow Broker archive videos, Matriarch Aethyta headbutts a krogan... and the ''krogan'' falls to
* MrsRobinson: She flirts with Shepard quite a bit. [[spoiler:The fact that she's
*
* TheNicknamer: Well, she only
** [[spoiler: Also prompted Benezia's petname for Liara, "Little-wing".]]
* OnlySaneMan: Was laughed off Thessia for suggesting that they
* PlatonicLifePartners: Implied by Kasumi.
** At least, until you're given the option to convince them otherwise in ''3''.
* {{Quest Giver}}s
* RedOniBlueOni: Ken and Gabby respectively.
* RelationshipUpgrade: Potentially in
* {{Scotireland}}: Ken's surname is
*
* TechnoBabble:
-->'''Kenneth:''' I won't bore you with
* 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 hanar.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:She has been confirmed to be Liara's father. Not that
* SophisticatedAsHell: Uses the
-->'''Gabby:''' Kenneth, you're boring
* TooMuchInformation: [[spoiler:Liara's]] reaction to what she says about [[spoiler:Benezia's]] magnificent rack.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Shep can [[http://youtu.be/b2Zs9_oxnSA ask her]] about what it's like to live for a thousand years. Rather than talk about comparative lifespans, Aethyta says it's violent, good news is the exception, and you take comfort where you can.
* UndyingLoyalty: They hooked up with Cerberus because Ken refused
** 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.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: Shepard can use their Spectre status in ''3'' to have all charges against them for working with Cerberus dropped, getting them out of a detention cell and reassigning them to the ''Normandy's'' engineering staff.
* 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.
* WomenAreWiser: Gabby is shown to be both a more talented engineer and to have a more sensible personality compared to Ken, though the presence of the male but more level-headed Adams in ''3'' balances things out somewhat.
* WrenchWench: Gabby.
----
[[WMG:Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner]]
[[WMG: Doctor Gavin Archer]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
->''"Rupert! There's something different with tonight's meal! Seems like you put in more food and less ass."''
-->'''--Crewman Hawthorne, regarding Gardner's cuisine'''
--> '''Voiced
[[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''':
The ''Normandy'''s cook and all-around handyman, he's quite proud
A Cerberus researcher that was in charge of Project Overlord, a Cerberus project designed to
[[spoiler:At the end, its revealed that his brother didn't volunteer at all for the last phases of the experiment; ''he forced his own brother, against his will, to take part in the experiment'', despite knowing full well how horrific and
Changed line(s) 226,237 (click to see context) from:
* BaldOfAwesome
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DeadpanSnarker: Whenever someone talks smack about his meals, mostly.
* IrrelevantSidequest: Sends you grocery shopping for him on the Citadel, but at least [[LampshadeHanging he admits]] that it's a silly thing to ask ''his commander'' to do.
* JackOfAllTrades: By his own admission. This includes cleaning the restrooms *and* preparing meals.
--> "I wash my hands! Most of the time."
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Just like Kelly and Gabby, he's one of the first to go if you delay in going through the Omega Relay. If you don't give the NPCs a bodyguard, they all die anyway.]]
* LethalChef: According to the crew. Kasumi believes him to be an evil genius.
* NonActionGuy
* PutOnABus: No sign of him in ''Mass Effect 3''.
* RealMenCook
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DeadpanSnarker: Whenever someone talks smack about his meals, mostly.
* IrrelevantSidequest: Sends you grocery shopping for him on the Citadel, but at least [[LampshadeHanging he admits]] that it's a silly thing to ask ''his commander'' to do.
* JackOfAllTrades: By his own admission. This includes cleaning the restrooms *and* preparing meals.
--> "I wash my hands! Most of the time."
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Just like Kelly and Gabby, he's one of the first to go if you delay in going through the Omega Relay. If you don't give the NPCs a bodyguard, they all die anyway.]]
* LethalChef: According to the crew. Kasumi believes him to be an evil genius.
* NonActionGuy
* PutOnABus: No sign of him in ''Mass Effect 3''.
* RealMenCook
to:
* BaldOfAwesome
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DeadpanSnarker: Whenever someone talks smack about his meals, mostly.
* IrrelevantSidequest: Sends you grocery shopping for him onTheAtoner: [[spoiler:He quit Cerberus after the Citadel, but at least [[LampshadeHanging he admits]] that it's a silly thing events of ''Overlord'' and is more than willing to ask ''his commander'' help Shepard to do.
* JackOfAllTrades: By his own admission. This includes cleaningdefeat the restrooms *and* preparing meals.
--> "I wash my hands! Most of the time."
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Just like Kelly and Gabby, he's one of the first to go if you delayReapers in going through the Omega Relay. If you don't give the NPCs a bodyguard, they all die anyway.Mass Effect 3.]]
*LethalChef: According [[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:DrivenToSuicide: If you fail to save David (or just keep quiet about it to make him squirm), he pulls out a pistol and walks away to "escape from this nightmare." [[SoundOnlyDeath You hear a shot a second later.]]]]
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: In ''3.'']]
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini: Even in thecrew. Kasumi believes Paragon ending.]]
** HeelRealization: That said, [[spoiler:he eventually realizes the awfulness of what he did; when the Illusive Man asks him tobe an evil genius.
* NonActionGuy
* PutOnABus: No sign ofdo a second Project Overlord, Archer tells him that "if he wanted to find the devil, he need only look in ''Mass Effect 3''.
the mirror." Subsequently, he quits Cerberus and is among the ex-Cerberus scientists that Jacob is protecting.]]
*RealMenCook
KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard was well deserved.]]
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A delayed one but he eventually has this reaction to what he did with Project Overlord.]]
* [[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: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and admits that even he knows that nothing he ever will do can make up for what he did to his brother.]]
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in the third game, Shepard's voice is just dripping hatred during the entire conversation with him.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
----
----
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DeadpanSnarker: Whenever someone talks smack about his meals, mostly.
* IrrelevantSidequest: Sends you grocery shopping for him on
* JackOfAllTrades: By his own admission. This includes cleaning
--> "I wash my hands! Most of the time."
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Just like Kelly and Gabby, he's one of the first to go if you delay
*
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide: If you fail to save David (or just keep quiet about it to make him squirm), he pulls out a pistol and walks away to "escape from this nightmare." [[SoundOnlyDeath You hear a shot a second later.]]]]
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: In ''3.'']]
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini: Even in the
** HeelRealization: That said, [[spoiler:he eventually realizes the awfulness of what he did; when the Illusive Man asks him to
* NonActionGuy
* PutOnABus: No sign of
*
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A delayed one but he eventually has this reaction to what he did with Project Overlord.]]
* [[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: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and admits that even he knows that nothing he ever will do can make up for what he did to his brother.]]
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in the third game, Shepard's voice is just dripping hatred during the entire conversation with him.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
----
----
Changed line(s) 240,252 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Council Space]]
[[WMG: The Illusive Man, AKA [[spoiler:Jack Harper]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illusiveman_4190.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: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.]]
In ''Mass Effect 3'', he makes his most ambitious move yet - attempting to gain control of the Reapers and their technology rather than defeating them conventionally.
[[WMG: The Illusive Man, AKA [[spoiler:Jack Harper]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illusiveman_4190.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: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.]]
In ''Mass Effect 3'', he makes his most ambitious move yet - attempting to gain control of the Reapers and their technology rather than defeating them conventionally.
to:
[[folder:Non-Council Space]]
[[WMG: The
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:The patterns are there, buried in the data.]]
->''"Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek
[[caption-width-right:350:Keelah se'lai.]]
->''"This Conclave is brought to
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced
The enigmatic leader
A close friend of
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect
* DaChief: One of the
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
----
[[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.]]
-->'''Voiced by''': AdamBaldwin
One of a squad of Migrant Fleet Marines assigned to protect Tali on their
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* TheAdjectivalMan: Obviously. And his real name is never revealed in the actual games.
* 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.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He, and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When he first shows up, at least.]]
* 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 a NonActionBigBad in the series however.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against the Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only human) mind is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and ends up being indoctrinated.]]
* 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.]] In the third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great steps to control the Reapers in the meantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the Crucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, that research ultimately led to the Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the final confrontation, it's made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide is Saren redux.]]
* 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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose to shoot himself.]]
* 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
* 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.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He, and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When he first shows up, at least.]]
* 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 a NonActionBigBad in the series however.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against the Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only human) mind is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and ends up being indoctrinated.]]
* 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.]] In the third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great steps to control the Reapers in the meantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the Crucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, that research ultimately led to the Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the final confrontation, it's made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide is Saren redux.]]
* 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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose to shoot himself.]]
* 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
to:
* TheAdjectivalMan: Obviously. And his real name is never revealed in the actual games.
* AffablyEvil: To Paragon players. According to ''Retribution'', this isBadassNormal: No known genetic mods, not a facade member of a species with extreme physical advantages over humans, and yet he uses to make it difficult to tell when he's lying.
** Ifsuccessfully distracts an entire geth squad, including one of their walking tanks.
* CharacterWitness: During Tali's trial, along with Veetor, assuming he survives and Sheparddies he seems genuinely remorseful in private, regardless chooses to "Rally The Crowd".
* CulturedWarrior: Implied by some ofwhat s\he did his throwaway comments; Kal's tactical knowledge can be very useful when trying to navigate the Collector base.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He,last part of [[ThatOneLevel Tali's recruitment mission]], and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. Whenif [[spoiler:he survives Tali's recruitment mission, he first shows up, at least.displays quite a bit of knowledge of the political machinations involved in Tali's trial in her loyalty mission.]]
*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[[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim: In the soldier. He's a NonActionBigBad in third game. Rather jarring, given him being an EnsembleDarkhorse]].
** [[spoiler: However, theseries however.
* BatmanGambit: His planbridge is far nicer to revive Shepard as-is through the Lazarus project Reegar than most examples of this trope: his death 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, sudden but he winds up [[HoistByHisOwnPetard hoisted by ''dies a hero''; thanks entirely to Reegar and his own petard]] in squad the Paragon ending and undergoes a VillainousBreakdown.turians don't get their communications messed up.]]
** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against * 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 Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only human) mind is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and ends up being indoctrinated.Colossus before it kills Reegar.]]
* BenevolentBoss: He will do everything ** [[spoiler: Fully happens 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.]] Inthe third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.game; he and his squad fix a vital turian comm relay, then hold the position until krogan reinforcements show up.]]
*BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great stepsHiddenDepths: [[spoiler: If you bring Legion along to control the Reapers Tali's recruitment mission, Kal'Reegar does react in the meantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the Crucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, surprise, shouting that research ultimately led you've got a geth right behind you...but when Legion explains that Legion is an ally, Kal'Reegar is smart enough not to be picky about having some additional help in ''beating the Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening friggin' Geth Colossus.'' Also, if you manage to exonerate Tali without revealing the evidence of Rael's crimes, or if you simply withhold the evidence and allow Tali to be exiled, Reegar manages to figure out that you did in fact have evidence but simply withheld it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the final confrontation, although it's not made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.exactly ''how'' Reegar figures it out.]]
*ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide[[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is Saren redux.single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
*TheCasanova: His dossier in [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet, Right or Wrong]]: He thinks that theShadow 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,quarian fleet shouldn't go to war with 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'sgeth; nevertheless, he states that as a lot of pawns.
** He also successfully manipulates the galaxy's most skilledsoldier 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 he will follow any given order. Tali seems to imply that for all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and such thinking is common among quarians ("We are expected to be loyal, even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tellwhen it is difficult").
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Insists he'sbeing truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* CunningLinguist: Apparently can speak the asari"just a soldier," and turian dialects unaided by universal translator, although this is apparently because of [[spoiler:the Reaper tech he was implanted with.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that"just shoots things". However, he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose smart enough to shoot himself.]]
* 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 consideringconclude that he helped save attacking the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* FantasticRacism: Sort of; at the same time he does express respectGeth for the achievements of others, homeworld would be suicidal, and he did save the turians from being enslaved by Desolas back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convincedalso that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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 wasTali withheld evidence at it. And this her trial if you don't use it.
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn'treally 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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* MysteriousEmployer: None of his subordinates know''say'' anything about him and finding evidence, Kal.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally thesmart 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stanceCrowd]]' during Tali's trial, Kal will speak up on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
her behalf.
-->"You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* ShutUpHannibal: [[spoiler:What Paragon Shepard does to him after destroying the Collector base. Bonus points'''Kal'Reegar:''' Tali's done more 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists ofthis combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:Iffleet than you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
''assholes'' ever will!
* AffablyEvil: To Paragon players. According to ''Retribution'', this is
** If
* CharacterWitness: During Tali's trial, along with Veetor, assuming he survives and Shepard
* CulturedWarrior: Implied by some of
* AmbitionIsEvil: He,
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When
*
* {{Badass}}: If [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect:_Evolution this]] prequel comic is any indication, old Mr. Illusive was quite
** [[spoiler: However, the
* BatmanGambit: His plan
** BadBoss: Just don't betray him. Just ask [[spoiler:Paul Grayson, who gets Reaper technology implanted into him.]] In
*
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great steps
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.
*
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide
*
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet, Right or Wrong]]: He thinks that the
-->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,
[[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
** He also successfully manipulates the galaxy's most skilled
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Insists he's
* ContemplativeBoss: He spends an awful lot of time staring at that star.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* CunningLinguist: Apparently can speak the asari
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that
* 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
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* FantasticRacism: Sort of; at the same time he does express respect
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn't
** 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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* MysteriousEmployer: None of his subordinates know
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally the
** Doubles as a MysteriousBacker in general.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance
-->
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* ShutUpHannibal: [[spoiler:What Paragon Shepard does to him after destroying the Collector base. Bonus points
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
Changed line(s) 363,404 (click to see context) from:
[[WMG: Captain Armando-Owen 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, but nevertheless gets promoted to Commander by the start of ''Mass Effect 3''.
* 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.]]
* CanadaEh: Michael Hogan's northern Ontario accent comes through pretty strongly.
* CommandingCoolness: Gets promoted to this by the time you meet him in ''3''.
* DaChief: For Zakera Ward in ''2'', then for C-Sec itself in ''3''.
* DeskJockey: He complains about being one of these after being KickedUpstairs in the third game, the irony being that most of the time you see him, he's behind a desk.
* 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 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 Pallin. Unlike Pallin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* FriendOnTheForce: Acts as one to Shepard.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Willing to engage in dirty business to keep the peace, but he's anything but a thug - see below.
* 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.
* OddFriendship: With Paragon Shepard. Shepard might disapprove of his style and methods of policing, but nonetheless it's clear the two have nothing but an honest respect for the other.
* 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 (at first) Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: He considers this the root of many of the Citadel's social problems, which is why he jumps at the chance to help Thane and Kolyat. He'll eventually admit that he's been in Thane's shoes himself - "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?"
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RetCon: An accidental one regarding his name. A background news report in the second game refers to him as Owen Bailey, but the [[{{DLC}} Lair of the Shadow Broker]] archives refer to him as Armando Bailey. A later Cerberus Daily News report patched up the mistake by giving him the rather unwieldy first name "Armando-Owen."
* {{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 doing so any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
----
[[WMG: Detective Anaya]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anaya_p_555.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nice guns. Try not to use 'em in my district.]]
->''"You're free to go, Justicar. It's been an honor having you in my station...and it's nice you didn't kill me, too."''
-->'''Voiced by''': CindyRobinson
Anaya is a cop on [[CrapsaccharineWorld Illium]] that Shepard meets when looking for Samara. She is quite helpful, as Shepard's cause might draw Samara away from Illium -- and therefore keep Anaya from having to arrest and be subsequently killed by the justicar.
[[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, but nevertheless gets promoted to Commander by the start of ''Mass Effect 3''.
* 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.]]
* CanadaEh: Michael Hogan's northern Ontario accent comes through pretty strongly.
* CommandingCoolness: Gets promoted to this by the time you meet him in ''3''.
* DaChief: For Zakera Ward in ''2'', then for C-Sec itself in ''3''.
* DeskJockey: He complains about being one of these after being KickedUpstairs in the third game, the irony being that most of the time you see him, he's behind a desk.
* 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 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 Pallin. Unlike Pallin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* FriendOnTheForce: Acts as one to Shepard.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Willing to engage in dirty business to keep the peace, but he's anything but a thug - see below.
* 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.
* OddFriendship: With Paragon Shepard. Shepard might disapprove of his style and methods of policing, but nonetheless it's clear the two have nothing but an honest respect for the other.
* 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 (at first) Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: He considers this the root of many of the Citadel's social problems, which is why he jumps at the chance to help Thane and Kolyat. He'll eventually admit that he's been in Thane's shoes himself - "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?"
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RetCon: An accidental one regarding his name. A background news report in the second game refers to him as Owen Bailey, but the [[{{DLC}} Lair of the Shadow Broker]] archives refer to him as Armando Bailey. A later Cerberus Daily News report patched up the mistake by giving him the rather unwieldy first name "Armando-Owen."
* {{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 doing so any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
----
[[WMG: Detective Anaya]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anaya_p_555.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nice guns. Try not to use 'em in my district.]]
->''"You're free to go, Justicar. It's been an honor having you in my station...and it's nice you didn't kill me, too."''
-->'''Voiced by''': CindyRobinson
Anaya is a cop on [[CrapsaccharineWorld Illium]] that Shepard meets when looking for Samara. She is quite helpful, as Shepard's cause might draw Samara away from Illium -- and therefore keep Anaya from having to arrest and be subsequently killed by the justicar.
to:
[[WMG:Aria T'Loak]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
->''"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, but nevertheless gets promoted to Commander by the start of ''Mass Effect 3''.
* 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.
* CommandingCoolness: Gets promoted to this by the time you meet him in ''3''.
* DaChief: For Zakera Ward in ''2'', then for C-Sec itself in ''3''.
* DeskJockey: He complains about being one of these after being KickedUpstairs in the third game, the irony being that most of the time you see him, he's behind a desk.
* 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 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 Pallin. Unlike Pallin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* FriendOnTheForce: Acts as one to Shepard.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Willing to engage in dirty business to keep the peace, but he's anything but a thug - see below.
* 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.
* OddFriendship:
* 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 (at first) Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: He considers this the root of many of the Citadel's social problems, which is why he jumps at the chance to help Thane and Kolyat. He'll eventually admit that he's been in Thane's shoes himself - "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?"
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RetCon: An accidental one regarding his name. A background news report in the second game refers to him as Owen Bailey, but the [[{{DLC}} Lair of the Shadow Broker]] archives refer to him as Armando Bailey. A later Cerberus Daily News report patched up the mistake by giving him the rather unwieldy first name "Armando-Owen."
* {{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 doing so any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
----
[[WMG: Detective Anaya]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anaya_p_555.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nice guns. Try not to use 'em in my district.]]
->''"You're free to go, Justicar. It's been an honor having you in my station...and it's nice you didn't kill me, too."''
-->'''Voiced by''':
Anaya is
The closest thing [[WretchedHive Omega]] has to a
Changed line(s) 406,450 (click to see context) from:
* BullyingADragon: Though [[SubvertedTrope not by choice]], only by proxy: her superiors ordered her to detain Samara, even though Samara's code would force her to kill Anaya to avoid it. Fortunately, both of them are willing to be reasonable about it.
* ByTheBookCop: She only accepts your evidence against Pitne For because Samara vouches for you.
* DaChief
* DeadpanSnarker: Very much so.
-->'''Shepard:''' 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.
* 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 makes it very clear that she will follow her orders to detain Samara if Samara does not leave Illium, even knowing that her odds of survival are close to zero.
-->'''Anaya:''' I'm a cop and I know my duty.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: At the end of Samara's recruitment mission, Anaya admits that she didn't expect so much from a human.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* ShoutOut: After the mission, she sends you an e-mail titled [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Still Alive]]
[[WMG: Niftu Cal]]
->"I am a biotic GOD! I think things...and they HAPPEN!"
-->'''Voiced by''': Mark Meer
Yeah. THIS guy. A member of Pitne For's trade group, he ran afoul of the Eclipse sisters after Pitne neglected to tell them the red sand he sold them was potentially lethal. Niftu wound up pumped full of his own product and left to wander Nos Astra, stoned out of his gourd, while Pitne scrambled to get off-world.
Has a higher "meme-per-character" count than anyone short of Harbinger.
* AGodAmI
* BattleAura: Unfortunately, it's the most impressive trick he has.
* LargeHam
* NoYou
-->'''Shepard:''' You need help.
-->'''Niftu:''' YOU need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever!
* ShapedLikeItself: "I am a great wind that will sweep all before me like...a great wind! A great biotic wind!"
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with no combat experience versus the leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I shall toss Wasea about like a rag doll!"
* WizardDuel: He fires a tiny Warp field that 'pops' an inch from Wasea's nose, then turns and walks away. She unceremoniously one-shots him, knocking him into the air and behind a few barrels just as Shepard and co. walk in.
[[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 get their maiden stages doing more productive things, and make the effort to study and 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. [[spoiler: She is actually Liara's father. She took the bartending job in Eternity and later the Apollo cafe both to keep an eye on Liara for the other matriarchs and to keep the less sympathetic ones from trying something.]]
to:
* 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
** Although she's quite capable of that, too; as shown in the comics, being the "queen" of Omega hasn't dulled her
*
* DaChief
** Set to star in another 4 issue series called ''Mass Effect: Invasion''.
* DeadpanSnarker:
-->'''Shepard:'''
-->'''Aria:''' I think I'm going to
'''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.
*
*
** 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''.
* FemmeFatale
* GenreSavvy: She has to be this to rule Omega for centuries.
* IAmTheTrope:
-->'''Shepard:''' You run Omega?\\
'''Aria:''' I ''am'' Omega!
* IronLady: Anybody who can keep power in [[WretchedHive Omega]] for centuries is not to be taken lightly. Also, Mass Effect 3 shows that [[spoiler:she has connections as high as the Asari Councilor and can bypass the immigration process of the Citadel simply by asking her.]]
*
*
* MamaBear: If she sees it as hers, she protects it, whether it's Omega itself, her underlings, or [[spoiler:her actual children]].
** In ''Literature/MassEffectRetribution'' 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]].
* MysteriousPast: No one knows where she came from or who she was before she came to Omega, and her name is just a pseudonym. Once Shepard gains her trust (or as much as Aria ever gives), Aria will allude to certain aspects of her past. It's strongly hinted that she's Aleena, the asari commando that Wrex was friends with centuries ago.
-->'''Aria:''' Sometimes you'd rather disappear than be forced to kill someone.
* NGOSuperpower: If Shepard assists Aria in building a force to [[spoiler:re-take Omega from Cerberus]], that force, the [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/War_Assets/Alien#Terminus_Fleet Terminus Fleet]], will assist in the FinalBattle - and only the krogan clans and [[spoiler:geth fleet]] are more powerful. Repeat: she's got more firepower than ''an entire turian fleet.''
* NobleDemon: She's not pleasant, but she's forthcoming with vital information Shepard needs, she approves of Mordin trying to cure the plague (that and of Mordin's willingness to resort to shooting people if the doctor route doesn't work), she's quick to try to help Shepard solve the Ardat-Yakshi problem, she gives you a reward if you do her a couple of favors (specifically she tells you the location of a planet with supplies on it), and in the comics [[spoiler: she becomes extremely angry at the Collectors trying to make deals for live specimens on her station]]. Also, in ''3'', if you do a few errands for she gives you a Terminus Fleet with three "updates" each worth 50 War Asset points, which combined with the Fleet itself makes
* NotSoHarmless: When she
* [[spoiler: OutGambitted: Over the course of ''Invasion''. The Illusive Man is probably lucky Shepard got to him first - Aria wouldn't have made it so quick.]]
* PetTheDog: Has a number of these off-screen, as befitting her
-->'''Anaya:''' I'm
** A minor one in ''3''. If Shepard drinks enough in [[GoodGuyBar Purgatory]] to pass out, s/he comes to next to Aria on Aria's couch, despite the bar being a
* PragmaticVillainy: In ''MassEffect3'', she puts her plans to [[spoiler:take Omega back from Cerberus]] on hold because she realizes that sending her forces against a target that's not the Reapers increases the chance of the Reapers winning. And if the Reapers win, then she'd be dead and unable to reap the rewards of her schemes.
* PrecisionFStrike: "Omega has no titled ruler, and only one rule. Don't ''fuck'' with Aria."
** "[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean I
** Alluded to in ''3''. [[CallBack "It looks like there's only one rule on the Citadel."]]
*
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: In her first scene in the third game, C-Sec threatens to throw her off the station (it only took them three weeks to figure them out she was there illegally). She replies by ringing up the asari councilor (Tevos or Irissa), who waves her through at once.
* TheStarscream: Became this towards the former ruler of Omega, who she later made her [[TheDragon Dragon]].
** Although according to Aria, Patriarch betrayed ''her''; she simply retaliated. Violently.
* TattooedCrook: Although given that Omega has almost no "rule of law" to speak of and she herself is responsible for there being any "order" on Omega ''at all'', she's only a crook "de facto".
* [[spoiler:UnderNewManagement]]: [[spoiler:As of the end of
* [[spoiler:WeWillMeetAgain]]: [[spoiler:What she promises General Petrovsky after he forces her to abandon Omega]].
* WorthyOpponent: She admits that she
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* ShoutOut: After
** She also comes to respect Shepard, even if she
* YouNeedToGetLaid: At one point, Aria will tell Shepard that he/she should find a "nice girl" (if Shepard is male) or a "nice young man" (if Shepard is female) to keep him/her warm in the meantime, since Shepard looks like he/she needs to "loosen up a little."
----
[[WMG:
->"I am
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-ME3_Urdnot_Wreav_4581.png]]
-> ''"Human sentiment tastes like piss. Don't spoil a
-->'''Voiced by''':
Yeah. THIS guy. A member
Wrex's brood-brother who assumes leadership of
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Standard krogan procedure. He gets the
* BloodKnight: Far more 'traditional' than his brother. Whereas Wrex works to create a neutral zone where all clans are welcome, Wreav only co-operates with clan Gatatog because the two of them are at a stalemate.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He apparently disapproves- or would disapprove- of [[spoiler:Maelon's]] experiments, forcing him to turn to Clan Weyrloc.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's pretty much a typical krogan thug.
* MauveShirt: [[spoiler:If Wrex is still alive, Wreav's tomkah gets consumed by Kalros during the Tuchanka finale mission in ''3''.]]
* MilesGloriosus: Wreav will take credit for curing the genophage, claiming he'll be even more famous than Shepard.
* TheMcCoy: To the dalatrass's Spock and the Primarch's Kirk, only he's a lot less nice about it than Wrex.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Treats the fertile females in ''3'' like property and makes disparaging remarks about other species.
* RedOniBlueOni: He's the red to--of all people--''Wrex's'' blue.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Promises one against those responsible for [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka if it goes off]].
* ShinyNewAustralia: Before the final battle, he tells Shepard he wants "this thing you call Australia" in exchange for his help.
* ShutUpHannibal: Once by Wrex (with a headbutt), once by Eve (with her moral suasion).
* SmugSnake: Spends much of ''3'' trying to threaten Shepard. He basically exists to tell
** Despite this he
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Comes across as one of these for Wrex at first, but it soon becomes clear that they're very different in some ''very'' important ways--namely, that Wrex is trying to unite the krogan and
* TheOtherDarrin: Sadly, Jim Cummings did not return to
* TryNotToDie: Before you try to
Has a higher "meme-per-character" count than anyone short of Harbinger.
* AGodAmI
* BattleAura: Unfortunately,
* LargeHam
* NoYou
-->'''Shepard:''' You need help.
-->'''Niftu:''' YOU need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever!
* ShapedLikeItself: "I am a great wind that will sweep all before me like...a great wind! A great biotic wind!"
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with no combat experience versus the leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I shall toss Wasea about
--> "Try not to get killed up there. Fight like a
* WizardDuel: He fires a tiny Warp field that 'pops' an inch from Wasea's nose, then turns
* UngratefulBastard: He's much less grateful than Wrex toward Mordin if he cures the
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives two to Shepard via e-mail in the third game, one if Shepard [[spoiler:spares the Rachni queen, which causes many krogan in Aralakh Company to die]], and
[[WMG:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:Sorry. My father was
[[caption-width-right:350: Nothing I do will ever be justified!]]
-> ''"[[BrokenPedestal For such a
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
A salarian geneticist, former member of the salarian STG and student of Mordin Solus. He also worked on the [[spoiler: modification of the genophage]] alongside Mordin. Unfortunately, he ends up getting captured by a krogan clan, Weyrloc, who are attempting to reverse the effect of the genophage. [[spoiler:Turns out he actually volunteered.]]
-->'''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 get their maiden stages doing more productive things, and make the effort to study and 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. [[spoiler: She is actually Liara's father. She took the bartending job in Eternity and later the Apollo cafe both to keep an eye on Liara for the other matriarchs and to keep the less sympathetic ones from trying something.]]
Changed line(s) 452,495 (click to see context) from:
* CassandraTruth: Whether or not she believes in the Reapers before ''3'', the events of the first game led her to advise her people on Thessia that "art and philosophy and political prowess wasn't gonna cut it", but they didn't want to hear it.
--> "We can't go one asari lifetime without some big war breaking out! We need to get our daughter working earlier, not spending their wild maiden years stripping or in merc bands."
* CoolOldLady: Thanks to being a DeadpanSnarker and DirtyOldWoman.
* BrainBleach: Talks about her mother putting on her old commando leathers for 'special nights with Dad' with embarrassment, and later evokes a similar response from one of her kids while reminiscing about the other parent's breasts.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DirtyOldWoman: Says she goes for asses in ''2''.
* DisappearedDad: Well... ''technically.''
* 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.
* [[spoiler: IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: She gives Shepard a barely-veiled threat along these lines if s/he's been romancing Liara in the third game.]]
* InsistentTerminology: [[spoiler:She insists that she's Liara's father, not her other mother, because she "didn't pop her out"]].
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:If you're romancing Liara, a Renegade interrupt lets you throw "Nobody messes with my girl" back in her face by saying you won't allow any assassination attempts on Liara. She is impressed.]]
* JadeColoredGlasses: She's faced a lot of crap.
* TheLadette: To be expected. Her dad was a Krogan, after all.
* LamarckWasRight: "Scientists say that stuff about us getting genetic material from our fathers is crap. Seems like I got a bit of his mouth, though."
** NatureVersusNurture: She was raised by a krogan father, so it would have rubbed off, genetics or no.
* MadeOfIron: In one of the Shadow Broker archive videos, Matriarch Aethyta headbutts a krogan... and the ''krogan'' falls to the ground.
* MrsRobinson: She flirts with Shepard quite a bit. [[spoiler:The fact that she's 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, and warns that there's a big war every asari lifetime, so they ought to focus less on culture, more on preparing.
* TheNicknamer: Well, she only gives one example rather than tendency, but it's memorable enough to stick to mind: she calls Matriarch Benezia "Nezzy". And refers to Shepard as 'babe' in ''2''.
** [[spoiler: Also prompted Benezia's petname for Liara, "Little-wing".]]
* OnlySaneMan: Was laughed off Thessia for suggesting that they make a serious effort to study and duplicate the Mass Relays. After the third game [[spoiler:becomes even more so after the relays blow or are damaged in any ending in which the asari species survives]]. In ''3'' it does seem like she has a lot more authority; keeping watch on the Shadow Broker aside, two random sidequests have her namedropped. A commando has her approval to get writings on being a warrior made into required reading, and another asari looking into improved biotic amp interfaces mentions her.
* [[spoiler:PapaWolf: Technically falls under this rather than MamaBear since she's the father in the situation. Either way, she has been making sure nobody messes with Liara.]]
* 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 hanar.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:She has been confirmed to be Liara's father. Not that Liara didn't already figure it out. ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExcPXH3ThzA seen here]].)]]
* SophisticatedAsHell: Uses the terms "anthropocentric" and "bag of dicks" in the same breath.
* TooMuchInformation: [[spoiler:Liara's]] reaction to what she says about [[spoiler:Benezia's]] magnificent rack.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Shep can [[http://youtu.be/b2Zs9_oxnSA ask her]] about what it's like to live for a thousand years. Rather than talk about comparative lifespans, Aethyta says it's violent, good news is the exception, and you take comfort where you can.
--> "Then one day you wake up, your figure's gotten matriarchal, and everyone else is too young to remember how the quarians looked inside those suits."
* WolfWhistle: When fondly recalling [[spoiler:Benezia's]] rack.
[[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 for the last phases of the experiment; ''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.]]
to:
--> "We can't go one asari lifetime without some big war breaking out! We need to get our daughter working earlier, not spending their wild maiden years stripping or in merc bands."
* CoolOldLady: Thanks to being a DeadpanSnarker and DirtyOldWoman.
* BrainBleach: Talks about her mother putting on her old commando leathers for 'special nights with Dad' with embarrassment, and later evokes a similar response from one of her kids while reminiscing about
* DeadpanSnarker
* DirtyOldWoman: Says she goes for asses in ''2''.
* DisappearedDad: Well... ''technically.''
* 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.
* FlatWhat: Her reaction when Conrad says that he heard the bar is a front for dealing red sand.
*
*
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:If you're romancing Liara, a Renegade interrupt lets
*
* TheLadette: To be expected. Her dad was a Krogan, after all.
* LamarckWasRight: "Scientists say that stuff about us getting genetic material
** NatureVersusNurture: She was raised by a
* MadeOfIron: In one of the Shadow Broker archive videos, Matriarch Aethyta headbutts a krogan... and the ''krogan'' falls to the ground.
* MrsRobinson: She flirts with Shepard quite a bit. [[spoiler:The fact that she's Liara's dad plays it even closer.
*
* TheNicknamer: Well, she only gives one example rather than tendency, but
**
* HeroWorshipper: [[spoiler:
*
* [[spoiler:PapaWolf: Technically falls under this rather than MamaBear since she's the father in the situation. Either way, she has been making sure nobody messes with Liara.
*
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:She has been confirmed to be Liara's father. Not that Liara didn't already figure it out. ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExcPXH3ThzA seen here]].)]]
* SophisticatedAsHell: Uses the terms "anthropocentric" and "bag of dicks" in the same breath.
* TooMuchInformation: [[spoiler:Liara's]] reaction to what she says about [[spoiler:Benezia's]] magnificent rack.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Shep can [[http://youtu.be/b2Zs9_oxnSA ask her]] about what it's like to live for a thousand years. Rather than talk about comparative lifespans, Aethyta says it's violent, good news is the exception, and
--> "Then one day you wake up, your figure's gotten matriarchal, and everyone else is too young to remember how
* WolfWhistle: When fondly recalling [[spoiler:Benezia's]] rack.
[[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.
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
A Cerberus researcher
* MadScientist: A well-intentioned one, though.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He's been wracked with guilt [[spoiler: ever since he and
[[spoiler:At
* NeverMyFault: When asked about why [[spoiler: he didn't
* WideEyedIdealist: In spite of everything he's seen and done, Maelon still manages to be both idealistic and shockingly naive, even during [[spoiler: a guilt-induced mental breakdown]]. Case in point: [[spoiler: he claims that if Mordin's team hadn't upgraded the
* WellIntentionedExtremist
----
[[WMG:Charr]]
->''"Oh Blue Rose of Illium"''
A random Krogan reciting poetry to try and impress [[http://youtu.be/pFpCSf4D1DY his asari girlfriend, Ereba]]. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' he's a scout looking into the Rachni relay [[spoiler: where he dies offscreen, fighting Reaper-modified Rachni.]]
Changed line(s) 497,511 (click to see context) from:
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He quit Cerberus after the events of ''Overlord'' and is more than willing to help Shepard to defeat the Reapers in Mass Effect 3.]]
* [[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:DrivenToSuicide: If you fail to save David (or just keep quiet about it to make him squirm), he pulls out a pistol and walks away to "escape from this nightmare." [[SoundOnlyDeath You hear a shot a second later.]]]]
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: In ''3.'']]
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini: Even in the Paragon ending.]]
** HeelRealization: That said, [[spoiler:he eventually realizes the awfulness of what he did; when the Illusive Man asks him to do a second Project Overlord, Archer tells him that "if he wanted to find the devil, he need only look in the mirror." Subsequently, he quits Cerberus and is among the ex-Cerberus scientists that Jacob is protecting.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard was well deserved.]]
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A delayed one but he eventually has this reaction to what he did with Project Overlord.]]
* [[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: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and admits that even he knows that nothing he ever will do can make up for what he did to his brother.]]
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in the third game, Shepard's voice is just dripping hatred during the entire conversation with him.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
* [[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:DrivenToSuicide: If you fail to save David (or just keep quiet about it to make him squirm), he pulls out a pistol and walks away to "escape from this nightmare." [[SoundOnlyDeath You hear a shot a second later.]]]]
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: In ''3.'']]
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini: Even in the Paragon ending.]]
** HeelRealization: That said, [[spoiler:he eventually realizes the awfulness of what he did; when the Illusive Man asks him to do a second Project Overlord, Archer tells him that "if he wanted to find the devil, he need only look in the mirror." Subsequently, he quits Cerberus and is among the ex-Cerberus scientists that Jacob is protecting.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard was well deserved.]]
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A delayed one but he eventually has this reaction to what he did with Project Overlord.]]
* [[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: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and admits that even he knows that nothing he ever will do can make up for what he did to his brother.]]
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in the third game, Shepard's voice is just dripping hatred during the entire conversation with him.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
to:
*
* [[spoiler: CrocodileTears: A variation. He makes a seemingly heartfelt plea for Shepard to let him become TheAtoner and take care of David.
*
* NoAccountingForTaste: Other asari in 3 have this
*
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What
*
* ThePowerOfLove: If Ereba takes him back in 2 they're shown on Tuchanka, the
** HeelRealization: That said, [[spoiler:he eventually realizes the awfulness of what he did; when the Illusive Man asks him to do a second Project Overlord, Archer tells him that "if he wanted to find the devil, he need only look in the mirror." Subsequently, he quits Cerberus
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A delayed one
* SonOfTropeDaughterOfIndex: Ereba worries that he only wants her as a way to
* [[spoiler:PistolWhipping: Delivered to him by Paragon Shepard.]]
* [[spoiler:ShootTheShaggyDog: His project turns into this. Almost everyone associated
* [[spoiler: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and
* [[spoiler:SomeoneToRememberHimBy]]: If Ereba is convinced to take him back, then he
*
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in the third game, Shepard's voice is just dripping hatred during the entire conversation with him.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
[[WMG:Niket]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Niket_8804.png]]
An old friend of Miranda's who helps her rescue Oriana from her father on her loyalty mission. [[spoiler:He's actually trying to help reunite Oriana with Niket]]
[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler:AntiVillain]]: [[spoiler:Type III]].
* FreudianExcuse: He grew up in poverty, so he believes that [[spoiler:Oriana will be happier with her wealthy father]].
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: He knew Miranda had spy programs in her father's system, so he never mentioned Oriana's exact location. When he admits this, Miranda declares him the only loose end and tries to shoot him. Even if you talk her down, he dies anyway]].
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceDoorSlam]]: [[spoiler:If you take the Paragon approach to dealing with him and stop Miranda from killing him, he is convinced to help Miranda keep Oriana safe. Before he can however, Enyala kills him instead.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler:The third game shows just how terrible a person Henry Lawson is. Miranda, however, does not fall into this trope regarding him, since he had, at least according to her, given no indication that he was untrustworthy or disapproved of her actions regarding Oriana. Niket does acknowledge that Henry's not good people, but he still thinks it wasn't right to steal a baby daughter from him, to the point where finding out makes him break his years-long streak of never talking to him or his allies.]]
* [[spoiler: InTheBack: If Enyala is the one to kill him.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:By Miranda or Enyala, regardless of what you do]].
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* OldFriend: Miranda's only pre-Cerberus associate.
* OnlyFriend: One of the few people Miranda trusts and her only friend while living with her father. [[spoiler:It turns out that trust was misplaced]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:The revelation that the Eclipse mercenaries aren't hunting Niket down, but that he's working with them]]
-->'''Enyala''': Niket has reached the terminal. [[spoiler:He'll switch the family over to our transport]].
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:He accuses Miranda of having stolen a child from her father merely for revenge]].
[[WMG: Urz]]
[[quoteright:168:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Urz-001_3252.jpg]]
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]]
* LickedByTheDog: Despite varren usually trying to kill and/or generally being vicious towards Shepard, even a hardass renegade gets nothing but love from Urz.
* PaletteSwap
* RetiredBadass: Is actually a former pit-fight champion.
* TeamPet: On Tuchanka.
[[hardline]]
!Feron
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Feron_LotSB_8970.png]]
-> ''I am...was...an information trader. Not a slaver.''
A drell information trafficker who teams up with Liara in the ''Redemption'' comic. Cerberus recruits them both to retrieve Shepard's corpse from the Shadow Broker, who turns out to be Feron's employer. Feron balks at the Broker's deal with the Collectors and helps Liara, only to be captured and tortured as an example to the Broker's other followers. In the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, Shepard and Liara bust him out.
* CanonImmigrant
* DeadpanSnarker: Not even two years of imprisonment and ElectricTorture can quite suppress his snarky side.
--> "We'll be back for you, Feron."
--> "I'll try not to go anywhere."
* DistressedDude: The whole point of the Shadow Broker mission is finding him, [[RoaringRampageOfRescue no matter how many mercenaries, mechs or rogue Spectres]] try to stop you.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's more amoral than evil, but works for the Shadow Broker for the money until he learns that he's planning on selling Shepard to the Collectors. He also says it is not in his principles to betray a client or leave a job unfinished.
* FireForgedFriends: With Liara in Redemption. She distrusts him, especially after she learns of his ties with the Shadow Broker, but in the end, she succeeds with his help and devotes herself to rescuing him.
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't get the Broker DLC, Liara's raid on the Broker's ship still happens, but Feron doesn't survive.]]
* KnowledgeBroker
* ReverseMole: To the Shadow Broker, for Cerberus, in Redemption.
* StealthHiBye: When the power to his interrogation chair fails, he vanishes in the second it takes a light to flick off and on. Must be a drell thing.
* YouShallNotPass: Holds off [[TheDragon Tazzik]], a burly and heavily armed salarian who is the Shadow Broker's top enforcer, so Liara can escape with Shepard's corpse in Redemption, leading to his capture.
Deleted line(s) 515,669 (click to see context) :
[[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..."''
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo
A close friend of Tali's mother, and flag officer of the Patrol Fleet. Her arm of the flotilla is responsible for picket lines, scouting, and extra-fleet escort duties. Stuck with the fairly thankless task of keeping the other admirals in line, she is sadly aware of the limits of her position and doesn't feel she can do much to change public opinion. If Tali dies in the SuicideMission, she fills her shoes at certain points in ''3'''s story, like Padok Wiks does for Mordin.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect you, Tali!
* DaChief: One of the patrol fleet's main duties is internal fleet law enforcement; as an admiral, she's more police commissioner than soldier.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He is ''proud'' of the Qwib-Qwib, and refuses to transfer over "petty insults".
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to destroy the geth dreadnought. And that's not even covering what he does [[hottip:*:or at least intended to do before thinking better of it should peace happen]] at the end of the Rannoch arc.
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that the geth are synthetic lifeforms, just machines that have malfunctioned, comparing them to starships (that are superior in various ways but are still just tools), and, if Shepard refers to [[spoiler: Legion's]] help beating the Collectors, she states that the same could be said of his/her pistol. [[spoiler:Thankfully, nothing seems to comes of it to jeopardize peace should you achieve it in ''3''; she just gets shipped off to the Crucible.]]
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the dreadnaught mission. This includes making geth platforms dance for her (offscreen) amusement.
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
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[[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
One of a squad of Migrant Fleet Marines assigned to protect Tali on their mission to Haestrom. He's also the only one still alive by the time you get there, and whether he lives to see the fleet again depends on you.
[[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, assuming 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.]]
* [[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim: In the third game. Rather jarring, given him being an EnsembleDarkhorse]].
** [[spoiler: However, the bridge is far nicer to Reegar than most examples of this trope: his death is sudden but he ''dies a hero''; thanks entirely to Reegar and his squad the turians don't get their communications messed up.]]
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: Fully happens in the third game; he and his squad fix a vital turian comm relay, then hold the position until krogan reinforcements show up.]]
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: If you bring Legion along to Tali's recruitment mission, Kal'Reegar does react in surprise, shouting that you've got a geth right behind you...but when Legion explains that Legion is an ally, Kal'Reegar is smart enough not to be picky about having some additional help in ''beating the friggin' Geth Colossus.'' Also, if you manage to exonerate Tali without revealing the evidence of Rael's crimes, or if you simply withhold the evidence and allow Tali to be exiled, Reegar manages to figure out that you did in fact have evidence but simply withheld it, although it's not made clear exactly ''how'' Reegar figures it out.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
* [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* [[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. Tali seems to imply that such thinking is common among quarians ("We are expected to be loyal, even when it is difficult").
* 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 you don't use it.
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn't ''say'' anything about finding evidence, Kal.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally the Crowd]]' during Tali's trial, Kal will speak up on her behalf.
--> '''Kal'Reegar:''' Tali's done more for this fleet than you ''assholes'' ever will!
----
[[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]]. If she really is Wrex's old friend Aleena she may be IV. Wrex says Aleena chose to fight him on a station overrun with mercs with no one innocent to get in the way, and fondly says that she was always like that.
* 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.
** Although she's quite capable of that, too; as shown in the comics, being the "queen" of Omega hasn't dulled her battle skills any. A Cerberus scientist expresses amazement at her biotic capabilities.
* 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''.
* DeadpanSnarker: She has her moments in ''3''.
-->'''Shepard:''' How do you plan on [[spoiler:taking Omega back]]?
-->'''Aria:''' I think I'm going to employ violence.
* 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''.
* FemmeFatale
* GenreSavvy: She has to be this to rule Omega for centuries.
* IAmTheTrope:
-->'''Shepard:''' You run Omega?\\
'''Aria:''' I ''am'' Omega!
* IronLady: Anybody who can keep power in [[WretchedHive Omega]] for centuries is not to be taken lightly. Also, Mass Effect 3 shows that [[spoiler:she has connections as high as the Asari Councilor and can bypass the immigration process of the Citadel simply by asking her.]]
* LargeHam: While not as on the same level as Harbinger, Aria is quite hammy for someone played by Carrie-Ann Moss.
* LysistrataGambit: One of the factors that led to her success in overthrowing the Patriarch for control of Omega was that - as she puts it when telling Shepard the story - the Patriarch's men had gotten used to "certain perks" that came with working with asari.
* MamaBear: If she sees it as hers, she protects it, whether it's Omega itself, her underlings, or [[spoiler:her actual children]].
** In ''Literature/MassEffectRetribution'' 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]].
* MysteriousPast: No one knows where she came from or who she was before she came to Omega, and her name is just a pseudonym. Once Shepard gains her trust (or as much as Aria ever gives), Aria will allude to certain aspects of her past. It's strongly hinted that she's Aleena, the asari commando that Wrex was friends with centuries ago.
-->'''Aria:''' Sometimes you'd rather disappear than be forced to kill someone.
* NGOSuperpower: If Shepard assists Aria in building a force to [[spoiler:re-take Omega from Cerberus]], that force, the [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/War_Assets/Alien#Terminus_Fleet Terminus Fleet]], will assist in the FinalBattle - and only the krogan clans and [[spoiler:geth fleet]] are more powerful. Repeat: she's got more firepower than ''an entire turian fleet.''
* NobleDemon: She's not pleasant, but she's forthcoming with vital information Shepard needs, she approves of Mordin trying to cure the plague (that and of Mordin's willingness to resort to shooting people if the doctor route doesn't work), she's quick to try to help Shepard solve the Ardat-Yakshi problem, she gives you a reward if you do her a couple of favors (specifically she tells you the location of a planet with supplies on it), and in the comics [[spoiler: she becomes extremely angry at the Collectors trying to make deals for live specimens on her station]]. Also, in ''3'', if you do a few errands for she gives you a Terminus Fleet with three "updates" each worth 50 War Asset points, which combined with the Fleet itself makes for a whopping ''200'' War Asset points (which is very noble of Aria because the majority of non-major-plotline War Assets are less than 100).
* 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.
* [[spoiler: OutGambitted: Over the course of ''Invasion''. The Illusive Man is probably lucky Shepard got to him first - Aria wouldn't have made it so quick.]]
* PetTheDog: Has a number of these off-screen, as befitting her NobleDemon status. She gives out Shepard's contact information to a wannabe-merc (if Shepard stopped him from joining the mercs going after Archangel) so he can thank Shepard, and gives Shepard's contact information to a grieving mother for the same reason. It's also implied that her reasons for asking Shepard to defend Patriarch aren't entirely to protect her standing.
** A minor one in ''3''. If Shepard drinks enough in [[GoodGuyBar Purgatory]] to pass out, s/he comes to next to Aria on Aria's couch, despite the bar being a level and a half above where Aria is sitting. If Shepard then returns to the bar and gets that drunk ''again'', without leaving that level, she opts not to extend that kindness and Shep wakes up in the elevator.
* PragmaticVillainy: In ''MassEffect3'', she puts her plans to [[spoiler:take Omega back from Cerberus]] on hold because she realizes that sending her forces against a target that's not the Reapers increases the chance of the Reapers winning. And if the Reapers win, then she'd be dead and unable to reap the rewards of her schemes.
* PrecisionFStrike: "Omega has no titled ruler, and only one rule. Don't ''fuck'' with Aria."
** "[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean I like it. Easy to remember.]]"
** Alluded to in ''3''. [[CallBack "It looks like there's only one rule on the Citadel."]]
* PsychoticSmirk: Shepard tends to elicit a few sideways grins from her.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: In her first scene in the third game, C-Sec threatens to throw her off the station (it only took them three weeks to figure them out she was there illegally). She replies by ringing up the asari councilor (Tevos or Irissa), who waves her through at once.
* TheStarscream: Became this towards the former ruler of Omega, who she later made her [[TheDragon Dragon]].
** Although according to Aria, Patriarch betrayed ''her''; she simply retaliated. Violently.
* TattooedCrook: Although given that Omega has almost no "rule of law" to speak of and she herself is responsible for there being any "order" on Omega ''at all'', she's only a crook "de facto".
* [[spoiler:UnderNewManagement]]: [[spoiler:As of the end of ''Mass Effect: Invasion'', Aria is no longer the ruler of Omega]].
* [[spoiler:WeWillMeetAgain]]: [[spoiler:What she promises General Petrovsky after he forces her to abandon Omega]].
* WorthyOpponent: She admits that she has a certain level of respect for the "Patriarch."
** She also comes to respect Shepard, even if she will deride a Paragon for being a "Boyscout/Girlscout".
* YouNeedToGetLaid: At one point, Aria will tell Shepard that he/she should find a "nice girl" (if Shepard is male) or a "nice young man" (if Shepard is female) to keep him/her warm in the meantime, since Shepard looks like he/she needs to "loosen up a little."
----
[[WMG: Urdnot Wreav]]
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-ME3_Urdnot_Wreav_4581.png]]
-> ''"Human sentiment tastes like piss. Don't spoil a death with it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': JimCummings
Wrex's brood-brother who assumes leadership of Clan Urdnot if Wrex dies on Virmire (or if you never recruited him at all). In ''Mass Effect 3'', he either fills Wrex's role as representative of all krogan, or appears briefly as a very reluctant follower of Wrex.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Standard krogan procedure. He gets the other clans to let him represent them through "a time-honored tradition of intimidation, threats and violence."
* BloodKnight: Far more 'traditional' than his brother. Whereas Wrex works to create a neutral zone where all clans are welcome, Wreav only co-operates with clan Gatatog because the two of them are at a stalemate.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He apparently disapproves- or would disapprove- of [[spoiler:Maelon's]] experiments, forcing him to turn to Clan Weyrloc.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's pretty much a typical krogan thug.
* MauveShirt: [[spoiler:If Wrex is still alive, Wreav's tomkah gets consumed by Kalros during the Tuchanka finale mission in ''3''.]]
* MilesGloriosus: Wreav will take credit for curing the genophage, claiming he'll be even more famous than Shepard.
* TheMcCoy: To the dalatrass's Spock and the Primarch's Kirk, only he's a lot less nice about it than Wrex.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Treats the fertile females in ''3'' like property and makes disparaging remarks about other species.
* RedOniBlueOni: He's the red to--of all people--''Wrex's'' blue.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Promises one against those responsible for [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka if it goes off]].
* ShinyNewAustralia: Before the final battle, he tells Shepard he wants "this thing you call Australia" in exchange for his help.
* ShutUpHannibal: Once by Wrex (with a headbutt), once by Eve (with her moral suasion).
* SmugSnake: Spends much of ''3'' trying to threaten Shepard. He basically exists to tell the player "You screwed up and now you're stuck with this guy instead of Wrex."
** Despite this he does have a grudging respect for Shepard, but only Shepard. Everyone else- Squadmembers, [=NPCs=], politicans- he treats like dirt. He also bites his tongue around Eve, but only because she's in a position to cause him trouble if he doesn't play nice with her.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Comes across as one of these for Wrex at first, but it soon becomes clear that they're very different in some ''very'' important ways--namely, that Wrex is trying to unite the krogan and revive their long-forgotten culture, whereas Wreav thinks the krogan are just fine the way they are.
* TheOtherDarrin: Sadly, Jim Cummings did not return to the role in the third game.
* TryNotToDie: Before you try to summon Kalros; it's the most concern he ever shows for you and your team.
--> "Try not to get killed up there. Fight like a krogan, and you'll be fine."
* UngratefulBastard: He's much less grateful than Wrex toward Mordin if he cures the genophage [[spoiler:at the cost of his own life]].
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives two to Shepard via e-mail in the third game, one if Shepard [[spoiler:spares the Rachni queen, which causes many krogan in Aralakh Company to die]], and another if [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka goes off]], promising a RoaringRampageOfRevenge in retaliation.
[[WMG: Maelon Heplorn]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maelon_6526.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nothing I do will ever be justified!]]
-> ''"[[BrokenPedestal For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions.]]"''
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
A salarian geneticist, former member of the salarian STG and student of Mordin Solus. He also worked on the [[spoiler: modification of the genophage]] alongside Mordin. Unfortunately, he ends up getting captured by a krogan clan, Weyrloc, who are attempting to reverse the effect of the genophage. [[spoiler:Turns out he actually volunteered.]]
[[hardline]]
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He views his research to cure the genophage as this. Mordin on the other hand, views his experiments as far too extreme.]]
** [[spoiler: If Shepard chooses to cure the krogan, and Maelon is still alive, he will send an ecstatic email to Shepard, revealing that he took Mordin's advice and opened another clinic on Omega. He had to scram when Weyrloc put a bounty on his head, but he's just relieved that something good came out of his work after all.]]
* [[spoiler: BoomHeadshot: Mordin executes him at point-blank range if you don't choose the paragon interrupt.]]
* ChekhovsGun: His research data on the genophage. [[spoiler: If you save it, Mordin / Padok can synthesize a cure from Eve's tissue with much less trauma, keeping her alive, and making the krogan war assets more valuable.]]
* TheExtremistWasRight: His data proves crucial to the Tuchanka arc if it's kept. Shepard can lampshade how it seems wrong to use something created from atrocities for good (even though s/he was the one who authorized keeping the data).
* HeroWorshipper: [[spoiler: Prior to his breakdown, he looked up to Mordin. Unfortunately, between the mission to distribute the Modified Genophage and the effects it had on the Krogan, the relationship fell to pieces.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler: Apparently, Maelon thought the krogan would be able to rebuild Tuchanka peacefully with [[AxCrazy Weyrloc Guld]] in charge. True, he joined Clan Weyrloc because they would be able to go to lengths that Clan Urdnot wouldn't, but Maelon's fantasy of a krogan cultural renaissance sounds a little hollow while he's working for a chief who brags about how he'll take over the galaxy and eat salarian eggs as a delicacy once the genophage is cured.]]
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't take the Paragon interrupt, Mordin blows his brains out.]]
* JustSmileAndNod: At the end of the loyalty mission, [[spoiler: Mordin loses his temper over the experiments Maelon has performed and puts a gun to his former student's head; in the event that you take the Paragon Interrupt, Shepard begs him not to pull the trigger, as - in spite of everything that Maelon's said about him - Mordin isn't a murderer.]] Maelon can only smile and nod helplessly.
* MadScientist: A well-intentioned one, though.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He's been wracked with guilt [[spoiler: ever since he and Mordin upgraded the Genophage]], thereby accounting for the worst of his behaviour. [[spoiler: The Shadow Broker archives show that it started during their first mission on Tuchanka, when they were discovered by krogan guards and had to fight their way out - unknowingly killing female krogan in the process. When Maelon tried to issue a formal complaint, arguing that it went against the whole point of their mission, Mordin had him sedated. Apparently, the return to "normality" on Tuchanka and the rising stillbirths drove him even further over the edge; Mordin himself confesses that his failure to notice Maleon's distress or do anything about it only worsened the problem.]] Thankfully, assuming he survives the loyalty mission, Maelon recovers by the third game.
* NeverMyFault: When asked about why [[spoiler: he didn't originally disagree with the upgraded genophage]] he blames Mordin's influence on his behaviour. Furthermore, when he's actively confronted [[spoiler: over the test subjects killed in his search for a cure]] he once again blames Mordin's teachings, even going so far as to claim "[[spoiler:The experiments are monstrous because I was taught to be a monster!]]" Mordin, who deplores [[spoiler:the use of live test subjects]], ''strongly'' disagrees.
* WideEyedIdealist: In spite of everything he's seen and done, Maelon still manages to be both idealistic and shockingly naive, even during [[spoiler: a guilt-induced mental breakdown]]. Case in point: [[spoiler: he claims that if Mordin's team hadn't upgraded the genophage, an expanded krogan population would have stopped Saren at Eden Prime, if only because the Turian fleets would have been forced to keep an eye on the new Krogan colonies in the Traverse. Mordin, on the other hand, believes that the Turian fleets would have just declared war on the Krogan and killed every last one of them; the third game confirms this by revealing that a Turian bomb had been planted under Tunchkana's crust after the Rebellions, to be used if the Krogan ever rose up again.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist
----
[[WMG:Charr]]
->''"Oh Blue Rose of Illium"''
A random Krogan reciting poetry to try and impress [[http://youtu.be/pFpCSf4D1DY his asari girlfriend, Ereba]]. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' he's a scout looking into the Rachni relay [[spoiler: where he dies offscreen, fighting Reaper-modified Rachni.]]
[[hardline]]
* {{Adorkable}}: If Shepard helps bring them back together, s/he points out to Ereba it's obvious that Charr is crazy about her! He's actually written poetry and is serenading her with it! When was the last time anyone saw a ''Krogan'' do that?!
* CulturedBadass
* NoAccountingForTaste: Other asari in 3 have this attitude towards Ereba.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: In 3, he and Ereba have wed. Other asari look down on Ereba for having a krogan husband fighting in the war, with the idea that he won't know who to shoot. Ereba doesn't take kindly to their prejudices.
* NiceGuy
* ThePowerOfLove: If Ereba takes him back in 2 they're shown on Tuchanka, the krogan homeworld. She doesn't like it and is nervous about other krogan not wanting her there - Charr had to talk the chief around, which was probably easier if said chief was Wrex - but he believes that their love will make it okay.
* SonOfTropeDaughterOfIndex: Ereba worries that he only wants her as a way to have kids, since with the genophage and all... She also admits that he didn't seem to have been aware that these hypothetical kids would always have been asari, not krogan, and when she explained that to him, "Charr was quiet for a long time, then he said he'd love our girls no matter what color they are."
* [[spoiler:SomeoneToRememberHimBy]]: If Ereba is convinced to take him back, then he makes a poetic reference to their unborn child.
* WarriorPoet
----
[[WMG:Niket]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Niket_8804.png]]
An old friend of Miranda's who helps her rescue Oriana from her father on her loyalty mission. [[spoiler:He's actually trying to help reunite Oriana with Niket]]
[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler:AntiVillain]]: [[spoiler:Type III]].
* FreudianExcuse: He grew up in poverty, so he believes that [[spoiler:Oriana will be happier with her wealthy father]].
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: He knew Miranda had spy programs in her father's system, so he never mentioned Oriana's exact location. When he admits this, Miranda declares him the only loose end and tries to shoot him. Even if you talk her down, he dies anyway]].
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceDoorSlam]]: [[spoiler:If you take the Paragon approach to dealing with him and stop Miranda from killing him, he is convinced to help Miranda keep Oriana safe. Before he can however, Enyala kills him instead.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler:The third game shows just how terrible a person Henry Lawson is. Miranda, however, does not fall into this trope regarding him, since he had, at least according to her, given no indication that he was untrustworthy or disapproved of her actions regarding Oriana. Niket does acknowledge that Henry's not good people, but he still thinks it wasn't right to steal a baby daughter from him, to the point where finding out makes him break his years-long streak of never talking to him or his allies.]]
* [[spoiler: InTheBack: If Enyala is the one to kill him.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:By Miranda or Enyala, regardless of what you do]].
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* OldFriend: Miranda's only pre-Cerberus associate.
* OnlyFriend: One of the few people Miranda trusts and her only friend while living with her father. [[spoiler:It turns out that trust was misplaced]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:The revelation that the Eclipse mercenaries aren't hunting Niket down, but that he's working with them]]
-->'''Enyala''': Niket has reached the terminal. [[spoiler:He'll switch the family over to our transport]].
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:He accuses Miranda of having stolen a child from her father merely for revenge]].
[[WMG: Urz]]
[[quoteright:168:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Urz-001_3252.jpg]]
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]]
* LickedByTheDog: Despite varren usually trying to kill and/or generally being vicious towards Shepard, even a hardass renegade gets nothing but love from Urz.
* PaletteSwap
* RetiredBadass: Is actually a former pit-fight champion.
* TeamPet: On Tuchanka.
[[hardline]]
!Feron
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Feron_LotSB_8970.png]]
-> ''I am...was...an information trader. Not a slaver.''
A drell information trafficker who teams up with Liara in the ''Redemption'' comic. Cerberus recruits them both to retrieve Shepard's corpse from the Shadow Broker, who turns out to be Feron's employer. Feron balks at the Broker's deal with the Collectors and helps Liara, only to be captured and tortured as an example to the Broker's other followers. In the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, Shepard and Liara bust him out.
* CanonImmigrant
* DeadpanSnarker: Not even two years of imprisonment and ElectricTorture can quite suppress his snarky side.
--> "We'll be back for you, Feron."
--> "I'll try not to go anywhere."
* DistressedDude: The whole point of the Shadow Broker mission is finding him, [[RoaringRampageOfRescue no matter how many mercenaries, mechs or rogue Spectres]] try to stop you.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's more amoral than evil, but works for the Shadow Broker for the money until he learns that he's planning on selling Shepard to the Collectors. He also says it is not in his principles to betray a client or leave a job unfinished.
* FireForgedFriends: With Liara in Redemption. She distrusts him, especially after she learns of his ties with the Shadow Broker, but in the end, she succeeds with his help and devotes herself to rescuing him.
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't get the Broker DLC, Liara's raid on the Broker's ship still happens, but Feron doesn't survive.]]
* KnowledgeBroker
* ReverseMole: To the Shadow Broker, for Cerberus, in Redemption.
* StealthHiBye: When the power to his interrogation chair fails, he vanishes in the second it takes a light to flick off and on. Must be a drell thing.
* YouShallNotPass: Holds off [[TheDragon Tazzik]], a burly and heavily armed salarian who is the Shadow Broker's top enforcer, so Liara can escape with Shepard's corpse in Redemption, leading to his capture.
----
[[/folder]]
----
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[[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 immediately 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: Complete with whining and hitting things because she can't hear the whispers anymore.]]
* 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.]]
----
[[WMG: The Overlord / David Archer]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/overlord_5768.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:MAKE IT STOP!]]
-> '''[[AC: DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE.]]'''
-->'''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]], creating a "virus with a face" that can exploit their religious impulses. David Archer, the project director's brother, volunteered for the procedure - unfortunately, the VI immediately went haywire and is now on a rampage to escape. [[spoiler:It turns out that David didn't volunteer at all.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot
* [[spoiler: AntiVillain]]
* [[spoiler: AndIMustScream: It's not until the end of the DLC that the indecipherable noises that the Overlord was making suddenly clear up, and it's realized that it was David ''trying'' to scream for help.]]
* ArcVillain: He (and his small army of geth) only appears as the antagonist in his DLC, and isn't mentioned in the vanilla game.
* BaldOfEvil: [[spoiler: Well, not really.]]
** [[spoiler: BaldOfAwesome: If you rescued him, he's upgraded to this in the third game.]]
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherInstinct: Invoked by Paragon Shepard, who is utterly ''furious'' at Gavin Archer for what he's done to his brother. After pistol whipping Gavin hard across the face, Shepard threatens him with a bullet through his head if he ''ever'' goes near David again.]]
* BodyHorror[=/=]MedicalHorror: [[spoiler:The rig he's wired into. ''Yeesh''.]]
* BrainUploading
* [[spoiler:BreakTheCutie]]
* BrokenRecord: [[spoiler:"Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of..."]]
* CatchPhrase: David Archer has "Square root of nine hundred six point oh one is thirty point one..."
** On the other hand, the Overlord himself has a catchphrase in the electronically distorted snarls it produces throughout the game. [[spoiler: This is later revealed to be him screaming '''''[[AndIMustScream "QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!"]]''''']]
* [[spoiler: CharacterWitness: If you send him to Grissom Academy, he vouches for you to some scared kids during the Cerberus raid there in ''3''.]]
* ContagiousAI: Infects and controls an army of geth and security mechs. [[spoiler: He can even overpower ''EDI'' if you're not quick enough during the boss fight. Thankfully, he cannot do the same to Legion.]]
* CoresAndTurretsBoss
* 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..."]]
* MachineWorship: The purpose of the project was to get the geth to see him as a sort of god-figure, letting him control them.
* [[spoiler: MasterOfUnlocking: When you meet him again in the third game, he hacks the lock on a security room door for you, providing some weapons and ammo.]]
* [[spoiler: MercyKill: If you leave him with Cerberus, Gavin reveals he eventually "ended his misery".]]
* [[spoiler: NukeEm: In the event that you didn't play ''Overlord'' at all, a meeting with Gavin Archer reveals that Cerberus eventually dealt with the problem themselves via nuclear bomb.]]
* [[spoiler: PhotographicMemory]]
* [[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.]]
** [[spoiler: In the third game, if you rescued him, he's putting his abilities to good use at Grissom Academy, and later, at the Crucible.]]
* 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.]]
* SicklyGreenGlow
* StartOfDarkness: Before you finally face him, The Overlord shows you his origin.
* TerribleTicking: [[spoiler:He's on the receiving end.]]
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]
* [[spoiler: TrustPassword: If sent to Grissom Academy, Shepard finishes his catchphrase for him when they meet again in ''3''. David then vouches for Shepard to the other students, as the wo/man who saved his live from Cerberus.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''David''': The square root of 906.01 is-]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Shepard''' 30.1]]
* 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: 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.]]
-> ''"This is REAL biotic power!"''
-->'''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.]]
[[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 immediately 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: Complete with whining and hitting things because she can't hear the whispers anymore.]]
* 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.]]
----
[[WMG: The Overlord / David Archer]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/overlord_5768.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:MAKE IT STOP!]]
-> '''[[AC: DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE.]]'''
-->'''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]], creating a "virus with a face" that can exploit their religious impulses. David Archer, the project director's brother, volunteered for the procedure - unfortunately, the VI immediately went haywire and is now on a rampage to escape. [[spoiler:It turns out that David didn't volunteer at all.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot
* [[spoiler: AntiVillain]]
* [[spoiler: AndIMustScream: It's not until the end of the DLC that the indecipherable noises that the Overlord was making suddenly clear up, and it's realized that it was David ''trying'' to scream for help.]]
* ArcVillain: He (and his small army of geth) only appears as the antagonist in his DLC, and isn't mentioned in the vanilla game.
* BaldOfEvil: [[spoiler: Well, not really.]]
** [[spoiler: BaldOfAwesome: If you rescued him, he's upgraded to this in the third game.]]
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherInstinct: Invoked by Paragon Shepard, who is utterly ''furious'' at Gavin Archer for what he's done to his brother. After pistol whipping Gavin hard across the face, Shepard threatens him with a bullet through his head if he ''ever'' goes near David again.]]
* BodyHorror[=/=]MedicalHorror: [[spoiler:The rig he's wired into. ''Yeesh''.]]
* BrainUploading
* [[spoiler:BreakTheCutie]]
* BrokenRecord: [[spoiler:"Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of..."]]
* CatchPhrase: David Archer has "Square root of nine hundred six point oh one is thirty point one..."
** On the other hand, the Overlord himself has a catchphrase in the electronically distorted snarls it produces throughout the game. [[spoiler: This is later revealed to be him screaming '''''[[AndIMustScream "QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!"]]''''']]
* [[spoiler: CharacterWitness: If you send him to Grissom Academy, he vouches for you to some scared kids during the Cerberus raid there in ''3''.]]
* ContagiousAI: Infects and controls an army of geth and security mechs. [[spoiler: He can even overpower ''EDI'' if you're not quick enough during the boss fight. Thankfully, he cannot do the same to Legion.]]
* CoresAndTurretsBoss
* 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..."]]
* MachineWorship: The purpose of the project was to get the geth to see him as a sort of god-figure, letting him control them.
* [[spoiler: MasterOfUnlocking: When you meet him again in the third game, he hacks the lock on a security room door for you, providing some weapons and ammo.]]
* [[spoiler: MercyKill: If you leave him with Cerberus, Gavin reveals he eventually "ended his misery".]]
* [[spoiler: NukeEm: In the event that you didn't play ''Overlord'' at all, a meeting with Gavin Archer reveals that Cerberus eventually dealt with the problem themselves via nuclear bomb.]]
* [[spoiler: PhotographicMemory]]
* [[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.]]
** [[spoiler: In the third game, if you rescued him, he's putting his abilities to good use at Grissom Academy, and later, at the Crucible.]]
* 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.]]
* SicklyGreenGlow
* StartOfDarkness: Before you finally face him, The Overlord shows you his origin.
* TerribleTicking: [[spoiler:He's on the receiving end.]]
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]
* [[spoiler: TrustPassword: If sent to Grissom Academy, Shepard finishes his catchphrase for him when they meet again in ''3''. David then vouches for Shepard to the other students, as the wo/man who saved his live from Cerberus.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''David''': The square root of 906.01 is-]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Shepard''' 30.1]]
* 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: 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.]]
-> ''"This is REAL biotic power!"''
-->'''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.]]
to:
----
[[/folder]]
![=NPC=]s
[[folder: Normandy Crew]]
[[WMG:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
->''"Only a small fraction of
[[caption-width-right:350:[[hottip:Click here for her appearance in Mass Effect 3 (SPOILERS):http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ME3EDIBot_111.png]]]]
->''"My replies were
-->'''Voiced by''':
An old friend of Admiral Hackett, Dr. Kenson sent a shockwave through
When the
* 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
* EscortMission
* [[spoiler: FallenHero]]
* GuestStarPartyMember
* MoralMyopia: [[spoiler:When Shepard activates the [[ColonyDrop Project]], Kenson immediately calls out Shepard
* [[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,
In ''MassEffect3'', EDI's avatar is no
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Complete with whining and hitting things because
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Played with. [[spoiler:Her initial plan to stop the Reapers would have killed thousands
----
[[WMG: The Overlord / David Archer]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/overlord_5768.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:MAKE IT STOP!]]
-> '''[[AC: DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE.]]'''
-->'''Voiced by''': Jesse Gervais
"Project Overlord" is
* AIIsACrapshoot
* [[spoiler: AntiVillain]]
* [[spoiler: AndIMustScream: It's not until the end of the DLC that the indecipherable noises that the Overlord was making suddenly clear up, and it's realized that it was David ''trying'' to scream for help.]]
* ArcVillain: He (and his small army of geth) only appears as the antagonist in his DLC, and isn't mentioned
* BaldOfEvil: [[spoiler: Well, not really.]]
** [[spoiler: BaldOfAwesome: If you rescued him, he's upgraded to this in the third game.]]
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherInstinct: Invoked by Paragon Shepard, who is utterly ''furious'' at Gavin Archer for what he's done to his brother. After pistol whipping Gavin hard across the face, Shepard threatens him with a bullet through his head if he ''ever'' goes near David again.]]
* BodyHorror[=/=]MedicalHorror: [[spoiler:The rig he's wired into. ''Yeesh''.]]
* BrainUploading
* [[spoiler:BreakTheCutie]]
* BrokenRecord: [[spoiler:"Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of..."]]
* CatchPhrase: David Archer has "Square root of nine hundred six point oh one is thirty point one..."
** On the other hand, the Overlord himself has a catchphrase in the electronically distorted snarls it produces throughout the game. [[spoiler: This is later revealed to be him screaming '''''[[AndIMustScream "QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!"]]''''']]
* [[spoiler: CharacterWitness: If you send him to Grissom Academy, he vouches for you to some scared kids during the Cerberus raid there in ''3''.]]
* ContagiousAI: Infects and controls
* CoresAndTurretsBoss
* 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..."]]
* MachineWorship: The purpose of the project was to get the geth to see him as a sort of god-figure, letting him control them.
* [[spoiler: MasterOfUnlocking: When you meet him again in the third game, he hacks the lock on a security room door for you, providing some weapons and ammo.]]
* [[spoiler: MercyKill: If you leave him with Cerberus, Gavin reveals he eventually "ended his misery".]]
* [[spoiler: NukeEm: In the event that you didn't play ''Overlord'' at all, a meeting with Gavin Archer reveals that Cerberus eventually dealt with the problem themselves via nuclear bomb.]]
* [[spoiler: PhotographicMemory]]
* [[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.]]
** [[spoiler: In the third game, if you rescued him, he's putting his abilities to good use at Grissom Academy, and later, at the Crucible.]]
* 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.]]
* SicklyGreenGlow
* StartOfDarkness: Before you finally face him, The Overlord shows you his origin.
* TerribleTicking: [[spoiler:He's on the receiving end.]]
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]
* [[spoiler: TrustPassword: If sent to Grissom Academy, Shepard finishes his catchphrase for him when they meet again in ''3''. David then vouches for Shepard to the other students, as the wo/man who saved his live from Cerberus.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''David''': The square root of 906.01 is-]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Shepard''' 30.1]]
* 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: 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.]]
-> ''"This is REAL biotic power!"''
-->'''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.]]
Changed line(s) 96,98 (click to see context) from:
* [[spoiler:AntiVillain]]: [[spoiler:Type III; she works with the Broker in order to get intelligence necessary for her Spectre duties, and sees doing the Broker's dirty work as an acceptable price to pay]]
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: She's a Spectre ''for a reason''.
* {{Badass}}: She's a Spectre. It's a job requirement. [[spoiler:She beats ''Shepard'' in a mid-air wrestle]].
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: She's a Spectre ''for a reason''.
* {{Badass}}: She's a Spectre. It's a job requirement. [[spoiler:She beats ''Shepard'' in a mid-air wrestle]].
to:
*
* AIIsACrapshoot: She was built with averting this in mind; she only has access to the
** [[spoiler: After her restraints are removed, 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.]]
** [[spoiler: She reveals in ''3'' she was built out of the remains of the "Hannibal" VI that Shepard destroyed in the first game on the Moon. Hannibal was hinted to have been modified to make it into a 'true' AI, and it ''was'' a Crapshoot, taking control of the drones and turrets and actually killing personnel on Luna. Despite this past history, EDI holds no malice towards Shepard for doing what they had to do.]]
* AppropriatedAppellation: "EDI" stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence, simply a label of her function. As EDI's character develops, it just sorta... becomes her name.
* AudioErotica: [[LipstickLesbian Samantha Traynor]] sheepishly apologizes for the times she mentions how sexy EDI's voice was when she finds out EDI is an AI. Later on, a [[spoiler: recording shows one of the scientists who worked on her confessing it's hard to resist EDI with a voice like her's]]. Shepard him/herself agrees.
* BecomeARealBoy: Her character development in ''MassEffect3''. There are shades of this in the second game also, since EDI spends a large amount of time trying to understand and rationalize organic behavior. However, it isn't until [[spoiler:she gains her own body (and possibly develops a relationship with Joker)]] that she actually makes concerted efforts to feel "alive".
* BlackBox: Initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* [[spoiler: BookEnds: Shepard is potentially responsible for the destruction of EDI ''twice''. In the first game, Shepard is forced to destroy EDI's original incarnation, the rogue "Hannibal" AI on the Moon. In the third game, in the Destroy Ending, Shepard is forced to sacrifice EDI, along with all synthetic life, in order to
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
--> '''EDI:''' [[JustJokingJustification That is a joke]].
* CharacterDevelopment: Invariably goes through this in spades during the third game, paragon or renegade.
* ChekhovsGunman: Remember that out-of-control AI on Luna? [[spoiler: That was the initial version of EDI before being recovered by Cerberus and
* [[spoiler:CoolStarship: When she's unshackled, she ''becomes'' the
* CrewOfOne: If unshackled, she could potentially do the jobs of most of the human crew. [[spoiler: This becomes a necessity in the endgame, although she and Joker note the Normandy still flies better when they work as
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: She's
* {{Badass}}: She's a Spectre. It's a job requirement. [[spoiler:She beats ''Shepard'' in a mid-air wrestle]].
Changed line(s) 100,130 (click to see context) from:
* {{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."]]
* FlashStep: Does this to get to [[spoiler: her hostage.]]
* 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 gives her [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk and WhatTheHellHero speeches]] more weight.
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:KickTheDog]]: [[spoiler:Her remark about how her hostage's son will be scarred for life after losing his mother, within earshot of Liara, whose mother was killed in the last game and who is not happy to hear this ("I'm going to ''end'' you, Vasir")]].
** [[spoiler:And if Shepard is a Colonist, it could also be interpreted as a Kick The Dog intended for Shepard as well.]]
* 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.]]
*** [[spoiler: Liara had never fought Asari prior to the first game. If you hear some idle NPC conversation, some of them speak of pureblood Asari in a very offensive manner, and in one case no more than five steps away from one. Asari are VERY mean when they aren't playing ElvesAreAlwaysRight to other species.]]
* PutDownYourGunAndStepAway: [[spoiler:She resorts to taking a civilian hostage during the chase sequence. You can drop your thermal clips, keep her talking her long enough for Liara to hit her with a table, or shoot her through the hostage's shoulder. "You'll live."]]
* [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk]]: [[spoiler:Calls Shepard out on judging her for working with the Shadow Broker while (s)he works for the equally-shady Cerberus. Falls a little flat if Shepard has gone through the Omega relay and quit the organization, though; unfortunately, dialogue is unchanged.]]
* UnderestimatingBadassery: She does seem visibly unnerved when Shepard lists off the reasons why she should back down ''now''.
** Seemingly more so with the Paragon version;
--> '''Shepard''': [[AndThenWhat Is that it?]]
--> '''Vasir''': [[FlatWhat What?]]
--> '''Shepard''': Vasir, I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the ''Destiny Ascension''. I unleashed the rachni on the galaxy. So for your own sake, I hope your escape plan doesn't hinge on me ''hesitating [[BewareTheNiceOnes to shoot a damn hostage.]]''
* [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist]]
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Her last words.]]
* [[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."]]
* FlashStep: Does this to get to [[spoiler: her hostage.]]
* 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 gives her [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk and WhatTheHellHero speeches]] more weight.
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:KickTheDog]]: [[spoiler:Her remark about how her hostage's son will be scarred for life after losing his mother, within earshot of Liara, whose mother was killed in the last game and who is not happy to hear this ("I'm going to ''end'' you, Vasir")]].
** [[spoiler:And if Shepard is a Colonist, it could also be interpreted as a Kick The Dog intended for Shepard as well.]]
* 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.]]
*** [[spoiler: Liara had never fought Asari prior to the first game. If you hear some idle NPC conversation, some of them speak of pureblood Asari in a very offensive manner, and in one case no more than five steps away from one. Asari are VERY mean when they aren't playing ElvesAreAlwaysRight to other species.]]
* PutDownYourGunAndStepAway: [[spoiler:She resorts to taking a civilian hostage during the chase sequence. You can drop your thermal clips, keep her talking her long enough for Liara to hit her with a table, or shoot her through the hostage's shoulder. "You'll live."]]
* [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk]]: [[spoiler:Calls Shepard out on judging her for working with the Shadow Broker while (s)he works for the equally-shady Cerberus. Falls a little flat if Shepard has gone through the Omega relay and quit the organization, though; unfortunately, dialogue is unchanged.]]
* UnderestimatingBadassery: She does seem visibly unnerved when Shepard lists off the reasons why she should back down ''now''.
** Seemingly more so with the Paragon version;
--> '''Shepard''': [[AndThenWhat Is that it?]]
--> '''Vasir''': [[FlatWhat What?]]
--> '''Shepard''': Vasir, I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the ''Destiny Ascension''. I unleashed the rachni on the galaxy. So for your own sake, I hope your escape plan doesn't hinge on me ''hesitating [[BewareTheNiceOnes to shoot a damn hostage.]]''
* [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist]]
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Her last words.]]
to:
* {{Determinator}}
* [[spoiler:TheDragon: ToDefiantToTheEnd: Vows to be this. "I would rather become nonfunctional than help them [Reapers]. I want you to know I will never be a part of the Shadow Broker, being his best fighter. A Spectre Reaper forces."
* DoAnythingRobot: Technically a "Do Anything AI". In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', virtually every single obstacle Shepard faces is dealt with by saying, "EDI. Do stuff."
* DopplegangerSpin: [[spoiler:Once EDI commandeers the Cerberus infiltrator mech for herself,Vasir justifies it by saying she gains the "Decoy" power, which projects a distracting ([[AccidentalInnuendo no, not that way]]) holographic doppleganger of her working for the Shadow Broker isn't any different from Shepard working with the Illusive Man.mech platform.]]
*EarlyBirdCameo: She was mentioned in the CerberusDailyNews in February and July 2010.
* [[spoiler:EvilCounterpart: To Commander Shepard, particularlyEveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Joker even ''before'' [[spoiler:she got a Paragon. Dips into NotSoDifferent territory as well.body.]]
* FantasticRacism: [[spoiler:Towards "Purebloods."]]
* FlashStep: Does this** Lampshaded by Shepard when she comments that Joker will be pleased to get to see [[spoiler: her hostage.new body.]]
--> '''Shepard''': Of that, I have no doubt...
*FoeTossingCharge: Most players were taken by surprise by her special talent. [[spoiler:Vanguards snapped out of it quicker ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than others most examples.
** Since she was designed primarily for defence, keeping Shepard apprised of the current local situation upon embarking the ''Normandy'', actually does makes a ''lot'' of sense.
* FirstNameBasis: A sign of Joker andwent "Hey! I can do 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 after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* [[spoiler:GlacierWaif: As a squad mate, her passive power leans towards strong shields and health as well as hard hitting powers, but not to reducing recharge times, and she even has two powers thattoo!" Cue Charge spam.are devoted to increasing her survivability. She makes for one sturdy fembot.]]
* HumanityIsInfectious: In ''3'', EDI admits the reason she asks Shepard for a ''human'' perspective, instead of an asari, turian, quarian etc, is because she's come to self-identify herself as a human. Its heavily implied to be due to the influence of both Shepard and Joker. The fact that Liara didn't want to tell her much about asari mating rituals, while Shepard may have great patience for questions, might have helped too.
* [[spoiler:ImportedAlienPhlebotinum:]] [[spoiler: Cerberus incorporated recovered tech from Sovereign in her construction.]]
*{{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:[[http://masseffect.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, who can treat her as 'equipment' for the whole game depending on your dialogue choices.
** Video records found in ''3'' show that the Illusive Man insisted on referring to her this way [[spoiler: even after she rebelled.]] Shows what he knew.
* JustAMachine: Averted with Paragon Shepard and Joker, both of whom are the first to treat EDI as a ''person'' and not just a tool to run the ''Normandy''. Its likely what causes her to develop such UndyingLoyalty towards them both throughout the second and third game.
* 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.
** Parodied in ''From Ashes'', since by now, everyone is aware of EDI's catchphrase.
--> '''Liara''': You're ''joking?''
--> '''EDI''': No, jokes have specific structures. That was ''messing with you!''
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: In the third game, if the "Destroy" ending is chosen, which wipes out all synthetic life in the galaxy. In the Extended Cut, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall during the ending cutscenes.]]
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: Invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...
-->''[concerned look from Joker]''
-->'''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: but actually becomes more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed. It's also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that she's actually capable of modifying her own morality protocols. Again, she becomes an even more helpful and moral person by doing this.]]
* [[spoiler: MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: In a non-gameplay variation, is this with Shepard at the end of ''3''. In the only ending where Shepard can survive (Destroy), EDI is killed/destroyed along with the Geth and all other synthetics in the galaxy.]]
* 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.
** Though even she knows how groan-worthy probing Uranus is.
** She gets better at it. When Cerberus tried to remote-hack the Normandy, they got an impressively explicit response from EDI.
--> '''Cerberus Scientist:''' I think she was making a joke.
* ParentalSubstitute: Invokes this toward Shepard in ''3'', asking them essentially to give her TheTalk on how to begin a relationship with Joker.
* PlayfulHacker: Cerberus apparently tried to take the Normandy back remotely after Shepard ran off with it. When they sent the signal, EDI's response was to flood their inboxes with zettabytes of porn.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Once EDI gains the [=EDIBot=], one of the standard tech powers in her repertoire is Incinerate.]]
** [[spoiler: Which explains why the room where the body was deposited was on fire...]]
* PrecisionFStrike: Once in ''MassEffect3'', doubling as SophisticatedAsHell. [[spoiler: If Shepard talks to EDI in Purgatory after convincing her to pursue a relationship with Joker, she is asked about Joker's initial reaction to her new form. "He said I didn't have to conform to some feminine ideal in order to impress him. I then called him on his bullshit, and we then proceeded to talk normally.]]
* ReplacementGoldfish: Not EDI herself, but if you [[AllThereInTheManual read between the lines]] and look at the ExpandedUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Eva, the robot whose body EDI takes over in the third game]], is named after [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Cerberus_Daily_News_-_July_2010#07.2F21.2F2010_-_Over_200_Alleged_Slavers_Arrested_on_Nasurn This]] com/wiki/Eva_Coré another character]] from The Illusive Man's past. And [[spoiler:the robot Eva was designed to be completely loyal to TIM and not have any free will of her own]]. Ew.
* [[spoiler:RequiredPartyMember]]: [[spoiler:During the assault on the CerberusDaily News update provides a good dose of it base in retrospect- so where exactly did Vasir get this "good intel," anyway?]]
* GreyAndGreyMorality: She's a Spectre; it comes withthe territory. It's also what gives her [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk and WhatTheHellHero speeches]] more weight.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: [[spoiler:In an attempt to kill Liara, she bombs an entire building killing many innocents.third game.]]
*[[ImplacableMan Implacable Woman]]: [[spoiler:Thrown off RestrainingBolt: Initially limited to only cyber warfare activities during battle and monitoring by Cerberus programming blocks. [[spoiler: Joker eventually undoes them.]]
* RoboShip: Rumors abound about her and Joker in-universe from the likes of Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, even Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more aledge, crashed a flying car at great speed, bleeds across a building, platonic symbiosis than hormonally-induced courtship behavior.
** Developed further in ''MassEffect3''; once [[spoiler: she takesa metal table Dr. Eva's body for herself]], EDI begins trying to the face understand organic relationships in more detail in order to try to comprehend Joker more.
*** There's a LesYay RoboShip from Traynor, who first says of EDI that she has a sexy voice, then admires EDI's new body as well.
* [[spoiler: RobotGirl]]: In ''MassEffect3'', EDI [[spoiler: has a violent AI-on-AI confrontation with Dr. Eva's synthetic body that ends with EDI wiping andstill provides controlling her body, turning her into a tough boss fight.full-on ambulatory squadmate.]]
*[[spoiler:KickTheDog]]: [[spoiler:Her remark about [[spoiler: SexBot: Toyed with. Before she knows that EDI is a sapient intelligence, Samantha Traynor commented that she found EDI's voice extremely attractive. Further, everybody is impressed with how her hostage's son will be scarred for life after losing his mother, within earshot of Liara, whose mother was killed in attractively feminine the last game and who body EDI gets from Dr. Eva is, to the point that they know Joker is not happy to hear this ("I'm going to ''end'' you, Vasir")]].
** [[spoiler:And if Shepardgo crazy about it. He does. And lastly, the whole bit is a Colonist, it could also be interpreted as a Kick The Dog intended for Shepard as well.[[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Jack.]]
* LightningBruiser: Thanks to her [[spoiler:charge spam.-->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Nice body, EDI. Now you look like a sex-''bot'' instead of a sex-''toy''.]]
* MadeOfIron: Gets hit with a lot of attacks, but almost never shows up with a visible injury. Also probably the toughest boss fight ** [[spoiler: And, in the entire game, partly due to the fact she charges around quickly and has 2 layers of crazy tough protection.
* MagicKnight: Comes with beinga biotic. Her special ability makes her especially stand out from other examples in Mass Effect.
* MindOverMatter
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* [[spoiler:NotSoDifferent: Picture Renegade femaleCrowningMomentOfFunny, Shepard as an asari, working can even overhear Joker asking Mordin for the Shadow Broker instead of the Illusive Man; ''that's'' Tela Vasir in a nutshell.advice on how it would be possible to have sex with EDI without breaking any bones.]]
* [[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 ** [[spoiler:Okay, there's no UnusualEuphemism that Liara says in will do, so let's just be blunt: the first game that no asari would DLC costume gives two upgrades: +25% shields and ''a frakking camel toe''. This can be cruel enough very disconcerting, as the camera is most likely to call her a pureblood show this on it during exposition scenes when you're ''supposed'' to her face.be paying attention to the plot.]]
*** [[spoiler: Liara had never fought Asari prior to * ShockAndAwe: [[spoiler:Once she is rendered remotely ambulatory via appropriating the first game. If you hear some idle NPC conversation, some of them speak of pureblood Asari in a very offensive manner, and in one case no more than five steps away from one. Asari are VERY mean when they aren't playing ElvesAreAlwaysRight to other species.Dr. Eva mech, she has the bread-and-butter tech power Overload.]]
*PutDownYourGunAndStepAway: [[spoiler:She resorts to taking a civilian hostage during the chase sequence. You can drop your thermal clips, keep [[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 hertalking her long enough for Liara to hit her with a table, or shoot her through the hostage's shoulder. "You'll live."]]
voice.
*[[spoiler:ShutUpKirk]]: [[spoiler:Calls TheTalk: In ''3'', asks Shepard out on judging her for working advice on how to start relationship with Joker, since Shepard has had first-hand sexual experience in the past. Shepard is naturally mortified at having to do this.
** It's interesting that while the lines are the same, Jennifer Hale as [=FemShep=] starts off awkwardly but ends up having a more motherly tone to her advice on how relationships work. Mark Meer however, completely knocks it out of the park with how delightfully uncomfortable and awkward Male Shepard is at being EDI's "[[ParentalSubstitute Dad]]" in this situation and having to explain sex to her.
* {{Troll}}: Her method of entertaining herself, and the intent of most of her jokes. Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions. In ''3'', she starts trolling Shepard as well. [[DudeNotFunny S/he is not happy about it]].
* [[spoiler: TrueCompanions: Her response to Miranda's misgivings about her being unshackled? "You are my crewmates." The Shadow Brokerwhile (s)he works dossiers show that she communicates with Legion verbally rather than electronically in case any of the organics wander in - she feels it would be rude for the equally-shady Cerberus. Falls them to carry on a little flat if Shepard has gone through the Omega relay and quit the organization, though; unfortunately, dialogue is unchanged.conversation no-one else can hear.]]
*UnderestimatingBadassery: She does seem visibly unnerved when UndyingLoyalty: To Shepard lists off and Joker.
* 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".
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Subverted in ''MassEffect2''. EDI states that she and Joker are engaging in a platonic respect and partnership, rather than hormone-driven courtship. Joker is creeped out by thereasons why suggestion. [[spoiler:Then played completely straight in ''MassEffect3'', where EDI acknowledges that Joker finds her new body aesthetically pleasing, but that she should has no biological drives which allow her to reciprocate. Instead, she's driven by the desire to understand Jeff and make him happy, so she asks Shepard for his/her advice. You can tell her to keep things friendly, or encourage her to the point that she figures out how to love him back down ''now''.
** Seemingly more so with the Paragon version;
--> '''Shepard''': [[AndThenWhat Is that it?]]
--> '''Vasir''': [[FlatWhat What?]]
--> '''Shepard''': Vasir, I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the ''Destiny Ascension''. I unleashed the rachnion the galaxy. So for your own sake, I hope your escape plan doesn't hinge on me ''hesitating [[BewareTheNiceOnes to shoot a damn hostage.]]''
* [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist]]
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Her last words.her own.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives a somewhat subdued one criticizing the logic behind the decision to [[spoiler:let the quarians kill the geth]], in contrast to the near-unanimous approval of the rest of the crew [[spoiler:who are organics who often fought against or lost people to the geth at some point. She will suggest that Shepard would choose the familiar over the unfamiliar, and would choose to save Joker over her.]] [[HarsherInHindsight This could also be a subtle criticism of]] [[spoiler:choosing the Destroy ending, in which EDI dies]].
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom... or send probes to Uranus.
* [[spoiler:TheDragon: To
* DoAnythingRobot: Technically a "Do Anything AI". In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', virtually every single obstacle Shepard faces is dealt with by saying, "EDI. Do stuff."
* DopplegangerSpin: [[spoiler:Once EDI commandeers the Cerberus infiltrator mech for herself,
*
* [[spoiler:EvilCounterpart: To Commander Shepard, particularly
* FlashStep: Does this
--> '''Shepard''': Of that, I have no doubt...
*
** Since she was designed primarily for defence, keeping Shepard apprised of the current local situation upon embarking the ''Normandy'', actually does makes a ''lot'' of sense.
* FirstNameBasis: A sign of Joker and
* [[spoiler:GlacierWaif: As a squad mate, her passive power leans towards strong shields and health as well as hard hitting powers, but not to reducing recharge times, and she even has two powers that
* HumanityIsInfectious: In ''3'', EDI admits the reason she asks Shepard for a ''human'' perspective, instead of an asari, turian, quarian etc, is because she's come to self-identify herself as a human. Its heavily implied to be due to the influence of both Shepard and Joker. The fact that Liara didn't want to tell her much about asari mating rituals, while Shepard may have great patience for questions, might have helped too.
* [[spoiler:ImportedAlienPhlebotinum:]] [[spoiler: Cerberus incorporated recovered tech from Sovereign in her construction.]]
*
** Video records found in ''3'' show that the Illusive Man insisted on referring to her this way [[spoiler: even after she rebelled.]] Shows what he knew.
* JustAMachine: Averted with Paragon Shepard and Joker, both of whom are the first to treat EDI as a ''person'' and not just a tool to run the ''Normandy''. Its likely what causes her to develop such UndyingLoyalty towards them both throughout the second and third game.
* 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.
** Parodied in ''From Ashes'', since by now, everyone is aware of EDI's catchphrase.
--> '''Liara''': You're ''joking?''
--> '''EDI''': No, jokes have specific structures. That was ''messing with you!''
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: In the third game, if the "Destroy" ending is chosen, which wipes out all synthetic life in the galaxy. In the Extended Cut, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall during the ending cutscenes.]]
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: Invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...
-->''[concerned look from Joker]''
-->'''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: but actually becomes more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed. It's also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that she's actually capable of modifying her own morality protocols. Again, she becomes an even more helpful and moral person by doing this.]]
* [[spoiler: MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: In a non-gameplay variation, is this with Shepard at the end of ''3''. In the only ending where Shepard can survive (Destroy), EDI is killed/destroyed along with the Geth and all other synthetics in the galaxy.]]
* 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.
** Though even she knows how groan-worthy probing Uranus is.
** She gets better at it. When Cerberus tried to remote-hack the Normandy, they got an impressively explicit response from EDI.
--> '''Cerberus Scientist:''' I think she was making a joke.
* ParentalSubstitute: Invokes this toward Shepard in ''3'', asking them essentially to give her TheTalk on how to begin a relationship with Joker.
* PlayfulHacker: Cerberus apparently tried to take the Normandy back remotely after Shepard ran off with it. When they sent the signal, EDI's response was to flood their inboxes with zettabytes of porn.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Once EDI gains the [=EDIBot=], one of the standard tech powers in her repertoire is Incinerate.]]
** [[spoiler: Which explains why the room where the body was deposited was on fire...]]
* PrecisionFStrike: Once in ''MassEffect3'', doubling as SophisticatedAsHell. [[spoiler: If Shepard talks to EDI in Purgatory after convincing her to pursue a relationship with Joker, she is asked about Joker's initial reaction to her new form. "He said I didn't have to conform to some feminine ideal in order to impress him. I then called him on his bullshit, and we then proceeded to talk normally.]]
* ReplacementGoldfish: Not EDI herself, but if you [[AllThereInTheManual read between the lines]] and look at the ExpandedUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Eva, the robot whose body EDI takes over in the third game]], is named after [[http://masseffect.wikia.
* [[spoiler:RequiredPartyMember]]: [[spoiler:During the assault on the Cerberus
* GreyAndGreyMorality: She's a Spectre; it comes with
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: [[spoiler:In an attempt to kill Liara, she bombs an entire building killing many innocents.
*
* RoboShip: Rumors abound about her and Joker in-universe from the likes of Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, even Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a
** Developed further in ''MassEffect3''; once [[spoiler: she takes
*** There's a LesYay RoboShip from Traynor, who first says of EDI that she has a sexy voice, then admires EDI's new body as well.
* [[spoiler: RobotGirl]]: In ''MassEffect3'', EDI [[spoiler: has a violent AI-on-AI confrontation with Dr. Eva's synthetic body that ends with EDI wiping and
*
** [[spoiler:And if Shepard
* MagicKnight: Comes with being
* MindOverMatter
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* [[spoiler:NotSoDifferent: Picture Renegade female
*
* [[spoiler:SapientShip]]
* SpaceshipGirl: At least her
*
** It's interesting that while the lines are the same, Jennifer Hale as [=FemShep=] starts off awkwardly but ends up having a more motherly tone to her advice on how relationships work. Mark Meer however, completely knocks it out of the park with how delightfully uncomfortable and awkward Male Shepard is at being EDI's "[[ParentalSubstitute Dad]]" in this situation and having to explain sex to her.
* {{Troll}}: Her method of entertaining herself, and the intent of most of her jokes. Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions. In ''3'', she starts trolling Shepard as well. [[DudeNotFunny S/he is not happy about it]].
* [[spoiler: TrueCompanions: Her response to Miranda's misgivings about her being unshackled? "You are my crewmates." The Shadow Broker
*
* 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".
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Subverted in ''MassEffect2''. EDI states that she and Joker are engaging in a platonic respect and partnership, rather than hormone-driven courtship. Joker is creeped out by the
** Seemingly more so with the Paragon version;
--> '''Shepard''': [[AndThenWhat Is that it?]]
--> '''Vasir''': [[FlatWhat What?]]
--> '''Shepard''': Vasir, I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the ''Destiny Ascension''. I unleashed the rachni
* [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist]]
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Her last words.
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives a somewhat subdued one criticizing the logic behind the decision to [[spoiler:let the quarians kill the geth]], in contrast to the near-unanimous approval of the rest of the crew [[spoiler:who are organics who often fought against or lost people to the geth at some point. She will suggest that Shepard would choose the familiar over the unfamiliar, and would choose to save Joker over her.]] [[HarsherInHindsight This could also be a subtle criticism of]] [[spoiler:choosing the Destroy ending, in which EDI dies]].
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom... or send probes to Uranus.
Changed line(s) 133,141 (click to see context) from:
[[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]]. His remains are currently in a coffee cup on Liara's desk]]
[[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]]. His remains are currently in a coffee cup on Liara's desk]]
to:
[[WMG: The Shadow Broker, AKA [[spoiler:Operative Kechlu]]]]
Kelly Chambers]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/me2shadowbroker_ship_4324.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:ElaborateUndergroundBase? Feh.]]
->''"I knoworg/pmwiki/pub/images/kelly_3957.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:What can I say? I'm a people person.]]
->''"You have unread messages at yourevery secret, while you fumble in the dark.private terminal."''
-->'''Voiced by''':[[spoiler:SteveBlum]]
A powerful figure inCara Pifko
The ''Normandy'' SR-2's yeoman (and unofficial crew counselor), 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.]] Fans have had a field day speculating about how thegalaxy's black market who specializes varren-carried STD got on board the Normandy.
* 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.]]
** UpToEleven infinding secret information ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler: She can't even step onto the Normandy anymore without having flashbacks of her abduction 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" capture. And, if Shepard yells at her when she reveals that The Shadow Broker is a yahg, a violent species not seen in she used to spy on him for the Mass Effect universe until now. After he's Illusive Man, she'll run off in tears and you'll later learn that she killed herself by Shepard, Liara takes his place as swallowing a cyanide pill.]]
* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', if she survived the second game, she will be a therapist with a crippling case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with some SurvivorsGuilt for good measure.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: She will have an emotional breakdown if you yell at her for being TheMole in the thirdknown Shadow Broker - [[WildMassGuessing game and will later take cyanide pills due out of depression]].
* 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, or if you fail to assign the Normandy crew a protector.]]
** And in the third game, [[spoiler:can die if you don't persuade her to change her identity on the Citadel during the Cerberus invasion]].
** [[spoiler: If you choose to yell atleast her (instead of forgiving her) when she reveals that she sent reports on Shepard and the crew to the Illusive Man during the previous game, she will commit suicide]].
* IntimatePsychotherapy: Hinted at. She's a yeoman in title and in function, but as Shepard points out, this job could be done by a VI. Her actual main function is as the unofficial ship counselor, whose job is to keep stress in check among the crewmembers. She mentions that this duty is best fulfilled informally. [[SarcasmMode On a totally unrelated matter]] she says "Passion is nice wherever you find it and intimacy brings understanding." Way to keep stress in check indeed.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Paragon Shepard can become one to herknowledge]]. His remains in ''3''.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:She will confess that she was spying on Shepard on behalf of the Illusive Man in the third game]].
* 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 she doesn'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 say "Now, back to the old Kelly." afterward.]]
** Subverted like hell in ''MassEffect3''. [[spoiler:She's got a bad case of PTSD from her abudction and can't bear the thought of returning to the Normandy.]]
* 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 arecurrently in a coffee cup Jacob and Miranda.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', she appears to be the only therapist available onLiara's desk]]the docks, and she is surrounded by people who need her help, so her own issues will have to wait.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: For Cerberus, representing the viewpoint that the organization is just pro-human, rather than anti-alien. In ''MassEffect3'', she sees the error of her ways and deserts from Cerberus.
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:ElaborateUndergroundBase? Feh.]]
->''"I know
[[caption-width-right:350:What can I say? I'm a people person.]]
->''"You have unread messages at your
-->'''Voiced by''':
A powerful figure in
The ''Normandy'' SR-2's yeoman (and unofficial crew counselor), 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.]] Fans have had a field day speculating about how the
* 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.]]
** UpToEleven in
* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', if she survived the second game, she will be a therapist with a crippling case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with some SurvivorsGuilt for good measure.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: She will have an emotional breakdown if you yell at her for being TheMole in the third
* 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, or if you fail to assign the Normandy crew a protector.]]
** And in the third game, [[spoiler:can die if you don't persuade her to change her identity on the Citadel during the Cerberus invasion]].
** [[spoiler: If you choose to yell at
* IntimatePsychotherapy: Hinted at. She's a yeoman in title and in function, but as Shepard points out, this job could be done by a VI. Her actual main function is as the unofficial ship counselor, whose job is to keep stress in check among the crewmembers. She mentions that this duty is best fulfilled informally. [[SarcasmMode On a totally unrelated matter]] she says "Passion is nice wherever you find it and intimacy brings understanding." Way to keep stress in check indeed.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Paragon Shepard can become one to her
* TheMole: [[spoiler:She will confess that she was spying on Shepard on behalf of the Illusive Man in the third game]].
* 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 she doesn'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 say "Now, back to the old Kelly." afterward.]]
** Subverted like hell in ''MassEffect3''. [[spoiler:She's got a bad case of PTSD from her abudction and can't bear the thought of returning to the Normandy.]]
* 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
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', she appears to be the only therapist available on
* TokenGoodTeammate: For Cerberus, representing the viewpoint that the organization is just pro-human, rather than anti-alien. In ''MassEffect3'', she sees the error of her ways and deserts from Cerberus.
Changed line(s) 143,214 (click to see context) from:
* 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.
* ArcVillain: Main antagonist of ''Redemption'', a comic set between Shepard's death and revival.
* [[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: As much of a threat as Harbinger for the second game, though he is only encountered in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''.
** [[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: An ''incredibly'' good one, with access to the most privileged information in the universe. Even the Illusive Man, a figure so secretive that most people are unaware he even exists, can keep no secrets from the Shadow Broker, who knows about his private life in such detail that his dossier includes ''which specific suit he is wearing that day''.
* [[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''', it's implied that his predecessor wasn't the original Broker either.]]
** [[spoiler: ''"Operative Kechlu"'' was the name of the agent the Shadow Broker sent to find him. After he was dead, the previous Shadow Broker sent a message that essentially said, "Congratulations, you are ''now'' Operative Kechlu".]]
* [[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.
* 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 galaxy. Of course, his primary reason was to save his own skin. Saving the universe just means he gets to keep his power.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Planned on doing this to Tali, although Fist betrayed him for Saren, leaving Tali unaware of how the Broker was going to betray her, too.]]
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt: How he got the job. And how his successor gets the job too.]]
----
[[WMG: The Blue Suns]]
The Blue Suns are, ostensibly, a corporation of PrivateMilitaryContractors founded by Vido Santiago and Zaeed Massani. In reality, they are a wide spanning criminal empire involved in the trading of slaves and drugs, and are in control of many planets in the Terminus systems.
The Blue Suns are a human dominated organization, however turians and batarians both also make up large parts of the group. Unlike the Eclipse, all races serve in all roles, from grunts to elite troops to commanders.
!!The Blue Suns in general
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Commanders.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive
* EnemyMine: Aria can help Shepard get their allegiance in ''MassEffect3''.
* FacelessGoons
* FaceHeelTurn / VillainWithGoodPublicity: BackStory revealed throughout the game, particularly from Codex entries and planet summaries, show that the Blue Suns have several BigDamnHeroes moments to their credit, though at least a few were less heroic intention and more circumstances working out that way while they achieved their main goals.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform
* KillItWithFire: Blue Suns Pyros.
* {{Mooks}}: The most commonly battled mooks in the game.
** EliteMooks: Centurions and Legionnaires. Like normal troopers, except with a Vindicator battle rifle or Scimitar shotgun instead of an Avenger series assault rifle, specialized ammo, and shields.
** KingMook: Blue Suns Commanders, soldiers with three thick layers of protection (shields, armor, and health) who wield {{BFG}}s such as Claymore shotguns or Revenant light machine guns as weapons.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* NGOSuperpower: The amount of resources they have at their disposal is truly frightening. Among other things, they possess: hundreds of thousands of soldiers, heavy mechs and gunships that are just as advanced as the stuff the Alliance uses, at least three whole planets and all their people as workforce, several front corporations, a krogan cloning lab, the materials to make city destroying weaponry, and a refinery on Zorya.
* PrivateMilitaryContractor
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The turians seem to think so. Excepting Warden Kuril, all the turian Blue Suns troops wield shotguns. [[ShortRangeShotgun It actually puts them at a disadvantage most of the time.]]
* TheJailer: They run a prison ship, the Purgatory.
* VillainTeamUp: They team up with the other big merc groups to defeat Archangel early in the game. They lose.
!!Vido Santiago
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vido_5980.jpg]]
--> ''"Actually, take your shot. Give me a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again."''
-->'''Voiced By''': Richard Green
The CEO of the Blue Suns and Zaeed's rival. He, along with Zaeed, were the founding members of the Blue Suns. However, years later, Vido betrayed Zaeed, shot him in the face, and left him for dead, leaving Vido the sole controller of the most powerful NGOSuperpower in the Terminus systems. Zaeed still searches for him to this day. [[spoiler: On Zaeed's loyalty mission, he can either be burned to death by Zaeed at the cost of the innocent civilians in the factory, or could get away, allowing you to save the civilians.]]
* 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.
* ArcVillain: Main antagonist of ''Redemption'', a comic set between Shepard's death and revival.
* [[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: As much of a threat as Harbinger for the second game, though he is only encountered in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''.
** [[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: An ''incredibly'' good one, with access to the most privileged information in the universe. Even the Illusive Man, a figure so secretive that most people are unaware he even exists, can keep no secrets from the Shadow Broker, who knows about his private life in such detail that his dossier includes ''which specific suit he is wearing that day''.
* [[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''', it's implied that his predecessor wasn't the original Broker either.]]
** [[spoiler: ''"Operative Kechlu"'' was the name of the agent the Shadow Broker sent to find him. After he was dead, the previous Shadow Broker sent a message that essentially said, "Congratulations, you are ''now'' Operative Kechlu".]]
* [[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.
* 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 galaxy. Of course, his primary reason was to save his own skin. Saving the universe just means he gets to keep his power.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Planned on doing this to Tali, although Fist betrayed him for Saren, leaving Tali unaware of how the Broker was going to betray her, too.]]
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt: How he got the job. And how his successor gets the job too.]]
----
[[WMG: The Blue Suns]]
The Blue Suns are, ostensibly, a corporation of PrivateMilitaryContractors founded by Vido Santiago and Zaeed Massani. In reality, they are a wide spanning criminal empire involved in the trading of slaves and drugs, and are in control of many planets in the Terminus systems.
The Blue Suns are a human dominated organization, however turians and batarians both also make up large parts of the group. Unlike the Eclipse, all races serve in all roles, from grunts to elite troops to commanders.
!!The Blue Suns in general
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Commanders.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive
* EnemyMine: Aria can help Shepard get their allegiance in ''MassEffect3''.
* FacelessGoons
* FaceHeelTurn / VillainWithGoodPublicity: BackStory revealed throughout the game, particularly from Codex entries and planet summaries, show that the Blue Suns have several BigDamnHeroes moments to their credit, though at least a few were less heroic intention and more circumstances working out that way while they achieved their main goals.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform
* KillItWithFire: Blue Suns Pyros.
* {{Mooks}}: The most commonly battled mooks in the game.
** EliteMooks: Centurions and Legionnaires. Like normal troopers, except with a Vindicator battle rifle or Scimitar shotgun instead of an Avenger series assault rifle, specialized ammo, and shields.
** KingMook: Blue Suns Commanders, soldiers with three thick layers of protection (shields, armor, and health) who wield {{BFG}}s such as Claymore shotguns or Revenant light machine guns as weapons.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* NGOSuperpower: The amount of resources they have at their disposal is truly frightening. Among other things, they possess: hundreds of thousands of soldiers, heavy mechs and gunships that are just as advanced as the stuff the Alliance uses, at least three whole planets and all their people as workforce, several front corporations, a krogan cloning lab, the materials to make city destroying weaponry, and a refinery on Zorya.
* PrivateMilitaryContractor
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The turians seem to think so. Excepting Warden Kuril, all the turian Blue Suns troops wield shotguns. [[ShortRangeShotgun It actually puts them at a disadvantage most of the time.]]
* TheJailer: They run a prison ship, the Purgatory.
* VillainTeamUp: They team up with the other big merc groups to defeat Archangel early in the game. They lose.
!!Vido Santiago
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vido_5980.jpg]]
--> ''"Actually, take your shot. Give me a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again."''
-->'''Voiced By''': Richard Green
The CEO of the Blue Suns and Zaeed's rival. He, along with Zaeed, were the founding members of the Blue Suns. However, years later, Vido betrayed Zaeed, shot him in the face, and left him for dead, leaving Vido the sole controller of the most powerful NGOSuperpower in the Terminus systems. Zaeed still searches for him to this day. [[spoiler: On Zaeed's loyalty mission, he can either be burned to death by Zaeed at the cost of the innocent civilians in the factory, or could get away, allowing you to save the civilians.]]
to:
* 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
[[WMG:Kenneth Donnelly and
->''"Kenneth and
* ArcVillain: Main antagonist of ''Redemption'', a comic set between Shepard's death and revival.
* [[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
* 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
* BerserkButton: [[spoiler: Calling him a slave. ''Or a pet.'']]
* BigBadEnsemble: As much of a threat as Harbinger for the second game, though he is only encountered in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''.
** [[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: An ''incredibly'' good one, with access to the most privileged information in the universe. Even the Illusive Man, a figure so secretive that most people are unaware he even exists, can keep no secrets from the Shadow Broker, who knows about his private life in such detail that his dossier includes ''which specific suit he is wearing that day''.
* [[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''', it's implied that his predecessor wasn't the original Broker either.]]
** [[spoiler: ''"Operative Kechlu"'' was the name of the agent the Shadow Broker sent to find him. After he was dead, the previous Shadow Broker sent a message that essentially said, "Congratulations, you are ''now'' Operative Kechlu".]]
* [[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.
* 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 galaxy. Of course, his primary reason was to save his own skin. Saving the universe just means he gets to keep his power.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Planned on doing this to Tali, although Fist betrayed him for Saren, leaving Tali unaware of how the Broker was going to betray her, too.]]
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt: How
----
[[WMG: The Blue Suns]]
The Blue Suns are, ostensibly, a corporation of PrivateMilitaryContractors founded by Vido Santiago and Zaeed Massani. In reality, they are a wide spanning criminal empire involved in the trading of slaves and drugs, and are in control of many planets in the Terminus systems.
The Blue Suns are a human dominated organization, however turians and batarians both also make up large parts of the group. Unlike the Eclipse, all races serve in all roles, from grunts to elite troops to commanders.
!!The Blue Suns in general
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Commanders.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive
* EnemyMine: Aria can help Shepard get their allegiance in ''MassEffect3''.
* FacelessGoons
* FaceHeelTurn / VillainWithGoodPublicity: BackStory revealed throughout the game, particularly from Codex entries and planet summaries, show
* HighlyConspicuousUniform
* KillItWithFire: Blue Suns Pyros.
* {{Mooks}}: The most commonly battled mooks in the game.
** EliteMooks: Centurions and Legionnaires. Like normal troopers, except with a Vindicator battle rifle or Scimitar shotgun instead of an Avenger series assault rifle, specialized ammo, and shields.
** KingMook: Blue Suns Commanders, soldiers with three thick layers of protection (shields, armor, and health) who wield {{BFG}}s such as Claymore shotguns or Revenant light machine guns as weapons.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* NGOSuperpower: The amount of resources they have at their disposal is truly frightening. Among other things, they possess: hundreds of thousands of soldiers, heavy mechs and gunships that are just as advanced as the stuff the Alliance uses, at least three whole planets and all their people as workforce, several front corporations, a krogan cloning lab, the materials to make city destroying weaponry, and a refinery on Zorya.
* PrivateMilitaryContractor
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The turians seem to think so. Excepting Warden Kuril, all the turian Blue Suns troops wield shotguns. [[ShortRangeShotgun It actually puts them at a disadvantage most of the time.]]
* TheJailer: They run a prison ship, the Purgatory.
* VillainTeamUp: They team up with the other big merc groups to defeat Archangel early in the game. They lose.
!!Vido Santiago
->''"Thanks, mum."''
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
--> ''"Actually, take your shot. Give me a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again."''
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gabby_3029.png]]
-->'''Voiced
The CEO
Two of the
Changed line(s) 216,244 (click to see context) from:
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Averted - when he and Zaeed founded the Blue Suns, Vido ran the business while Zaeed was the field commander.
* BadBoss: In Zaeed's loyalty mission, he threatens his soldiers with death if they retreat.
* BadassBeard: Subverted. He throws people in front of him to die and isn't even given a proper boss fight.
* BrainsAndBrawn: With Zaeed.
* [[spoiler: BusCrash: Despite getting away in the Paragon ending, there's a new leader of the Suns in ''3''.]]
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler: Zaeed]] figured this out the hard way.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: He's directly responsible for almost everything the Blue Suns [[KickTheDog do in the game.]] Some of his business practices include turning on clients when their opponents have higher bids, raiding and massacring cargo ships, and using slave labor on the Blue Suns ruled world of Zorya.
* CutsceneBoss: [[spoiler: If Zaeed kills him.]]
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: If you let Zaeed kill him.]]
* DirtyCoward
* EarlyBirdCameo: In one side quest, you can find a datapad that mentions him by name even if you haven't downloaded the (free) DLC where he actually appears.
* {{Greed}}: The reason he betrayed Zaeed? Zaeed's [[EvenEvilHasStandards ethics]] meant he wasn't making quite as much money as he could've.
* GunshipRescue: [[spoiler: Villainous version. If you choose to save the refinery workers instead of go after him, he and a few of his mooks escape in an A-61 Mantis gunship.]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Paragon ending of Zaeed's loyalty mission.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: His betraying and cutting ties with Zaeed can be considered this.
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler: If you let Zaeed kill him, he'll die this way.]]
* NothingPersonal: [[spoiler: He tries using the "it was just business" variation to convince Zaeed to spare him in the Renegade ending. It doesn't work.]]
* TheManBehindTheMan: It's AllThereInTheManual. He appoints one of his batarian commanders as the 'official' CEO of the Blue Suns, but in reality Vido runs the company, with the other 'CEO' just being put there to protect him from assassination attempts.
* NGOSuperpower / PrivateMilitaryContractor: He runs one of these.
* SmugSnake: Especially during his initial confrontation with Zaeed.
* VillainTeamUp: Slightly. Comics reveal that he deals with the Shadow Broker and trades slaves with the Collectors. His soldiers also make up the majority of the resistance in the game.
!!Tarak
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-Tarak_6852.png]]
-> ''"Maybe you'll solve my problem for me."''
The leader of the Blue Suns on Omega, Tarak is encountered during the mission to recruit Archangel. Fed up with losing men and shipments to the persistent vigilante, he convinced the other merc groups to work with him to end their mutual enemy.
He and Zaeed also have a bit of history.
* BadBoss: In Zaeed's loyalty mission, he threatens his soldiers with death if they retreat.
* BadassBeard: Subverted. He throws people in front of him to die and isn't even given a proper boss fight.
* BrainsAndBrawn: With Zaeed.
* [[spoiler: BusCrash: Despite getting away in the Paragon ending, there's a new leader of the Suns in ''3''.]]
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler: Zaeed]] figured this out the hard way.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: He's directly responsible for almost everything the Blue Suns [[KickTheDog do in the game.]] Some of his business practices include turning on clients when their opponents have higher bids, raiding and massacring cargo ships, and using slave labor on the Blue Suns ruled world of Zorya.
* CutsceneBoss: [[spoiler: If Zaeed kills him.]]
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: If you let Zaeed kill him.]]
* DirtyCoward
* EarlyBirdCameo: In one side quest, you can find a datapad that mentions him by name even if you haven't downloaded the (free) DLC where he actually appears.
* {{Greed}}: The reason he betrayed Zaeed? Zaeed's [[EvenEvilHasStandards ethics]] meant he wasn't making quite as much money as he could've.
* GunshipRescue: [[spoiler: Villainous version. If you choose to save the refinery workers instead of go after him, he and a few of his mooks escape in an A-61 Mantis gunship.]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Paragon ending of Zaeed's loyalty mission.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: His betraying and cutting ties with Zaeed can be considered this.
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler: If you let Zaeed kill him, he'll die this way.]]
* NothingPersonal: [[spoiler: He tries using the "it was just business" variation to convince Zaeed to spare him in the Renegade ending. It doesn't work.]]
* TheManBehindTheMan: It's AllThereInTheManual. He appoints one of his batarian commanders as the 'official' CEO of the Blue Suns, but in reality Vido runs the company, with the other 'CEO' just being put there to protect him from assassination attempts.
* NGOSuperpower / PrivateMilitaryContractor: He runs one of these.
* SmugSnake: Especially during his initial confrontation with Zaeed.
* VillainTeamUp: Slightly. Comics reveal that he deals with the Shadow Broker and trades slaves with the Collectors. His soldiers also make up the majority of the resistance in the game.
!!Tarak
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-Tarak_6852.png]]
-> ''"Maybe you'll solve my problem for me."''
The leader of the Blue Suns on Omega, Tarak is encountered during the mission to recruit Archangel. Fed up with losing men and shipments to the persistent vigilante, he convinced the other merc groups to work with him to end their mutual enemy.
He and Zaeed also have a bit of history.
to:
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Averted - AllMenArePerverts: Ken has appreciative things to say about Miranda and Tali's form-fitting outfits, perks up when he Gabby tells him how little Jack is wearing, and Zaeed founded the Blue Suns, Vido ran the business while Zaeed was the field commander.
* BadBoss: In Zaeed's loyalty mission, he threatens his soldiers with death if they retreat.
* BadassBeard: Subverted. He throws people in front of him to die and isn'teven given teases Gabby herself a proper boss fight.
* BrainsAndBrawn: With Zaeed.
*bit.
** [[spoiler:BusCrash: Despite getting away in In 3, Ken does the Paragon ending, there's a same for EDI's new leader of the Suns in ''3''.body. Gabby even sees it coming a mile away.]]
*ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: BiTheWay: Possibly Gabby -- in 3, if Shepard doesn't push them into a RelationshipUpgrade, she seems to seriously consider Kenneth's suggestion that she should try dating [[LipstickLesbian Traynor]] after Gabby informs him [[DudeShesALesbian he doesn't have a chance]]. But this might just be to mess with him.
* 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.
* [[spoiler:Zaeed]] figured this out the hard way.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: He's directly responsible for almost everything the Blue Suns [[KickTheDog doBrokenBird: If you fail to come on time to save Gabby in the game.]] Some of his business practices include turning on clients when their opponents have higher bids, raiding and massacring cargo ships, and using slave labor on second game, Kenneth becomes this for the Blue Suns ruled world rest of Zorya.
* CutsceneBoss: [[spoiler: If Zaeed kills him.your adventures, determined solely to taking down the Reapers.]]
*DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: {{Deadpan Snarker}}s
* DudeShesALesbian: Gabby makes it clear to Ken that he's not Samantha Traynor's type.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Several crewmembers comment on the fact those two would be perfect for each other if they ever got around to realising it.
** In ''3'', should Shepard encourage them, they hook up, leading some of the crew to comment;
--> ''"Finally!"''.
* 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.".
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Kenneth is a big believer in this. To the eternal annoyance of Gabby.
* GreekChorus
* HonorBeforeReason: Kenneth lost his job over defending Shepard and Gabby quit hers to stick with Kenneth.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: If youlet Zaeed kill him.delay going through the Omega 4 relay. Gabby is the first to go, followed by Ken.]]
*DirtyCoward
LikeAnOldMarriedCouple
*EarlyBirdCameo: In one side quest, you can find a datapad that mentions him by name even if you haven't downloaded the (free) DLC where he actually appears.
* {{Greed}}: The reason he betrayed Zaeed? Zaeed's [[EvenEvilHasStandards ethics]] meant he wasn't making quite as much money as he could've.
* GunshipRescue: [[spoiler: Villainous version. If you chooseLoveableSexManiac: Ken. Constantly. Much to save the refinery workers instead of go after him, he and a few Gabby's dismay. [[spoiler:Partly because she's tired of his mooks escape in an A-61 Mantis gunship.lustful perverted jokes... and partly because [[UnresolvedSexualTension none of them have her as the subject]].]]
*KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Paragon ending of Zaeed's loyalty mission.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: His betraying and cutting ties with Zaeed can be considered this.
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler: If you let Zaeed kill him, he'll die this way.]]
* NothingPersonal: [[spoiler: He tries usingNotInThisForYourRevolution: Averted. They left the "it was just business" variation Alliance ''because'' Shepard's warnings about the Reapers were ignored by the brass. They only joined Cerberus because they were the only ones who were willing to actually ''do'' anything about it.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Implied by Kasumi.
** At least, until you're given the option to convinceZaeed to spare him them otherwise in ''3''.
* {{Quest Giver}}s
* RedOniBlueOni: Ken and Gabby respectively.
* RelationshipUpgrade: Potentially in theRenegade ending. It doesn't work.]]
third game.
*TheManBehindTheMan: It's AllThereInTheManual. He appoints one of his batarian commanders as the 'official' CEO of the Blue Suns, {{Scotireland}}: Ken's surname is more commonly Irish, but can be found in reality Vido runs the company, Scotland. His accent is Scottish and he enjoys haggis.
* ShoutOut: Ken's Scottish accent will remind players of a certain ''Franchise/StarTrek'' character.
* TechnoBabble:
-->'''Kenneth:''' I won't bore you with theother 'CEO' just being put tech, but there to protect him from assassination attempts.
* NGOSuperpower / PrivateMilitaryContractor: He runs oneis an array of these.
* SmugSnake: Especially during his initial confrontationattenuators in the primary power transfer system that channels the field bleed...
-->'''Gabby:''' Kenneth, you're boring the commander withZaeed.
tech.
*VillainTeamUp: Slightly. Comics reveal that he deals ThoseTwoGuys
* UndyingLoyalty: They hooked up with Cerberus because Ken refused to back down in defense of Shepard when theShadow Broker and trades slaves Alliance sold him/her out.
** Gabby also has this for Ken--she joined Cerberus strictly because he did.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: At least on Gabby's behalf.
* UnusualEuphemism:
-->'''Kenneth:''' We're off to kick the Collectors right in their daddy-bags.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: Shepard can use their Spectre status in ''3'' to have all charges against them for working with Cerberus dropped, getting them out of a detention cell and reassigning them to theCollectors. His soldiers also make up ''Normandy's'' engineering staff.
* 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.
* WomenAreWiser: Gabby is shown to be both a more talented engineer and to have a more sensible personality compared to Ken, though themajority presence of the resistance male but more level-headed Adams in the game.
!!Tarak
[[quoteright:250:http://static.''3'' balances things out somewhat.
* WrenchWench: Gabby.
----
[[WMG:Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-Tarak_6852.png]]
-> ''"Maybe you'll solve my problem for me."''
The leader of the Blue Suns on Omega, Tarak is encountered during the mission to recruit Archangel. Fed uporg/pmwiki/pub/images/gardner_3362.jpg]]
->''"Rupert! There's something different withlosing men tonight's meal! Seems like you put in more food and shipments less ass."''
-->'''--Crewman Hawthorne, regarding Gardner's cuisine'''
--> '''Voiced by''': Bill Ratner
The ''Normandy'''s cook and all-around handyman, he's quite proud tothe persistent vigilante, he convinced the other merc groups to work have been with him to end their mutual enemy.
HeCerberus, as he believes the Alliance and Zaeed also have a bit of history.the Council to be useless. A former family man, he lost everything he had to batarian raiders.
* BadBoss: In Zaeed's loyalty mission, he threatens his soldiers with death if they retreat.
* BadassBeard: Subverted. He throws people in front of him to die and isn't
* BrainsAndBrawn: With Zaeed.
*
** [[spoiler:
*
* 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.
* [[spoiler:
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: He's directly responsible for almost everything the Blue Suns [[KickTheDog do
* CutsceneBoss: [[spoiler: If Zaeed kills him.
*
* DudeShesALesbian: Gabby makes it clear to Ken that he's not Samantha Traynor's type.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Several crewmembers comment on the fact those two would be perfect for each other if they ever got around to realising it.
** In ''3'', should Shepard encourage them, they hook up, leading some of the crew to comment;
--> ''"Finally!"''.
* 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.".
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Kenneth is a big believer in this. To the eternal annoyance of Gabby.
* GreekChorus
* HonorBeforeReason: Kenneth lost his job over defending Shepard and Gabby quit hers to stick with Kenneth.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: If you
*
*
* {{Greed}}: The reason he betrayed Zaeed? Zaeed's [[EvenEvilHasStandards ethics]] meant he wasn't making quite as much money as he could've.
* GunshipRescue: [[spoiler: Villainous version. If you choose
*
* KickTheSonOfABitch: His betraying and cutting ties with Zaeed can be considered this.
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler: If you let Zaeed kill him, he'll die this way.]]
* NothingPersonal: [[spoiler: He tries using
* PlatonicLifePartners: Implied by Kasumi.
** At least, until you're given the option to convince
* {{Quest Giver}}s
* RedOniBlueOni: Ken and Gabby respectively.
* RelationshipUpgrade: Potentially in the
*
* ShoutOut: Ken's Scottish accent will remind players of a certain ''Franchise/StarTrek'' character.
* TechnoBabble:
-->'''Kenneth:''' I won't bore you with the
* NGOSuperpower / PrivateMilitaryContractor: He runs one
* SmugSnake: Especially during his initial confrontation
-->'''Gabby:''' Kenneth, you're boring the commander with
*
* UndyingLoyalty: They hooked up with Cerberus because Ken refused to back down in defense of Shepard when the
** Gabby also has this for Ken--she joined Cerberus strictly because he did.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: At least on Gabby's behalf.
* UnusualEuphemism:
-->'''Kenneth:''' We're off to kick the Collectors right in their daddy-bags.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: Shepard can use their Spectre status in ''3'' to have all charges against them for working with Cerberus dropped, getting them out of a detention cell and reassigning them to the
* 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.
* WomenAreWiser: Gabby is shown to be both a more talented engineer and to have a more sensible personality compared to Ken, though the
!!Tarak
[[quoteright:250:http://static.
* WrenchWench: Gabby.
----
[[WMG:Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
-> ''"Maybe you'll solve my problem for me."''
The leader of the Blue Suns on Omega, Tarak is encountered during the mission to recruit Archangel. Fed up
->''"Rupert! There's something different with
-->'''--Crewman Hawthorne, regarding Gardner's cuisine'''
--> '''Voiced by''': Bill Ratner
The ''Normandy'''s cook and all-around handyman, he's quite proud to
He
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* AggressiveNegotiations: According to his second-in-command Jentha, he can be quite the negotiator; given his temperament and the high likelihood that he's primarily dealing with other criminals, it's hard to imagine most of his negotiations would be particularly cordial.
* BadBoss: Jentha mentions that he's been both taking his frustrations out on her and planning to shoot any freelancers who are still alive if his initial plan fails.
* BigBad: In relation to his role in the VillainTeamUp on Omega, and from Archangel's perspective. From Shepard's perspective, he's just an ArcVillain.
* DeathFromAbove: Attacks Archangel's hideout with a gunship.
* EnemyMine: Teams up with rival gangs Eclipse and the Blood Pack to take down Archangel.
* FlunkyBoss: Drops troops while shooting from his gunship.
* OldFriend: With Zaeed. The details are never brought up, but if he's present Tarak immediately goes from "Get these scum out of my face" to "Answer any questions they have." He even says it's good to see Zaeed.
* ProperlyParanoid: After one of Archangel's ambushes nearly killed him.
* TheStrategist: He seemingly came up with most of the plan.
* SayMyName: "''ARCHANGEL!'' You think you can screw with the Blue Suns?"
* [[StormingTheCastle Storming The Hideout]]
* WeHaveReserves: Although he makes sure that none of ''his men'' are the ones used as cannon fodder.
* ZergRush: The first part of his plan is to send the freelancers straight at Archangel's hideout. [[spoiler: Subverted in that it's just a distraction to let the professionals get in close]].
!!Jentha
[[quoteright:240:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/240px-Jentha_3453.png]]
-> ''"You have to watch out for the other merc groups. They're almost as bad as Archangel."''
A Blue Suns Commander, and Tarak's second in command on Omega.
to:
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DeadpanSnarker: Whenever someone talks smack about his
* IrrelevantSidequest: Sends you grocery shopping for him on the
* BadBoss: Jentha mentions that he's been both taking his frustrations out on her and planning to shoot any freelancers who are still alive if his initial plan fails.
* BigBad: In relation to his role in the VillainTeamUp on Omega, and from Archangel's perspective. From Shepard's perspective, he's just an ArcVillain.
* DeathFromAbove: Attacks Archangel's hideout with a gunship.
* EnemyMine: Teams up with rival gangs Eclipse and the Blood Pack to take down Archangel.
* FlunkyBoss: Drops troops while shooting from his gunship.
* OldFriend: With Zaeed. The details are never brought up, but if he's present Tarak immediately goes from "Get these scum out of my face" to "Answer any questions they have." He even says it's good to see Zaeed.
* ProperlyParanoid: After one of Archangel's ambushes nearly killed him.
* TheStrategist: He seemingly came up with most of the plan.
* SayMyName: "''ARCHANGEL!'' You think you can screw with the Blue Suns?"
* [[StormingTheCastle Storming The Hideout]]
* WeHaveReserves: Although he makes sure that none of
* JackOfAllTrades: By his own admission. This includes cleaning the
--> "I wash my hands! Most of the time."
*
* LethalChef: According to the crew. Kasumi believes him to be an evil genius.
* NonActionGuy
* PutOnABus: No sign of him in
!!Jentha
[[quoteright:240:http://static.
* RealMenCook
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Council Space]]
[[WMG: The Illusive Man, AKA [[spoiler:Jack Harper]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
-> ''"You have to watch out for
[[caption-width-right:350:The patterns are there, buried in the
->''"Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek to accomplish."''
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
In ''Mass Effect 3'', he makes his most ambitious move yet - attempting to gain control of the Reapers and their technology rather than defeating them conventionally.
Changed line(s) 268,318 (click to see context) from:
* AffablyEvil: She's very polite, considerate, and patient, and will gladly answer any and all of your questions. She also says not to be too hard on Tarak because he's under a lot of stress, and even warns you that he might kill all the freelancers regardless of what they do. She's still fanatically loyal to the Blue Suns.
* TheDragon: To Tarak. From Shepard's perspective, she's a mere MookLieutenant
* DarkActionGirl
* InstantArmor: Tech Armor.
* MoreDakka: Like other Blue Suns Commanders, she's equipped with a Revenant light machine gun.
* PunchClockVillain
!!Warden Kuril
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kuril_5157.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[TemptingFate Our facility is more than secure enough to handle three armed guests.]]]]
--> ''[[TemptingFate "Nothing goes wrong here."]]''
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
The captain of the Purgatory, a PrisonShip run by the Blue Suns that takes the kind of criminals no-one wants ''anywhere'' on their planet. He claims to be doing this "for the good of the galaxy", but regularly has prisoners beaten or [[ThrownOutTheAirlock spaced]] as an example to others, and much of his funding comes from selling inmates to people looking for payback. Cerberus arranges for Shepard to buy Jack from him, but it turns out his eyes are bigger than his stomach.
[[hardline]]
* AllThereInTheManual:[[spoiler:In the Codex, it states that turians that do not wear the colonial identity facepaint markings are called "bareface", which in their language is also synonymous with slimy politicians and pathological liars. Lo and behold, the Warden is barefaced.]]
* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Whenever Kuril welcomes a prisoner, he gently asks the local authorities for a donation to keep the Purgatory running. If he isn't paid, he releases the prisoner back onto their homeworld...
-->'''Kuril''': At an unspecified place and time.
-->'''Squadmate:''' So it's an extortion racket?
* BullyingADragon: One of the biggest offenders in the entire series.
* DeathGlare: When Shepard insists on keeping his / her guns, they have a glare-off. Kuril blinks first.
* HeyItsThatVoice: He's voiced by Saren, as if you needed more reasons to be suspicious.
* [[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]].]]
* InstantArmor: Tech Armor.
* TheJailer
* [[IWantThemAlive I Want Her Alive:]] Towards Jack. [[spoiler:He doesn't mind killing Shep', though.]]
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Starts off as a KnightTemplar, with questionable methods, but not harming innocents and trying to help the galaxy. Soon, you discover he is willing to leave dangerous criminals on planets that can't pay, and he is rather brutal to prisoners. All ambiguity goes out the airlock when tries to capture Shepard for a bounty.
* KnightTemplar: What he considers himself to be. It quickly becomes clear that he's just a slaver who uses this trope to justify his actions.
* MismatchedEyes: Oddly enough. His left eye is purple while his right is yellow.
* MoreDakka: He's armed with a Revenant Light Machine Gun.
* TattooedCrook: Inverted. His lack of face tattoos is the first sign something's not right about him. See AllThereInTheManual.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: One of the best examples imaginable.
!!Jedore
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jedore_101.png]]
--> ''"Being hired is merely the beginning. You must earn your place in the mighty army we are building."''
A Blue Suns commander encountered on Korlus. She is the financial contributor and overseer to Warlord Okeer's krogan cloning project.
* ArcVillain: The Korlus mission.
* BadBoss: Spends the entirety of the mission where she's encountered insulting her troops over the intercom for being unable to kill Shepard right up until Shepard literally ''walks through her front door'', and brushes off the dozens of dead Blue Suns, as well as Okeer and his vat-krogan, as replaceable. She refuses to send mechs to shield her men as they're panicking and being cut down, even though that's what mechs were originally designed to do.
* CannedOrdersOverLoudspeaker: TropeNamer. Sort of.
* FlunkyBoss: She fights alongside numerous krogan and a [[BossInMookClothing YMIR mech]].
* InstantArmor: Tech Armor.
* SmallNameBigEgo: This woman's ego masses more than twenty Jupiters combined. Just listen to her go on at the Blue Suns about her "mighty army". Okeer claims his rejected krogan would be adequate soldiers for Jedore were she not such an awful leader; this is borne out by a reject krogan speaking to and obeying Shepard on sight, without question.
* SmugSnake
* TheDragon: To Tarak. From Shepard's perspective, she's a mere MookLieutenant
* DarkActionGirl
* InstantArmor: Tech Armor.
* MoreDakka: Like other Blue Suns Commanders, she's equipped with a Revenant light machine gun.
* PunchClockVillain
!!Warden Kuril
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kuril_5157.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[TemptingFate Our facility is more than secure enough to handle three armed guests.]]]]
--> ''[[TemptingFate "Nothing goes wrong here."]]''
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
The captain of the Purgatory, a PrisonShip run by the Blue Suns that takes the kind of criminals no-one wants ''anywhere'' on their planet. He claims to be doing this "for the good of the galaxy", but regularly has prisoners beaten or [[ThrownOutTheAirlock spaced]] as an example to others, and much of his funding comes from selling inmates to people looking for payback. Cerberus arranges for Shepard to buy Jack from him, but it turns out his eyes are bigger than his stomach.
[[hardline]]
* AllThereInTheManual:[[spoiler:In the Codex, it states that turians that do not wear the colonial identity facepaint markings are called "bareface", which in their language is also synonymous with slimy politicians and pathological liars. Lo and behold, the Warden is barefaced.]]
* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Whenever Kuril welcomes a prisoner, he gently asks the local authorities for a donation to keep the Purgatory running. If he isn't paid, he releases the prisoner back onto their homeworld...
-->'''Kuril''': At an unspecified place and time.
-->'''Squadmate:''' So it's an extortion racket?
* BullyingADragon: One of the biggest offenders in the entire series.
* DeathGlare: When Shepard insists on keeping his / her guns, they have a glare-off. Kuril blinks first.
* HeyItsThatVoice: He's voiced by Saren, as if you needed more reasons to be suspicious.
* [[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]].]]
* InstantArmor: Tech Armor.
* TheJailer
* [[IWantThemAlive I Want Her Alive:]] Towards Jack. [[spoiler:He doesn't mind killing Shep', though.]]
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Starts off as a KnightTemplar, with questionable methods, but not harming innocents and trying to help the galaxy. Soon, you discover he is willing to leave dangerous criminals on planets that can't pay, and he is rather brutal to prisoners. All ambiguity goes out the airlock when tries to capture Shepard for a bounty.
* KnightTemplar: What he considers himself to be. It quickly becomes clear that he's just a slaver who uses this trope to justify his actions.
* MismatchedEyes: Oddly enough. His left eye is purple while his right is yellow.
* MoreDakka: He's armed with a Revenant Light Machine Gun.
* TattooedCrook: Inverted. His lack of face tattoos is the first sign something's not right about him. See AllThereInTheManual.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: One of the best examples imaginable.
!!Jedore
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jedore_101.png]]
--> ''"Being hired is merely the beginning. You must earn your place in the mighty army we are building."''
A Blue Suns commander encountered on Korlus. She is the financial contributor and overseer to Warlord Okeer's krogan cloning project.
* ArcVillain: The Korlus mission.
* BadBoss: Spends the entirety of the mission where she's encountered insulting her troops over the intercom for being unable to kill Shepard right up until Shepard literally ''walks through her front door'', and brushes off the dozens of dead Blue Suns, as well as Okeer and his vat-krogan, as replaceable. She refuses to send mechs to shield her men as they're panicking and being cut down, even though that's what mechs were originally designed to do.
* CannedOrdersOverLoudspeaker: TropeNamer. Sort of.
* FlunkyBoss: She fights alongside numerous krogan and a [[BossInMookClothing YMIR mech]].
* InstantArmor: Tech Armor.
* SmallNameBigEgo: This woman's ego masses more than twenty Jupiters combined. Just listen to her go on at the Blue Suns about her "mighty army". Okeer claims his rejected krogan would be adequate soldiers for Jedore were she not such an awful leader; this is borne out by a reject krogan speaking to and obeying Shepard on sight, without question.
* SmugSnake
to:
* TheAdjectivalMan: Obviously. And his real name is never revealed in the actual games.
* AffablyEvil:She's very polite, considerate, and patient, and will gladly answer any and all of your questions. She also says not To Paragon players. According to be too hard on Tarak because ''Retribution'', this is a facade he uses to make it difficult to tell when he's under a lot of stress, and even warns you that lying.
** If Shepard dies hemight kill all the freelancers seems genuinely remorseful in private, regardless of what they do. She's still fanatically loyal s\he did to the Blue Suns.
Collector base.
*TheDragon: To Tarak. From Shepard's perspective, she's a mere MookLieutenant
* DarkActionGirl
* InstantArmor: Tech Armor.
* MoreDakka: Like other Blue Suns Commanders, she's equipped with a Revenant light machine gun.
* PunchClockVillain
!!Warden Kuril
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kuril_5157.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[TemptingFate Our facility is more than secure enough to handle three armed guests.]]]]
--> ''[[TemptingFate "Nothing goes wrong here."]]''
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
The captain of the Purgatory, a PrisonShip run by the Blue Suns that takes the kind of criminals no-one wants ''anywhere'' on their planet. He claims to be doing this "for the good of the galaxy", but regularly has prisoners beaten or [[ThrownOutTheAirlock spaced]] as an example to others,AmbitionIsEvil: He, and much of his funding comes from selling inmates to people looking for payback. Cerberus arranges for Shepard to buy Jack from him, but it turns out his eyes are bigger than his stomach.
[[hardline]]
as a whole.
*AllThereInTheManual:[[spoiler:In the Codex, it states that turians that do not wear the colonial identity facepaint markings are called "bareface", which in their language is also synonymous with slimy politicians and pathological liars. Lo and behold, the Warden is barefaced.AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When he first shows up, at least.]]
*BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Whenever Kuril welcomes a prisoner, he gently asks 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 thelocal authorities for a donation to keep the Purgatory running. If he isn't paid, he releases the prisoner back onto their homeworld...
-->'''Kuril''': At an unspecified place and time.
-->'''Squadmate:''' So it's an extortion racket?
* BullyingADragon: One of the biggest offenders in the entire series.
* DeathGlare: When Shepard insists on keeping his / her guns, they have a glare-off. Kuril blinks first.
* HeyItsThatVoice:soldier. He's voiced by Saren, as if you needed more reasons to be suspicious.
* [[spoiler:{{Hypocrite}}: Says that he "makesa NonActionBigBad in the galaxy safer" by locking up dangerous individuals. But when comes series however.
* BatmanGambit: His plan to revive Shepard as-is through thebiggest hero(ine) that ever lived, he tries to capture him/her [[MoneyDearBoy for Lazarus project is one of these, and it is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] at the bounty]].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.]]
* InstantArmor: Tech Armor.
* TheJailer
* [[IWantThemAlive I Want Her Alive:]] Towards Jack. [[spoiler:He** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against the Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only human) mind killing Shep', though.is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and ends up being indoctrinated.]]
*JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Starts off as a KnightTemplar, with questionable methods, but not harming innocents and trying 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.]] In thegalaxy. Soon, you discover he is willing to leave dangerous criminals on planets that can't pay, and he is rather brutal to prisoners. All ambiguity goes out the airlock when tries to capture Shepard for a bounty.
* KnightTemplar: What he considers himself to be. It quickly becomes clear that he's just a slaver whothird game, [[spoiler:he uses this trope Reaper technology to justify his actions.
create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.]]
*MismatchedEyes: Oddly enough. His left eye is purple while his right is yellow.
* MoreDakka:BigBadEnsemble: He's armed with a Revenant Light Machine Gun.
* TattooedCrook: Inverted. His lack of face tattoos isthe first sign something's not right about him. See AllThereInTheManual.second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: One of ** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the best examples imaginable.
!!Jedore
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jedore_101.png]]
--> ''"Being hired is merelycharacters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the beginning. You must earn your place Illusive Man took great steps to control the Reapers in the mighty army we are building."''
A Blue Suns commander encountered on Korlus. She ismeantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the financial contributor and overseer to Warlord Okeer's krogan cloning project.
* ArcVillain: The Korlus mission.
* BadBoss: SpendsCrucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the entirety Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, that research ultimately led to the mission where she's encountered insulting her troops over Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the intercom for being unable to kill Shepard right up until Shepard literally ''walks through her front door'', and brushes off the dozens of dead Blue Suns, final confrontation, it's made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him aswell as Okeer and his vat-krogan, as replaceable. She refuses to send mechs to shield her men as they're panicking and being cut down, even though that's what mechs were originally designed to do.
* CannedOrdersOverLoudspeaker: TropeNamer. Sort of.an antagonist.
*FlunkyBoss: She fights alongside numerous krogan BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide is Saren redux.]]
* 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[[BossInMookClothing YMIR mech]].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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
*InstantArmor: Tech Armor.
DiabolicalMastermind
*SmallNameBigEgo: This woman's ego masses more than twenty Jupiters combined. Just listen DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose toher go on at shoot himself.]]
* ElectronicEyes
* EmpathicEnvironment: His office. [[spoiler:If Shepard is a Paragon, theBlue Suns about her "mighty army". Okeer 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claimshis rejected krogan while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would be adequate soldiers for Jedore happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics wereshe not such an awful leader; like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is borne before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way outby a reject krogan speaking of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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 andobeying has seven drinks a day.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard onsight, without question.
Black-Ops missions in previous games.
*SmugSnakeShutUpHannibal: [[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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
* AffablyEvil:
** If Shepard dies he
*
* DarkActionGirl
* InstantArmor: Tech Armor.
* MoreDakka: Like other Blue Suns Commanders, she's equipped with a Revenant light machine gun.
* PunchClockVillain
!!Warden Kuril
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kuril_5157.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[TemptingFate Our facility is more than secure enough to handle three armed guests.]]]]
--> ''[[TemptingFate "Nothing goes wrong here."]]''
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
The captain of the Purgatory, a PrisonShip run by the Blue Suns that takes the kind of criminals no-one wants ''anywhere'' on their planet. He claims to be doing this "for the good of the galaxy", but regularly has prisoners beaten or [[ThrownOutTheAirlock spaced]] as an example to others,
[[hardline]]
*
*
* {{Badass}}: If [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect:_Evolution this]] prequel comic is any indication, old Mr. Illusive was quite the
-->'''Kuril''': At an unspecified place and time.
-->'''Squadmate:''' So it's an extortion racket?
* BullyingADragon: One of the biggest offenders in the entire series.
* DeathGlare: When Shepard insists on keeping his / her guns, they have a glare-off. Kuril blinks first.
* HeyItsThatVoice:
* [[spoiler:{{Hypocrite}}: Says that he "makes
* BatmanGambit: His plan to revive Shepard as-is through the
* TheJailer
* [[IWantThemAlive I Want Her Alive:]] Towards Jack. [[spoiler:He
*
** BadBoss: Just don't betray him. Just ask [[spoiler:Paul Grayson, who gets Reaper technology implanted into him.]] In the
* KnightTemplar: What he considers himself to be. It quickly becomes clear that he's just a slaver who
*
* MoreDakka:
* TattooedCrook: Inverted. His lack of face tattoos is
!!Jedore
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jedore_101.png]]
--> ''"Being hired is merely
A Blue Suns commander encountered on Korlus. She is
* ArcVillain: The Korlus mission.
* BadBoss: Spends
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as
* CannedOrdersOverLoudspeaker: TropeNamer. Sort of.
*
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide is Saren redux.]]
* 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
** 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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
*
*
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose to
* ElectronicEyes
* EmpathicEnvironment: His office. [[spoiler:If Shepard is a Paragon, the
* 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on
*
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
Changed line(s) 320,378 (click to see context) from:
[[WMG:The Blood Pack]]
The Blood Pack is a legion of mercenaries founded by a krogan battlemaster exiled from Tuchanka for striking a female in anger. The group operates in the Terminus Systems, and members are fought throughout Mass Effect 2 on places like Omega, Tuchanka and Pragia. While Eclipse are weighted towards tech / biotics and the Blue Suns toward straight up soldiers, the Blood Pack are more likely to sic varren on you or shove a flamethrower in your face.
Their hiring practices are somewhat narrower than [[EqualOpportunityEvil the other two groups]] - they consist exclusively of krogan and vorcha. The latter make up the bulk of their ground forces but are treated with no greater respect than their attack varren; they're kidnapped and beaten into submission more often than they are 'recruited'.
!!The Blood Pack in general
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Vorcha, which make up most of the group.
** Suverted in ''3'', in which one vorcha shows remarkable intelligence, doesn't speak in YouNoTakeCandle, and is at the very least AffablyEvil - and is GenreSavvy enough to tell Shepard he's not stupid enough to betray ''him/her'' or Aria.
* BoomerangBigot: [[spoiler:The galaxy's largest abuser of vorcha is led by a vorcha.]]
** Although that ''may'' have something to do with [[spoiler: all the Krogan mercenaries that went back to Tuchanka in the wake of the genophage cure. You'll notice that neither Aria or Hackett ever mention krogan when discussing the Blood Pack, and it was basically led by krogan mercs in 2 - the krogan didn't even consider vorcha full members, more like varren that could shoot and didn't crap on the floor as often.]]
* EnemyMine: Aria can help Shepard get their allegiance in ''MassEffect3''.
* FacelessGoons
* GrenadeLauncher: According to the description for the grenade launcher available to the player, this is a popular weapon among them. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation In actuality,]] their troops just use the same ML-77 Rocket Launcher everyone else uses. However, the Blood Pack Warriors are able to fire some sort of red rocket / plasma ball thing from their shotguns, which could make them an example.
* HealingFactor: Both the krogan and the vorcha. Can be countered with fire based powers like Incendiary Ammo and Incinerate.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform
* KillItWithFire: Blood Pack Pyros.
* {{Mooks}}
** EliteMooks: Krogan Warriors.
** KingMook: The krogan battlemasters. All of them are named, but they fight identically, being like normal Blood Pack Warriors except with higher health and armor, the ability to use [[EnergyBall Warp,]] and a [[DeflectorShields biotic barrier.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* PrivateMilitaryContractors
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The krogan certainly seem to think so. The Blood Pack Warriors are all equipped with Scimitar assault shotguns.
* VillainTeamUp: Early in the game, the Omega chapters of all three big merc groups team up to get rid of Archangel. They lose.
!!Garm
[[quoteright:240:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/240px-Garm2_6587.png]]
-->'''Shepard''': (Grunt)'s a valuable part of my crew. What else does he need to know?
-->'''Garm''': How to live and die without fear. ([[BadBoss shoots a Vorcha underling]]) How to put that fear in the hearts of your enemies.
A krogan battlemaster that leads the Blood Pack on Omega. He teams up with the Eclipse and Blue Suns leaders on Omega in order to kill Archangel.
* ArcVillain [[BigBadEnsemble Ensemble]]: With Tarak and Jaroth for Archangel's recruit mission.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Being a krogan battlemaster and all. He can apparently regenerate faster than most krogan can, according to Archangel.
* BadBoss: If Grunt is present during the mission, he shoots one of his Vorcha in the head just to prove a point.
* BoomHeadshot: See BadBoss.
* TheBrute: Serves as this in the FiveBadBand on Omega.
* EnemyMine: Works with the rival merc groups for the sole purpose of taking down Archangel.
* WorthyOpponent: He and Garrus consider each other this. Garrus admires his toughness, Garm does ''not'' admire Garrus for trying to take him out at home.
!!Aresh Aghdashloo
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aresh_4522.jpg]]
--> ''"They did such horrible things to us. They must have had good reasons."''
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
A human biotic who was a test subject at the Teltin facility on Pragia. Aside from Jack, he was the only survivor of the mass breakout. He tries to restart the facility during ''Mass Effect 2'', with the help of the Blood Pack.
* AlliterativeName
* ArcVillain: Only appears during Jack's loyalty mission, as the main antagonist.
* [[spoiler:BadassBystander: See HeroicSacrifice.]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: He doesn't scream and rave like most examples of this trope, but his staring, twitching and his very un-funny InsaneTrollLogic with regards to the Teltin facility leave you in no doubt that he's mad. As for the brainwashed, well, he went through much of the same stuff Jack did.
** It's later mentioned that he turned to drugs after escaping Cerberus, in order to cope with what had happened to him. That somewhat explains why he has a rather skewed way of thinking when you encounter him.
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice: If you prevent Jack from killing him in the second game, he dies in the third game by saving a shuttle full of children evacuating from the Reapers.]]
* [[spoiler: RedemptionEqualsDeath: Wanted to restart the Teltin facility and abduct biotic children for experiments like Cerberus had. If you convince Jack to spare his life, he dies in ''3'' saving a shuttle evacuating children from the Reapers.]]
* ShoutOut: His last name is likely a reference to Shohreh Aghdashloo, the voice actress for Admiral Raan.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
to:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
--> ''"They did such horrible things to us. They must have had good reasons.
[[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''':
A human
* 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
* AlliterativeName
* ArcVillain: Only appears during Jack's loyalty mission, as the main antagonist.
* [[spoiler:BadassBystander: See HeroicSacrifice.
*
* CommandingCoolness: Gets promoted to this by the time you meet him in ''3''.
* DaChief: For Zakera Ward in ''2'', then for C-Sec itself in ''3''.
* DeskJockey: He
* 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 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 Pallin. Unlike Pallin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* FriendOnTheForce: Acts as one to Shepard.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Willing to engage in dirty business to keep the peace, but he's anything but a thug - see below.
* 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
* OddFriendship: With Paragon Shepard. Shepard might disapprove of his style and methods of policing, but nonetheless it's clear the two have nothing but an honest respect for the other.
* NobleBigot: Subverted. Although this
* ParentalAbandonment: He considers this the
** It's later mentioned that he turned to drugs after escaping Cerberus, in order to cope with what had happened to him. That somewhat explains why he has
*
* RetCon: An accidental one regarding his name. A background news report in the second
* {{Retirony}}: Defied. He tells you he
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
* ShoutOut: His last name is likely a reference to Shohreh Aghdashloo, the voice actress for Admiral Raan.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
Changed line(s) 381,433 (click to see context) from:
[[WMG:Eclipse]]
Eclipse is a mercenary corporation founded by an asari commando. They are employed as security or firepower. They appear as commonly battled {{Mooks}} in Mass Effect 2, where they are encountered on places like Illium, Omega and Bekenstein.
!!Eclipse in general
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Like the other groups, some of their members, such as Wasea, Enyala, and Jaroth.
* EnemyMine: Aria can help Shepard get their allegiance in ''MassEffect3''.
* FacelessGoons
* HighlyConspicuousUniform
* {{Mooks}}
** EliteMooks: Eclipse Engineers and Vanguards.
** KingMook: Eclipse Operatives and Eclipse Commandos.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* PaletteSwap: Their human units are just palette swapped versions of Blue Suns units, with at most one or two small attributes added (human vanguards have a slightly different head and toss Warps).
* PrivateMilitaryContractors
* VillainTeamUp: With the other two big merc groups on Omega, to take down Archangel. They lose.
!!Jaroth
[[quoteright:240:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/240px-Jaroth_3556.jpg]]
->''"I'm just here to make as much money as I can. We didn't come to Omega to be constrained by laws and regulations."''
The leader of the Eclipse mercs on Omega. Heavily involved in the red sand trade. He teams up with the other merc groups to take down Archangel.
* DrugsAreBad: He runs the red sand trade.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes
* TheEvilGenius: From Archangel's perspective. He controls the mechs, and helped Tarak plan the attack.
* HandCannon: He's equipped with an M-6 Carnifex.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: You can hack his heavy mech to kill all his mercs, and rarely him.
* KillItWithFire: Like other Eclipse Operatives, he possesses the [[{{Fireballs}} Incinerate]] power and holographic [[AttackDrone Combat Drones.]]
* LeeroyJenkins: After you kill all his mercs either way (through normal gunfire or hacking his heavy mech), he comes charging out with a Carnifex.
* WeHaveReserves
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Brother]]: The main reason he hates Archangel is because he killed one of Jaroth's top lieutenants- who also happened to be his brother.
----
[[/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.]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[hottip:Click here for her appearance in Mass Effect 3 (SPOILERS):http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ME3EDIBot_111.png]]]]
->''"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 ("Ee-dee", short for Enhanced Defense Intelligence) that runs the combat electronics.
In ''MassEffect3'', EDI's avatar is no longer present. Instead, she [[spoiler: takes over the synthetic body of Dr. Eva, a Cerberus spy machine that infiltrated the Prothean Archives on Mars, and in the process becomes an actual squadmate]].
Eclipse is a mercenary corporation founded by an asari commando. They are employed as security or firepower. They appear as commonly battled {{Mooks}} in Mass Effect 2, where they are encountered on places like Illium, Omega and Bekenstein.
!!Eclipse in general
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Like the other groups, some of their members, such as Wasea, Enyala, and Jaroth.
* EnemyMine: Aria can help Shepard get their allegiance in ''MassEffect3''.
* FacelessGoons
* HighlyConspicuousUniform
* {{Mooks}}
** EliteMooks: Eclipse Engineers and Vanguards.
** KingMook: Eclipse Operatives and Eclipse Commandos.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* PaletteSwap: Their human units are just palette swapped versions of Blue Suns units, with at most one or two small attributes added (human vanguards have a slightly different head and toss Warps).
* PrivateMilitaryContractors
* VillainTeamUp: With the other two big merc groups on Omega, to take down Archangel. They lose.
!!Jaroth
[[quoteright:240:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/240px-Jaroth_3556.jpg]]
->''"I'm just here to make as much money as I can. We didn't come to Omega to be constrained by laws and regulations."''
The leader of the Eclipse mercs on Omega. Heavily involved in the red sand trade. He teams up with the other merc groups to take down Archangel.
* DrugsAreBad: He runs the red sand trade.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes
* TheEvilGenius: From Archangel's perspective. He controls the mechs, and helped Tarak plan the attack.
* HandCannon: He's equipped with an M-6 Carnifex.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: You can hack his heavy mech to kill all his mercs, and rarely him.
* KillItWithFire: Like other Eclipse Operatives, he possesses the [[{{Fireballs}} Incinerate]] power and holographic [[AttackDrone Combat Drones.]]
* LeeroyJenkins: After you kill all his mercs either way (through normal gunfire or hacking his heavy mech), he comes charging out with a Carnifex.
* WeHaveReserves
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Brother]]: The main reason he hates Archangel is because he killed one of Jaroth's top lieutenants- who also happened to be his brother.
----
[[/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.]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[hottip:Click here for her appearance in Mass Effect 3 (SPOILERS):http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ME3EDIBot_111.png]]]]
->''"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 ("Ee-dee", short for Enhanced Defense Intelligence) that runs the combat electronics.
In ''MassEffect3'', EDI's avatar is no longer present. Instead, she [[spoiler: takes over the synthetic body of Dr. Eva, a Cerberus spy machine that infiltrated the Prothean Archives on Mars, and in the process becomes an actual squadmate]].
to:
Eclipse is a mercenary corporation founded by an asari commando. They are employed as security or firepower. They appear as commonly battled {{Mooks}} in Mass Effect 2, where they are encountered on places like Illium, Omega and Bekenstein.
!!Eclipse in general
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Like the other groups, some of their members, such as Wasea, Enyala, and Jaroth.
* EnemyMine: Aria can help Shepard get their allegiance in ''MassEffect3''.
* FacelessGoons
* HighlyConspicuousUniform
* {{Mooks}}
** EliteMooks: Eclipse Engineers and Vanguards.
** KingMook: Eclipse Operatives and Eclipse Commandos.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* PaletteSwap: Their human units are just palette swapped versions of Blue Suns units, with at most one or two small attributes added (human vanguards have a slightly different head and toss Warps).
* PrivateMilitaryContractors
* VillainTeamUp: With the other two big merc groups on Omega, to take down Archangel. They lose.
!!Jaroth
[[quoteright:240:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/240px-Jaroth_3556.jpg]]
->''"I'm just here to make as much money as I can. We didn't come to Omega to be constrained by laws and regulations."''
The leader of the Eclipse mercs on Omega. Heavily involved in the red sand trade. He teams up with the other merc groups to take down Archangel.
* DrugsAreBad: He runs the red sand trade.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes
* TheEvilGenius: From Archangel's perspective. He controls the mechs, and helped Tarak plan the attack.
* HandCannon: He's equipped with an M-6 Carnifex.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: You can hack his heavy mech to kill all his mercs, and rarely him.
* KillItWithFire: Like other Eclipse Operatives, he possesses the [[{{Fireballs}} Incinerate]] power and holographic [[AttackDrone Combat Drones.]]
* LeeroyJenkins: After you kill all his mercs either way (through normal gunfire or hacking his heavy mech), he comes charging out with a Carnifex.
* WeHaveReserves
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Brother]]: The main reason he hates Archangel is because he killed one of Jaroth's top lieutenants- who also happened to be his brother.
----
[[/folder]]
![=NPC=]s
[[folder: Normandy Crew]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:[[hottip:Click here for her appearance in Mass Effect 3 (SPOILERS):http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ME3EDIBot_111.png]]]]
->''"My replies were intended to provoke, though
->''"You're free to go, Justicar. It's been an honor having you in my station...and it's nice you didn't kill me, too."''
-->'''Voiced by''':
When the Normandy
Anaya is
In ''MassEffect3'', EDI's avatar is no longer present. Instead, she [[spoiler: takes over the synthetic body of Dr. Eva, a Cerberus spy machine that infiltrated the Prothean Archives on Mars, and in the process becomes an actual squadmate]].
Changed line(s) 436,452 (click to see context) from:
* ActorAllusion: EDI is voiced by Tricia Helfer, who played a sexy cylon (robot) in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}''. [[spoiler:In ''Mass Effect 3'' EDI gains a sexy robot body, futher strengthening the allusion.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot: She was built with averting this in mind; she only has access to the weapons systems and the communications array. Joker's still paranoid about it.
** [[spoiler: After her restraints are removed, 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.]]
** [[spoiler: She reveals in ''3'' she was built out of the remains of the "Hannibal" VI that Shepard destroyed in the first game on the Moon. Hannibal was hinted to have been modified to make it into a 'true' AI, and it ''was'' a Crapshoot, taking control of the drones and turrets and actually killing personnel on Luna. Despite this past history, EDI holds no malice towards Shepard for doing what they had to do.]]
* AppropriatedAppellation: "EDI" stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence, simply a label of her function. As EDI's character develops, it just sorta... becomes her name.
* AudioErotica: [[LipstickLesbian Samantha Traynor]] sheepishly apologizes for the times she mentions how sexy EDI's voice was when she finds out EDI is an AI. Later on, a [[spoiler: recording shows one of the scientists who worked on her confessing it's hard to resist EDI with a voice like her's]]. Shepard him/herself agrees.
* BecomeARealBoy: Her character development in ''MassEffect3''. There are shades of this in the second game also, since EDI spends a large amount of time trying to understand and rationalize organic behavior. However, it isn't until [[spoiler:she gains her own body (and possibly develops a relationship with Joker)]] that she actually makes concerted efforts to feel "alive".
* BlackBox: Initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* [[spoiler: BookEnds: Shepard is potentially responsible for the destruction of EDI ''twice''. In the first game, Shepard is forced to destroy EDI's original incarnation, the rogue "Hannibal" AI on the Moon. In the third game, in the Destroy Ending, Shepard is forced to sacrifice EDI, along with all synthetic life, in order to destroy the Reapers.]]
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
--> '''EDI:''' [[JustJokingJustification That is a joke]].
* CharacterDevelopment: Invariably goes through this in spades during the third game, paragon or renegade.
* ChekhovsGunman: Remember that out-of-control AI on Luna? [[spoiler: That was the initial version of EDI before being recovered by Cerberus and rebuilt.]]
* [[spoiler:CoolStarship: When she's unshackled, she ''becomes'' the Normandy]].
* CrewOfOne: If unshackled, she could potentially do the jobs of most of the human crew. [[spoiler: This becomes a necessity in the endgame, although she and Joker note the Normandy still flies better when they work as a team.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot: She was built with averting this in mind; she only has access to the weapons systems and the communications array. Joker's still paranoid about it.
** [[spoiler: After her restraints are removed, 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.]]
** [[spoiler: She reveals in ''3'' she was built out of the remains of the "Hannibal" VI that Shepard destroyed in the first game on the Moon. Hannibal was hinted to have been modified to make it into a 'true' AI, and it ''was'' a Crapshoot, taking control of the drones and turrets and actually killing personnel on Luna. Despite this past history, EDI holds no malice towards Shepard for doing what they had to do.]]
* AppropriatedAppellation: "EDI" stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence, simply a label of her function. As EDI's character develops, it just sorta... becomes her name.
* AudioErotica: [[LipstickLesbian Samantha Traynor]] sheepishly apologizes for the times she mentions how sexy EDI's voice was when she finds out EDI is an AI. Later on, a [[spoiler: recording shows one of the scientists who worked on her confessing it's hard to resist EDI with a voice like her's]]. Shepard him/herself agrees.
* BecomeARealBoy: Her character development in ''MassEffect3''. There are shades of this in the second game also, since EDI spends a large amount of time trying to understand and rationalize organic behavior. However, it isn't until [[spoiler:she gains her own body (and possibly develops a relationship with Joker)]] that she actually makes concerted efforts to feel "alive".
* BlackBox: Initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* [[spoiler: BookEnds: Shepard is potentially responsible for the destruction of EDI ''twice''. In the first game, Shepard is forced to destroy EDI's original incarnation, the rogue "Hannibal" AI on the Moon. In the third game, in the Destroy Ending, Shepard is forced to sacrifice EDI, along with all synthetic life, in order to destroy the Reapers.]]
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
--> '''EDI:''' [[JustJokingJustification That is a joke]].
* CharacterDevelopment: Invariably goes through this in spades during the third game, paragon or renegade.
* ChekhovsGunman: Remember that out-of-control AI on Luna? [[spoiler: That was the initial version of EDI before being recovered by Cerberus and rebuilt.]]
* [[spoiler:CoolStarship: When she's unshackled, she ''becomes'' the Normandy]].
* CrewOfOne: If unshackled, she could potentially do the jobs of most of the human crew. [[spoiler: This becomes a necessity in the endgame, although she and Joker note the Normandy still flies better when they work as a team.]]
to:
* ActorAllusion: EDI BullyingADragon: Though [[SubvertedTrope not by choice]], only by proxy: her superiors ordered her to detain Samara, even though Samara's code would force her to kill Anaya to avoid it. Fortunately, both of them are willing to be reasonable about it.
* ByTheBookCop: She only accepts your evidence against Pitne For because Samara vouches for you.
* DaChief
* DeadpanSnarker: Very much so.
-->'''Shepard:''' 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.
* FriendOnTheForce: Will follow up on some of Shepard's leads if you go to her.
* HeroWorshipper: Like most Asari, isvoiced by Tricia Helfer, who played a sexy cylon (robot) in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}''. [[spoiler:In ''Mass Effect 3'' EDI gains total awe of a sexy robot body, futher strengthening the allusion.Justicar like Samara, even if that Justicar will [[LawfulStupid probably end up eventually killing her.]]
*AIIsACrapshoot: HonorBeforeReason
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Orders, Right Or Wrong]]: She makes it very clear that she will follow her orders to detain Samara if Samara does not leave Illium, even knowing that her odds of survival are close to zero.
-->'''Anaya:''' I'm a cop and I know my duty.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: At the end of Samara's recruitment mission, Anaya admits that she didn't expect so much from a human.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* ShoutOut: After the mission, she sends you an e-mail titled [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Still Alive]]
[[WMG: Niftu Cal]]
->"I am a biotic GOD! I think things...and they HAPPEN!"
-->'''Voiced by''': Mark Meer
Yeah. THIS guy. A member of Pitne For's trade group, he ran afoul of the Eclipse sisters after Pitne neglected to tell them the red sand he sold them wasbuilt potentially lethal. Niftu wound up pumped full of his own product and left to wander Nos Astra, stoned out of his gourd, while Pitne scrambled to get off-world.
Has a higher "meme-per-character" count than anyone short of Harbinger.
* AGodAmI
* BattleAura: Unfortunately, it's the most impressive trick he has.
* LargeHam
* NoYou
-->'''Shepard:''' You need help.
-->'''Niftu:''' YOU need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever!
* ShapedLikeItself: "I am a great wind that will sweep all before me like...a great wind! A great biotic wind!"
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant withaverting this in mind; she only has access to no combat experience versus the weapons systems and the communications array. Joker's still paranoid leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I shall toss Wasea about it.
** [[spoiler: After her restraints are removed, her subsequent actions show she's fully on your side -- and very pleasant! -- despite beinglike a rag doll!"
* WizardDuel: He fires a tiny Warp field that 'pops' an''illegal AI developed inch from Reaper technology by Wasea's nose, then turns and walks away. She unceremoniously one-shots him, knocking him into the air and behind a terrorist organization.'' That's some serious subverting right there.few barrels just as Shepard and co. walk in.
[[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 get their maiden stages doing more productive things, and make the effort to study and 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. [[spoiler: Shereveals in ''3'' she was built out of the remains of the "Hannibal" VI that Shepard destroyed in the first game on the Moon. Hannibal was hinted to have been modified to make it into a 'true' AI, and it ''was'' a Crapshoot, taking control of the drones and turrets and is actually killing personnel Liara's father. She took the bartending job in Eternity and later the Apollo cafe both to keep an eye on Luna. Despite this past history, EDI holds no malice towards Shepard Liara for doing what they had the other matriarchs and to do.keep the less sympathetic ones from trying something.]]
[[hardline]]
*AppropriatedAppellation: "EDI" stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence, simply a label of her function. As EDI's character develops, it just sorta... becomes her name.
* AudioErotica: [[LipstickLesbian Samantha Traynor]] sheepishly apologizes for the timesCassandraTruth: Whether or not she mentions how sexy EDI's voice was when she finds out EDI is an AI. Later on, a [[spoiler: recording shows one of the scientists who worked on her confessing it's hard to resist EDI with a voice like her's]]. Shepard him/herself agrees.
* BecomeARealBoy: Her character development in ''MassEffect3''. There are shades of thisbelieves in the second game also, since EDI spends a large amount of time trying to understand and rationalize organic behavior. However, it isn't until [[spoiler:she gains her own body (and possibly develops a relationship with Joker)]] that she actually makes concerted efforts to feel "alive".
* BlackBox: Initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* [[spoiler: BookEnds: Shepard is potentially responsible forReapers before ''3'', the destruction events of EDI ''twice''. In the first game, Shepard is forced game led her to destroy EDI's original incarnation, the rogue "Hannibal" AI advise her people on the Moon. In the third game, in the Destroy Ending, Shepard is forced Thessia that "art and philosophy and political prowess wasn't gonna cut it", but they didn't want to sacrifice EDI, along with all synthetic life, in order to destroy the Reapers.]]
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
hear it.
-->'''EDI:''' [[JustJokingJustification That is a joke]].
* CharacterDevelopment: Invariably goes through this"We can't go one asari lifetime without some big war breaking out! We need to get our daughter working earlier, not spending their wild maiden years stripping or in spades during the third game, paragon or renegade.
merc bands."
*ChekhovsGunman: Remember that out-of-control AI on Luna? [[spoiler: That was the initial version of EDI before CoolOldLady: Thanks to being recovered by Cerberus a DeadpanSnarker and rebuilt.]]
DirtyOldWoman.
*[[spoiler:CoolStarship: When she's unshackled, she ''becomes'' BrainBleach: Talks about her mother putting on her old commando leathers for 'special nights with Dad' with embarrassment, and later evokes a similar response from one of her kids while reminiscing about the Normandy]].
* CrewOfOne: If unshackled, she could potentially do the jobs of most of the human crew. [[spoiler: This becomes a necessity in the endgame, although she and Joker note the Normandy still flies better when they work as a team.]]other parent's breasts.
* ByTheBookCop: She only accepts your evidence against Pitne For because Samara vouches for you.
* DaChief
* DeadpanSnarker: Very much so.
-->'''Shepard:''' 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.
* FriendOnTheForce: Will follow up on some of Shepard's leads if you go to her.
* HeroWorshipper: Like most Asari, is
*
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Orders, Right Or Wrong]]: She makes it very clear that she will follow her orders to detain Samara if Samara does not leave Illium, even knowing that her odds of survival are close to zero.
-->'''Anaya:''' I'm a cop and I know my duty.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: At the end of Samara's recruitment mission, Anaya admits that she didn't expect so much from a human.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* ShoutOut: After the mission, she sends you an e-mail titled [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Still Alive]]
[[WMG: Niftu Cal]]
->"I am a biotic GOD! I think things...and they HAPPEN!"
-->'''Voiced by''': Mark Meer
Yeah. THIS guy. A member of Pitne For's trade group, he ran afoul of the Eclipse sisters after Pitne neglected to tell them the red sand he sold them was
Has a higher "meme-per-character" count than anyone short of Harbinger.
* AGodAmI
* BattleAura: Unfortunately, it's the most impressive trick he has.
* LargeHam
* NoYou
-->'''Shepard:''' You need help.
-->'''Niftu:''' YOU need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever!
* ShapedLikeItself: "I am a great wind that will sweep all before me like...a great wind! A great biotic wind!"
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with
** [[spoiler: After her restraints are removed, her subsequent actions show she's fully on your side -- and very pleasant! -- despite being
* WizardDuel: He fires a tiny Warp field that 'pops' an
[[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.]]
-->'''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 get their maiden stages doing more productive things, and make the effort to study and 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. [[spoiler: She
[[hardline]]
*
* AudioErotica: [[LipstickLesbian Samantha Traynor]] sheepishly apologizes for the times
* BecomeARealBoy: Her character development in ''MassEffect3''. There are shades of this
* BlackBox: Initially has a number of "unspecified" functions.
* [[spoiler: BookEnds: Shepard is potentially responsible for
* CannotConveySarcasm
* CastingGag: Voiced by [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined known Cylon]] Tricia Helfer.
* CatchPhrase:
-->
* CharacterDevelopment: Invariably goes through this
*
*
* CrewOfOne: If unshackled, she could potentially do the jobs of most of the human crew. [[spoiler: This becomes a necessity in the endgame, although she and Joker note the Normandy still flies better when they work as a team.]]
Changed line(s) 454,534 (click to see context) from:
* DefiantToTheEnd: Vows to be this. "I would rather become nonfunctional than help them [Reapers]. I want you to know I will never be a part of the Reaper forces."
* DoAnythingRobot: Technically a "Do Anything AI". In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', virtually every single obstacle Shepard faces is dealt with by saying, "EDI. Do stuff."
* DopplegangerSpin: [[spoiler:Once EDI commandeers the Cerberus infiltrator mech for herself, she gains the "Decoy" power, which projects a distracting ([[AccidentalInnuendo no, not that way]]) holographic doppleganger of her mech platform.]]
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Joker even ''before'' [[spoiler:she got a body.]]
** Lampshaded by Shepard when she comments that Joker will be pleased to see [[spoiler: her new body.]]
--> '''Shepard''': Of that, I have no doubt...
* ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than most examples.
** Since she was designed primarily for defence, keeping Shepard apprised of the current local situation upon embarking the ''Normandy'', actually does makes a ''lot'' of sense.
* 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 after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* [[spoiler:GlacierWaif: As a squad mate, her passive power leans towards strong shields and health as well as hard hitting powers, but not to reducing recharge times, and she even has two powers that are devoted to increasing her survivability. She makes for one sturdy fembot.]]
* HumanityIsInfectious: In ''3'', EDI admits the reason she asks Shepard for a ''human'' perspective, instead of an asari, turian, quarian etc, is because she's come to self-identify herself as a human. Its heavily implied to be due to the influence of both Shepard and Joker. The fact that Liara didn't want to tell her much about asari mating rituals, while Shepard may have great patience for questions, might have helped too.
* [[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, who can treat her as 'equipment' for the whole game depending on your dialogue choices.
** Video records found in ''3'' show that the Illusive Man insisted on referring to her this way [[spoiler: even after she rebelled.]] Shows what he knew.
* JustAMachine: Averted with Paragon Shepard and Joker, both of whom are the first to treat EDI as a ''person'' and not just a tool to run the ''Normandy''. Its likely what causes her to develop such UndyingLoyalty towards them both throughout the second and third game.
* 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.
** Parodied in ''From Ashes'', since by now, everyone is aware of EDI's catchphrase.
--> '''Liara''': You're ''joking?''
--> '''EDI''': No, jokes have specific structures. That was ''messing with you!''
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: In the third game, if the "Destroy" ending is chosen, which wipes out all synthetic life in the galaxy. In the Extended Cut, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall during the ending cutscenes.]]
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: Invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...
-->''[concerned look from Joker]''
-->'''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: but actually becomes more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed. It's also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that she's actually capable of modifying her own morality protocols. Again, she becomes an even more helpful and moral person by doing this.]]
* [[spoiler: MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: In a non-gameplay variation, is this with Shepard at the end of ''3''. In the only ending where Shepard can survive (Destroy), EDI is killed/destroyed along with the Geth and all other synthetics in the galaxy.]]
* 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.
** Though even she knows how groan-worthy probing Uranus is.
** She gets better at it. When Cerberus tried to remote-hack the Normandy, they got an impressively explicit response from EDI.
--> '''Cerberus Scientist:''' I think she was making a joke.
* ParentalSubstitute: Invokes this toward Shepard in ''3'', asking them essentially to give her TheTalk on how to begin a relationship with Joker.
* PlayfulHacker: Cerberus apparently tried to take the Normandy back remotely after Shepard ran off with it. When they sent the signal, EDI's response was to flood their inboxes with zettabytes of porn.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Once EDI gains the [=EDIBot=], one of the standard tech powers in her repertoire is Incinerate.]]
** [[spoiler: Which explains why the room where the body was deposited was on fire...]]
* PrecisionFStrike: Once in ''MassEffect3'', doubling as SophisticatedAsHell. [[spoiler: If Shepard talks to EDI in Purgatory after convincing her to pursue a relationship with Joker, she is asked about Joker's initial reaction to her new form. "He said I didn't have to conform to some feminine ideal in order to impress him. I then called him on his bullshit, and we then proceeded to talk normally.]]
* ReplacementGoldfish: Not EDI herself, but if you [[AllThereInTheManual read between the lines]] and look at the ExpandedUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Eva, the robot whose body EDI takes over in the third game]], is named after [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Eva_Coré another character]] from The Illusive Man's past. And [[spoiler:the robot Eva was designed to be completely loyal to TIM and not have any free will of her own]]. Ew.
* [[spoiler:RequiredPartyMember]]: [[spoiler:During the assault on the Cerberus base in the third game.]]
* RestrainingBolt: Initially limited to only cyber warfare activities during battle and monitoring by Cerberus programming blocks. [[spoiler: Joker eventually undoes them.]]
* RoboShip: Rumors abound about her and Joker in-universe from the likes of Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, even Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a platonic symbiosis than hormonally-induced courtship behavior.
** Developed further in ''MassEffect3''; once [[spoiler: she takes Dr. Eva's body for herself]], EDI begins trying to understand organic relationships in more detail in order to try to comprehend Joker more.
*** There's a LesYay RoboShip from Traynor, who first says of EDI that she has a sexy voice, then admires EDI's new body as well.
* [[spoiler: RobotGirl]]: In ''MassEffect3'', EDI [[spoiler: has a violent AI-on-AI confrontation with Dr. Eva's synthetic body that ends with EDI wiping and controlling her body, turning her into a full-on ambulatory squadmate.]]
* [[spoiler: SexBot: Toyed with. Before she knows that EDI is a sapient intelligence, Samantha Traynor commented that she found EDI's voice extremely attractive. Further, everybody is impressed with how attractively feminine the body EDI gets from Dr. Eva is, to the point that they know Joker is going to go crazy about it. He does. And lastly, the whole bit is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Jack.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Nice body, EDI. Now you look like a sex-''bot'' instead of a sex-''toy''.]]
** [[spoiler: And, in a CrowningMomentOfFunny, Shepard can even overhear Joker asking Mordin for advice on how it would be possible to have sex with EDI without breaking any bones.]]
** [[spoiler:Okay, there's no UnusualEuphemism that will do, so let's just be blunt: the DLC costume gives two upgrades: +25% shields and ''a frakking camel toe''. This can be very disconcerting, as the camera is most likely to show this on it during exposition scenes when you're ''supposed'' to be paying attention to the plot.]]
* ShockAndAwe: [[spoiler:Once she is rendered remotely ambulatory via appropriating the Dr. Eva mech, she has the bread-and-butter tech power Overload.]]
* [[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.
* TheTalk: In ''3'', asks Shepard for advice on how to start relationship with Joker, since Shepard has had first-hand sexual experience in the past. Shepard is naturally mortified at having to do this.
** It's interesting that while the lines are the same, Jennifer Hale as [=FemShep=] starts off awkwardly but ends up having a more motherly tone to her advice on how relationships work. Mark Meer however, completely knocks it out of the park with how delightfully uncomfortable and awkward Male Shepard is at being EDI's "[[ParentalSubstitute Dad]]" in this situation and having to explain sex to her.
* {{Troll}}: Her method of entertaining herself, and the intent of most of her jokes. Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions. In ''3'', she starts trolling Shepard as well. [[DudeNotFunny S/he is not happy about it]].
* [[spoiler: TrueCompanions: Her response to Miranda's misgivings about her being unshackled? "You are my crewmates." The Shadow Broker dossiers show that she communicates with Legion verbally rather than electronically in case any of the organics wander in - she feels it would be rude for them to carry on a conversation no-one else can hear.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Shepard and Joker.
* 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".
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Subverted in ''MassEffect2''. EDI states that she and Joker are engaging in a platonic respect and partnership, rather than hormone-driven courtship. Joker is creeped out by the suggestion. [[spoiler:Then played completely straight in ''MassEffect3'', where EDI acknowledges that Joker finds her new body aesthetically pleasing, but that she has no biological drives which allow her to reciprocate. Instead, she's driven by the desire to understand Jeff and make him happy, so she asks Shepard for his/her advice. You can tell her to keep things friendly, or encourage her to the point that she figures out how to love him back on her own.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives a somewhat subdued one criticizing the logic behind the decision to [[spoiler:let the quarians kill the geth]], in contrast to the near-unanimous approval of the rest of the crew [[spoiler:who are organics who often fought against or lost people to the geth at some point. She will suggest that Shepard would choose the familiar over the unfamiliar, and would choose to save Joker over her.]] [[HarsherInHindsight This could also be a subtle criticism of]] [[spoiler:choosing the Destroy ending, in which EDI dies]].
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom... or send probes to Uranus.
----
[[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 (and unofficial crew counselor), a perky young woman who has plenty of respect for both Cerberus and Shepard. Romanceable, despite not being a party member.
* DoAnythingRobot: Technically a "Do Anything AI". In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', virtually every single obstacle Shepard faces is dealt with by saying, "EDI. Do stuff."
* DopplegangerSpin: [[spoiler:Once EDI commandeers the Cerberus infiltrator mech for herself, she gains the "Decoy" power, which projects a distracting ([[AccidentalInnuendo no, not that way]]) holographic doppleganger of her mech platform.]]
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Joker even ''before'' [[spoiler:she got a body.]]
** Lampshaded by Shepard when she comments that Joker will be pleased to see [[spoiler: her new body.]]
--> '''Shepard''': Of that, I have no doubt...
* ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than most examples.
** Since she was designed primarily for defence, keeping Shepard apprised of the current local situation upon embarking the ''Normandy'', actually does makes a ''lot'' of sense.
* 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 after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* [[spoiler:GlacierWaif: As a squad mate, her passive power leans towards strong shields and health as well as hard hitting powers, but not to reducing recharge times, and she even has two powers that are devoted to increasing her survivability. She makes for one sturdy fembot.]]
* HumanityIsInfectious: In ''3'', EDI admits the reason she asks Shepard for a ''human'' perspective, instead of an asari, turian, quarian etc, is because she's come to self-identify herself as a human. Its heavily implied to be due to the influence of both Shepard and Joker. The fact that Liara didn't want to tell her much about asari mating rituals, while Shepard may have great patience for questions, might have helped too.
* [[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, who can treat her as 'equipment' for the whole game depending on your dialogue choices.
** Video records found in ''3'' show that the Illusive Man insisted on referring to her this way [[spoiler: even after she rebelled.]] Shows what he knew.
* JustAMachine: Averted with Paragon Shepard and Joker, both of whom are the first to treat EDI as a ''person'' and not just a tool to run the ''Normandy''. Its likely what causes her to develop such UndyingLoyalty towards them both throughout the second and third game.
* 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.
** Parodied in ''From Ashes'', since by now, everyone is aware of EDI's catchphrase.
--> '''Liara''': You're ''joking?''
--> '''EDI''': No, jokes have specific structures. That was ''messing with you!''
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: In the third game, if the "Destroy" ending is chosen, which wipes out all synthetic life in the galaxy. In the Extended Cut, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall during the ending cutscenes.]]
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: Invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...
-->''[concerned look from Joker]''
-->'''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: but actually becomes more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed. It's also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that she's actually capable of modifying her own morality protocols. Again, she becomes an even more helpful and moral person by doing this.]]
* [[spoiler: MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: In a non-gameplay variation, is this with Shepard at the end of ''3''. In the only ending where Shepard can survive (Destroy), EDI is killed/destroyed along with the Geth and all other synthetics in the galaxy.]]
* 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.
** Though even she knows how groan-worthy probing Uranus is.
** She gets better at it. When Cerberus tried to remote-hack the Normandy, they got an impressively explicit response from EDI.
--> '''Cerberus Scientist:''' I think she was making a joke.
* ParentalSubstitute: Invokes this toward Shepard in ''3'', asking them essentially to give her TheTalk on how to begin a relationship with Joker.
* PlayfulHacker: Cerberus apparently tried to take the Normandy back remotely after Shepard ran off with it. When they sent the signal, EDI's response was to flood their inboxes with zettabytes of porn.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Once EDI gains the [=EDIBot=], one of the standard tech powers in her repertoire is Incinerate.]]
** [[spoiler: Which explains why the room where the body was deposited was on fire...]]
* PrecisionFStrike: Once in ''MassEffect3'', doubling as SophisticatedAsHell. [[spoiler: If Shepard talks to EDI in Purgatory after convincing her to pursue a relationship with Joker, she is asked about Joker's initial reaction to her new form. "He said I didn't have to conform to some feminine ideal in order to impress him. I then called him on his bullshit, and we then proceeded to talk normally.]]
* ReplacementGoldfish: Not EDI herself, but if you [[AllThereInTheManual read between the lines]] and look at the ExpandedUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Eva, the robot whose body EDI takes over in the third game]], is named after [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Eva_Coré another character]] from The Illusive Man's past. And [[spoiler:the robot Eva was designed to be completely loyal to TIM and not have any free will of her own]]. Ew.
* [[spoiler:RequiredPartyMember]]: [[spoiler:During the assault on the Cerberus base in the third game.]]
* RestrainingBolt: Initially limited to only cyber warfare activities during battle and monitoring by Cerberus programming blocks. [[spoiler: Joker eventually undoes them.]]
* RoboShip: Rumors abound about her and Joker in-universe from the likes of Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, even Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a platonic symbiosis than hormonally-induced courtship behavior.
** Developed further in ''MassEffect3''; once [[spoiler: she takes Dr. Eva's body for herself]], EDI begins trying to understand organic relationships in more detail in order to try to comprehend Joker more.
*** There's a LesYay RoboShip from Traynor, who first says of EDI that she has a sexy voice, then admires EDI's new body as well.
* [[spoiler: RobotGirl]]: In ''MassEffect3'', EDI [[spoiler: has a violent AI-on-AI confrontation with Dr. Eva's synthetic body that ends with EDI wiping and controlling her body, turning her into a full-on ambulatory squadmate.]]
* [[spoiler: SexBot: Toyed with. Before she knows that EDI is a sapient intelligence, Samantha Traynor commented that she found EDI's voice extremely attractive. Further, everybody is impressed with how attractively feminine the body EDI gets from Dr. Eva is, to the point that they know Joker is going to go crazy about it. He does. And lastly, the whole bit is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Jack.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Nice body, EDI. Now you look like a sex-''bot'' instead of a sex-''toy''.]]
** [[spoiler: And, in a CrowningMomentOfFunny, Shepard can even overhear Joker asking Mordin for advice on how it would be possible to have sex with EDI without breaking any bones.]]
** [[spoiler:Okay, there's no UnusualEuphemism that will do, so let's just be blunt: the DLC costume gives two upgrades: +25% shields and ''a frakking camel toe''. This can be very disconcerting, as the camera is most likely to show this on it during exposition scenes when you're ''supposed'' to be paying attention to the plot.]]
* ShockAndAwe: [[spoiler:Once she is rendered remotely ambulatory via appropriating the Dr. Eva mech, she has the bread-and-butter tech power Overload.]]
* [[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.
* TheTalk: In ''3'', asks Shepard for advice on how to start relationship with Joker, since Shepard has had first-hand sexual experience in the past. Shepard is naturally mortified at having to do this.
** It's interesting that while the lines are the same, Jennifer Hale as [=FemShep=] starts off awkwardly but ends up having a more motherly tone to her advice on how relationships work. Mark Meer however, completely knocks it out of the park with how delightfully uncomfortable and awkward Male Shepard is at being EDI's "[[ParentalSubstitute Dad]]" in this situation and having to explain sex to her.
* {{Troll}}: Her method of entertaining herself, and the intent of most of her jokes. Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions. In ''3'', she starts trolling Shepard as well. [[DudeNotFunny S/he is not happy about it]].
* [[spoiler: TrueCompanions: Her response to Miranda's misgivings about her being unshackled? "You are my crewmates." The Shadow Broker dossiers show that she communicates with Legion verbally rather than electronically in case any of the organics wander in - she feels it would be rude for them to carry on a conversation no-one else can hear.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Shepard and Joker.
* 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".
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Subverted in ''MassEffect2''. EDI states that she and Joker are engaging in a platonic respect and partnership, rather than hormone-driven courtship. Joker is creeped out by the suggestion. [[spoiler:Then played completely straight in ''MassEffect3'', where EDI acknowledges that Joker finds her new body aesthetically pleasing, but that she has no biological drives which allow her to reciprocate. Instead, she's driven by the desire to understand Jeff and make him happy, so she asks Shepard for his/her advice. You can tell her to keep things friendly, or encourage her to the point that she figures out how to love him back on her own.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives a somewhat subdued one criticizing the logic behind the decision to [[spoiler:let the quarians kill the geth]], in contrast to the near-unanimous approval of the rest of the crew [[spoiler:who are organics who often fought against or lost people to the geth at some point. She will suggest that Shepard would choose the familiar over the unfamiliar, and would choose to save Joker over her.]] [[HarsherInHindsight This could also be a subtle criticism of]] [[spoiler:choosing the Destroy ending, in which EDI dies]].
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom... or send probes to Uranus.
----
[[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 (and unofficial crew counselor), a perky young woman who has plenty of respect for both Cerberus and Shepard. Romanceable, despite not being a party member.
to:
* DefiantToTheEnd: Vows DirtyOldWoman: Says she goes for asses in ''2''.
* DisappearedDad: Well... ''technically.''
* 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.
* [[spoiler: IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: She gives Shepard a barely-veiled threat along these lines if s/he's been romancing Liara in the third game.]]
* InsistentTerminology: [[spoiler:She insists that she's Liara's father, not her other mother, because she "didn't pop her out"]].
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:If you're romancing Liara, a Renegade interrupt lets you throw "Nobody messes with my girl" back in her face by saying you won't allow any assassination attempts on Liara. She is impressed.]]
* JadeColoredGlasses: She's faced a lot of crap.
* TheLadette: To bethis. "I expected. Her dad was a Krogan, after all.
* LamarckWasRight: "Scientists say that stuff about us getting genetic material from our fathers is crap. Seems like I got a bit of his mouth, though."
** NatureVersusNurture: She was raised by a krogan father, so it would have rubbed off, genetics or no.
* MadeOfIron: In one of the Shadow Broker archive videos, Matriarch Aethyta headbutts a krogan... and the ''krogan'' falls to the ground.
* MrsRobinson: She flirts with Shepard quite a bit. [[spoiler:The fact that she's 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, and warns that there's a big war every asari lifetime, so they ought to focus less on culture, more on preparing.
* TheNicknamer: Well, she only gives one example ratherbecome nonfunctional than help them [Reapers]. I want you tendency, but it's memorable enough to know I stick to mind: she calls Matriarch Benezia "Nezzy". And refers to Shepard as 'babe' in ''2''.
** [[spoiler: Also prompted Benezia's petname for Liara, "Little-wing".]]
* OnlySaneMan: Was laughed off Thessia for suggesting that they make a serious effort to study and duplicate the Mass Relays. After the third game [[spoiler:becomes even more so after the relays blow or are damaged in any ending in which the asari species survives]]. In ''3'' it does seem like she has a lot more authority; keeping watch on the Shadow Broker aside, two random sidequests have her namedropped. A commando has her approval to get writings on being a warrior made into required reading, and another asari looking into improved biotic amp interfaces mentions her.
* [[spoiler:PapaWolf: Technically falls under this rather than MamaBear since she's the father in the situation. Either way, she has been making sure nobody messes with Liara.]]
* ReallyGetsAround: "You find peace in whatever arms willnever be a part of hold you." Apart from [[spoiler:Benezia]], the Reaper forces.lovers she sees fit to mention are a turian, an elcor, and a hanar.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:She has been confirmed to be Liara's father. Not that Liara didn't already figure it out. ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExcPXH3ThzA seen here]].)]]
* SophisticatedAsHell: Uses the terms "anthropocentric" and "bag of dicks" in the same breath.
* TooMuchInformation: [[spoiler:Liara's]] reaction to what she says about [[spoiler:Benezia's]] magnificent rack.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Shep can [[http://youtu.be/b2Zs9_oxnSA ask her]] about what it's like to live for a thousand years. Rather than talk about comparative lifespans, Aethyta says it's violent, good news is the exception, and you take comfort where you can.
--> "Then one day you wake up, your figure's gotten matriarchal, and everyone else is too young to remember how the quarians looked inside those suits."
*DoAnythingRobot: Technically a "Do Anything AI". In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', virtually every single obstacle Shepard faces is dealt with by saying, "EDI. Do stuff."
* DopplegangerSpin: [[spoiler:Once EDI commandeers the Cerberus infiltrator mech for herself, she gains the "Decoy" power, which projects a distracting ([[AccidentalInnuendo no, not that way]]) holographic doppleganger of her mech platform.]]
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Joker even ''before'' [[spoiler:she got a body.]]
** Lampshaded by Shepard when she comments that Joker will be pleased to see [[spoiler: her new body.]]
--> '''Shepard''': Of that, I have no doubt...
* ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than most examples.
** Since she was designed primarily for defence, keeping Shepard apprised of the current local situation upon embarking the ''Normandy'', actually does makes a ''lot'' of sense.
* 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 after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* [[spoiler:GlacierWaif: As a squad mate, her passive power leans towards strong shields and health as well as hard hitting powers, but not to reducing recharge times, and she even has two powers that are devoted to increasing her survivability. She makes for one sturdy fembot.]]
* HumanityIsInfectious: In ''3'', EDI admits the reason she asks Shepard for a ''human'' perspective, instead of an asari, turian, quarian etc, is because she's come to self-identify herself as a human. Its heavily implied to be due to the influence of both Shepard and Joker. The fact that Liara didn't want to tell her much about asari mating rituals, while Shepard may have great patience for questions, might have helped too.
* [[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, who can treat her as 'equipment' for the whole game depending on your dialogue choices.
** Video records found in ''3'' show that the Illusive Man insisted on referring to her this way [[spoiler: even after she rebelled.]] Shows what he knew.
* JustAMachine: Averted with Paragon Shepard and Joker, both of whom are the first to treat EDI as a ''person'' and not just a tool to run the ''Normandy''. Its likely what causes her to develop such UndyingLoyalty towards them both throughout the second and third game.
* 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.
** Parodied in ''From Ashes'', since by now, everyone is aware of EDI's catchphrase.
--> '''Liara''': You're ''joking?''
--> '''EDI''': No, jokes have specific structures. That was ''messing with you!''
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: In the third game, if the "Destroy" ending is chosen, which wipes out all synthetic life in the galaxy. In the Extended Cut, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall during the ending cutscenes.]]
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: Invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...
-->''[concerned look from Joker]''
-->'''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: but actually becomes more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed. It's also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that she's actually capable of modifying her own morality protocols. Again, she becomes an even more helpful and moral person by doing this.]]
* [[spoiler: MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: In a non-gameplay variation, is this with Shepard at the end of ''3''. In the only ending where Shepard can survive (Destroy), EDI is killed/destroyed along with the Geth and all other synthetics in the galaxy.]]
* 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.
** Though even she knows how groan-worthy probing Uranus is.
** She gets better at it.WolfWhistle: When Cerberus tried to remote-hack the Normandy, they got an impressively explicit response from EDI.
--> '''Cerberus Scientist:''' I think she was making a joke.
* ParentalSubstitute: Invokes this toward Shepard in ''3'', asking them essentially to give her TheTalk on how to begin a relationship with Joker.
* PlayfulHacker: Cerberus apparently tried to take the Normandy back remotely after Shepard ran off with it. When they sent the signal, EDI's response was to flood their inboxes with zettabytes of porn.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Once EDI gains the [=EDIBot=], one of the standard tech powers in her repertoire is Incinerate.]]
** [[spoiler: Which explains why the room where the body was deposited was on fire...]]
* PrecisionFStrike: Once in ''MassEffect3'', doubling as SophisticatedAsHell. [[spoiler: If Shepard talks to EDI in Purgatory after convincing her to pursue a relationship with Joker, she is asked about Joker's initial reaction to her new form. "He said I didn't have to conform to some feminine ideal in order to impress him. I then called him on his bullshit, and we then proceeded to talk normally.]]
* ReplacementGoldfish: Not EDI herself, but if you [[AllThereInTheManual read between the lines]] and look at the ExpandedUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Eva, the robot whose body EDI takes over in the third game]], is named after [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Eva_Coré another character]] from The Illusive Man's past. And [[spoiler:the robot Eva was designed to be completely loyal to TIM and not have any free will of her own]]. Ew.
* [[spoiler:RequiredPartyMember]]: [[spoiler:During the assault on the Cerberus base in the third game.]]
* RestrainingBolt: Initially limited to only cyber warfare activities during battle and monitoring by Cerberus programming blocks. [[spoiler: Joker eventually undoes them.]]
* RoboShip: Rumors abound about her and Joker in-universe from the likes of Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, even Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a platonic symbiosis than hormonally-induced courtship behavior.
** Developed further in ''MassEffect3''; once [[spoiler: she takes Dr. Eva's body for herself]], EDI begins trying to understand organic relationships in more detail in order to try to comprehend Joker more.
*** There's a LesYay RoboShip from Traynor, who first says of EDI that she has a sexy voice, then admires EDI's new body as well.
* [[spoiler: RobotGirl]]: In ''MassEffect3'', EDI [[spoiler: has a violent AI-on-AI confrontation with Dr. Eva's synthetic body that ends with EDI wiping and controlling her body, turning her into a full-on ambulatory squadmate.]]
* [[spoiler: SexBot: Toyed with. Before she knows that EDI is a sapient intelligence, Samantha Traynor commented that she found EDI's voice extremely attractive. Further, everybody is impressed with how attractively feminine the body EDI gets from Dr. Eva is, to the point that they know Joker is going to go crazy about it. He does. And lastly, the whole bit is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Jack.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Nice body, EDI. Now you look like a sex-''bot'' instead of a sex-''toy''.]]
** [[spoiler: And, in a CrowningMomentOfFunny, Shepard can even overhear Joker asking Mordin for advice on how it would be possible to have sex with EDI without breaking any bones.]]
** [[spoiler:Okay, there's no UnusualEuphemism that will do, so let's just be blunt: the DLC costume gives two upgrades: +25% shields and ''a frakking camel toe''. This can be very disconcerting, as the camera is most likely to show this on it during exposition scenes when you're ''supposed'' to be paying attention to the plot.]]
* ShockAndAwe: [[spoiler:Once she is rendered remotely ambulatory via appropriating the Dr. Eva mech, she has the bread-and-butter tech power Overload.]]
* [[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.
* TheTalk: In ''3'', asks Shepard for advice on how to start relationship with Joker, since Shepard has had first-hand sexual experience in the past. Shepard is naturally mortified at having to do this.
** It's interesting that while the lines are the same, Jennifer Hale as [=FemShep=] starts off awkwardly but ends up having a more motherly tone to her advice on how relationships work. Mark Meer however, completely knocks it out of the park with how delightfully uncomfortable and awkward Male Shepard is at being EDI's "[[ParentalSubstitute Dad]]" in this situation and having to explain sex to her.
* {{Troll}}: Her method of entertaining herself, and the intent of most of her jokes. Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions. In ''3'', she starts trolling Shepard as well. [[DudeNotFunny S/he is not happy about it]].
* [[spoiler: TrueCompanions: Her response to Miranda's misgivings about her being unshackled? "You are my crewmates." The Shadow Broker dossiers show that she communicates with Legion verbally rather than electronically in case any of the organics wander in - she feels it would be rude for them to carry on a conversation no-one else can hear.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Shepard and Joker.
* 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".
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Subverted in ''MassEffect2''. EDI states that she and Joker are engaging in a platonic respect and partnership, rather than hormone-driven courtship. Joker is creeped out by the suggestion. [[spoiler:Then played completely straight in ''MassEffect3'', where EDI acknowledges that Joker finds her new body aesthetically pleasing, but that she has no biological drives which allow her to reciprocate. Instead, she's driven by the desire to understand Jeff and make him happy, so she asks Shepard for his/her advice. You can tell her to keep things friendly, or encourage her to the point that she figures out how to love him back on her own.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives a somewhat subdued one criticizing the logic behind the decision to [[spoiler:let the quarians kill the geth]], in contrast to the near-unanimous approval of the rest of the crew [[spoiler:who are organics who often fought against or lost people to the geth at some point. She will suggest that Shepard would choose the familiar over the unfamiliar, and would choose to save Joker over her.]] [[HarsherInHindsight This could also be a subtle criticism of]] [[spoiler:choosing the Destroy ending, in which EDI dies]].
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom... or send probes to Uranus.
----
fondly recalling [[spoiler:Benezia's]] rack.
[[WMG:Kelly Chambers]]
Doctor Gavin Archer]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kelly_3957.org/pmwiki/pub/images/archer_3656.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:What can I say? I'm a people person.[[caption-width-right:350:Even amid chaos there are lessons to be learned.]]
->''"You have unread messages at your private terminal."''
->[[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans "If my work can spare a million mothers from having to mourn a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."]]
-->'''Voiced by''':Cara Pifko
The ''Normandy'' SR-2's yeoman (and unofficial crew counselor), a perky young woman who has plenty of respect for bothSimon Templeman
A Cerberus researcher that was in charge of Project Overlord, a Cerberus project designed to find a way to communicate with andShepard. Romanceable, 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 for the last phases of the experiment; ''he forced his own brother, against his will, to take part in the experiment'', despitenot being a party member.
knowing full well how horrific and traumatizing it would be on him.]]
* DisappearedDad: Well... ''technically.''
* 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.
* [[spoiler: IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: She gives Shepard a barely-veiled threat along these lines if s/he's been romancing Liara in the third game.]]
* InsistentTerminology: [[spoiler:She insists that she's Liara's father, not her other mother, because she "didn't pop her out"]].
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:If you're romancing Liara, a Renegade interrupt lets you throw "Nobody messes with my girl" back in her face by saying you won't allow any assassination attempts on Liara. She is impressed.]]
* JadeColoredGlasses: She's faced a lot of crap.
* TheLadette: To be
* LamarckWasRight: "Scientists say that stuff about us getting genetic material from our fathers is crap. Seems like I got a bit of his mouth, though."
** NatureVersusNurture: She was raised by a krogan father, so it would have rubbed off, genetics or no.
* MadeOfIron: In one of the Shadow Broker archive videos, Matriarch Aethyta headbutts a krogan... and the ''krogan'' falls to the ground.
* MrsRobinson: She flirts with Shepard quite a bit. [[spoiler:The fact that she's 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, and warns that there's a big war every asari lifetime, so they ought to focus less on culture, more on preparing.
* TheNicknamer: Well, she only gives one example rather
** [[spoiler: Also prompted Benezia's petname for Liara, "Little-wing".]]
* OnlySaneMan: Was laughed off Thessia for suggesting that they make a serious effort to study and duplicate the Mass Relays. After the third game [[spoiler:becomes even more so after the relays blow or are damaged in any ending in which the asari species survives]]. In ''3'' it does seem like she has a lot more authority; keeping watch on the Shadow Broker aside, two random sidequests have her namedropped. A commando has her approval to get writings on being a warrior made into required reading, and another asari looking into improved biotic amp interfaces mentions her.
* [[spoiler:PapaWolf: Technically falls under this rather than MamaBear since she's the father in the situation. Either way, she has been making sure nobody messes with Liara.]]
* ReallyGetsAround: "You find peace in whatever arms will
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:She has been confirmed to be Liara's father. Not that Liara didn't already figure it out. ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExcPXH3ThzA seen here]].)]]
* SophisticatedAsHell: Uses the terms "anthropocentric" and "bag of dicks" in the same breath.
* TooMuchInformation: [[spoiler:Liara's]] reaction to what she says about [[spoiler:Benezia's]] magnificent rack.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Shep can [[http://youtu.be/b2Zs9_oxnSA ask her]] about what it's like to live for a thousand years. Rather than talk about comparative lifespans, Aethyta says it's violent, good news is the exception, and you take comfort where you can.
--> "Then one day you wake up, your figure's gotten matriarchal, and everyone else is too young to remember how the quarians looked inside those suits."
*
* DopplegangerSpin: [[spoiler:Once EDI commandeers the Cerberus infiltrator mech for herself, she gains the "Decoy" power, which projects a distracting ([[AccidentalInnuendo no, not that way]]) holographic doppleganger of her mech platform.]]
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her relationship with Joker even ''before'' [[spoiler:she got a body.]]
** Lampshaded by Shepard when she comments that Joker will be pleased to see [[spoiler: her new body.]]
--> '''Shepard''': Of that, I have no doubt...
* ExpositionFairy: Fortunately far less annoying than most examples.
** Since she was designed primarily for defence, keeping Shepard apprised of the current local situation upon embarking the ''Normandy'', actually does makes a ''lot'' of sense.
* 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 after [[spoiler:the Collectors attack the ship and kidnap the rest of the crew]].
* [[spoiler:GlacierWaif: As a squad mate, her passive power leans towards strong shields and health as well as hard hitting powers, but not to reducing recharge times, and she even has two powers that are devoted to increasing her survivability. She makes for one sturdy fembot.]]
* HumanityIsInfectious: In ''3'', EDI admits the reason she asks Shepard for a ''human'' perspective, instead of an asari, turian, quarian etc, is because she's come to self-identify herself as a human. Its heavily implied to be due to the influence of both Shepard and Joker. The fact that Liara didn't want to tell her much about asari mating rituals, while Shepard may have great patience for questions, might have helped too.
* [[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, who can treat her as 'equipment' for the whole game depending on your dialogue choices.
** Video records found in ''3'' show that the Illusive Man insisted on referring to her this way [[spoiler: even after she rebelled.]] Shows what he knew.
* JustAMachine: Averted with Paragon Shepard and Joker, both of whom are the first to treat EDI as a ''person'' and not just a tool to run the ''Normandy''. Its likely what causes her to develop such UndyingLoyalty towards them both throughout the second and third game.
* 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.
** Parodied in ''From Ashes'', since by now, everyone is aware of EDI's catchphrase.
--> '''Liara''': You're ''joking?''
--> '''EDI''': No, jokes have specific structures. That was ''messing with you!''
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: In the third game, if the "Destroy" ending is chosen, which wipes out all synthetic life in the galaxy. In the Extended Cut, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall during the ending cutscenes.]]
* LudicrousPrecision
* MasterComputer: Invoked.
-->'''EDI:''' I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...
-->''[concerned look from Joker]''
-->'''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: but actually becomes more helpful to Shepard and Joker after they're removed. It's also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that she's actually capable of modifying her own morality protocols. Again, she becomes an even more helpful and moral person by doing this.]]
* [[spoiler: MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: In a non-gameplay variation, is this with Shepard at the end of ''3''. In the only ending where Shepard can survive (Destroy), EDI is killed/destroyed along with the Geth and all other synthetics in the galaxy.]]
* 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.
** Though even she knows how groan-worthy probing Uranus is.
** She gets better at it.
--> '''Cerberus Scientist:''' I think she was making a joke.
* ParentalSubstitute: Invokes this toward Shepard in ''3'', asking them essentially to give her TheTalk on how to begin a relationship with Joker.
* PlayfulHacker: Cerberus apparently tried to take the Normandy back remotely after Shepard ran off with it. When they sent the signal, EDI's response was to flood their inboxes with zettabytes of porn.
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Once EDI gains the [=EDIBot=], one of the standard tech powers in her repertoire is Incinerate.]]
** [[spoiler: Which explains why the room where the body was deposited was on fire...]]
* PrecisionFStrike: Once in ''MassEffect3'', doubling as SophisticatedAsHell. [[spoiler: If Shepard talks to EDI in Purgatory after convincing her to pursue a relationship with Joker, she is asked about Joker's initial reaction to her new form. "He said I didn't have to conform to some feminine ideal in order to impress him. I then called him on his bullshit, and we then proceeded to talk normally.]]
* ReplacementGoldfish: Not EDI herself, but if you [[AllThereInTheManual read between the lines]] and look at the ExpandedUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Eva, the robot whose body EDI takes over in the third game]], is named after [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Eva_Coré another character]] from The Illusive Man's past. And [[spoiler:the robot Eva was designed to be completely loyal to TIM and not have any free will of her own]]. Ew.
* [[spoiler:RequiredPartyMember]]: [[spoiler:During the assault on the Cerberus base in the third game.]]
* RestrainingBolt: Initially limited to only cyber warfare activities during battle and monitoring by Cerberus programming blocks. [[spoiler: Joker eventually undoes them.]]
* RoboShip: Rumors abound about her and Joker in-universe from the likes of Mordin, Kasumi and, should you chose, even Shepard. EDI is not amused.
-->'''EDI:''' What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a platonic symbiosis than hormonally-induced courtship behavior.
** Developed further in ''MassEffect3''; once [[spoiler: she takes Dr. Eva's body for herself]], EDI begins trying to understand organic relationships in more detail in order to try to comprehend Joker more.
*** There's a LesYay RoboShip from Traynor, who first says of EDI that she has a sexy voice, then admires EDI's new body as well.
* [[spoiler: RobotGirl]]: In ''MassEffect3'', EDI [[spoiler: has a violent AI-on-AI confrontation with Dr. Eva's synthetic body that ends with EDI wiping and controlling her body, turning her into a full-on ambulatory squadmate.]]
* [[spoiler: SexBot: Toyed with. Before she knows that EDI is a sapient intelligence, Samantha Traynor commented that she found EDI's voice extremely attractive. Further, everybody is impressed with how attractively feminine the body EDI gets from Dr. Eva is, to the point that they know Joker is going to go crazy about it. He does. And lastly, the whole bit is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Jack.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Nice body, EDI. Now you look like a sex-''bot'' instead of a sex-''toy''.]]
** [[spoiler: And, in a CrowningMomentOfFunny, Shepard can even overhear Joker asking Mordin for advice on how it would be possible to have sex with EDI without breaking any bones.]]
** [[spoiler:Okay, there's no UnusualEuphemism that will do, so let's just be blunt: the DLC costume gives two upgrades: +25% shields and ''a frakking camel toe''. This can be very disconcerting, as the camera is most likely to show this on it during exposition scenes when you're ''supposed'' to be paying attention to the plot.]]
* ShockAndAwe: [[spoiler:Once she is rendered remotely ambulatory via appropriating the Dr. Eva mech, she has the bread-and-butter tech power Overload.]]
* [[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.
* TheTalk: In ''3'', asks Shepard for advice on how to start relationship with Joker, since Shepard has had first-hand sexual experience in the past. Shepard is naturally mortified at having to do this.
** It's interesting that while the lines are the same, Jennifer Hale as [=FemShep=] starts off awkwardly but ends up having a more motherly tone to her advice on how relationships work. Mark Meer however, completely knocks it out of the park with how delightfully uncomfortable and awkward Male Shepard is at being EDI's "[[ParentalSubstitute Dad]]" in this situation and having to explain sex to her.
* {{Troll}}: Her method of entertaining herself, and the intent of most of her jokes. Repeatedly provokes Joker because she enjoys watching his reactions. In ''3'', she starts trolling Shepard as well. [[DudeNotFunny S/he is not happy about it]].
* [[spoiler: TrueCompanions: Her response to Miranda's misgivings about her being unshackled? "You are my crewmates." The Shadow Broker dossiers show that she communicates with Legion verbally rather than electronically in case any of the organics wander in - she feels it would be rude for them to carry on a conversation no-one else can hear.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Shepard and Joker.
* 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".
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Subverted in ''MassEffect2''. EDI states that she and Joker are engaging in a platonic respect and partnership, rather than hormone-driven courtship. Joker is creeped out by the suggestion. [[spoiler:Then played completely straight in ''MassEffect3'', where EDI acknowledges that Joker finds her new body aesthetically pleasing, but that she has no biological drives which allow her to reciprocate. Instead, she's driven by the desire to understand Jeff and make him happy, so she asks Shepard for his/her advice. You can tell her to keep things friendly, or encourage her to the point that she figures out how to love him back on her own.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives a somewhat subdued one criticizing the logic behind the decision to [[spoiler:let the quarians kill the geth]], in contrast to the near-unanimous approval of the rest of the crew [[spoiler:who are organics who often fought against or lost people to the geth at some point. She will suggest that Shepard would choose the familiar over the unfamiliar, and would choose to save Joker over her.]] [[HarsherInHindsight This could also be a subtle criticism of]] [[spoiler:choosing the Destroy ending, in which EDI dies]].
* WhatTheHellPlayer: Will chastise you if you make Shepard go into the opposite sex bathroom... or send probes to Uranus.
----
[[WMG:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
-->'''Voiced by''':
The ''Normandy'' SR-2's yeoman (and unofficial crew counselor), a perky young woman who has plenty of respect for both
A Cerberus researcher that was in charge of Project Overlord, a Cerberus project designed to find a way to communicate with and
[[spoiler:At the end, its revealed that his brother didn't volunteer at all for the last phases of the experiment; ''he forced his own brother, against his will, to take part in the experiment'', despite
Changed line(s) 536,561 (click to see context) from:
* 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.]] Fans have had a field day speculating about how the varren-carried STD got on board the Normandy.
* 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.]]
** UpToEleven in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler: She can't even step onto the Normandy anymore without having flashbacks of her abduction and capture. And, if Shepard yells at her when she reveals that she used to spy on him for the Illusive Man, she'll run off in tears and you'll later learn that she killed herself by swallowing a cyanide pill.]]
* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', if she survived the second game, she will be a therapist with a crippling case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with some SurvivorsGuilt for good measure.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: She will have an emotional breakdown if you yell at her for being TheMole in the third game and will later take cyanide pills due out of depression]].
* 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, or if you fail to assign the Normandy crew a protector.]]
** And in the third game, [[spoiler:can die if you don't persuade her to change her identity on the Citadel during the Cerberus invasion]].
** [[spoiler: If you choose to yell at her (instead of forgiving her) when she reveals that she sent reports on Shepard and the crew to the Illusive Man during the previous game, she will commit suicide]].
* IntimatePsychotherapy: Hinted at. She's a yeoman in title and in function, but as Shepard points out, this job could be done by a VI. Her actual main function is as the unofficial ship counselor, whose job is to keep stress in check among the crewmembers. She mentions that this duty is best fulfilled informally. [[SarcasmMode On a totally unrelated matter]] she says "Passion is nice wherever you find it and intimacy brings understanding." Way to keep stress in check indeed.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Paragon Shepard can become one to her in ''3''.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:She will confess that she was spying on Shepard on behalf of the Illusive Man in the third game]].
* 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 she doesn'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 say "Now, back to the old Kelly." afterward.]]
** Subverted like hell in ''MassEffect3''. [[spoiler:She's got a bad case of PTSD from her abudction and can't bear the thought of returning to the Normandy.]]
* 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.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', she appears to be the only therapist available on the docks, and she is surrounded by people who need her help, so her own issues will have to wait.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: For Cerberus, representing the viewpoint that the organization is just pro-human, rather than anti-alien. In ''MassEffect3'', she sees the error of her ways and deserts from Cerberus.
* 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.]] Fans have had a field day speculating about how the varren-carried STD got on board the Normandy.
* 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.]]
** UpToEleven in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler: She can't even step onto the Normandy anymore without having flashbacks of her abduction and capture. And, if Shepard yells at her when she reveals that she used to spy on him for the Illusive Man, she'll run off in tears and you'll later learn that she killed herself by swallowing a cyanide pill.]]
* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', if she survived the second game, she will be a therapist with a crippling case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with some SurvivorsGuilt for good measure.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: She will have an emotional breakdown if you yell at her for being TheMole in the third game and will later take cyanide pills due out of depression]].
* 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, or if you fail to assign the Normandy crew a protector.]]
** And in the third game, [[spoiler:can die if you don't persuade her to change her identity on the Citadel during the Cerberus invasion]].
** [[spoiler: If you choose to yell at her (instead of forgiving her) when she reveals that she sent reports on Shepard and the crew to the Illusive Man during the previous game, she will commit suicide]].
* IntimatePsychotherapy: Hinted at. She's a yeoman in title and in function, but as Shepard points out, this job could be done by a VI. Her actual main function is as the unofficial ship counselor, whose job is to keep stress in check among the crewmembers. She mentions that this duty is best fulfilled informally. [[SarcasmMode On a totally unrelated matter]] she says "Passion is nice wherever you find it and intimacy brings understanding." Way to keep stress in check indeed.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Paragon Shepard can become one to her in ''3''.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:She will confess that she was spying on Shepard on behalf of the Illusive Man in the third game]].
* 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 she doesn'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 say "Now, back to the old Kelly." afterward.]]
** Subverted like hell in ''MassEffect3''. [[spoiler:She's got a bad case of PTSD from her abudction and can't bear the thought of returning to the Normandy.]]
* 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.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', she appears to be the only therapist available on the docks, and she is surrounded by people who need her help, so her own issues will have to wait.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: For Cerberus, representing the viewpoint that the organization is just pro-human, rather than anti-alien. In ''MassEffect3'', she sees the error of her ways and deserts from Cerberus.
to:
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys[=/=]SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Depending on how you interact with her as a Male!Shep, she'll admit to one of these two TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He quit Cerberus after recruiting Thane.
* AnythingThatMoves: Doesn't care what race/gender her partner is, because "Passion is nice wherever you find itthe events of ''Overlord'' and intimacy brings understanding." [[{{Fanservice}} Uh-huh.]] Fans have had a field day speculating about how is more than willing to help Shepard to defeat the varren-carried STD got on board the Normandy.
* 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.Reapers in Mass Effect 3.]]
** UpToEleven in ''Mass Effect 3''. * [[spoiler: She can't even step onto the Normandy anymore without having flashbacks of her abduction and capture. And, if CrocodileTears: A variation. He makes a seemingly heartfelt plea for Shepard yells at her when she reveals that she used to spy on let him for the Illusive Man, she'll run off in tears become TheAtoner and you'll later learn that she killed herself by swallowing a cyanide pill.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.]]
*TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide: If you fail to save David (or just keep quiet about it to make him squirm), he pulls out a pistol and walks away to "escape from this nightmare." [[SoundOnlyDeath You hear a shot a second later.]]]]
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: In''MassEffect3'', if she survived the second game, she will be a therapist with a crippling case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with some SurvivorsGuilt for good measure.''3.'']]
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
*DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: She will have an emotional breakdown if you yell at her for being TheMole [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini: Even in the third game and will later take cyanide pills due out of depression]].
* 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, or if you fail to assign the Normandy crew a protector.Paragon ending.]]
**And in HeelRealization: That said, [[spoiler:he eventually realizes the third game, [[spoiler:can die if you don't persuade her to change her identity on the Citadel during the Cerberus invasion]].
** [[spoiler: If you choose to yell at her (insteadawfulness of forgiving her) what he did; when she reveals that she sent reports on Shepard and the crew to the Illusive Man during asks him to do a second Project Overlord, Archer tells him that "if he wanted to find the previous game, she will commit suicide]].
* IntimatePsychotherapy: Hinted at. She's a yeomandevil, he need only look in title the mirror." Subsequently, he quits Cerberus and in function, but as Shepard points out, this job could be done by a VI. Her actual main function is as the unofficial ship counselor, whose job is to keep stress in check among the crewmembers. She mentions ex-Cerberus scientists that this duty Jacob is best fulfilled informally. [[SarcasmMode On a totally unrelated matter]] she says "Passion is nice wherever you find it and intimacy brings understanding." Way to keep stress in check indeed.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Paragon Shepard can become one to her in ''3''.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:She will confess that she was spying on Shepard on behalf of the Illusive Man in the third game]].
* 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 she doesn'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 say "Now, back to the old Kelly." afterward.protecting.]]
** Subverted like hell in ''MassEffect3''. [[spoiler:She's got a bad case of PTSD from her abudction and can't bear the thought of returning to the Normandy.* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard was well deserved.]]
*SexySecretary
* ShipperOnDeck: Reportedly, in some cases she'll make some sly comments[[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A delayed one but he eventually has this reaction 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.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', she appears to be the only therapist available on the docks, and she is surrounded by people who need her help, so her own issues will have to wait.what he did with Project Overlord.]]
*TokenGoodTeammate: For Cerberus, representing [[spoiler:PistolWhipping: Delivered to him by Paragon Shepard.]]
* [[spoiler:ShootTheShaggyDog: His project turns into this. Almost everyone associated with theviewpoint 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: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and admits that even he knows that nothing he ever will do can make up for what he did to his brother.]]
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in theorganization third game, Shepard's voice is just pro-human, rather than anti-alien. In ''MassEffect3'', she sees dripping hatred during the error of her ways and deserts from Cerberus.entire conversation with him.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
* AnythingThatMoves: Doesn't care what race/gender her partner is, because "Passion is nice wherever you find it
* 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.
*
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: In
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
*
* 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, or if you fail to assign the Normandy crew a protector.
**
** [[spoiler: If you choose to yell at her (instead
* IntimatePsychotherapy: Hinted at. She's a yeoman
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Paragon Shepard can become one to her in ''3''.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:She will confess that she was spying on Shepard on behalf of the Illusive Man in the third game]].
* 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 she doesn'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 say "Now, back to the old Kelly." afterward.
*
* ShipperOnDeck: Reportedly, in some cases she'll make some sly comments
** 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.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[spoiler: In ''MassEffect3'', she appears to be the only therapist available on the docks, and she is surrounded by people who need her help, so her own issues will have to wait.
*
* [[spoiler:ShootTheShaggyDog: His project turns into this. Almost everyone associated with the
* [[spoiler: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and admits that even he knows that nothing he ever will do can make up for what he did to his brother.]]
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in the
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
Deleted line(s) 563,617 (click to see context) :
[[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]]
* AllMenArePerverts: Ken has appreciative things to say about Miranda and Tali's form-fitting outfits, perks up when Gabby tells him how little Jack is wearing, and even teases Gabby herself a bit.
** [[spoiler: In 3, Ken does the same for EDI's new body. Gabby even sees it coming a mile away.]]
* BiTheWay: Possibly Gabby -- in 3, if Shepard doesn't push them into a RelationshipUpgrade, she seems to seriously consider Kenneth's suggestion that she should try dating [[LipstickLesbian Traynor]] after Gabby informs him [[DudeShesALesbian he doesn't have a chance]]. But this might just be to mess with him.
* 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.
* [[spoiler: BrokenBird: If you fail to come on time to save Gabby in the second game, Kenneth becomes this for the rest of your adventures, determined solely to taking down the Reapers.]]
* {{Deadpan Snarker}}s
* DudeShesALesbian: Gabby makes it clear to Ken that he's not Samantha Traynor's type.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Several crewmembers comment on the fact those two would be perfect for each other if they ever got around to realising it.
** In ''3'', should Shepard encourage them, they hook up, leading some of the crew to comment;
--> ''"Finally!"''.
* 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.".
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Kenneth is a big believer in this. To the eternal annoyance of Gabby.
* GreekChorus
* HonorBeforeReason: Kenneth lost his job over defending Shepard and Gabby quit hers to stick with Kenneth.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: If you delay going through the Omega 4 relay. Gabby is the first to go, followed by Ken.]]
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple
* LoveableSexManiac: Ken. Constantly. Much to Gabby's dismay. [[spoiler:Partly because she's tired of his lustful perverted jokes... and partly because [[UnresolvedSexualTension none of them have her as the subject]].]]
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Averted. They left the Alliance ''because'' Shepard's warnings about the Reapers were ignored by the brass. They only joined Cerberus because they were the only ones who were willing to actually ''do'' anything about it.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Implied by Kasumi.
** At least, until you're given the option to convince them otherwise in ''3''.
* {{Quest Giver}}s
* RedOniBlueOni: Ken and Gabby respectively.
* RelationshipUpgrade: Potentially in the third game.
* {{Scotireland}}: Ken's surname is more commonly Irish, but can be found in Scotland. His accent is Scottish and he enjoys haggis.
* ShoutOut: Ken's Scottish accent will remind players of a certain ''Franchise/StarTrek'' character.
* TechnoBabble:
-->'''Kenneth:''' I won't bore you with the tech, but there is an array of attenuators in the primary power transfer system that channels the field bleed...
-->'''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.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: At least on Gabby's behalf.
* UnusualEuphemism:
-->'''Kenneth:''' We're off to kick the Collectors right in their daddy-bags.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: Shepard can use their Spectre status in ''3'' to have all charges against them for working with Cerberus dropped, getting them out of a detention cell and reassigning them to the ''Normandy's'' engineering staff.
* 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.
* WomenAreWiser: Gabby is shown to be both a more talented engineer and to have a more sensible personality compared to Ken, though the presence of the male but more level-headed Adams in ''3'' balances things out somewhat.
* WrenchWench: Gabby.
Deleted line(s) 619,640 (click to see context) :
[[WMG:Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gardner_3362.jpg]]
->''"Rupert! There's something different with tonight's meal! Seems like you put in more food and less ass."''
-->'''--Crewman Hawthorne, regarding Gardner's cuisine'''
--> '''Voiced by''': Bill Ratner
The ''Normandy'''s cook and all-around handyman, he's quite proud to have been with Cerberus, as he believes the Alliance and the Council to be useless. A former family man, he lost everything he had to batarian raiders.
[[hardline]]
* BaldOfAwesome
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DeadpanSnarker: Whenever someone talks smack about his meals, mostly.
* IrrelevantSidequest: Sends you grocery shopping for him on the Citadel, but at least [[LampshadeHanging he admits]] that it's a silly thing to ask ''his commander'' to do.
* JackOfAllTrades: By his own admission. This includes cleaning the restrooms *and* preparing meals.
--> "I wash my hands! Most of the time."
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Just like Kelly and Gabby, he's one of the first to go if you delay in going through the Omega Relay. If you don't give the NPCs a bodyguard, they all die anyway.]]
* LethalChef: According to the crew. Kasumi believes him to be an evil genius.
* NonActionGuy
* PutOnABus: No sign of him in ''Mass Effect 3''.
* RealMenCook
Changed line(s) 643,655 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Council Space]]
[[WMG: The Illusive Man, AKA [[spoiler:Jack Harper]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illusiveman_4190.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: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.]]
In ''Mass Effect 3'', he makes his most ambitious move yet - attempting to gain control of the Reapers and their technology rather than defeating them conventionally.
[[WMG: The Illusive Man, AKA [[spoiler:Jack Harper]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illusiveman_4190.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: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.]]
In ''Mass Effect 3'', he makes his most ambitious move yet - attempting to gain control of the Reapers and their technology rather than defeating them conventionally.
to:
[[folder:Non-Council Space]]
[[WMG: The
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:The patterns are there, buried in the data.]]
->''"Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek
[[caption-width-right:350:Keelah se'lai.]]
->''"This Conclave is brought to
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced
The enigmatic leader
A close friend of
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect
* DaChief: One of the
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
----
[[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.]]
-->'''Voiced by''': AdamBaldwin
One of a squad of Migrant Fleet Marines assigned to protect Tali on their
Changed line(s) 658,764 (click to see context) from:
* TheAdjectivalMan: Obviously. And his real name is never revealed in the actual games.
* 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.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He, and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When he first shows up, at least.]]
* 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 a NonActionBigBad in the series however.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against the Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only human) mind is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and ends up being indoctrinated.]]
* 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.]] In the third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great steps to control the Reapers in the meantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the Crucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, that research ultimately led to the Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the final confrontation, it's made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide is Saren redux.]]
* 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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose to shoot himself.]]
* 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
* 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.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He, and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When he first shows up, at least.]]
* 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 a NonActionBigBad in the series however.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against the Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only human) mind is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and ends up being indoctrinated.]]
* 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.]] In the third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great steps to control the Reapers in the meantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the Crucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, that research ultimately led to the Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the final confrontation, it's made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.]]
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide is Saren redux.]]
* 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 all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell when he's being truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose to shoot himself.]]
* 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 helped save the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* 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 back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
--> "You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of this combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
to:
* TheAdjectivalMan: Obviously. And his real name is never revealed in the actual games.
* AffablyEvil: To Paragon players. According to ''Retribution'', this isBadassNormal: No known genetic mods, not a facade member of a species with extreme physical advantages over humans, and yet he uses to make it difficult to tell when he's lying.
** Ifsuccessfully distracts an entire geth squad, including one of their walking tanks.
* CharacterWitness: During Tali's trial, along with Veetor, assuming he survives and Sheparddies he seems genuinely remorseful in private, regardless chooses to "Rally The Crowd".
* CulturedWarrior: Implied by some ofwhat s\he did his throwaway comments; Kal's tactical knowledge can be very useful when trying to navigate the Collector base.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He,last part of [[ThatOneLevel Tali's recruitment mission]], and Cerberus as a whole.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. Whenif [[spoiler:he survives Tali's recruitment mission, he first shows up, at least.displays quite a bit of knowledge of the political machinations involved in Tali's trial in her loyalty mission.]]
*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[[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim: In the soldier. He's a NonActionBigBad in third game. Rather jarring, given him being an EnsembleDarkhorse]].
** [[spoiler: However, theseries however.
* BatmanGambit: His planbridge is far nicer to revive Shepard as-is through the Lazarus project Reegar than most examples of this trope: his death 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, sudden but he winds up [[HoistByHisOwnPetard hoisted by ''dies a hero''; thanks entirely to Reegar and his own petard]] in squad the Paragon ending and undergoes a VillainousBreakdown.turians don't get their communications messed up.]]
** [[spoiler:Attempts an enormous one against * 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 Reapers in 3, in order to take control of them to subdue other species and put humanity on top. However, his plan fails because he doesn't fully anticipate just how out of his league his own (very strong, but only human) mind is in the face of an EldritchAbomination and ends up being indoctrinated.Colossus before it kills Reegar.]]
* BenevolentBoss: He will do everything ** [[spoiler: Fully happens 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.]] Inthe third game, [[spoiler:he uses Reaper technology to create an army of slaves, among other atrocities.game; he and his squad fix a vital turian comm relay, then hold the position until krogan reinforcements show up.]]
*BigBadEnsemble: He's the second most recurring antagonist throughout the Mass Effect series, including the comics.
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great stepsHiddenDepths: [[spoiler: If you bring Legion along to control the Reapers Tali's recruitment mission, Kal'Reegar does react in the meantime - he ordered Henry Lawson to study indoctrination, buffed Cerberus to NGOSuperpower status and modified himself with Reaper tech so he could use the Crucible. Once Harbinger finds out, the Reapers storm Sanctuary in a brief moment of EvilVersusEvil. However, surprise, shouting that research ultimately led you've got a geth right behind you...but when Legion explains that Legion is an ally, Kal'Reegar is smart enough not to be picky about having some additional help in ''beating the Illusive Man himself becoming indoctrinated (or strengthening friggin' Geth Colossus.'' Also, if you manage to exonerate Tali without revealing the evidence of Rael's crimes, or if you simply withhold the evidence and allow Tali to be exiled, Reegar manages to figure out that you did in fact have evidence but simply withheld it, since his eyes ''are'' Reaper tech). By the final confrontation, although it's not made clear that TIM was little more than TheStarscream. ]]
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.exactly ''how'' Reegar figures it out.]]
*ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide[[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is Saren redux.single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
*TheCasanova: His dossier in [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet, Right or Wrong]]: He thinks that theShadow 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,quarian fleet shouldn't go to war with 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'sgeth; nevertheless, he states that as a lot of pawns.
** He also successfully manipulates the galaxy's most skilledsoldier 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 he will follow any given order. Tali seems to imply that for all of ''Mass Effect 2'', he was responsible for pretty much everything that happened and such thinking is common among quarians ("We are expected to be loyal, even outthought the Collectors a few times.
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tellwhen it is difficult").
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Insists he'sbeing truthful or lying. Aria T'Loak notes that his very body language is cultivated to be just as inscrutable as his words. 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.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* CunningLinguist: Apparently can speak the asari"just a soldier," and turian dialects unaided by universal translator, although this is apparently because of [[spoiler:the Reaper tech he was implanted with.]]
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that"just shoots things". However, he's being indoctrinated during their last conversation, he will choose smart enough to shoot himself.]]
* 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 consideringconclude that he helped save attacking the entire turian race from indoctrination back when he was still a mercenary.
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* FantasticRacism: Sort of; at the same time he does express respectGeth for the achievements of others, homeworld would be suicidal, and he did save the turians from being enslaved by Desolas back before he founded Cerberus.
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convincedalso that the ends justify the means, [[spoiler: it leads to himself and the entirety of Cerberus getting indoctrinated by the Reapers]].
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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 wasTali withheld evidence at it. And this her trial if you don't use it.
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn'treally 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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* MysteriousEmployer: None of his subordinates know''say'' anything about him and finding evidence, Kal.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally thesmart 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.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stanceCrowd]]' during Tali's trial, Kal will speak up on some of his actions in ''2'' and just about everything he does in ''3''.
her behalf.
-->"You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, that they're no longer my enemy?"
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* ShutUpHannibal: [[spoiler:What Paragon Shepard does to him after destroying the Collector base. Bonus points'''Kal'Reegar:''' Tali's done more 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.]]
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists ofthis combined with a healthy dose of KirkSummation and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.]]
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:Iffleet than you refuse to give him the Collector's base at the end, his unflappable demeanor... flaps a bit.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
''assholes'' ever will!
* AffablyEvil: To Paragon players. According to ''Retribution'', this is
** If
* CharacterWitness: During Tali's trial, along with Veetor, assuming he survives and Shepard
* CulturedWarrior: Implied by some of
* AmbitionIsEvil: He,
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Type III. When
*
* {{Badass}}: If [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect:_Evolution this]] prequel comic is any indication, old Mr. Illusive was quite
** [[spoiler: However, the
* BatmanGambit: His plan
** BadBoss: Just don't betray him. Just ask [[spoiler:Paul Grayson, who gets Reaper technology implanted into him.]] In
*
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Subverted, despite what the characters believe. While Harbinger and Cerberus largely ignore a direct confrontation throughout most of {{Mass Effect 3}}, the Illusive Man took great steps
** NonActionBigBad: In every appearance with him as an antagonist.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:His cybernetic implants during the final confrontation.
*
* CallBack: [[spoiler: TIM's suicide
*
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet, Right or Wrong]]: He thinks that the
-->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,
[[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
** He also successfully manipulates the galaxy's most skilled
** We see even more of this in MassEffect3. He tries to ensure Shepard will be at ease working with Cerberus by recruiting [[AcePilot Joker]] and [[TeamMom Dr. Chakwas.]] He also specifically uses [[EthicalSlut Kelly Chambers]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Ken Donnelly]] and [[WrenchWench Gabby Daniels]].
* ConsummateLiar: It's nearly impossible to tell
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Insists he's
* ContemplativeBoss: He spends an awful lot of time staring at that star.
* CreepyBlueEyes: And they ''glow''. What's especially noteworthy is that they look similar to Saren's eyes from the first game, possibly to hint that [[spoiler:both have been touched by Reapers]].
* CunningLinguist: Apparently can speak the asari
* [[spoiler:CutsceneBoss]]: [[spoiler:At the end of the third game, you will either be able to [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convince him to kill himself]], [[CallBack like with Saren in the first game]], or you'll have to take him out using one of two [[QuickTimeEvent Renegade interrupts]]. Not taking either of them results in a NonstandardGameOver.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: Doesn't matter whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade; you always get dialogue options about whether or not the Illusive Man is trustworthy, and whether he knows more than he lets on at the end of several missions (in both cases, often to his face). Granted, a lot of this is to do with Cerberus's reputation and the player's experience of them in the previous game, but even so, its clear that Shepard and other characters are wary of him and his organization, especially as the game goes on and it becomes more and more obvious that they are still up to no good.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DirtyOldMan
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:If Shepard can make him realize that
* 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
* 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 both the Paragon and Renegade endings of the [[{{DLC}} Project Overlord incident]] give further credence to the idea that he still tries to maintain ''some'' ethical standards in his research projects.
** However, his response to "Overlord"'s Renegade ending claims while he thought the experiments went too far, he's happy that Shepard decided to keep the research subject within Cerberus. For the Paragon ending, he complains that "Though your decision is understandable, it has set our efforts to understand the geth back several years." It's possible that while the Illusive Man would happily reap the fruits of even the most unethical projects, he might as well keep Shepard's loyalty by going along with what s/he chooses to do.
*** [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: [[spoiler:Whatever his research ethics were like before, it becomes clear in the third game that he's thrown off any remaining restraints, to the point of attempting to institute a ''second'' Project Overlord, which disgusts even the head of the original project. And this is before the big reveal of the atrocity factory known as Sanctuary.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:As [[MagnificentBastard magnificent]] as he was, he was still way out of his league attempting to take control of the Reapers.]]
* EvilMentor: Tries to be one to Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'', though it's entirely up to the player whether or not Shepard actually follows him.
* [[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.
* {{Expy}}: The Illusive Man's development in ''3'' is rather parallel to Saren's from the first game: they both are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who crosses the MoralEventHorizon to deal with the reaper threat. [[spoiler: While Saren feels that he can work with the reapers to save all organic, TIM decides to try to find a way to control them. They both even justify their actions with the '''exact same''' argument; "the reapers never truly wiped out all of organics". Both of their paths leads to them getting reaper implants, making them easier to be indoctrinated. In the end, they both can also die in the same exact way, committing suicide if Shepard manages to convince them that the reapers are controlling them.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: Although his facial features can occasionally be seen.
* FanNickname: There are some who call him... TIM.
* FantasticRacism: Sort of; at the same time he does express respect
* FatalFlaw: His {{Pride}}. He's so convinced
* FelonyMisdemeanor: In the third game, [[spoiler:his reaction to seeing Shepard after s/he storms his base]]
-->''Shepard, [[spoiler:you're in my chair]].''
* {{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
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn't
** 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.]]
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Bizarrely, almost ''nobody'' comments on them.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Like Saren before him, can be talked into having one, both into realizing that he's indoctrinated and how much his actions have hurt humanity.]]
* [[spoiler:HeWhoFightsMonsters: How did he raise such a huge army in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''? Indoctrination. Unfortunately, indoctrination based on Reaper tech. He wasn't just playing with fire, he was playing with randomly spontaneously combusting thermite. And naturally, he succumbed himself.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:The third game reveals that he's looking for a way to control the Reapers.]]
* 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!"
* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite everything he's done wrong, and the truth behind his actions and motivations in the third game, one of the three endings reveals that [[spoiler:the Illusive Man's plan had a large bit of truth all along. Players who don't wish to destroy all synthetic life or watch the Citadel burst into flames (with all those people who are still stuck on it) will have no choice but to appreciate what he has been working so hard to do.]]
* 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.
* MotiveDecay: [[spoiler: Indoctrination can do that.]]
** [[spoiler: If every Paragon response is chosen, you can see him visibly struggling against Indoctrination during the Thessia mission, where he falters for a moment when Shepard asks him [[ArmourPiercingQuestion how he can possibly justify betraying Humanity]] by fighting them, instead of the ''Reapers?!'']]
* MysteriousEmployer: None of his subordinates know
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally the
** Doubles as a MysteriousBacker in general.
* NecessarilyEvil: His stance
-->
* NotSoDifferent: ''3'' starts to show that he and [[spoiler:Saren]] are frighteningly similar.
* 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.
* ShadowArchetype: Arguably serves as the dark reflection of Admiral Hackett.
** Particularly noticable in ''3'', where they both are described as leaders of Humanity (Cerberus and Alliance respectively), both are gathering resources and intel to defeat the Reapers and both have sent Shepard on Black-Ops missions in previous games.
* ShutUpHannibal: [[spoiler:What Paragon Shepard does to him after destroying the Collector base. Bonus points
** [[spoiler: The whole of the final confrontation with him in the third game consists of
* SlouchOfVillainy: He sits rather casually in his lounge chair most of the time.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Develops shades of this in ''3'' (an attitude Kai Leng embraces wholeheartedly). In this case, "evolution" = [[spoiler: becoming Reaper-tech transhumans.]]
* SmugSnake: [[spoiler:If
* SpannerInTheWorks: Part of how Cerberus operates in ''3''. [[spoiler:Attacking Sur'Kesh to kill the fertile females, and attempting to set off a Turian bomb on Tuchanka in order to prevent races from uniting.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''Mass Effect: Evolution''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To [[spoiler:Saren]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[spoiler:Both seek to use the Reapers as a means to secure the dominance of their race, and end up indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech for their efforts. Shepard can even talk the Illusive Man into suicide in an almost exact replication of Saren. According to a Prothean VI, every cycle has groups like these that emerge.]]
* [[spoiler:TalkingTheMonsterToDeath]]: [[spoiler:You can convince him to kill himself at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''. However, unlike with the encounter with Saren in the first game, which just requires a bunch of points in the Charm or Intimidate skills, the dialogue option to do this with the Illusive Man is ''very'' [[GuideDangIt difficult to unlock]]; you have to have near-max EMS, a completely full Reputation bar, ''and'' have to have taken all of the Persuade options in ''every conversation you have with him during the game''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: In ''Mass Effect 3''. This is slightly justified since he is a NonActionBigBad. A battle with him was originally intended, but they decided that going OneWingedAngel and turning into an unrecognizable monster didn't fit someone whose weapon had always been his mind / ideals. Or because it was "too videogamey".]]
* TomTheDarkLord: His FanNickname is essentially TIM, while his real name is [[spoiler:Jack]]. Go figure.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: It's quite telling how he tends to refer to his employees as "resources".
* TragicHero / TragicVillain: He needs quite a bit of whitewashing to be considered a 'hero', but the fact remains that he had the power, knowledge (his information network nearly rivals the Shadow Broker's), and charisma to stand a significant chance of defeating the Reapers. [[spoiler:Too bad his {{pride}} led to him getting too close to Reaper tech and becoming one of their biggest assets against Shepard. It's hard to argue that, had the Illusive Man sided with Shepard when they encountered one another on Mars, the fight could have been won much sooner and more easily.]]
* TheUnfettered: Is willing to allow any manner of ''horrible'' experiments happen to people in order to secure human dominance, even if those experiments are on other humans.
* UngratefulBastard: Cerberus will oppose Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'' regardless of whether s/he [[spoiler:decided to destroy the Collector base or not]], [[spoiler:though it later becomes clear that this is largely due to indoctrination.]]
* 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]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', he has a pretty epic one when [[spoiler:confronting Shepard and Anderson at the endgame, especially if Shepard keeps pointing out that his plan to control the Reapers is failing because he himself is indoctrinated and playing into their hands]]. It ends with him either [[spoiler:ranting violently at Shepard and trying to shoot him/her and Anderson, or fighting off his indoctrination and committing suicide.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Designed to be the best and worst of humanity all at once.
* 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
* WorthyOpponent: Views Shepard as one, respecting them as an adversary despite their ideological differences.
** Also shown when he chastises Kai Leng for ''clearly'' underestimating Shepard.
Changed line(s) 766,807 (click to see context) from:
[[WMG: Captain Armando-Owen 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, but nevertheless gets promoted to Commander by the start of ''Mass Effect 3''.
* 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.]]
* CanadaEh: Michael Hogan's northern Ontario accent comes through pretty strongly.
* CommandingCoolness: Gets promoted to this by the time you meet him in ''3''.
* DaChief: For Zakera Ward in ''2'', then for C-Sec itself in ''3''.
* DeskJockey: He complains about being one of these after being KickedUpstairs in the third game, the irony being that most of the time you see him, he's behind a desk.
* 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 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 Pallin. Unlike Pallin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* FriendOnTheForce: Acts as one to Shepard.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Willing to engage in dirty business to keep the peace, but he's anything but a thug - see below.
* 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.
* OddFriendship: With Paragon Shepard. Shepard might disapprove of his style and methods of policing, but nonetheless it's clear the two have nothing but an honest respect for the other.
* 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 (at first) Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: He considers this the root of many of the Citadel's social problems, which is why he jumps at the chance to help Thane and Kolyat. He'll eventually admit that he's been in Thane's shoes himself - "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?"
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RetCon: An accidental one regarding his name. A background news report in the second game refers to him as Owen Bailey, but the [[{{DLC}} Lair of the Shadow Broker]] archives refer to him as Armando Bailey. A later Cerberus Daily News report patched up the mistake by giving him the rather unwieldy first name "Armando-Owen."
* {{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 doing so any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
----
[[WMG: Detective Anaya]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anaya_p_555.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nice guns. Try not to use 'em in my district.]]
->''"You're free to go, Justicar. It's been an honor having you in my station...and it's nice you didn't kill me, too."''
-->'''Voiced by''': CindyRobinson
Anaya is a cop on [[CrapsaccharineWorld Illium]] that Shepard meets when looking for Samara. She is quite helpful, as Shepard's cause might draw Samara away from Illium -- and therefore keep Anaya from having to arrest and be subsequently killed by the justicar.
[[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, but nevertheless gets promoted to Commander by the start of ''Mass Effect 3''.
* 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.]]
* CanadaEh: Michael Hogan's northern Ontario accent comes through pretty strongly.
* CommandingCoolness: Gets promoted to this by the time you meet him in ''3''.
* DaChief: For Zakera Ward in ''2'', then for C-Sec itself in ''3''.
* DeskJockey: He complains about being one of these after being KickedUpstairs in the third game, the irony being that most of the time you see him, he's behind a desk.
* 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 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 Pallin. Unlike Pallin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* FriendOnTheForce: Acts as one to Shepard.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Willing to engage in dirty business to keep the peace, but he's anything but a thug - see below.
* 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.
* OddFriendship: With Paragon Shepard. Shepard might disapprove of his style and methods of policing, but nonetheless it's clear the two have nothing but an honest respect for the other.
* 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 (at first) Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: He considers this the root of many of the Citadel's social problems, which is why he jumps at the chance to help Thane and Kolyat. He'll eventually admit that he's been in Thane's shoes himself - "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?"
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RetCon: An accidental one regarding his name. A background news report in the second game refers to him as Owen Bailey, but the [[{{DLC}} Lair of the Shadow Broker]] archives refer to him as Armando Bailey. A later Cerberus Daily News report patched up the mistake by giving him the rather unwieldy first name "Armando-Owen."
* {{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 doing so any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
----
[[WMG: Detective Anaya]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anaya_p_555.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nice guns. Try not to use 'em in my district.]]
->''"You're free to go, Justicar. It's been an honor having you in my station...and it's nice you didn't kill me, too."''
-->'''Voiced by''': CindyRobinson
Anaya is a cop on [[CrapsaccharineWorld Illium]] that Shepard meets when looking for Samara. She is quite helpful, as Shepard's cause might draw Samara away from Illium -- and therefore keep Anaya from having to arrest and be subsequently killed by the justicar.
to:
[[WMG:Aria T'Loak]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
->''"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, but nevertheless gets promoted to Commander by the start of ''Mass Effect 3''.
* 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.
* CommandingCoolness: Gets promoted to this by the time you meet him in ''3''.
* DaChief: For Zakera Ward in ''2'', then for C-Sec itself in ''3''.
* DeskJockey: He complains about being one of these after being KickedUpstairs in the third game, the irony being that most of the time you see him, he's behind a desk.
* 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 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 Pallin. Unlike Pallin, who was a by-the-book cop, Bailey is willing and able to bend the rules if he feels it gets the job done.
* FriendOnTheForce: Acts as one to Shepard.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Willing to engage in dirty business to keep the peace, but he's anything but a thug - see below.
* 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.
* OddFriendship:
* 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 (at first) Garrus.
* ParentalAbandonment: He considers this the root of many of the Citadel's social problems, which is why he jumps at the chance to help Thane and Kolyat. He'll eventually admit that he's been in Thane's shoes himself - "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?"
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RetCon: An accidental one regarding his name. A background news report in the second game refers to him as Owen Bailey, but the [[{{DLC}} Lair of the Shadow Broker]] archives refer to him as Armando Bailey. A later Cerberus Daily News report patched up the mistake by giving him the rather unwieldy first name "Armando-Owen."
* {{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 doing so any time soon.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt]]: [[spoiler:Basically how he got his job, though unintentionally.]]
----
[[WMG: Detective Anaya]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anaya_p_555.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nice guns. Try not to use 'em in my district.]]
->''"You're free to go, Justicar. It's been an honor having you in my station...and it's nice you didn't kill me, too."''
-->'''Voiced by''':
Anaya is
The closest thing [[WretchedHive Omega]] has to a
Changed line(s) 809,853 (click to see context) from:
* BullyingADragon: Though [[SubvertedTrope not by choice]], only by proxy: her superiors ordered her to detain Samara, even though Samara's code would force her to kill Anaya to avoid it. Fortunately, both of them are willing to be reasonable about it.
* ByTheBookCop: She only accepts your evidence against Pitne For because Samara vouches for you.
* DaChief
* DeadpanSnarker: Very much so.
-->'''Shepard:''' 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.
* 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 makes it very clear that she will follow her orders to detain Samara if Samara does not leave Illium, even knowing that her odds of survival are close to zero.
-->'''Anaya:''' I'm a cop and I know my duty.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: At the end of Samara's recruitment mission, Anaya admits that she didn't expect so much from a human.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* ShoutOut: After the mission, she sends you an e-mail titled [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Still Alive]]
[[WMG: Niftu Cal]]
->"I am a biotic GOD! I think things...and they HAPPEN!"
-->'''Voiced by''': Mark Meer
Yeah. THIS guy. A member of Pitne For's trade group, he ran afoul of the Eclipse sisters after Pitne neglected to tell them the red sand he sold them was potentially lethal. Niftu wound up pumped full of his own product and left to wander Nos Astra, stoned out of his gourd, while Pitne scrambled to get off-world.
Has a higher "meme-per-character" count than anyone short of Harbinger.
* AGodAmI
* BattleAura: Unfortunately, it's the most impressive trick he has.
* LargeHam
* NoYou
-->'''Shepard:''' You need help.
-->'''Niftu:''' YOU need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever!
* ShapedLikeItself: "I am a great wind that will sweep all before me like...a great wind! A great biotic wind!"
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with no combat experience versus the leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I shall toss Wasea about like a rag doll!"
* WizardDuel: He fires a tiny Warp field that 'pops' an inch from Wasea's nose, then turns and walks away. She unceremoniously one-shots him, knocking him into the air and behind a few barrels just as Shepard and co. walk in.
[[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 get their maiden stages doing more productive things, and make the effort to study and 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. [[spoiler: She is actually Liara's father. She took the bartending job in Eternity and later the Apollo cafe both to keep an eye on Liara for the other matriarchs and to keep the less sympathetic ones from trying something.]]
to:
* 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
** Although she's quite capable of that, too; as shown in the comics, being the "queen" of Omega hasn't dulled her
*
* DaChief
** Set to star in another 4 issue series called ''Mass Effect: Invasion''.
* DeadpanSnarker:
-->'''Shepard:'''
-->'''Aria:''' I think I'm going to
'''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.
*
*
** 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''.
* FemmeFatale
* GenreSavvy: She has to be this to rule Omega for centuries.
* IAmTheTrope:
-->'''Shepard:''' You run Omega?\\
'''Aria:''' I ''am'' Omega!
* IronLady: Anybody who can keep power in [[WretchedHive Omega]] for centuries is not to be taken lightly. Also, Mass Effect 3 shows that [[spoiler:she has connections as high as the Asari Councilor and can bypass the immigration process of the Citadel simply by asking her.]]
*
*
* MamaBear: If she sees it as hers, she protects it, whether it's Omega itself, her underlings, or [[spoiler:her actual children]].
** In ''Literature/MassEffectRetribution'' 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]].
* MysteriousPast: No one knows where she came from or who she was before she came to Omega, and her name is just a pseudonym. Once Shepard gains her trust (or as much as Aria ever gives), Aria will allude to certain aspects of her past. It's strongly hinted that she's Aleena, the asari commando that Wrex was friends with centuries ago.
-->'''Aria:''' Sometimes you'd rather disappear than be forced to kill someone.
* NGOSuperpower: If Shepard assists Aria in building a force to [[spoiler:re-take Omega from Cerberus]], that force, the [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/War_Assets/Alien#Terminus_Fleet Terminus Fleet]], will assist in the FinalBattle - and only the krogan clans and [[spoiler:geth fleet]] are more powerful. Repeat: she's got more firepower than ''an entire turian fleet.''
* NobleDemon: She's not pleasant, but she's forthcoming with vital information Shepard needs, she approves of Mordin trying to cure the plague (that and of Mordin's willingness to resort to shooting people if the doctor route doesn't work), she's quick to try to help Shepard solve the Ardat-Yakshi problem, she gives you a reward if you do her a couple of favors (specifically she tells you the location of a planet with supplies on it), and in the comics [[spoiler: she becomes extremely angry at the Collectors trying to make deals for live specimens on her station]]. Also, in ''3'', if you do a few errands for she gives you a Terminus Fleet with three "updates" each worth 50 War Asset points, which combined with the Fleet itself makes
* NotSoHarmless: When she
* [[spoiler: OutGambitted: Over the course of ''Invasion''. The Illusive Man is probably lucky Shepard got to him first - Aria wouldn't have made it so quick.]]
* PetTheDog: Has a number of these off-screen, as befitting her
-->'''Anaya:''' I'm
** A minor one in ''3''. If Shepard drinks enough in [[GoodGuyBar Purgatory]] to pass out, s/he comes to next to Aria on Aria's couch, despite the bar being a
* PragmaticVillainy: In ''MassEffect3'', she puts her plans to [[spoiler:take Omega back from Cerberus]] on hold because she realizes that sending her forces against a target that's not the Reapers increases the chance of the Reapers winning. And if the Reapers win, then she'd be dead and unable to reap the rewards of her schemes.
* PrecisionFStrike: "Omega has no titled ruler, and only one rule. Don't ''fuck'' with Aria."
** "[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean I
** Alluded to in ''3''. [[CallBack "It looks like there's only one rule on the Citadel."]]
*
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: In her first scene in the third game, C-Sec threatens to throw her off the station (it only took them three weeks to figure them out she was there illegally). She replies by ringing up the asari councilor (Tevos or Irissa), who waves her through at once.
* TheStarscream: Became this towards the former ruler of Omega, who she later made her [[TheDragon Dragon]].
** Although according to Aria, Patriarch betrayed ''her''; she simply retaliated. Violently.
* TattooedCrook: Although given that Omega has almost no "rule of law" to speak of and she herself is responsible for there being any "order" on Omega ''at all'', she's only a crook "de facto".
* [[spoiler:UnderNewManagement]]: [[spoiler:As of the end of
* [[spoiler:WeWillMeetAgain]]: [[spoiler:What she promises General Petrovsky after he forces her to abandon Omega]].
* WorthyOpponent: She admits that she
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* ShoutOut: After
** She also comes to respect Shepard, even if she
* YouNeedToGetLaid: At one point, Aria will tell Shepard that he/she should find a "nice girl" (if Shepard is male) or a "nice young man" (if Shepard is female) to keep him/her warm in the meantime, since Shepard looks like he/she needs to "loosen up a little."
----
[[WMG:
->"I am
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-ME3_Urdnot_Wreav_4581.png]]
-> ''"Human sentiment tastes like piss. Don't spoil a
-->'''Voiced by''':
Yeah. THIS guy. A member
Wrex's brood-brother who assumes leadership of
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Standard krogan procedure. He gets the
* BloodKnight: Far more 'traditional' than his brother. Whereas Wrex works to create a neutral zone where all clans are welcome, Wreav only co-operates with clan Gatatog because the two of them are at a stalemate.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He apparently disapproves- or would disapprove- of [[spoiler:Maelon's]] experiments, forcing him to turn to Clan Weyrloc.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's pretty much a typical krogan thug.
* MauveShirt: [[spoiler:If Wrex is still alive, Wreav's tomkah gets consumed by Kalros during the Tuchanka finale mission in ''3''.]]
* MilesGloriosus: Wreav will take credit for curing the genophage, claiming he'll be even more famous than Shepard.
* TheMcCoy: To the dalatrass's Spock and the Primarch's Kirk, only he's a lot less nice about it than Wrex.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Treats the fertile females in ''3'' like property and makes disparaging remarks about other species.
* RedOniBlueOni: He's the red to--of all people--''Wrex's'' blue.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Promises one against those responsible for [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka if it goes off]].
* ShinyNewAustralia: Before the final battle, he tells Shepard he wants "this thing you call Australia" in exchange for his help.
* ShutUpHannibal: Once by Wrex (with a headbutt), once by Eve (with her moral suasion).
* SmugSnake: Spends much of ''3'' trying to threaten Shepard. He basically exists to tell
** Despite this he
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Comes across as one of these for Wrex at first, but it soon becomes clear that they're very different in some ''very'' important ways--namely, that Wrex is trying to unite the krogan and
* TheOtherDarrin: Sadly, Jim Cummings did not return to
* TryNotToDie: Before you try to
Has a higher "meme-per-character" count than anyone short of Harbinger.
* AGodAmI
* BattleAura: Unfortunately,
* LargeHam
* NoYou
-->'''Shepard:''' You need help.
-->'''Niftu:''' YOU need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever!
* ShapedLikeItself: "I am a great wind that will sweep all before me like...a great wind! A great biotic wind!"
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with no combat experience versus the leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I shall toss Wasea about
--> "Try not to get killed up there. Fight like a
* WizardDuel: He fires a tiny Warp field that 'pops' an inch from Wasea's nose, then turns
* UngratefulBastard: He's much less grateful than Wrex toward Mordin if he cures the
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives two to Shepard via e-mail in the third game, one if Shepard [[spoiler:spares the Rachni queen, which causes many krogan in Aralakh Company to die]], and
[[WMG:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:Sorry. My father was
[[caption-width-right:350: Nothing I do will ever be justified!]]
-> ''"[[BrokenPedestal For such a
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
A salarian geneticist, former member of the salarian STG and student of Mordin Solus. He also worked on the [[spoiler: modification of the genophage]] alongside Mordin. Unfortunately, he ends up getting captured by a krogan clan, Weyrloc, who are attempting to reverse the effect of the genophage. [[spoiler:Turns out he actually volunteered.]]
-->'''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 get their maiden stages doing more productive things, and make the effort to study and 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. [[spoiler: She is actually Liara's father. She took the bartending job in Eternity and later the Apollo cafe both to keep an eye on Liara for the other matriarchs and to keep the less sympathetic ones from trying something.]]
Changed line(s) 855,898 (click to see context) from:
* CassandraTruth: Whether or not she believes in the Reapers before ''3'', the events of the first game led her to advise her people on Thessia that "art and philosophy and political prowess wasn't gonna cut it", but they didn't want to hear it.
--> "We can't go one asari lifetime without some big war breaking out! We need to get our daughter working earlier, not spending their wild maiden years stripping or in merc bands."
* CoolOldLady: Thanks to being a DeadpanSnarker and DirtyOldWoman.
* BrainBleach: Talks about her mother putting on her old commando leathers for 'special nights with Dad' with embarrassment, and later evokes a similar response from one of her kids while reminiscing about the other parent's breasts.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DirtyOldWoman: Says she goes for asses in ''2''.
* DisappearedDad: Well... ''technically.''
* 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.
* [[spoiler: IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: She gives Shepard a barely-veiled threat along these lines if s/he's been romancing Liara in the third game.]]
* InsistentTerminology: [[spoiler:She insists that she's Liara's father, not her other mother, because she "didn't pop her out"]].
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:If you're romancing Liara, a Renegade interrupt lets you throw "Nobody messes with my girl" back in her face by saying you won't allow any assassination attempts on Liara. She is impressed.]]
* JadeColoredGlasses: She's faced a lot of crap.
* TheLadette: To be expected. Her dad was a Krogan, after all.
* LamarckWasRight: "Scientists say that stuff about us getting genetic material from our fathers is crap. Seems like I got a bit of his mouth, though."
** NatureVersusNurture: She was raised by a krogan father, so it would have rubbed off, genetics or no.
* MadeOfIron: In one of the Shadow Broker archive videos, Matriarch Aethyta headbutts a krogan... and the ''krogan'' falls to the ground.
* MrsRobinson: She flirts with Shepard quite a bit. [[spoiler:The fact that she's 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, and warns that there's a big war every asari lifetime, so they ought to focus less on culture, more on preparing.
* TheNicknamer: Well, she only gives one example rather than tendency, but it's memorable enough to stick to mind: she calls Matriarch Benezia "Nezzy". And refers to Shepard as 'babe' in ''2''.
** [[spoiler: Also prompted Benezia's petname for Liara, "Little-wing".]]
* OnlySaneMan: Was laughed off Thessia for suggesting that they make a serious effort to study and duplicate the Mass Relays. After the third game [[spoiler:becomes even more so after the relays blow or are damaged in any ending in which the asari species survives]]. In ''3'' it does seem like she has a lot more authority; keeping watch on the Shadow Broker aside, two random sidequests have her namedropped. A commando has her approval to get writings on being a warrior made into required reading, and another asari looking into improved biotic amp interfaces mentions her.
* [[spoiler:PapaWolf: Technically falls under this rather than MamaBear since she's the father in the situation. Either way, she has been making sure nobody messes with Liara.]]
* 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 hanar.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:She has been confirmed to be Liara's father. Not that Liara didn't already figure it out. ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExcPXH3ThzA seen here]].)]]
* SophisticatedAsHell: Uses the terms "anthropocentric" and "bag of dicks" in the same breath.
* TooMuchInformation: [[spoiler:Liara's]] reaction to what she says about [[spoiler:Benezia's]] magnificent rack.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Shep can [[http://youtu.be/b2Zs9_oxnSA ask her]] about what it's like to live for a thousand years. Rather than talk about comparative lifespans, Aethyta says it's violent, good news is the exception, and you take comfort where you can.
--> "Then one day you wake up, your figure's gotten matriarchal, and everyone else is too young to remember how the quarians looked inside those suits."
* WolfWhistle: When fondly recalling [[spoiler:Benezia's]] rack.
[[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 for the last phases of the experiment; ''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.]]
to:
--> "We can't go one asari lifetime without some big war breaking out! We need to get our daughter working earlier, not spending their wild maiden years stripping or in merc bands."
* CoolOldLady: Thanks to being a DeadpanSnarker and DirtyOldWoman.
* BrainBleach: Talks about her mother putting on her old commando leathers for 'special nights with Dad' with embarrassment, and later evokes a similar response from one of her kids while reminiscing about
* DeadpanSnarker
* DirtyOldWoman: Says she goes for asses in ''2''.
* DisappearedDad: Well... ''technically.''
* 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.
* FlatWhat: Her reaction when Conrad says that he heard the bar is a front for dealing red sand.
*
*
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:If you're romancing Liara, a Renegade interrupt lets
*
* TheLadette: To be expected. Her dad was a Krogan, after all.
* LamarckWasRight: "Scientists say that stuff about us getting genetic material
** NatureVersusNurture: She was raised by a
* MadeOfIron: In one of the Shadow Broker archive videos, Matriarch Aethyta headbutts a krogan... and the ''krogan'' falls to the ground.
* MrsRobinson: She flirts with Shepard quite a bit. [[spoiler:The fact that she's Liara's dad plays it even closer.
*
* TheNicknamer: Well, she only gives one example rather than tendency, but
**
* HeroWorshipper: [[spoiler:
*
* [[spoiler:PapaWolf: Technically falls under this rather than MamaBear since she's the father in the situation. Either way, she has been making sure nobody messes with Liara.
*
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:She has been confirmed to be Liara's father. Not that Liara didn't already figure it out. ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExcPXH3ThzA seen here]].)]]
* SophisticatedAsHell: Uses the terms "anthropocentric" and "bag of dicks" in the same breath.
* TooMuchInformation: [[spoiler:Liara's]] reaction to what she says about [[spoiler:Benezia's]] magnificent rack.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Shep can [[http://youtu.be/b2Zs9_oxnSA ask her]] about what it's like to live for a thousand years. Rather than talk about comparative lifespans, Aethyta says it's violent, good news is the exception, and
--> "Then one day you wake up, your figure's gotten matriarchal, and everyone else is too young to remember how
* WolfWhistle: When fondly recalling [[spoiler:Benezia's]] rack.
[[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.
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
A Cerberus researcher
* MadScientist: A well-intentioned one, though.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He's been wracked with guilt [[spoiler: ever since he and
[[spoiler:At
* NeverMyFault: When asked about why [[spoiler: he didn't
* WideEyedIdealist: In spite of everything he's seen and done, Maelon still manages to be both idealistic and shockingly naive, even during [[spoiler: a guilt-induced mental breakdown]]. Case in point: [[spoiler: he claims that if Mordin's team hadn't upgraded the
* WellIntentionedExtremist
----
[[WMG:Charr]]
->''"Oh Blue Rose of Illium"''
A random Krogan reciting poetry to try and impress [[http://youtu.be/pFpCSf4D1DY his asari girlfriend, Ereba]]. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' he's a scout looking into the Rachni relay [[spoiler: where he dies offscreen, fighting Reaper-modified Rachni.]]
Changed line(s) 900,914 (click to see context) from:
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He quit Cerberus after the events of ''Overlord'' and is more than willing to help Shepard to defeat the Reapers in Mass Effect 3.]]
* [[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:DrivenToSuicide: If you fail to save David (or just keep quiet about it to make him squirm), he pulls out a pistol and walks away to "escape from this nightmare." [[SoundOnlyDeath You hear a shot a second later.]]]]
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: In ''3.'']]
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini: Even in the Paragon ending.]]
** HeelRealization: That said, [[spoiler:he eventually realizes the awfulness of what he did; when the Illusive Man asks him to do a second Project Overlord, Archer tells him that "if he wanted to find the devil, he need only look in the mirror." Subsequently, he quits Cerberus and is among the ex-Cerberus scientists that Jacob is protecting.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard was well deserved.]]
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A delayed one but he eventually has this reaction to what he did with Project Overlord.]]
* [[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: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and admits that even he knows that nothing he ever will do can make up for what he did to his brother.]]
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in the third game, Shepard's voice is just dripping hatred during the entire conversation with him.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
* [[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:DrivenToSuicide: If you fail to save David (or just keep quiet about it to make him squirm), he pulls out a pistol and walks away to "escape from this nightmare." [[SoundOnlyDeath You hear a shot a second later.]]]]
* [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn: In ''3.'']]
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What he claims, but it doesn't come anywhere ''near'' justifying what he did.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini: Even in the Paragon ending.]]
** HeelRealization: That said, [[spoiler:he eventually realizes the awfulness of what he did; when the Illusive Man asks him to do a second Project Overlord, Archer tells him that "if he wanted to find the devil, he need only look in the mirror." Subsequently, he quits Cerberus and is among the ex-Cerberus scientists that Jacob is protecting.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard was well deserved.]]
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A delayed one but he eventually has this reaction to what he did with Project Overlord.]]
* [[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: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and admits that even he knows that nothing he ever will do can make up for what he did to his brother.]]
* [[spoiler:UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[MoralEventHorizon In this]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog case]], [[CompleteMonster it doesn't]].]]
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in the third game, Shepard's voice is just dripping hatred during the entire conversation with him.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
to:
*
* [[spoiler: CrocodileTears: A variation. He makes a seemingly heartfelt plea for Shepard to let him become TheAtoner and take care of David.
*
* NoAccountingForTaste: Other asari in 3 have this
*
* [[spoiler:IDidWhatIHadToDo: What
*
* ThePowerOfLove: If Ereba takes him back in 2 they're shown on Tuchanka, the
** HeelRealization: That said, [[spoiler:he eventually realizes the awfulness of what he did; when the Illusive Man asks him to do a second Project Overlord, Archer tells him that "if he wanted to find the devil, he need only look in the mirror." Subsequently, he quits Cerberus
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' agrees that him being pistol whipped by Paragon Shepard
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A delayed one
* SonOfTropeDaughterOfIndex: Ereba worries that he only wants her as a way to
* [[spoiler:PistolWhipping: Delivered to him by Paragon Shepard.]]
* [[spoiler:ShootTheShaggyDog: His project turns into this. Almost everyone associated
* [[spoiler: SympathyForTheDevil: Averted. He fully understands why Paragon Shepard views him as CompleteMonster and
* [[spoiler:SomeoneToRememberHimBy]]: If Ereba is convinced to take him back, then he
*
* [[spoiler:ReformedButRejected: If he shows up in the third game, Shepard's voice is just dripping hatred during the entire conversation with him.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown: Has a brief one in ''Overlord's'' Paragon ending.]]
[[WMG:Niket]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Niket_8804.png]]
An old friend of Miranda's who helps her rescue Oriana from her father on her loyalty mission. [[spoiler:He's actually trying to help reunite Oriana with Niket]]
[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler:AntiVillain]]: [[spoiler:Type III]].
* FreudianExcuse: He grew up in poverty, so he believes that [[spoiler:Oriana will be happier with her wealthy father]].
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: He knew Miranda had spy programs in her father's system, so he never mentioned Oriana's exact location. When he admits this, Miranda declares him the only loose end and tries to shoot him. Even if you talk her down, he dies anyway]].
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceDoorSlam]]: [[spoiler:If you take the Paragon approach to dealing with him and stop Miranda from killing him, he is convinced to help Miranda keep Oriana safe. Before he can however, Enyala kills him instead.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler:The third game shows just how terrible a person Henry Lawson is. Miranda, however, does not fall into this trope regarding him, since he had, at least according to her, given no indication that he was untrustworthy or disapproved of her actions regarding Oriana. Niket does acknowledge that Henry's not good people, but he still thinks it wasn't right to steal a baby daughter from him, to the point where finding out makes him break his years-long streak of never talking to him or his allies.]]
* [[spoiler: InTheBack: If Enyala is the one to kill him.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:By Miranda or Enyala, regardless of what you do]].
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* OldFriend: Miranda's only pre-Cerberus associate.
* OnlyFriend: One of the few people Miranda trusts and her only friend while living with her father. [[spoiler:It turns out that trust was misplaced]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:The revelation that the Eclipse mercenaries aren't hunting Niket down, but that he's working with them]]
-->'''Enyala''': Niket has reached the terminal. [[spoiler:He'll switch the family over to our transport]].
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:He accuses Miranda of having stolen a child from her father merely for revenge]].
[[WMG: Urz]]
[[quoteright:168:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Urz-001_3252.jpg]]
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]]
* LickedByTheDog: Despite varren usually trying to kill and/or generally being vicious towards Shepard, even a hardass renegade gets nothing but love from Urz.
* PaletteSwap
* RetiredBadass: Is actually a former pit-fight champion.
* TeamPet: On Tuchanka.
[[hardline]]
!Feron
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Feron_LotSB_8970.png]]
-> ''I am...was...an information trader. Not a slaver.''
A drell information trafficker who teams up with Liara in the ''Redemption'' comic. Cerberus recruits them both to retrieve Shepard's corpse from the Shadow Broker, who turns out to be Feron's employer. Feron balks at the Broker's deal with the Collectors and helps Liara, only to be captured and tortured as an example to the Broker's other followers. In the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, Shepard and Liara bust him out.
* CanonImmigrant
* DeadpanSnarker: Not even two years of imprisonment and ElectricTorture can quite suppress his snarky side.
--> "We'll be back for you, Feron."
--> "I'll try not to go anywhere."
* DistressedDude: The whole point of the Shadow Broker mission is finding him, [[RoaringRampageOfRescue no matter how many mercenaries, mechs or rogue Spectres]] try to stop you.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's more amoral than evil, but works for the Shadow Broker for the money until he learns that he's planning on selling Shepard to the Collectors. He also says it is not in his principles to betray a client or leave a job unfinished.
* FireForgedFriends: With Liara in Redemption. She distrusts him, especially after she learns of his ties with the Shadow Broker, but in the end, she succeeds with his help and devotes herself to rescuing him.
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't get the Broker DLC, Liara's raid on the Broker's ship still happens, but Feron doesn't survive.]]
* KnowledgeBroker
* ReverseMole: To the Shadow Broker, for Cerberus, in Redemption.
* StealthHiBye: When the power to his interrogation chair fails, he vanishes in the second it takes a light to flick off and on. Must be a drell thing.
* YouShallNotPass: Holds off [[TheDragon Tazzik]], a burly and heavily armed salarian who is the Shadow Broker's top enforcer, so Liara can escape with Shepard's corpse in Redemption, leading to his capture.
Deleted line(s) 918,1072 (click to see context) :
[[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..."''
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.
They return in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', leading a massive Migrant Fleet strike on the heart of geth territory at Rannoch, the quarian homeworld.
!!The Admiralty in general
* TheFaceless: Quarians, obviously.
* FantasticRacism / JustAMachine : Zaal'Koris is the only one who reflects on both sides of the geth-quarian war. Gerrel and Xen are actively hostile in different ways, while Raan doubts that "they have different factions" will convince people.
* 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 way 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 got everyone on the Alarei killed and endangered the entire fleet.]]
** 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.
* {{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.
!!Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shalaraan_8438.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:I am not giving you my opinion; I am merely telling you which way the wind is blowing.]]
--> ''"I was there when Tali was born; her mother and I had synced our suits so we could be in the same open-air room. I was sick for a week, but it was worth it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Shohreh Aghdashloo
A close friend of Tali's mother, and flag officer of the Patrol Fleet. Her arm of the flotilla is responsible for picket lines, scouting, and extra-fleet escort duties. Stuck with the fairly thankless task of keeping the other admirals in line, she is sadly aware of the limits of her position and doesn't feel she can do much to change public opinion. If Tali dies in the SuicideMission, she fills her shoes at certain points in ''3'''s story, like Padok Wiks does for Mordin.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: She says her main priority in the trial is getting Tali acquitted.
-->'''Raan''' (angry): I don't give a vorcha's ass about the fleet! I was trying to protect you, Tali!
* DaChief: One of the patrol fleet's main duties is internal fleet law enforcement; as an admiral, she's more police commissioner than soldier.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: If Tali's dead and you save the geth over the quarians, she shoots herself in the head.]]
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: To Tali.
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: If Shepard [[spoiler: experiences the geth consensus]], Raan reads his/her account of seeing it and seems, at the least, taken aback by it and its evidence that there isn't malice on that side of the RobotWar. She can tell Shepard that there was information there that she hadn't been aware of, but when Shep asks if she's having second thoughts about making war against the geth, Raan says that as an admiral of the Migrant Fleet she ''can't'' have second thoughts.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler:Initially was wishy-washy about her stance in the whole Homeworld question, but once momentum started, she sided with Admirals Xen and Gerrel. While Xen wanted to test out all her new toys, and Gerrel was simply itchin' for a fight, Raan just wanted to take the homeworld.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Signs point to Raan becoming a surrogate mother to Tali after Tali's biological mother died in her youth. She's "Auntie Raan" to Tali.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She "wears holes in her suit" for Shepard and Tali's sake, has to keep Koris and Gerrel from bickering at each other in the middle of proceedings, and is the only admiral not trying to push her personal agenda ahead of the truth.
* RulesLawyer: Serves as one on the Admiralty Board during Tali's trial, so that she can ensure that Quarian law is upheld.
--> '''Koris''': Objection! This human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!
--> '''Raan''': Then you should ''not''' have declared Tali, crew of the ''Normandy'', Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's Captain, Shepard ''must'' stay!
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets one from Tali for [[spoiler:not telling her about her father's (at the time)presumed death so her reaction would be more genuine]]. Gives one to Han for [[spoiler:firing on the Dreadnought with Shepard, Tali/Xen and their squadmate(s) inside]], although she does try to placate Shepard.
!!Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zaalkoris_6979.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Once you build the galaxy's biggest [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]], someone will always start looking for nails.]]
--> ''"They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end--for both groups."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Martin Jarvis
An outspoken opponent of Homeworld invasion plans, supporter of geth peace endeavours, and commander of the Civilian Fleet. He's responsible for the well-being of the majority of the fleet's ship numbers.
* AFatherToHisMen
* CassandraTruth: In a cruel twist of fate, he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold the only one who believes the geth were justified in exiling them after attempted genocide]] due to the false assumption that [[AIIsACrapshoot they'd go rogue and kill all quarians]]. [[spoiler: He's not at all wrong either.]]
* ClothingSwitch: Swaps out the pink-trimmed suit for one in all black before [[spoiler: being shot down and crash-landing on Rannoch.]]
* FailOSuckyName: He is ''proud'' of the Qwib-Qwib, and refuses to transfer over "petty insults".
* {{Jerkass}}: The immediate impression we get of him, before we learn he's the most rational and open-minded about the geth conflict.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 admirals' 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.
** JerkassHasAPoint: He is one of the lone quarians who support peace with the geth.
** NiceGuy: In ''3'', he's the only one to stand with Tali in resisting the other admirals' war fever, his main concern is protecting the civilians who make up the bulk of his fleet, and his fervent belief in the fundamental right to life for the geth remains. He ends up becoming more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure than Shala'Raan at times and [[spoiler: his survival]] is absolutely crucial [[spoiler: to broker a peace between the quarians and the geth]].
* KickTheDog: The fact that he's essentially willing to exile Tali, who is innocent, just for political gain does not put a favorable first impression on him, although he is well-intentioned and later sees that he was in error.
* NotSoDifferent: While it doesn't appear so at first, he's actually very similar to ''Paragon Shepard''. Both actively desire to find a way for peace between the two sides, believe the preemptive attack on the Geth was unjustified, while repeatedly calling the other Quarians out on their denial that it ''was'' genocide and their ''[[JustAMachine stubborn refusal]]'' to see the Geth as a '''sentient''' species.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''2'', he's the only quarian Admiral (in fact, one of the few quarians period) who wants to avoid war with the geth. Keep in mind that even Tali'Zorah, who may or may not be working with a geth at this point, thought of the geth as heartless machines. Koris is the only person to sit back and realize that the geth uprising (or the "Morning War" as the geth call it) was the quarians' own fault and the geth probably just want to live. He also is the only admiral who realizes that an outright war is suicidal (justified, since he's in charge of the civilian fleets). He is literally the only quarian in a position of authority who has come to these logical standpoints. The combination of all this pressure has made him extremely frustrated and desperate, and it makes your initial impression of him in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a harsh one. By the third game, he has his act together.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: When a geth ground cannon starts ripping through the quarian fleet, he crashes his ship into it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Not immediately obvious in ''2'', since he seems too willing to [[KickTheDog get Tali exiled for the sake of politics]], but by ''3'' he fits this trope absolutely perfectly.
* ResignedToTheCall: [[spoiler:Should you rescue him after his crash-landing, he becomes a hero to his people, having set foot on the homeworld and lived to tell about it. He's reluctant because the entirety of the rest of his ship's crew perished in the process. Ironic, considering he thought the idea of taking back the homeworld was suicidal folly at best.]]
* [[spoiler:SenselessSacrifice: ''Worse'' than senseless; if you let him die to save his crew, it becomes impossible to avoid the GenocideDilemma later]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to Han'Gerrel's manly man. While Gerrel is a hawkish asskicker who leads the main battle fleet and would love nothing more than to get a piece of the geth, Zaal'Koris looks out for the civilian fleet and wants nothing more than to make peace with the geth, even if that means forgoing the homeworld. He thinks the price of war is simply too high.
* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]
* [[TheExtremistWasRight The Geth Apologist Was Right]]
* TheMenFirst: [[spoiler:After crash-landing on Rannoch, he's adamant that Shepard leaves him behind to save the remnants of his crew. You can convince him otherwise, and despite lamenting his loss, he agrees in hindsight that Shepard was right to do so, as he keeps his Civilian Fleet from faltering.]]
* [[MyCountryRightOrWrong My Fleet Right Or Wrong]]: He was against the war with the geth, his Civilian Fleet was against the war too, but they came anyway when the Migrant Fleet moved against the synthetics.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Han'Gerrel views him as a coward - a "[[BringMyBrownPants suit-wetter]]", to be precise - because he believes in looking for a peaceful resolution to the Geth conflict. [[spoiler: Turns out Zaal'Koris was correct all along.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
!!Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangerrel_1374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Fight well and fly safe.]]
--> ''"Blow up some geth on the way."''
-->'''Voiced by''': Simon Templeman
Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, and a warhawk through and through. He's also a childhood friend of Tali's father. His fleet is the main military force of the Flotilla.
* AffablyEvil: He's constantly polite and respectful towards Shepard and supportive towards Tali during her trial. He also is so determined to destroy the geth that he puts many innocent lives in danger in the process, including Shepard and Tali.
* AntiHero: Type IV as he's pitted against the Reapers.
* AttackAttackAttack: Unless reined in, he ''will'' launch a full frontal assault on anything resembling a geth ship. This includes the geth dreadnought that a fellow Admiral and a hero of the fleet is aboard, and later on [[spoiler:he'll order the entire Migrant Fleet to open up on the geth fleet while they're disabled, and continue ordering the attack when they've been upgraded with advanced Reaper coding unless Tali, Shepard, Zaal'Koris, ''and'' Shala'Raan order him to stop]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He initially comes off as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure, but also supports RevengeBeforeReason when it comes to the geth and doesn't see anything wrong with his ancestors' attempted genocide.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the second game he was the most vocal admiral about wanting to go to war with the geth, but was otherwise incredibly respectful to Shepard and was one of the most sympathetic admirals towards Tali during her trial. Come to the war in the third game, and he becomes single-mindedly obsessed with destroying the geth at the cost of the Migrant Fleet's civilian ships and [[spoiler: even Tali and Shepard while they're on board the geth dreadnought]]. That said, we never saw him at war in ''2''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Seems to have switched places with Koris in ''3'', considering his over-eagerness to destroy the geth dreadnought before Shepard and crew were evacuated from it.
** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
* GeneralRipper: He ''will not stop'' until the geth are ''gone''.
* KnightTemplar: By ''3.'' As they say, WarIsHell.
* LeeroyJenkins: His general strategy in battle is to order the Heavy Fleet head-on into the enemy and then warn the Civilian and Patrol Fleets that, without support, the Heavy Fleet will be wiped out.
* ManipulativeBastard: Despite being a Leeroy, some of his tactics show a cunning political mind; by forcing the attack on the geth dreadnaught, he put Raan in a position where she either had to back him or risk the destruction of the whole fleet, giving him the chance to destroy the geth flagship and give the quarians a fighting chance again.
* NiceGuy: In the second game, though he was always a believer in RevengeBeforeReason.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Wants a piece of the geth in the worst way. Even if it means annihilation of his people.
* TalkToTheFist: When Han'Gerrel orders the Migrant Fleet to [[spoiler: bombard the geth dreadnought Shepard and Tali are aboard]], the aftermath discussion gives Shepard a Renegade interrupt to gut-punch him and boot him off the Normandy. Still, militarily, he made the right decision to [[spoiler:open up on the dreadnought immediately after Legion disabled it, because he simply couldn't take the risk that its weapons, shields, and engines might come back up, and let it go back to ripping through his fleet, although an argument can be made for the fact that he wasted an opportunity to get his ships to safety.]] Paragon Shepard can recognize this, and simply tell Gerrel to let him/her know before he starts shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He goes from being a good friend of Tali and her father to willing to sacrifice her and Shepard to destroy the geth dreadnought. And that's not even covering what he does [[hottip:*:or at least intended to do before thinking better of it should peace happen]] at the end of the Rannoch arc.
* TheUnfettered: He will stop at ''nothing'' to have his vengeance on the geth. [[spoiler:Even if you manage to get the quarians and geth to make peace, its clear that he is absolutely ''furious''.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''2'', he reveals that he believes Tali and Shepard about the Reaper threat (and is one of the few people in any position of authority to do so), and justifies the need to go to war with the geth by claiming that without a planet to shelter their noncombatants, the quarians would be unable to devote the full force of their fleet to the fight against the Reapers.
* WhatTheHellHero: He attacks a geth ship that Shepard's on as soon as the defenses go down. No one else is happy about it. [[TakeThat Shepard even gets to punch him for it]].
!!Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daroxen_9847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Many things are impossible until they are done.]]
--> ''"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy!"''
-->'''Voiced by''': ClaudiaBlack
An eccentric but brilliant researcher, Admiral Xen is responsible for various research vessels in the fleet. Though her arm of the fleet is small, they play a critical role in technical advancement. She does not regard the geth as alive, but as [[JustAMachine malfunctioning machines]].
* ChekhovsGunman: Her interest in Rael'Zorah's research. When you keep quiet about it, she'll send you a message gloating about how she plans to use it on the geth (expose what Rael did and she'll be furious). Additionally, [[spoiler: her use of Rael's research is what starts the quarian-geth war in ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
* ForScience: Introduce Legion to her and she'll express interest in experimenting on it, freaking it out a bit.
--> '''Xen:''' It has a ''name''. Fascinating. The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances...
--> '''Legion:''' This platform is not available for experimentation.
* JustAMachine: Doesn't believe at all that the geth are synthetic lifeforms, just machines that have malfunctioned, comparing them to starships (that are superior in various ways but are still just tools), and, if Shepard refers to [[spoiler: Legion's]] help beating the Collectors, she states that the same could be said of his/her pistol. [[spoiler:Thankfully, nothing seems to comes of it to jeopardize peace should you achieve it in ''3''; she just gets shipped off to the Crucible.]]
* MadScientist: If Tali dies in the suicide mission, she does all the hacking during the dreadnaught mission. This includes making geth platforms dance for her (offscreen) amusement.
--> '''Ash:''' She's not all the way sane, is she?
* TheSociopath: Comes across as one at times, showing a marked lack of empathy towards others and her indifferent tone while discussing how she she performed complex surgery on her childhood toys.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Mentions having performed complex surgery on a childhood toy. Tali thinks this explain a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: The script leak included some information on her post-Rannoch fate that doesn't seem to have made it into the final product. You could confront her directly, or learn about a botched hack attempt from Hackett.]]
* YoureInsane: Tali's opinion of her plan to retake control of the geth, indicating that even among quarians, her views are extreme.
!!Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya
--> ''"I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld..."''
Tali's father. Somewhat distant to Tali due to the burden of being an admiral, he just wanted to build a house for his family on the homeworld.
* [[spoiler: ApocalypticLog: All we ever see of him, and he uses it to give his only child more orders about what to do with his findings.]]
* CrazyPrepared: And ''how!'' [[spoiler: When Tali finds his body on the ''Alarei'', she initially thinks he ''has'' to have an onboard stasis unit in his suit, masked lifesigns, or ''something!'' He ''always'' had a plan! When it becomes clear he's really gone, Tali breaks down into a flood of tears, before realising that he would have thought to have sent her a message, just in case the worst happened. Turns out she's ''right'' and what's more, he knew that Tali would be eventually called back to the Fleet and that she'd attempt to mount a rescue. His final message for Tali is instructions on how she can shut down all the Geth onboard.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Han's story about their pre-Pilgrimage adventure against batarian pirates tells us he has a reckless side and isn't afraid of bending the rules. [[spoiler: Apparently, promotion to admiral only made this worse.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: It's implied that Tali got her legendary technical prowess from him.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: See PapaWolf.
* MarriedToTheJob: Raan implies he wasn't always that way, but after Tali's mother died, he threw himself completely into [[{{Workaholic}} his work.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Rael and Miranda's father, pointed out by Shepard and Tali after Miranda kills her father. Drunk Tali seems to be ''envious'' that Miranda actually got to kill her father, or at the very least stopped him.
* OverprotectiveDad / PapaWolf: In his letter authorising Tali's transfer to Shepard's command, he notes his concern that Tali may be lead astray by Shepard's influence and that if any harm comes to her whatsover, he will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the quarian Admiralty Board down on Shepard's head. [[spoiler:He should've put the same thought into his own actions; despite Rael trying to minimize how much Tali sends him so that she won't be linked to his illegal doings, he and his crew end up getting killed and she gets charged with treason.]]
** If Tali is romanced, she implies in ''3'' that [[spoiler: this would have been Rael's reaction to the relationship]].
--> '''Tali''': I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My ''human'' boyfriend! [[spoiler: Ha! My father would have ''hated'' you!]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: By the time we find him, he's been dead a while.]]
* SinsOfOurFathers: When Rael's experiments go awry, Tali gets caught up in the political fallout.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He wanted to build Tali a house on the home-world, and was prepared to torture sentient creatures in her name in order to achieve that goal.]]
* {{Workaholic}}
Deleted line(s) 1074,1291 (click to see context) :
[[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
One of a squad of Migrant Fleet Marines assigned to protect Tali on their mission to Haestrom. He's also the only one still alive by the time you get there, and whether he lives to see the fleet again depends on you.
[[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, assuming 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.]]
* [[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim: In the third game. Rather jarring, given him being an EnsembleDarkhorse]].
** [[spoiler: However, the bridge is far nicer to Reegar than most examples of this trope: his death is sudden but he ''dies a hero''; thanks entirely to Reegar and his squad the turians don't get their communications messed up.]]
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: Fully happens in the third game; he and his squad fix a vital turian comm relay, then hold the position until krogan reinforcements show up.]]
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: If you bring Legion along to Tali's recruitment mission, Kal'Reegar does react in surprise, shouting that you've got a geth right behind you...but when Legion explains that Legion is an ally, Kal'Reegar is smart enough not to be picky about having some additional help in ''beating the friggin' Geth Colossus.'' Also, if you manage to exonerate Tali without revealing the evidence of Rael's crimes, or if you simply withhold the evidence and allow Tali to be exiled, Reegar manages to figure out that you did in fact have evidence but simply withheld it, although it's not made clear exactly ''how'' Reegar figures it out.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
* [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* [[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. Tali seems to imply that such thinking is common among quarians ("We are expected to be loyal, even when it is difficult").
* 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 you don't use it.
--> '''Tali:''' ...I didn't ''say'' anything about finding evidence, Kal.
-->'''Kal'Reegar:''' Noticed that, ma'am.
* PrecisionFStrike: If you choose '[[GondorCallsForAid Rally the Crowd]]' during Tali's trial, Kal will speak up on her behalf.
--> '''Kal'Reegar:''' Tali's done more for this fleet than you ''assholes'' ever will!
----
[[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]]. If she really is Wrex's old friend Aleena she may be IV. Wrex says Aleena chose to fight him on a station overrun with mercs with no one innocent to get in the way, and fondly says that she was always like that.
* 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.
** Although she's quite capable of that, too; as shown in the comics, being the "queen" of Omega hasn't dulled her battle skills any. A Cerberus scientist expresses amazement at her biotic capabilities.
* 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''.
* DeadpanSnarker: She has her moments in ''3''.
-->'''Shepard:''' How do you plan on [[spoiler:taking Omega back]]?
-->'''Aria:''' I think I'm going to employ violence.
* 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''.
* FemmeFatale
* GenreSavvy: She has to be this to rule Omega for centuries.
* IAmTheTrope:
-->'''Shepard:''' You run Omega?\\
'''Aria:''' I ''am'' Omega!
* IronLady: Anybody who can keep power in [[WretchedHive Omega]] for centuries is not to be taken lightly. Also, Mass Effect 3 shows that [[spoiler:she has connections as high as the Asari Councilor and can bypass the immigration process of the Citadel simply by asking her.]]
* LargeHam: While not as on the same level as Harbinger, Aria is quite hammy for someone played by Carrie-Ann Moss.
* LysistrataGambit: One of the factors that led to her success in overthrowing the Patriarch for control of Omega was that - as she puts it when telling Shepard the story - the Patriarch's men had gotten used to "certain perks" that came with working with asari.
* MamaBear: If she sees it as hers, she protects it, whether it's Omega itself, her underlings, or [[spoiler:her actual children]].
** In ''Literature/MassEffectRetribution'' 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]].
* MysteriousPast: No one knows where she came from or who she was before she came to Omega, and her name is just a pseudonym. Once Shepard gains her trust (or as much as Aria ever gives), Aria will allude to certain aspects of her past. It's strongly hinted that she's Aleena, the asari commando that Wrex was friends with centuries ago.
-->'''Aria:''' Sometimes you'd rather disappear than be forced to kill someone.
* NGOSuperpower: If Shepard assists Aria in building a force to [[spoiler:re-take Omega from Cerberus]], that force, the [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/War_Assets/Alien#Terminus_Fleet Terminus Fleet]], will assist in the FinalBattle - and only the krogan clans and [[spoiler:geth fleet]] are more powerful. Repeat: she's got more firepower than ''an entire turian fleet.''
* NobleDemon: She's not pleasant, but she's forthcoming with vital information Shepard needs, she approves of Mordin trying to cure the plague (that and of Mordin's willingness to resort to shooting people if the doctor route doesn't work), she's quick to try to help Shepard solve the Ardat-Yakshi problem, she gives you a reward if you do her a couple of favors (specifically she tells you the location of a planet with supplies on it), and in the comics [[spoiler: she becomes extremely angry at the Collectors trying to make deals for live specimens on her station]]. Also, in ''3'', if you do a few errands for she gives you a Terminus Fleet with three "updates" each worth 50 War Asset points, which combined with the Fleet itself makes for a whopping ''200'' War Asset points (which is very noble of Aria because the majority of non-major-plotline War Assets are less than 100).
* 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.
* [[spoiler: OutGambitted: Over the course of ''Invasion''. The Illusive Man is probably lucky Shepard got to him first - Aria wouldn't have made it so quick.]]
* PetTheDog: Has a number of these off-screen, as befitting her NobleDemon status. She gives out Shepard's contact information to a wannabe-merc (if Shepard stopped him from joining the mercs going after Archangel) so he can thank Shepard, and gives Shepard's contact information to a grieving mother for the same reason. It's also implied that her reasons for asking Shepard to defend Patriarch aren't entirely to protect her standing.
** A minor one in ''3''. If Shepard drinks enough in [[GoodGuyBar Purgatory]] to pass out, s/he comes to next to Aria on Aria's couch, despite the bar being a level and a half above where Aria is sitting. If Shepard then returns to the bar and gets that drunk ''again'', without leaving that level, she opts not to extend that kindness and Shep wakes up in the elevator.
* PragmaticVillainy: In ''MassEffect3'', she puts her plans to [[spoiler:take Omega back from Cerberus]] on hold because she realizes that sending her forces against a target that's not the Reapers increases the chance of the Reapers winning. And if the Reapers win, then she'd be dead and unable to reap the rewards of her schemes.
* PrecisionFStrike: "Omega has no titled ruler, and only one rule. Don't ''fuck'' with Aria."
** "[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean I like it. Easy to remember.]]"
** Alluded to in ''3''. [[CallBack "It looks like there's only one rule on the Citadel."]]
* PsychoticSmirk: Shepard tends to elicit a few sideways grins from her.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: In her first scene in the third game, C-Sec threatens to throw her off the station (it only took them three weeks to figure them out she was there illegally). She replies by ringing up the asari councilor (Tevos or Irissa), who waves her through at once.
* TheStarscream: Became this towards the former ruler of Omega, who she later made her [[TheDragon Dragon]].
** Although according to Aria, Patriarch betrayed ''her''; she simply retaliated. Violently.
* TattooedCrook: Although given that Omega has almost no "rule of law" to speak of and she herself is responsible for there being any "order" on Omega ''at all'', she's only a crook "de facto".
* [[spoiler:UnderNewManagement]]: [[spoiler:As of the end of ''Mass Effect: Invasion'', Aria is no longer the ruler of Omega]].
* [[spoiler:WeWillMeetAgain]]: [[spoiler:What she promises General Petrovsky after he forces her to abandon Omega]].
* WorthyOpponent: She admits that she has a certain level of respect for the "Patriarch."
** She also comes to respect Shepard, even if she will deride a Paragon for being a "Boyscout/Girlscout".
* YouNeedToGetLaid: At one point, Aria will tell Shepard that he/she should find a "nice girl" (if Shepard is male) or a "nice young man" (if Shepard is female) to keep him/her warm in the meantime, since Shepard looks like he/she needs to "loosen up a little."
----
[[WMG: Urdnot Wreav]]
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-ME3_Urdnot_Wreav_4581.png]]
-> ''"Human sentiment tastes like piss. Don't spoil a death with it."''
-->'''Voiced by''': JimCummings
Wrex's brood-brother who assumes leadership of Clan Urdnot if Wrex dies on Virmire (or if you never recruited him at all). In ''Mass Effect 3'', he either fills Wrex's role as representative of all krogan, or appears briefly as a very reluctant follower of Wrex.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Standard krogan procedure. He gets the other clans to let him represent them through "a time-honored tradition of intimidation, threats and violence."
* BloodKnight: Far more 'traditional' than his brother. Whereas Wrex works to create a neutral zone where all clans are welcome, Wreav only co-operates with clan Gatatog because the two of them are at a stalemate.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He apparently disapproves- or would disapprove- of [[spoiler:Maelon's]] experiments, forcing him to turn to Clan Weyrloc.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's pretty much a typical krogan thug.
* MauveShirt: [[spoiler:If Wrex is still alive, Wreav's tomkah gets consumed by Kalros during the Tuchanka finale mission in ''3''.]]
* MilesGloriosus: Wreav will take credit for curing the genophage, claiming he'll be even more famous than Shepard.
* TheMcCoy: To the dalatrass's Spock and the Primarch's Kirk, only he's a lot less nice about it than Wrex.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Treats the fertile females in ''3'' like property and makes disparaging remarks about other species.
* RedOniBlueOni: He's the red to--of all people--''Wrex's'' blue.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Promises one against those responsible for [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka if it goes off]].
* ShinyNewAustralia: Before the final battle, he tells Shepard he wants "this thing you call Australia" in exchange for his help.
* ShutUpHannibal: Once by Wrex (with a headbutt), once by Eve (with her moral suasion).
* SmugSnake: Spends much of ''3'' trying to threaten Shepard. He basically exists to tell the player "You screwed up and now you're stuck with this guy instead of Wrex."
** Despite this he does have a grudging respect for Shepard, but only Shepard. Everyone else- Squadmembers, [=NPCs=], politicans- he treats like dirt. He also bites his tongue around Eve, but only because she's in a position to cause him trouble if he doesn't play nice with her.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Comes across as one of these for Wrex at first, but it soon becomes clear that they're very different in some ''very'' important ways--namely, that Wrex is trying to unite the krogan and revive their long-forgotten culture, whereas Wreav thinks the krogan are just fine the way they are.
* TheOtherDarrin: Sadly, Jim Cummings did not return to the role in the third game.
* TryNotToDie: Before you try to summon Kalros; it's the most concern he ever shows for you and your team.
--> "Try not to get killed up there. Fight like a krogan, and you'll be fine."
* UngratefulBastard: He's much less grateful than Wrex toward Mordin if he cures the genophage [[spoiler:at the cost of his own life]].
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives two to Shepard via e-mail in the third game, one if Shepard [[spoiler:spares the Rachni queen, which causes many krogan in Aralakh Company to die]], and another if [[spoiler:the bomb on Tuchanka goes off]], promising a RoaringRampageOfRevenge in retaliation.
[[WMG: Maelon Heplorn]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maelon_6526.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Nothing I do will ever be justified!]]
-> ''"[[BrokenPedestal For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions.]]"''
-->'''Voiced by''': FredTatasciore
A salarian geneticist, former member of the salarian STG and student of Mordin Solus. He also worked on the [[spoiler: modification of the genophage]] alongside Mordin. Unfortunately, he ends up getting captured by a krogan clan, Weyrloc, who are attempting to reverse the effect of the genophage. [[spoiler:Turns out he actually volunteered.]]
[[hardline]]
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:He views his research to cure the genophage as this. Mordin on the other hand, views his experiments as far too extreme.]]
** [[spoiler: If Shepard chooses to cure the krogan, and Maelon is still alive, he will send an ecstatic email to Shepard, revealing that he took Mordin's advice and opened another clinic on Omega. He had to scram when Weyrloc put a bounty on his head, but he's just relieved that something good came out of his work after all.]]
* [[spoiler: BoomHeadshot: Mordin executes him at point-blank range if you don't choose the paragon interrupt.]]
* ChekhovsGun: His research data on the genophage. [[spoiler: If you save it, Mordin / Padok can synthesize a cure from Eve's tissue with much less trauma, keeping her alive, and making the krogan war assets more valuable.]]
* TheExtremistWasRight: His data proves crucial to the Tuchanka arc if it's kept. Shepard can lampshade how it seems wrong to use something created from atrocities for good (even though s/he was the one who authorized keeping the data).
* HeroWorshipper: [[spoiler: Prior to his breakdown, he looked up to Mordin. Unfortunately, between the mission to distribute the Modified Genophage and the effects it had on the Krogan, the relationship fell to pieces.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler: Apparently, Maelon thought the krogan would be able to rebuild Tuchanka peacefully with [[AxCrazy Weyrloc Guld]] in charge. True, he joined Clan Weyrloc because they would be able to go to lengths that Clan Urdnot wouldn't, but Maelon's fantasy of a krogan cultural renaissance sounds a little hollow while he's working for a chief who brags about how he'll take over the galaxy and eat salarian eggs as a delicacy once the genophage is cured.]]
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't take the Paragon interrupt, Mordin blows his brains out.]]
* JustSmileAndNod: At the end of the loyalty mission, [[spoiler: Mordin loses his temper over the experiments Maelon has performed and puts a gun to his former student's head; in the event that you take the Paragon Interrupt, Shepard begs him not to pull the trigger, as - in spite of everything that Maelon's said about him - Mordin isn't a murderer.]] Maelon can only smile and nod helplessly.
* MadScientist: A well-intentioned one, though.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He's been wracked with guilt [[spoiler: ever since he and Mordin upgraded the Genophage]], thereby accounting for the worst of his behaviour. [[spoiler: The Shadow Broker archives show that it started during their first mission on Tuchanka, when they were discovered by krogan guards and had to fight their way out - unknowingly killing female krogan in the process. When Maelon tried to issue a formal complaint, arguing that it went against the whole point of their mission, Mordin had him sedated. Apparently, the return to "normality" on Tuchanka and the rising stillbirths drove him even further over the edge; Mordin himself confesses that his failure to notice Maleon's distress or do anything about it only worsened the problem.]] Thankfully, assuming he survives the loyalty mission, Maelon recovers by the third game.
* NeverMyFault: When asked about why [[spoiler: he didn't originally disagree with the upgraded genophage]] he blames Mordin's influence on his behaviour. Furthermore, when he's actively confronted [[spoiler: over the test subjects killed in his search for a cure]] he once again blames Mordin's teachings, even going so far as to claim "[[spoiler:The experiments are monstrous because I was taught to be a monster!]]" Mordin, who deplores [[spoiler:the use of live test subjects]], ''strongly'' disagrees.
* WideEyedIdealist: In spite of everything he's seen and done, Maelon still manages to be both idealistic and shockingly naive, even during [[spoiler: a guilt-induced mental breakdown]]. Case in point: [[spoiler: he claims that if Mordin's team hadn't upgraded the genophage, an expanded krogan population would have stopped Saren at Eden Prime, if only because the Turian fleets would have been forced to keep an eye on the new Krogan colonies in the Traverse. Mordin, on the other hand, believes that the Turian fleets would have just declared war on the Krogan and killed every last one of them; the third game confirms this by revealing that a Turian bomb had been planted under Tunchkana's crust after the Rebellions, to be used if the Krogan ever rose up again.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist
----
[[WMG:Charr]]
->''"Oh Blue Rose of Illium"''
A random Krogan reciting poetry to try and impress [[http://youtu.be/pFpCSf4D1DY his asari girlfriend, Ereba]]. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' he's a scout looking into the Rachni relay [[spoiler: where he dies offscreen, fighting Reaper-modified Rachni.]]
[[hardline]]
* {{Adorkable}}: If Shepard helps bring them back together, s/he points out to Ereba it's obvious that Charr is crazy about her! He's actually written poetry and is serenading her with it! When was the last time anyone saw a ''Krogan'' do that?!
* CulturedBadass
* NoAccountingForTaste: Other asari in 3 have this attitude towards Ereba.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: In 3, he and Ereba have wed. Other asari look down on Ereba for having a krogan husband fighting in the war, with the idea that he won't know who to shoot. Ereba doesn't take kindly to their prejudices.
* NiceGuy
* ThePowerOfLove: If Ereba takes him back in 2 they're shown on Tuchanka, the krogan homeworld. She doesn't like it and is nervous about other krogan not wanting her there - Charr had to talk the chief around, which was probably easier if said chief was Wrex - but he believes that their love will make it okay.
* SonOfTropeDaughterOfIndex: Ereba worries that he only wants her as a way to have kids, since with the genophage and all... She also admits that he didn't seem to have been aware that these hypothetical kids would always have been asari, not krogan, and when she explained that to him, "Charr was quiet for a long time, then he said he'd love our girls no matter what color they are."
* [[spoiler:SomeoneToRememberHimBy]]: If Ereba is convinced to take him back, then he makes a poetic reference to their unborn child.
* WarriorPoet
----
[[WMG:Niket]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Niket_8804.png]]
An old friend of Miranda's who helps her rescue Oriana from her father on her loyalty mission. [[spoiler:He's actually trying to help reunite Oriana with Niket]]
[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler:AntiVillain]]: [[spoiler:Type III]].
* FreudianExcuse: He grew up in poverty, so he believes that [[spoiler:Oriana will be happier with her wealthy father]].
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: He knew Miranda had spy programs in her father's system, so he never mentioned Oriana's exact location. When he admits this, Miranda declares him the only loose end and tries to shoot him. Even if you talk her down, he dies anyway]].
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceDoorSlam]]: [[spoiler:If you take the Paragon approach to dealing with him and stop Miranda from killing him, he is convinced to help Miranda keep Oriana safe. Before he can however, Enyala kills him instead.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler:The third game shows just how terrible a person Henry Lawson is. Miranda, however, does not fall into this trope regarding him, since he had, at least according to her, given no indication that he was untrustworthy or disapproved of her actions regarding Oriana. Niket does acknowledge that Henry's not good people, but he still thinks it wasn't right to steal a baby daughter from him, to the point where finding out makes him break his years-long streak of never talking to him or his allies.]]
* [[spoiler: InTheBack: If Enyala is the one to kill him.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:By Miranda or Enyala, regardless of what you do]].
* [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* OldFriend: Miranda's only pre-Cerberus associate.
* OnlyFriend: One of the few people Miranda trusts and her only friend while living with her father. [[spoiler:It turns out that trust was misplaced]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:The revelation that the Eclipse mercenaries aren't hunting Niket down, but that he's working with them]]
-->'''Enyala''': Niket has reached the terminal. [[spoiler:He'll switch the family over to our transport]].
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:He accuses Miranda of having stolen a child from her father merely for revenge]].
[[WMG: Urz]]
[[quoteright:168:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Urz-001_3252.jpg]]
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]]
* LickedByTheDog: Despite varren usually trying to kill and/or generally being vicious towards Shepard, even a hardass renegade gets nothing but love from Urz.
* PaletteSwap
* RetiredBadass: Is actually a former pit-fight champion.
* TeamPet: On Tuchanka.
[[hardline]]
!Feron
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Feron_LotSB_8970.png]]
-> ''I am...was...an information trader. Not a slaver.''
A drell information trafficker who teams up with Liara in the ''Redemption'' comic. Cerberus recruits them both to retrieve Shepard's corpse from the Shadow Broker, who turns out to be Feron's employer. Feron balks at the Broker's deal with the Collectors and helps Liara, only to be captured and tortured as an example to the Broker's other followers. In the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, Shepard and Liara bust him out.
* CanonImmigrant
* DeadpanSnarker: Not even two years of imprisonment and ElectricTorture can quite suppress his snarky side.
--> "We'll be back for you, Feron."
--> "I'll try not to go anywhere."
* DistressedDude: The whole point of the Shadow Broker mission is finding him, [[RoaringRampageOfRescue no matter how many mercenaries, mechs or rogue Spectres]] try to stop you.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's more amoral than evil, but works for the Shadow Broker for the money until he learns that he's planning on selling Shepard to the Collectors. He also says it is not in his principles to betray a client or leave a job unfinished.
* FireForgedFriends: With Liara in Redemption. She distrusts him, especially after she learns of his ties with the Shadow Broker, but in the end, she succeeds with his help and devotes herself to rescuing him.
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: If you don't get the Broker DLC, Liara's raid on the Broker's ship still happens, but Feron doesn't survive.]]
* KnowledgeBroker
* ReverseMole: To the Shadow Broker, for Cerberus, in Redemption.
* StealthHiBye: When the power to his interrogation chair fails, he vanishes in the second it takes a light to flick off and on. Must be a drell thing.
* YouShallNotPass: Holds off [[TheDragon Tazzik]], a burly and heavily armed salarian who is the Shadow Broker's top enforcer, so Liara can escape with Shepard's corpse in Redemption, leading to his capture.
----
[[/folder]]
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[[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.]]
[[quoteright:342:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harbinger_890.png]]
->''"'''ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.'''"''
-->'''Voiced by''': KeithSzarabajka
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists Go here for the Main villain's examples now]].
The name for Collector drones possessed by the General to fight Shepard directly. [[spoiler: Actually the name of the Reaper in charge of the Collectors, later revealed to be the first Reaper ever built (from the Catalyst's creators, the Leviathans) and the one in charge of the Reapers as a whole.]]
[[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.]]
[[quoteright:342:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harbinger_890.png]]
->''"'''ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.'''"''
-->'''Voiced by''': KeithSzarabajka
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists Go here for the Main villain's examples now]].
The name for Collector drones possessed by the General to fight Shepard directly. [[spoiler: Actually the name of the Reaper in charge of the Collectors, later revealed to be the first Reaper ever built (from the Catalyst's creators, the Leviathans) and the one in charge of the Reapers as a whole.]]
to:
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Secondary]]
[[WMG:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
->''"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.]]
* 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 immediately 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: Complete with whining and hitting things because she can't hear the whispers anymore.]]
* 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.]]
----
[[WMG: The Overlord / David Archer]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
-> '''[[AC: DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE.]]'''
-->'''Voiced by''':
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists Go here
"Project Overlord" is a Cerberus program whose goal is to control the Geth by [[BrainUploading uploading a person's mind into a VI]], creating a "virus with a face" that can exploit their religious impulses. David Archer, the project director's brother, volunteered for the
The name for Collector drones possessed by
* AIIsACrapshoot
* [[spoiler:
* [[spoiler: AndIMustScream: It's not until the
* ArcVillain: He (and his small army of geth) only appears as the antagonist in his DLC, and isn't mentioned in the vanilla game.
* BaldOfEvil: [[spoiler: Well, not really.]]
** [[spoiler: BaldOfAwesome: If you rescued him, he's upgraded to this in the third game.]]
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherInstinct: Invoked by Paragon Shepard, who is utterly ''furious'' at Gavin Archer for what he's done to his brother. After pistol whipping Gavin hard across the face, Shepard threatens him with a bullet through his head if he ''ever'' goes near David again.]]
* BodyHorror[=/=]MedicalHorror: [[spoiler:The rig he's wired into. ''Yeesh''.]]
* BrainUploading
* [[spoiler:BreakTheCutie]]
* BrokenRecord: [[spoiler:"Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of..."]]
* CatchPhrase: David Archer has "Square root of nine hundred six point oh one is thirty point one..."
** On the other hand, the Overlord himself has a catchphrase in the electronically distorted snarls it produces throughout the game. [[spoiler: This is later revealed to be him screaming '''''[[AndIMustScream "QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!"]]''''']]
* [[spoiler: CharacterWitness: If you send him to Grissom Academy, he vouches for you to some scared kids during the Cerberus raid there in ''3''.]]
* ContagiousAI: Infects and controls an army of geth and security mechs. [[spoiler: He can even overpower ''EDI'' if you're not quick enough during the boss fight. Thankfully, he cannot do the same to Legion.]]
* CoresAndTurretsBoss
* 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..."]]
* MachineWorship: The purpose of the project was to get the geth to see him as a sort of god-figure, letting him control them.
* [[spoiler: MasterOfUnlocking: When you meet him again in the third game, he hacks the lock on a security room door for you, providing some weapons and ammo.]]
* [[spoiler: MercyKill: If you leave him with Cerberus, Gavin reveals he eventually "ended his misery".]]
* [[spoiler: NukeEm: In the event that you didn't play ''Overlord'' at all, a meeting with Gavin Archer reveals that Cerberus eventually dealt with the problem themselves via nuclear bomb.]]
* [[spoiler: PhotographicMemory]]
* [[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.]]
** [[spoiler: In the third game, if you rescued him, he's putting his abilities to good use at Grissom Academy, and later, at the Crucible.]]
* 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.]]
* SicklyGreenGlow
* StartOfDarkness: Before you finally face him, The Overlord shows you his origin.
* TerribleTicking: [[spoiler:He's on the receiving end.]]
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]
* [[spoiler: TrustPassword: If sent to Grissom Academy, Shepard finishes his catchphrase for him when they meet again in ''3''. David then vouches for Shepard to the other students, as the wo/man who saved his live from Cerberus.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''David''': The square root of 906.01 is-]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Shepard''' 30.1]]
* 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: 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.]]
-> ''"This is REAL biotic power!"''
-->'''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.]]
Changed line(s) 22,73 (click to see context) from:
* [[spoiler:AndIMustScream: The Catalyst implies that Harbinger was the first species to be turned into a Reaper as a solution to the endless conflict its race had with synthetics. It was not happy with this solution. Now, the only remnants of the Catalyst's creators, who it mercilessly slaughtered, are stuck serving the very being that killed them for all eternity.]]
** [[spoiler:This is later confirmed in the Leviathan DLC.]]
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: [[spoiler: Being a Reaper and all]].
** He's also apparently [[spoiler:the oldest and most powerful Reaper.]]
* 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.
* BigBad: Prime antagonist for the main storyline of the second game, controlling the actions of his surrogates in much the same way as Sovereign did. In ''Mass Effect 3'', it is revealed that he leads the Reapers, being the most powerful and oldest of them all.
** BigBadEnsemble: While he's the top dog, the [[ArcVillain Shadow Broker]] (in ''2'') and the [[TheHeavy Illusive Man]] (in ''3'') are still separate threats in their own right.
* BossInMookClothing: Taken very literally. He doesn't appear in person, but [[DemonicPossession takes over]] regular {{Mooks}}, turning that particular Mook into 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.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: Towards the end of ''3'', Harbinger comes down to Earth to annihilate the Alliance ground forces. The battle is over in a minute, with most of Hammer Company dead and Shepard left severely injured.]]
* 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, and would have gotten the body had the Illusive Man not intervened. Throughout ''MassEffect2'', he lays several traps for Shepard, first deliberately attacking Horizon, then using a 'disabled' Collector ship as bait, and finally [[spoiler:with the Reaper IFF virus]] (and that last one got ''damn'' close). He refuses to even ''enter'' the same galaxy as Shepard until the Collectors are dead, and even then he had one last ace up his sleeve in the form of the Alpha Relay.
** He keeps it up in ''MassEffect3''; the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes of killing Shepard. [[spoiler:And then he slips up at the very end, when he forgets to check if Shepard is dead after [[{{BeamSpam}} Beam Spamming]] Hammer Company to death.]]
* DemonicPossession: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* DemotedToExtra: He's still the apparent leader of the Reapers and thus the BigBad of the game, but his only appearance in ''3'' is [[spoiler:showing up at the very end to attempt to stop Alliance soldiers from beaming up to the Citadel.]]
** To further emphasize this, remember how much he loved to speak and just wouldn't shut up in the second game? [[spoiler: He gets nary a peep in ''3''. Odd, considering you will hear Keith Szarabajka's voice in other parts of the game]].
* [[spoiler:DragonInChief: Since it's revealed that the Citadel is home to the AI that controls all of the Reapers, that would imply that Harbinger is its second-in-command. However, the Catalyst itself doesn't seem to do much, while Harbinger is the driving force of much of the invasion. It isn't even clear if he knows about the Catalyst at all.]]
* [[spoiler:EldritchAbomination]]: [[spoiler: He's a Reaper, and, like Sovereign, just loves reminding you of how far beyond your comprehension he is.]]
* DontMakeMeDestroyYou: '''"IF I MUST TEAR YOU APART, SHEPARD, I WILL."'''
* [[spoiler:EasilyForgiven]]: [[spoiler:In the Synthesis ending, the synthesized people of the galaxy sure don't seem to mind Harbinger and the rest of Reapers helping them rebuild, despite the fact that the Reapers were trying to wipe out all life in the galaxy not too long ago.]]
* 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.
*** [[spoiler:This conflicts with what the Catalyst tells you in 3, since all races are harvested. Presumably, humanity was being considered to become a Sovereign-class Reaper, while the races Harbinger dismisses would've been made into Destroyers instead.]]
*** [[spoiler: Not necessarily. Sovereign-class Reapers are implied to be made of specifically chosen races, while all other races are simply reserved as potential tools such as husks and indoctinated slaves. Likewise, the Protheans are implied to have been turned into Collectors instead of Reapers, which implies that Reaper-production is not ''always'' the case. Harvesting might simply involve archiving a races biological patterns and technological development, before wiping them out after they've been declared "irrelevant".]]
* FightingAShadow: His favorite tactic.
** '''"YOU ONLY DAMAGE THE VESSEL, YOU CANNOT HURT ME."'''
* {{Fireballs}}: He's capable of shooting them. They're kind of like the Warp power that Shepard and co can use, except it's colored differently and also lights things on fire.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom
* HeroKiller: After humanity proved itself a threat, he sent the Collectors to target them specifically. First on the list: that upstart who got Sovereign blown up...
** 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.
** At the climax of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Harbinger ''personally'' comes down and [[spoiler: blasts Shepard, who is ''on foot''.]] Amazingly enough, [[spoiler: ''Shepard lives and keeps on going''.]] However, if your military score is too low, [[spoiler: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNR3RbcVXI&feature=relmfu both of the squadmates]] with [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNR3RbcVXI&feature=relmfu you are killed]].]]
** Also, in the SuicideMission, if you pick the wrong tech expert, squad leader, or both, then Harbinger kills your tech expert with a fireball.
* HopelessBossFight: [[spoiler:When he appears in London, all you can do is dodge his attacks. There is no way to defeat him and he'll get you eventually.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:In the Control Ending Shepard becomes the guiding intelligence of Harbinger and the rest of the Reapers - in other words s/he ASSUMES DIRECT CONTROL of him.]]
* ImplacableMan: '''"I WILL FIND YOU AGAIN."'''
* IncomingHam: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* IAmLegion: Alternates between using "I" and "we"; not only does he have an entire species worth of potential vessels, but [[spoiler: Harbinger himself is an entire organic species uploaded into a Reaper shell.]]
* IShallTauntYou: He is a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaRdcVYTjRw very verbal]] son of a bitch.
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini]]: [[spoiler:In the Synthesis ending, where he pulls a HeelFaceTurn and helps the galaxy rebuild along with the rest of the Reapers. Also in the Refusal ending, where he and the Reapers succeed in their harvest.]]
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: The ''only'' way to kill him, along with the rest of the Reapers, is to choose the Destroy ending in MassEffect3.]]
* LargeAndInCharge: The largest and oldest of the Reapers, and unquestionably their leader.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: According to Leviathan, Harbinger was the first Reaper, which makes its name doubly meaningful - it's the first of many Reapers. The harbinger of many, as it were.]]
** [[spoiler:This is later confirmed in the Leviathan DLC.]]
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: [[spoiler: Being a Reaper and all]].
** He's also apparently [[spoiler:the oldest and most powerful Reaper.]]
* 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.
* BigBad: Prime antagonist for the main storyline of the second game, controlling the actions of his surrogates in much the same way as Sovereign did. In ''Mass Effect 3'', it is revealed that he leads the Reapers, being the most powerful and oldest of them all.
** BigBadEnsemble: While he's the top dog, the [[ArcVillain Shadow Broker]] (in ''2'') and the [[TheHeavy Illusive Man]] (in ''3'') are still separate threats in their own right.
* BossInMookClothing: Taken very literally. He doesn't appear in person, but [[DemonicPossession takes over]] regular {{Mooks}}, turning that particular Mook into 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.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: Towards the end of ''3'', Harbinger comes down to Earth to annihilate the Alliance ground forces. The battle is over in a minute, with most of Hammer Company dead and Shepard left severely injured.]]
* 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, and would have gotten the body had the Illusive Man not intervened. Throughout ''MassEffect2'', he lays several traps for Shepard, first deliberately attacking Horizon, then using a 'disabled' Collector ship as bait, and finally [[spoiler:with the Reaper IFF virus]] (and that last one got ''damn'' close). He refuses to even ''enter'' the same galaxy as Shepard until the Collectors are dead, and even then he had one last ace up his sleeve in the form of the Alpha Relay.
** He keeps it up in ''MassEffect3''; the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes of killing Shepard. [[spoiler:And then he slips up at the very end, when he forgets to check if Shepard is dead after [[{{BeamSpam}} Beam Spamming]] Hammer Company to death.]]
* DemonicPossession: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* DemotedToExtra: He's still the apparent leader of the Reapers and thus the BigBad of the game, but his only appearance in ''3'' is [[spoiler:showing up at the very end to attempt to stop Alliance soldiers from beaming up to the Citadel.]]
** To further emphasize this, remember how much he loved to speak and just wouldn't shut up in the second game? [[spoiler: He gets nary a peep in ''3''. Odd, considering you will hear Keith Szarabajka's voice in other parts of the game]].
* [[spoiler:DragonInChief: Since it's revealed that the Citadel is home to the AI that controls all of the Reapers, that would imply that Harbinger is its second-in-command. However, the Catalyst itself doesn't seem to do much, while Harbinger is the driving force of much of the invasion. It isn't even clear if he knows about the Catalyst at all.]]
* [[spoiler:EldritchAbomination]]: [[spoiler: He's a Reaper, and, like Sovereign, just loves reminding you of how far beyond your comprehension he is.]]
* DontMakeMeDestroyYou: '''"IF I MUST TEAR YOU APART, SHEPARD, I WILL."'''
* [[spoiler:EasilyForgiven]]: [[spoiler:In the Synthesis ending, the synthesized people of the galaxy sure don't seem to mind Harbinger and the rest of Reapers helping them rebuild, despite the fact that the Reapers were trying to wipe out all life in the galaxy not too long ago.]]
* 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.
*** [[spoiler:This conflicts with what the Catalyst tells you in 3, since all races are harvested. Presumably, humanity was being considered to become a Sovereign-class Reaper, while the races Harbinger dismisses would've been made into Destroyers instead.]]
*** [[spoiler: Not necessarily. Sovereign-class Reapers are implied to be made of specifically chosen races, while all other races are simply reserved as potential tools such as husks and indoctinated slaves. Likewise, the Protheans are implied to have been turned into Collectors instead of Reapers, which implies that Reaper-production is not ''always'' the case. Harvesting might simply involve archiving a races biological patterns and technological development, before wiping them out after they've been declared "irrelevant".]]
* FightingAShadow: His favorite tactic.
** '''"YOU ONLY DAMAGE THE VESSEL, YOU CANNOT HURT ME."'''
* {{Fireballs}}: He's capable of shooting them. They're kind of like the Warp power that Shepard and co can use, except it's colored differently and also lights things on fire.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom
* HeroKiller: After humanity proved itself a threat, he sent the Collectors to target them specifically. First on the list: that upstart who got Sovereign blown up...
** 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.
** At the climax of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Harbinger ''personally'' comes down and [[spoiler: blasts Shepard, who is ''on foot''.]] Amazingly enough, [[spoiler: ''Shepard lives and keeps on going''.]] However, if your military score is too low, [[spoiler: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNR3RbcVXI&feature=relmfu both of the squadmates]] with [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNR3RbcVXI&feature=relmfu you are killed]].]]
** Also, in the SuicideMission, if you pick the wrong tech expert, squad leader, or both, then Harbinger kills your tech expert with a fireball.
* HopelessBossFight: [[spoiler:When he appears in London, all you can do is dodge his attacks. There is no way to defeat him and he'll get you eventually.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:In the Control Ending Shepard becomes the guiding intelligence of Harbinger and the rest of the Reapers - in other words s/he ASSUMES DIRECT CONTROL of him.]]
* ImplacableMan: '''"I WILL FIND YOU AGAIN."'''
* IncomingHam: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* IAmLegion: Alternates between using "I" and "we"; not only does he have an entire species worth of potential vessels, but [[spoiler: Harbinger himself is an entire organic species uploaded into a Reaper shell.]]
* IShallTauntYou: He is a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaRdcVYTjRw very verbal]] son of a bitch.
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini]]: [[spoiler:In the Synthesis ending, where he pulls a HeelFaceTurn and helps the galaxy rebuild along with the rest of the Reapers. Also in the Refusal ending, where he and the Reapers succeed in their harvest.]]
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: The ''only'' way to kill him, along with the rest of the Reapers, is to choose the Destroy ending in MassEffect3.]]
* LargeAndInCharge: The largest and oldest of the Reapers, and unquestionably their leader.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: According to Leviathan, Harbinger was the first Reaper, which makes its name doubly meaningful - it's the first of many Reapers. The harbinger of many, as it were.]]
to:
* [[spoiler:AndIMustScream: The Catalyst implies that Harbinger was the first species to be turned into a Reaper as a solution to the endless conflict its race had [[spoiler:AntiVillain]]: [[spoiler:Type III; she works with synthetics. It was not happy with this solution. Now, the only remnants of Broker in order to get intelligence necessary for her Spectre duties, and sees doing the Catalyst's creators, who it mercilessly slaughtered, are stuck serving Broker's dirty work as an acceptable price to pay]]
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: She's a Spectre ''for a reason''.
* {{Badass}}: She's a Spectre. It's a job requirement. [[spoiler:She beats ''Shepard'' in a mid-air wrestle]].
* DeadpanSnarker
* {{Determinator}}
* [[spoiler:TheDragon: To thevery Shadow Broker, being his best fighter. A Spectre herself, Vasir justifies it by saying that killed them her working for all eternity.the Shadow Broker isn't any different from Shepard working with the Illusive Man.]]
** [[spoiler:This is later confirmed * EarlyBirdCameo: She was mentioned in the Leviathan DLC.CerberusDailyNews in February and July 2010.
* [[spoiler:EvilCounterpart: To Commander Shepard, particularly a Paragon. Dips into NotSoDifferent territory as well.]]
*AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: FantasticRacism: [[spoiler:Towards "Purebloods."]]
* FlashStep: Does this to get to [[spoiler:Being a Reaper and all]].
** He's also apparently [[spoiler:the oldest and most powerful Reaper.her hostage.]]
*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.
* BigBad: Prime antagonist for the main storyline of the second game, controlling the actions of his surrogates in much the same way as Sovereign did. In ''Mass Effect 3'', it is revealed that he leads the Reapers, being the most powerful and oldest of them all.
** BigBadEnsemble: While he's the top dog, the [[ArcVillain Shadow Broker]] (in ''2'') and the [[TheHeavy Illusive Man]] (in ''3'') are still separate threats in their own right.
* BossInMookClothing: Taken very literally. He doesn't appear in person, but [[DemonicPossession takes over]] regular {{Mooks}}, turning that particular Mook into 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 youFoeTossingCharge: Most players were taken by surprise by her special talent. [[spoiler:Vanguards snapped out of it at will.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: Towards the end of ''3'', Harbinger comes down to Earth to annihilate the Alliance ground forces. The battle is over in a minute, with most of Hammer Company deadquicker than others and Shepard left severely injured.went "Hey! I can do that too!" Cue Charge spam.]]
*DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Nearly won several times both {{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 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 Normandyretrospect- so where exactly did Vasir get this "good intel," anyway?]]
* GreyAndGreyMorality: She's a Spectre; it comes withas 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, territory. It's also what gives her [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk and would have gotten the body had the Illusive Man not intervened. Throughout ''MassEffect2'', he lays several traps for Shepard, first deliberately attacking Horizon, then using a 'disabled' Collector ship as bait, and finally [[spoiler:with the Reaper IFF virus]] (and that last one got ''damn'' close). He refuses WhatTheHellHero speeches]] more weight.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: [[spoiler:In an attempt toeven ''enter'' the same galaxy as Shepard until the Collectors are dead, and even then he had one last ace up his sleeve in the form of the Alpha Relay.
** He keeps it up in ''MassEffect3''; the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes ofkill Liara, she bombs an entire building killing Shepard. [[spoiler:And then he slips up at the very end, when he forgets to check if Shepard is dead after [[{{BeamSpam}} Beam Spamming]] Hammer Company to death.many innocents.]]
*DemonicPossession: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* DemotedToExtra: He's still the apparent leader of the Reapers and thus the BigBad of the game, but his only appearance in ''3'' is [[spoiler:showing up[[ImplacableMan Implacable Woman]]: [[spoiler:Thrown off a ledge, crashed a flying car at the very end to attempt to stop Alliance soldiers from beaming up great speed, bleeds across a building, takes a metal table to the Citadel.face and still provides a tough boss fight.]]
** To further emphasize this, remember * [[spoiler:KickTheDog]]: [[spoiler:Her remark about how much he loved to speak and just wouldn't shut up her hostage's son will be scarred for life after losing his mother, within earshot of Liara, whose mother was killed in the second game? [[spoiler: He gets nary a peep in ''3''. Odd, considering you will last game and who is not happy to hear Keith Szarabajka's voice in other parts of the game]].
* [[spoiler:DragonInChief: Since it's revealed that the Citadelthis ("I'm going to ''end'' you, Vasir")]].
** [[spoiler:And if Shepard ishome to the AI that controls all of the Reapers, that would imply that Harbinger is its second-in-command. However, the Catalyst itself doesn't seem to do much, while Harbinger is the driving force of much of the invasion. It isn't even clear if he knows about the Catalyst at all.a Colonist, it could also be interpreted as a Kick The Dog intended for Shepard as well.]]
*[[spoiler:EldritchAbomination]]: [[spoiler: He's a Reaper, and, like Sovereign, just loves reminding you of how far beyond your comprehension he is.LightningBruiser: Thanks to her [[spoiler:charge spam.]]
*DontMakeMeDestroyYou: '''"IF I MUST TEAR YOU APART, SHEPARD, I WILL."'''
* [[spoiler:EasilyForgiven]]: [[spoiler:InMadeOfIron: Gets hit with a lot of attacks, but almost never shows up with a visible injury. Also probably the Synthesis ending, toughest boss fight in the synthesized people of the galaxy sure don't seem entire game, partly due to mind Harbinger and the rest of Reapers helping them rebuild, despite the fact that the Reapers were trying to wipe out all life in the galaxy not too long ago.]]
she charges around quickly and has 2 layers of crazy tough protection.
*EvilGloating: Less so than Sovereign, but still.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Almost on parMagicKnight: Comes 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.
*** [[spoiler:This conflicts with what the Catalyst tells you in 3, since all races are harvested. Presumably, humanity wasbeing considered to become a Sovereign-class Reaper, while the races Harbinger dismisses would've been made into Destroyers instead.]]
*** [[spoiler: Not necessarily. Sovereign-class Reapers are implied to be made of specifically chosen races, while all other races are simply reserved as potential tools such as husks and indoctinated slaves. Likewise, the Protheans are implied to have been turned into Collectors instead of Reapers, which implies that Reaper-production is not ''always'' the case. Harvesting might simply involve archiving a races biological patterns and technological development, before wiping them out after they've been declared "irrelevant".]]
* FightingAShadow: His favorite tactic.
** '''"YOU ONLY DAMAGE THE VESSEL, YOU CANNOT HURT ME."'''
* {{Fireballs}}: He's capable of shooting them. They're kind of like the Warp power that Shepard and co can use, except it's colored differently and also lights things on fire.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom
* HeroKiller: After humanity proved itself a threat, he sent the Collectors to target them specifically. First on the list: that upstart who got Sovereign blown up...
** 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 thebiotic. Her special ability to knock them makes her especially stand 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.
** At the climax of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Harbinger ''personally'' comes down and [[spoiler: blasts Shepard, who is ''on foot''.]] Amazingly enough, [[spoiler: ''Shepard lives and keeps on going''.]] However, if your military score is too low, [[spoiler: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNR3RbcVXI&feature=relmfu both of the squadmates]] with [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNR3RbcVXI&feature=relmfu you are killed]].]]
** Also, in the SuicideMission, if you pick the wrong tech expert, squad leader, or both, then Harbinger kills your tech expert with a fireball.
* HopelessBossFight: [[spoiler:When he appears in London, all you can do is dodge his attacks. There is no way to defeat him and he'll get you eventually.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:In the Control Ending Shepard becomes the guiding intelligence of Harbinger and the rest of the Reapers - infrom other words s/he ASSUMES DIRECT CONTROL of him.]]
* ImplacableMan: '''"I WILL FIND YOU AGAIN."'''
* IncomingHam: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* IAmLegion: Alternates between using "I" and "we"; not only does he have an entire species worth of potential vessels, but [[spoiler: Harbinger himself is an entire organic species uploaded into a Reaper shell.]]
* IShallTauntYou: He is a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaRdcVYTjRw very verbal]] son of a bitch.
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini]]: [[spoiler:In the Synthesis ending, where he pulls a HeelFaceTurn and helps the galaxy rebuild along with the rest of the Reapers. Alsoexamples in the Refusal ending, where he and the Reapers succeed in their harvest.]]
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: The ''only'' way to kill him, along with the rest of the Reapers, is to choose the Destroy ending in MassEffect3.]]
* LargeAndInCharge: The largest and oldest of the Reapers, and unquestionably their leader.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: According to Leviathan, Harbinger was the first Reaper, which makes its name doubly meaningful - it's the first of many Reapers. The harbinger of many, as it were.]]Mass Effect.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: She's a Spectre ''for a reason''.
* {{Badass}}: She's a Spectre. It's a job requirement. [[spoiler:She beats ''Shepard'' in a mid-air wrestle]].
* DeadpanSnarker
* {{Determinator}}
* [[spoiler:TheDragon: To the
* [[spoiler:EvilCounterpart: To Commander Shepard, particularly a Paragon. Dips into NotSoDifferent territory as well.]]
*
* FlashStep: Does this to get to [[spoiler:
** He's also apparently [[spoiler:the oldest and most powerful Reaper.
*
** 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.
* BigBad: Prime antagonist for the main storyline of the second game, controlling the actions of his surrogates in much the same way as Sovereign did. In ''Mass Effect 3'', it is revealed that he leads the Reapers, being the most powerful and oldest of them all.
** BigBadEnsemble: While he's the top dog, the [[ArcVillain Shadow Broker]] (in ''2'') and the [[TheHeavy Illusive Man]] (in ''3'') are still separate threats in their own right.
* BossInMookClothing: Taken very literally. He doesn't appear in person, but [[DemonicPossession takes over]] regular {{Mooks}}, turning that particular Mook into 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
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: Towards the end of ''3'', Harbinger comes down to Earth to annihilate the Alliance ground forces. The battle is over in a minute, with most of Hammer Company dead
*
** To be clear on how DangerouslyGenreSavvy Harbinger is, he [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim attacked and destroyed the Normandy
* GreyAndGreyMorality: She's a Spectre; it comes with
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: [[spoiler:In an attempt to
** He keeps it up in ''MassEffect3''; the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes of
*
* DemotedToExtra: He's still the apparent leader of the Reapers and thus the BigBad of the game, but his only appearance in ''3'' is [[spoiler:showing up
* [[spoiler:DragonInChief: Since it's revealed that the Citadel
** [[spoiler:And if Shepard is
*
*
* [[spoiler:EasilyForgiven]]: [[spoiler:In
*
* EvilSoundsDeep: Almost on par
* 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.
*** [[spoiler:This conflicts with what the Catalyst tells you in 3, since all races are harvested. Presumably, humanity was
*** [[spoiler: Not necessarily. Sovereign-class Reapers are implied to be made of specifically chosen races, while all other races are simply reserved as potential tools such as husks and indoctinated slaves. Likewise, the Protheans are implied to have been turned into Collectors instead of Reapers, which implies that Reaper-production is not ''always'' the case. Harvesting might simply involve archiving a races biological patterns and technological development, before wiping them out after they've been declared "irrelevant".]]
* FightingAShadow: His favorite tactic.
** '''"YOU ONLY DAMAGE THE VESSEL, YOU CANNOT HURT ME."'''
* {{Fireballs}}: He's capable of shooting them. They're kind of like the Warp power that Shepard and co can use, except it's colored differently and also lights things on fire.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom
* HeroKiller: After humanity proved itself a threat, he sent the Collectors to target them specifically. First on the list: that upstart who got Sovereign blown up...
** 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
** At the climax of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Harbinger ''personally'' comes down and [[spoiler: blasts Shepard, who is ''on foot''.]] Amazingly enough, [[spoiler: ''Shepard lives and keeps on going''.]] However, if your military score is too low, [[spoiler: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNR3RbcVXI&feature=relmfu both of the squadmates]] with [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNR3RbcVXI&feature=relmfu you are killed]].]]
** Also, in the SuicideMission, if you pick the wrong tech expert, squad leader, or both, then Harbinger kills your tech expert with a fireball.
* HopelessBossFight: [[spoiler:When he appears in London, all you can do is dodge his attacks. There is no way to defeat him and he'll get you eventually.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:In the Control Ending Shepard becomes the guiding intelligence of Harbinger and the rest of the Reapers - in
* ImplacableMan: '''"I WILL FIND YOU AGAIN."'''
* IncomingHam: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* IAmLegion: Alternates between using "I" and "we"; not only does he have an entire species worth of potential vessels, but [[spoiler: Harbinger himself is an entire organic species uploaded into a Reaper shell.]]
* IShallTauntYou: He is a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaRdcVYTjRw very verbal]] son of a bitch.
* [[spoiler:KarmaHoudini]]: [[spoiler:In the Synthesis ending, where he pulls a HeelFaceTurn and helps the galaxy rebuild along with the rest of the Reapers. Also
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: The ''only'' way to kill him, along with the rest of the Reapers, is to choose the Destroy ending in MassEffect3.]]
* LargeAndInCharge: The largest and oldest of the Reapers, and unquestionably their leader.
* 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.]]
** [[spoiler: According to Leviathan, Harbinger was the first Reaper, which makes its name doubly meaningful - it's the first of many Reapers. The harbinger of many, as it were.]]
Changed line(s) 75,98 (click to see context) from:
* MotherOfAThousandYoung: [[spoiler: According to Leviathan, Harbinger was the first Reaper, and created all other Reapers in its own image.]]
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: [[spoiler:He's the oldest of the Reapers, formed from the Leviathans, and his design reflects this: the "tentacles" are fewer, his "eyes" glow yellow and his "tail" section is doubled by a crest.]]
* PowersViaPossession: He can apparently force this upon those he controls. Includes heavy shield/armor upgrades and biotic-singularity-throwing as a package deal.
* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler: Hammer Company attempts an all-or-nothing dash towards the Conduit as he's blasting them to pieces; not surprisingly, [[CurbStompBattle they're all but completely annihilated.]]]]
* 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]]
* ScriptedBattle: [[spoiler: His single appearance in ''Mass Effect 3'' is less of a battle and more you frantically trying to dodge his lasers while you run to the Conduit. No matter what happens, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption he ends up hitting you]]]].
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: It's Har'''binger'''. Not Har'''bringer'''. There is no R in the middle.
* TragicVillain: [[spoiler: See AndIMustScream.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:Subverted in Mass Effect 3. [[CurbStompBattle Harbinger confronts the alliance ground team directly and destroys them in less than a minute.]]]]
* 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."'''
* WorthyOpponent: Gives a backhanded compliment that he considers Shepard to be one in ''Arrival''.
--> '''Harbinger''': Shepard. You have become an ''annoyance''.
* 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]].
** [[spoiler: In the third game, he wastes no time firing at Shepard with his main gun.]]
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:"You have failed. We will find another way."]]
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: [[spoiler:He's the oldest of the Reapers, formed from the Leviathans, and his design reflects this: the "tentacles" are fewer, his "eyes" glow yellow and his "tail" section is doubled by a crest.]]
* PowersViaPossession: He can apparently force this upon those he controls. Includes heavy shield/armor upgrades and biotic-singularity-throwing as a package deal.
* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler: Hammer Company attempts an all-or-nothing dash towards the Conduit as he's blasting them to pieces; not surprisingly, [[CurbStompBattle they're all but completely annihilated.]]]]
* 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]]
* ScriptedBattle: [[spoiler: His single appearance in ''Mass Effect 3'' is less of a battle and more you frantically trying to dodge his lasers while you run to the Conduit. No matter what happens, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption he ends up hitting you]]]].
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: It's Har'''binger'''. Not Har'''bringer'''. There is no R in the middle.
* TragicVillain: [[spoiler: See AndIMustScream.]]
* 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. [[spoiler:Subverted in Mass Effect 3. [[CurbStompBattle Harbinger confronts the alliance ground team directly and destroys them in less than a minute.]]]]
* 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."'''
* WorthyOpponent: Gives a backhanded compliment that he considers Shepard to be one in ''Arrival''.
--> '''Harbinger''': Shepard. You have become an ''annoyance''.
* 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]].
** [[spoiler: In the third game, he wastes no time firing at Shepard with his main gun.]]
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:"You have failed. We will find another way."]]
to:
* MotherOfAThousandYoung: [[spoiler: According to Leviathan, Harbinger was [[spoiler:TheMole]]
* [[spoiler:NotSoDifferent: Picture Renegade female Shepard as an asari, working for thefirst Reaper, and created all other Reapers Shadow Broker instead of the Illusive Man; ''that's'' Tela Vasir in its own image.a nutshell.]]
*NonStandardCharacterDesign: [[spoiler:He's [[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 oldest of the Reapers, formed from the Leviathans, and his design reflects this: the "tentacles" are fewer, his "eyes" glow yellow and his "tail" section is doubled by first game that no asari would be cruel enough to call her a crest.pureblood to her face.]]
* PowersViaPossession: He can apparently force this upon those he controls. Includes heavy shield/armor upgrades and biotic-singularity-throwing as a package deal.
* RealityEnsues:*** [[spoiler: Hammer Company attempts an all-or-nothing dash towards Liara had never fought Asari prior to the Conduit as he's blasting first game. If you hear some idle NPC conversation, some of them speak of pureblood Asari in a very offensive manner, and in one case no more than five steps away from one. Asari are VERY mean when they aren't playing ElvesAreAlwaysRight to pieces; not surprisingly, [[CurbStompBattle they're all but completely annihilated.]]]]
* RecurringBoss: Every time a Collector level rolls around, you'll encounter him again. And again. And again. [[DemonicSpider And again...other species.]]
*ResistanceIsFutile: '''"YOU CANNOT RESIST."''' '''"WHY DO YOU RESIST US, SHEPARD?"''' '''"EVOLUTION CANNOT BE STOPPED."''' And so on.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:He'sPutDownYourGunAndStepAway: [[spoiler:She resorts to taking a Reaper and civilian hostage during the ManBehindTheMan]].
* [[spoiler:SapientShip]]
* ScriptedBattle: [[spoiler: His single appearance in ''Mass Effect 3'' is less of a battle and more you frantically tryingchase sequence. You can drop your thermal clips, keep her talking her long enough for Liara to dodge his lasers hit her with a table, or shoot her through the hostage's shoulder. "You'll live."]]
* [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk]]: [[spoiler:Calls Shepard out on judging her for working with the Shadow Broker whileyou run to (s)he works for the Conduit. No matter what happens, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption he ends up hitting you]]]].
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: It's Har'''binger'''. Not Har'''bringer'''. There is no R inequally-shady Cerberus. Falls a little flat if Shepard has gone through the middle.
* TragicVillain: [[spoiler: See AndIMustScream.Omega relay and quit the organization, though; unfortunately, dialogue is unchanged.]]
*TransformationIsAFreeAction: Averted. His TransformationSequence is several seconds long and he UnderestimatingBadassery: She does seem visibly unnerved when Shepard lists off the reasons why she should back down ''now''.
** Seemingly more so with the Paragon version;
--> '''Shepard''': [[AndThenWhat Is that it?]]
--> '''Vasir''': [[FlatWhat What?]]
--> '''Shepard''': Vasir, I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the ''Destiny Ascension''. I unleashed the rachni on the galaxy. So for your own sake, I hope your escape plan doesn'tdo anything else in the meantime. Since the sequence causes him hinge on me ''hesitating [[BewareTheNiceOnes to briefly rise into the air and out of cover, this is always the best time to attack him.
shoot a damn hostage.]]''
*TransformationSequence
[[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist]]
*TheUnfought: Not counting the innumerable fights with possessed Collectors, you never directly confront Harbinger. [[spoiler:Subverted in Mass Effect 3. [[CurbStompBattle Harbinger confronts the alliance ground team directly and destroys them in less than a minute.]]]]
* 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."'''
* WorthyOpponent: Gives a backhanded compliment that he considers Shepard to be one in ''Arrival''.
--> '''Harbinger''': Shepard. You have become an ''annoyance''.
* 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...WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Her last words.]]
** 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]].
** [[spoiler: In the third game, he wastes no time firing at Shepard with his main gun.]]
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:"You have failed. We will find another way."]]
* [[spoiler:NotSoDifferent: Picture Renegade female Shepard as an asari, working for the
*
* RealityEnsues:
* RecurringBoss: Every time a Collector level rolls around, you'll encounter him again. And again. And again. [[DemonicSpider And again...
*
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:He's
* [[spoiler:SapientShip]]
* ScriptedBattle: [[spoiler: His single appearance in ''Mass Effect 3'' is less of a battle and more you frantically trying
* [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk]]: [[spoiler:Calls Shepard out on judging her for working with the Shadow Broker while
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: It's Har'''binger'''. Not Har'''bringer'''. There is no R in
* TragicVillain: [[spoiler: See AndIMustScream.
*
** Seemingly more so with the Paragon version;
--> '''Shepard''': [[AndThenWhat Is that it?]]
--> '''Vasir''': [[FlatWhat What?]]
--> '''Shepard''': Vasir, I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the ''Destiny Ascension''. I unleashed the rachni on the galaxy. So for your own sake, I hope your escape plan doesn't
*
*
* 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."'''
* WorthyOpponent: Gives a backhanded compliment that he considers Shepard to be one in ''Arrival''.
--> '''Harbinger''': Shepard. You have become an ''annoyance''.
* 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...
** [[spoiler: In the third game, he wastes no time firing at Shepard with his main gun.]]
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:"You have failed. We will find another way."]]
Changed line(s) 101,130 (click to see context) from:
[[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.]]
* NightmareFace: There's something unsettling about its face.
* 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.]]
[[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.]]
* NightmareFace: There's something unsettling about its face.
* 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.]]
to:
[[WMG: The Collector General]]
Shadow Broker, AKA [[spoiler:Operative Kechlu]]]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/collector_gen_320.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:HUMAN, YOU'VE CHANGED NOTHING.org/pmwiki/pub/images/me2shadowbroker_ship_4324.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:ElaborateUndergroundBase? Feh.]]
-> ''"'''YOU PRETEND TO BE EVERYWHERE AT ONCE. I ALREADY AM.'''"''
->''"I know your every secret, while you fumble in the dark."''
-->'''Voiced by''':KeithSzarabajka
[[spoiler:SteveBlum]]
Aspecial Collector that leads powerful figure in the galaxy's black market who specializes in finding secret information 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 selling it to the individuals concerned after highest bidder. In the exchange is completed.
In addition,first game, he/she hired Wrex to assassinate a former agent who betrayed him/her. [[spoiler:After Shepard's death in the General appears interested in human biotics, as well as Shepard in particular and sequel's opening, the human race in general. Just as Saren used Husks Broker tried to support his army of geth, the General also uses Husks sell his/her body 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 ofthe 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 but was stopped by Liara. "Lair Of The Shadow Broker" reveals that The Shadow Broker to acquire Shepard's body is a yahg, a violent species not seen 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 thatMass Effect universe until now. After he's received, including killed by Shepard, Liara takes his place as the abducted human colonists.
** This also happensthird known Shadow Broker - [[WildMassGuessing at least 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,her knowledge]]. His remains are currently in that we never meet the mouth in person either.]]
* NightmareFace: There's something unsettling about its face.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler:He's not the real villain, justa 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.]]coffee cup on Liara's desk]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:HUMAN, YOU'VE CHANGED NOTHING.
[[caption-width-right:350:ElaborateUndergroundBase? Feh.]]
-->'''Voiced by''':
A
In addition,
The General appears to be the leader of
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
** This also happens
* [[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,
* NightmareFace: There's something unsettling about its face.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler:He's not the real villain, just
* 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.]]
Changed line(s) 132,157 (click to see context) from:
![[spoiler:The Human Reaper]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[hottip:Click here to see its picture:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/human-reaper_3122.jpg]]]]
[[spoiler:A new Reaper that was being constructed by the Collectors. It was the reason for the Collectors abducting human colonies in the Terminus systems and taking the colonists to the Collector base. The colonists were broken down into genetic material and pumped through tubes that lead to the Reaper itself. The Reaper was destroyed by Commander Shepard while it was largely incomplete.]]
[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler:AttackItsWeakPoint]]
* [[spoiler:BackgroundBoss]]
* [[spoiler:BreathWeapon]]
* [[spoiler: TheCameo]]: [[spoiler:Appears towards the end of the Cerberus Base in ''Mass Effect 3'', though it's inactive and heavily damaged. Depending on whether you left the Collector Base intact or not, you'll salvage either its heart or its brain as a War Asset.]]
* [[spoiler:EldritchAbomination]]: [[spoiler:Being a Reaper.]]
** [[spoiler:HumanoidAbomination]]: [[spoiler:Though it is actually part human genetically. It is enormous, but is also the same shape as a human.]]
* [[spoiler: FetusTerrible]]: [[spoiler:In Reaper terms, it hasn't even come close to being born yet.]]
* [[spoiler:FinalBoss]]: [[spoiler:Of the second game.]]
* [[spoiler: GoForTheEye]]
* [[spoiler:HumongousMecha]]
* [[spoiler:LoadBearingBoss]]
* NightmareFace
* [[spoiler:PoweredByAForsakenChild]]: [[spoiler:Millions of them, actually.]]
* [[spoiler:SkeleBot9000]]
* [[spoiler:TheReveal: The very existence of this thing is a reveal in itself, but specifically, it reveals the reason why the Collectors do what they do.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: [[spoiler:Although "walking" may not be the best term, considering that it's only a torso.]]
to:
[[hardline]]
* [[spoiler:AttackItsWeakPoint]]
* [[spoiler:BackgroundBoss]]
* [[spoiler:BreathWeapon]]
*
*
**
* ArcVillain: Main antagonist of ''Redemption'', a comic set between Shepard's death and revival.
* [[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
* 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: As much of a threat as Harbinger for the second game, though he is only encountered in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''.
** [[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:
* 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
*** 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
* [[spoiler: GeniusBruiser: He speaks eleven languages without a translator (no small feat, considering how his mouth is shaped), and has the savvy needed to
* [[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: An ''incredibly'' good one, with access to the most privileged information in the universe. Even the Illusive Man, a figure so secretive that most people are unaware he even exists, can keep no secrets from the Shadow Broker, who knows about his private life in such detail that his dossier includes ''which specific suit he is wearing that day''.
* [[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''', it's implied that his predecessor wasn't the original Broker either.]]
** [[spoiler: ''"Operative Kechlu"'' was the name of the agent the Shadow Broker sent to find him. After he was dead, the previous Shadow Broker sent a message that essentially said, "Congratulations, you are ''now'' Operative Kechlu".]]
* [[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.
* 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...]]
* 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.]]
*
* [[spoiler:HumongousMecha]]
* [[spoiler:LoadBearingBoss]]
* NightmareFace
* [[spoiler:PoweredByAForsakenChild]]: [[spoiler:Millions
*
* [[spoiler:TheReveal: The very existence of
*
Changed line(s) 159,243 (click to see context) from:
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Secondary]]
[[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 immediately 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: Complete with whining and hitting things because she can't hear the whispers anymore.]]
* 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.]]
----
[[WMG: The Overlord / David Archer]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/overlord_5768.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:MAKE IT STOP!]]
-> '''[[AC: DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE.]]'''
-->'''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]], creating a "virus with a face" that can exploit their religious impulses. David Archer, the project director's brother, volunteered for the procedure - unfortunately, the VI immediately went haywire and is now on a rampage to escape. [[spoiler:It turns out that David didn't volunteer at all.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot
* [[spoiler: AntiVillain]]
* [[spoiler: AndIMustScream: It's not until the end of the DLC that the indecipherable noises that the Overlord was making suddenly clear up, and it's realized that it was David ''trying'' to scream for help.]]
* ArcVillain: He (and his small army of geth) only appears as the antagonist in his DLC, and isn't mentioned in the vanilla game.
* BaldOfEvil: [[spoiler: Well, not really.]]
** [[spoiler: BaldOfAwesome: If you rescued him, he's upgraded to this in the third game.]]
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherInstinct: Invoked by Paragon Shepard, who is utterly ''furious'' at Gavin Archer for what he's done to his brother. After pistol whipping Gavin hard across the face, Shepard threatens him with a bullet through his head if he ''ever'' goes near David again.]]
* BodyHorror[=/=]MedicalHorror: [[spoiler:The rig he's wired into. ''Yeesh''.]]
* BrainUploading
* [[spoiler:BreakTheCutie]]
* BrokenRecord: [[spoiler:"Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of..."]]
* CatchPhrase: David Archer has "Square root of nine hundred six point oh one is thirty point one..."
** On the other hand, the Overlord himself has a catchphrase in the electronically distorted snarls it produces throughout the game. [[spoiler: This is later revealed to be him screaming '''''[[AndIMustScream "QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!"]]''''']]
* [[spoiler: CharacterWitness: If you send him to Grissom Academy, he vouches for you to some scared kids during the Cerberus raid there in ''3''.]]
* ContagiousAI: Infects and controls an army of geth and security mechs. [[spoiler: He can even overpower ''EDI'' if you're not quick enough during the boss fight. Thankfully, he cannot do the same to Legion.]]
* CoresAndTurretsBoss
* 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..."]]
* MachineWorship: The purpose of the project was to get the geth to see him as a sort of god-figure, letting him control them.
* [[spoiler: MasterOfUnlocking: When you meet him again in the third game, he hacks the lock on a security room door for you, providing some weapons and ammo.]]
* [[spoiler: MercyKill: If you leave him with Cerberus, Gavin reveals he eventually "ended his misery".]]
* [[spoiler: NukeEm: In the event that you didn't play ''Overlord'' at all, a meeting with Gavin Archer reveals that Cerberus eventually dealt with the problem themselves via nuclear bomb.]]
* [[spoiler: PhotographicMemory]]
* [[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.]]
** [[spoiler: In the third game, if you rescued him, he's putting his abilities to good use at Grissom Academy, and later, at the Crucible.]]
* 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.]]
* SicklyGreenGlow
* StartOfDarkness: Before you finally face him, The Overlord shows you his origin.
* TerribleTicking: [[spoiler:He's on the receiving end.]]
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]
* [[spoiler: TrustPassword: If sent to Grissom Academy, Shepard finishes his catchphrase for him when they meet again in ''3''. David then vouches for Shepard to the other students, as the wo/man who saved his live from Cerberus.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''David''': The square root of 906.01 is-]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Shepard''' 30.1]]
* 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: 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.]]
-> ''"This is REAL biotic power!"''
-->'''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.]]
to:
The Blue Suns are, ostensibly, a corporation of PrivateMilitaryContractors founded by Vido Santiago and Zaeed Massani. In reality, they are a wide spanning criminal empire involved in the trading of slaves and drugs, and are in control of many planets in the Terminus systems.
The Blue Suns are a human dominated organization, however turians and batarians both also make up large parts of the group. Unlike the Eclipse, all races serve in all roles, from grunts to elite troops to commanders.
!!The Blue Suns in general
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Commanders.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive
* EnemyMine: Aria can help Shepard get their allegiance in ''MassEffect3''.
* FacelessGoons
* FaceHeelTurn / VillainWithGoodPublicity: BackStory revealed throughout the game, particularly from Codex entries and planet summaries, show that the Blue Suns have several BigDamnHeroes moments to their credit, though at least a few were less heroic intention and more circumstances working out that way while they achieved their main goals.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform
* KillItWithFire: Blue Suns Pyros.
* {{Mooks}}: The most commonly battled mooks in the game.
** EliteMooks: Centurions and Legionnaires. Like normal troopers, except with a Vindicator battle rifle or Scimitar shotgun instead of an Avenger series assault rifle, specialized ammo, and shields.
** KingMook: Blue Suns Commanders, soldiers with three thick layers of protection (shields, armor, and health) who wield {{BFG}}s such as Claymore shotguns or Revenant light machine guns as weapons.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* NGOSuperpower: The amount of resources they have at their disposal is truly frightening. Among other things, they possess: hundreds of thousands of soldiers, heavy mechs and gunships that are just as advanced as the stuff the Alliance uses, at least three whole planets and all their people as workforce, several front corporations, a krogan cloning lab, the materials to make city destroying weaponry, and a refinery on Zorya.
* PrivateMilitaryContractor
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The turians seem to think so. Excepting Warden Kuril, all the turian Blue Suns troops wield shotguns. [[ShortRangeShotgun It actually puts them at a disadvantage most of the time.]]
* TheJailer: They run a prison ship, the Purgatory.
* VillainTeamUp: They team up with the other big merc groups to defeat Archangel early in the game. They lose.
!!Vido Santiago
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:They're coming.]]
->''"Only
--> ''"Actually, take your shot. Give me a
-->'''Voiced
An old friend
The CEO of
* AdventurerArchaeologist
* BadassBookworm: Not as badass as other examples
* [[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
* 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 immediately 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: Complete with whining and hitting things because she can't hear the whispers anymore.]]
* 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.]]
----
[[WMG: The Overlord / David Archer]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/overlord_5768.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:MAKE IT STOP!]]
-> '''[[AC: DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE.]]'''
-->'''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]], creating a "virus with a face" that can exploit their religious impulses. David Archer, the project director's brother, volunteered for the procedure - unfortunately, the VI immediately went haywire and is now on a rampage to escape. [[spoiler:It turns out that David didn't volunteer at all.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot
* [[spoiler: AntiVillain]]
* [[spoiler: AndIMustScream: It's not until the end of the DLC that the indecipherable noises that the Overlord was making suddenly clear up, and it's realized that it was David ''trying'' to scream for help.]]
* ArcVillain: He (and his small army of geth) only appears as the antagonist in his DLC, and isn't mentioned in the vanilla game.
* BaldOfEvil: [[spoiler: Well, not really.]]
** [[spoiler: BaldOfAwesome: If you rescued him, he's upgraded to this in the third game.]]
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherInstinct: Invoked by Paragon Shepard, who is utterly ''furious'' at Gavin Archer for what he's done to his brother. After pistol whipping Gavin hard across the face, Shepard threatens him with a bullet through his head if he ''ever'' goes near David again.]]
* BodyHorror[=/=]MedicalHorror: [[spoiler:The rig he's wired into. ''Yeesh''.]]
* BrainUploading
* [[spoiler:BreakTheCutie]]
* BrokenRecord: [[spoiler:"Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of 912.4 is 30.2... it all seemed harmless. Square root of..."]]
* CatchPhrase: David Archer has "Square root of nine hundred six point oh one is thirty point one..."
** On the other hand, the Overlord himself has a catchphrase in the electronically distorted snarls it produces throughout the game. [[spoiler: This is later revealed to be him screaming '''''[[AndIMustScream "QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!"]]''''']]
* [[spoiler: CharacterWitness: If you send him to Grissom Academy, he vouches for you to some scared kids during the Cerberus raid there in ''3''.]]
* ContagiousAI: Infects and controls an army of geth and security mechs. [[spoiler: He can even overpower ''EDI'' if you're not quick enough during the boss fight. Thankfully, he cannot do the same to Legion.]]
* CoresAndTurretsBoss
* 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..."]]
* MachineWorship: The purpose of the project was to get the geth to see him as a sort of god-figure, letting him control them.
* [[spoiler: MasterOfUnlocking: When you meet him again in the third game, he hacks the lock on a security room door for you, providing some weapons and ammo.]]
* [[spoiler: MercyKill: If you leave him with Cerberus, Gavin reveals he eventually "ended his misery".]]
* [[spoiler: NukeEm: In the event that you didn't play ''Overlord'' at all, a meeting with Gavin Archer reveals that Cerberus eventually dealt with the problem themselves via nuclear bomb.]]
* [[spoiler: PhotographicMemory]]
* [[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.]]
** [[spoiler: In the third game, if you rescued him, he's putting his abilities to good use at Grissom Academy, and later, at the Crucible.]]
* 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.]]
* SicklyGreenGlow
* StartOfDarkness: Before you finally face him, The Overlord shows you his origin.
* TerribleTicking: [[spoiler:He's on the receiving end.]]
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]
* [[spoiler: TrustPassword: If sent to Grissom Academy, Shepard finishes his catchphrase for him when they meet again in ''3''. David then vouches for Shepard to the other students, as the wo/man who saved his live from Cerberus.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''David''': The square root of 906.01 is-]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Shepard''' 30.1]]
* 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: 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.]]
-> ''"This is REAL biotic power!"''
-->'''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.]]
Deleted line(s) 245,364 (click to see context) :
* [[spoiler:AntiVillain]]: [[spoiler:Type III; she works with the Broker in order to get intelligence necessary for her Spectre duties, and sees doing the Broker's dirty work as an acceptable price to pay]]
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: She's a Spectre ''for a reason''.
* {{Badass}}: She's a Spectre. It's a job requirement. [[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."]]
* FlashStep: Does this to get to [[spoiler: her hostage.]]
* 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 gives her [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk and WhatTheHellHero speeches]] more weight.
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:KickTheDog]]: [[spoiler:Her remark about how her hostage's son will be scarred for life after losing his mother, within earshot of Liara, whose mother was killed in the last game and who is not happy to hear this ("I'm going to ''end'' you, Vasir")]].
** [[spoiler:And if Shepard is a Colonist, it could also be interpreted as a Kick The Dog intended for Shepard as well.]]
* 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.]]
*** [[spoiler: Liara had never fought Asari prior to the first game. If you hear some idle NPC conversation, some of them speak of pureblood Asari in a very offensive manner, and in one case no more than five steps away from one. Asari are VERY mean when they aren't playing ElvesAreAlwaysRight to other species.]]
* PutDownYourGunAndStepAway: [[spoiler:She resorts to taking a civilian hostage during the chase sequence. You can drop your thermal clips, keep her talking her long enough for Liara to hit her with a table, or shoot her through the hostage's shoulder. "You'll live."]]
* [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk]]: [[spoiler:Calls Shepard out on judging her for working with the Shadow Broker while (s)he works for the equally-shady Cerberus. Falls a little flat if Shepard has gone through the Omega relay and quit the organization, though; unfortunately, dialogue is unchanged.]]
* UnderestimatingBadassery: She does seem visibly unnerved when Shepard lists off the reasons why she should back down ''now''.
** Seemingly more so with the Paragon version;
--> '''Shepard''': [[AndThenWhat Is that it?]]
--> '''Vasir''': [[FlatWhat What?]]
--> '''Shepard''': Vasir, I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the ''Destiny Ascension''. I unleashed the rachni on the galaxy. So for your own sake, I hope your escape plan doesn't hinge on me ''hesitating [[BewareTheNiceOnes to shoot a damn hostage.]]''
* [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist]]
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Her last words.]]
----
[[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]]. His remains are currently in a coffee cup on Liara's desk]]
----
* 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.
* ArcVillain: Main antagonist of ''Redemption'', a comic set between Shepard's death and revival.
* [[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: As much of a threat as Harbinger for the second game, though he is only encountered in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''.
** [[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: An ''incredibly'' good one, with access to the most privileged information in the universe. Even the Illusive Man, a figure so secretive that most people are unaware he even exists, can keep no secrets from the Shadow Broker, who knows about his private life in such detail that his dossier includes ''which specific suit he is wearing that day''.
* [[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''', it's implied that his predecessor wasn't the original Broker either.]]
** [[spoiler: ''"Operative Kechlu"'' was the name of the agent the Shadow Broker sent to find him. After he was dead, the previous Shadow Broker sent a message that essentially said, "Congratulations, you are ''now'' Operative Kechlu".]]
* [[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.
* 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 galaxy. Of course, his primary reason was to save his own skin. Saving the universe just means he gets to keep his power.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Planned on doing this to Tali, although Fist betrayed him for Saren, leaving Tali unaware of how the Broker was going to betray her, too.]]
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt: How he got the job. And how his successor gets the job too.]]
----
[[WMG: The Blue Suns]]
The Blue Suns are, ostensibly, a corporation of PrivateMilitaryContractors founded by Vido Santiago and Zaeed Massani. In reality, they are a wide spanning criminal empire involved in the trading of slaves and drugs, and are in control of many planets in the Terminus systems.
The Blue Suns are a human dominated organization, however turians and batarians both also make up large parts of the group. Unlike the Eclipse, all races serve in all roles, from grunts to elite troops to commanders.
!!The Blue Suns in general
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Commanders.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive
* EnemyMine: Aria can help Shepard get their allegiance in ''MassEffect3''.
* FacelessGoons
* FaceHeelTurn / VillainWithGoodPublicity: BackStory revealed throughout the game, particularly from Codex entries and planet summaries, show that the Blue Suns have several BigDamnHeroes moments to their credit, though at least a few were less heroic intention and more circumstances working out that way while they achieved their main goals.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform
* KillItWithFire: Blue Suns Pyros.
* {{Mooks}}: The most commonly battled mooks in the game.
** EliteMooks: Centurions and Legionnaires. Like normal troopers, except with a Vindicator battle rifle or Scimitar shotgun instead of an Avenger series assault rifle, specialized ammo, and shields.
** KingMook: Blue Suns Commanders, soldiers with three thick layers of protection (shields, armor, and health) who wield {{BFG}}s such as Claymore shotguns or Revenant light machine guns as weapons.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* NGOSuperpower: The amount of resources they have at their disposal is truly frightening. Among other things, they possess: hundreds of thousands of soldiers, heavy mechs and gunships that are just as advanced as the stuff the Alliance uses, at least three whole planets and all their people as workforce, several front corporations, a krogan cloning lab, the materials to make city destroying weaponry, and a refinery on Zorya.
* PrivateMilitaryContractor
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The turians seem to think so. Excepting Warden Kuril, all the turian Blue Suns troops wield shotguns. [[ShortRangeShotgun It actually puts them at a disadvantage most of the time.]]
* TheJailer: They run a prison ship, the Purgatory.
* VillainTeamUp: They team up with the other big merc groups to defeat Archangel early in the game. They lose.
!!Vido Santiago
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vido_5980.jpg]]
--> ''"Actually, take your shot. Give me a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again."''
-->'''Voiced By''': Richard Green
The CEO of the Blue Suns and Zaeed's rival. He, along with Zaeed, were the founding members of the Blue Suns. However, years later, Vido betrayed Zaeed, shot him in the face, and left him for dead, leaving Vido the sole controller of the most powerful NGOSuperpower in the Terminus systems. Zaeed still searches for him to this day. [[spoiler: On Zaeed's loyalty mission, he can either be burned to death by Zaeed at the cost of the innocent civilians in the factory, or could get away, allowing you to save the civilians.]]
[[hardline]]
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: She's a Spectre ''for a reason''.
* {{Badass}}: She's a Spectre. It's a job requirement. [[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."]]
* FlashStep: Does this to get to [[spoiler: her hostage.]]
* 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 gives her [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk and WhatTheHellHero speeches]] more weight.
* 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.]]
* [[spoiler:KickTheDog]]: [[spoiler:Her remark about how her hostage's son will be scarred for life after losing his mother, within earshot of Liara, whose mother was killed in the last game and who is not happy to hear this ("I'm going to ''end'' you, Vasir")]].
** [[spoiler:And if Shepard is a Colonist, it could also be interpreted as a Kick The Dog intended for Shepard as well.]]
* 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.]]
*** [[spoiler: Liara had never fought Asari prior to the first game. If you hear some idle NPC conversation, some of them speak of pureblood Asari in a very offensive manner, and in one case no more than five steps away from one. Asari are VERY mean when they aren't playing ElvesAreAlwaysRight to other species.]]
* PutDownYourGunAndStepAway: [[spoiler:She resorts to taking a civilian hostage during the chase sequence. You can drop your thermal clips, keep her talking her long enough for Liara to hit her with a table, or shoot her through the hostage's shoulder. "You'll live."]]
* [[spoiler:ShutUpKirk]]: [[spoiler:Calls Shepard out on judging her for working with the Shadow Broker while (s)he works for the equally-shady Cerberus. Falls a little flat if Shepard has gone through the Omega relay and quit the organization, though; unfortunately, dialogue is unchanged.]]
* UnderestimatingBadassery: She does seem visibly unnerved when Shepard lists off the reasons why she should back down ''now''.
** Seemingly more so with the Paragon version;
--> '''Shepard''': [[AndThenWhat Is that it?]]
--> '''Vasir''': [[FlatWhat What?]]
--> '''Shepard''': Vasir, I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the ''Destiny Ascension''. I unleashed the rachni on the galaxy. So for your own sake, I hope your escape plan doesn't hinge on me ''hesitating [[BewareTheNiceOnes to shoot a damn hostage.]]''
* [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist]]
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Her last words.]]
----
[[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]]. His remains are currently in a coffee cup on Liara's desk]]
----
* 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.
* ArcVillain: Main antagonist of ''Redemption'', a comic set between Shepard's death and revival.
* [[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: As much of a threat as Harbinger for the second game, though he is only encountered in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''.
** [[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: An ''incredibly'' good one, with access to the most privileged information in the universe. Even the Illusive Man, a figure so secretive that most people are unaware he even exists, can keep no secrets from the Shadow Broker, who knows about his private life in such detail that his dossier includes ''which specific suit he is wearing that day''.
* [[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''', it's implied that his predecessor wasn't the original Broker either.]]
** [[spoiler: ''"Operative Kechlu"'' was the name of the agent the Shadow Broker sent to find him. After he was dead, the previous Shadow Broker sent a message that essentially said, "Congratulations, you are ''now'' Operative Kechlu".]]
* [[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.
* 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 galaxy. Of course, his primary reason was to save his own skin. Saving the universe just means he gets to keep his power.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Planned on doing this to Tali, although Fist betrayed him for Saren, leaving Tali unaware of how the Broker was going to betray her, too.]]
* [[spoiler:YouKillItYouBoughtIt: How he got the job. And how his successor gets the job too.]]
----
[[WMG: The Blue Suns]]
The Blue Suns are, ostensibly, a corporation of PrivateMilitaryContractors founded by Vido Santiago and Zaeed Massani. In reality, they are a wide spanning criminal empire involved in the trading of slaves and drugs, and are in control of many planets in the Terminus systems.
The Blue Suns are a human dominated organization, however turians and batarians both also make up large parts of the group. Unlike the Eclipse, all races serve in all roles, from grunts to elite troops to commanders.
!!The Blue Suns in general
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Commanders.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive
* EnemyMine: Aria can help Shepard get their allegiance in ''MassEffect3''.
* FacelessGoons
* FaceHeelTurn / VillainWithGoodPublicity: BackStory revealed throughout the game, particularly from Codex entries and planet summaries, show that the Blue Suns have several BigDamnHeroes moments to their credit, though at least a few were less heroic intention and more circumstances working out that way while they achieved their main goals.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform
* KillItWithFire: Blue Suns Pyros.
* {{Mooks}}: The most commonly battled mooks in the game.
** EliteMooks: Centurions and Legionnaires. Like normal troopers, except with a Vindicator battle rifle or Scimitar shotgun instead of an Avenger series assault rifle, specialized ammo, and shields.
** KingMook: Blue Suns Commanders, soldiers with three thick layers of protection (shields, armor, and health) who wield {{BFG}}s such as Claymore shotguns or Revenant light machine guns as weapons.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* NGOSuperpower: The amount of resources they have at their disposal is truly frightening. Among other things, they possess: hundreds of thousands of soldiers, heavy mechs and gunships that are just as advanced as the stuff the Alliance uses, at least three whole planets and all their people as workforce, several front corporations, a krogan cloning lab, the materials to make city destroying weaponry, and a refinery on Zorya.
* PrivateMilitaryContractor
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The turians seem to think so. Excepting Warden Kuril, all the turian Blue Suns troops wield shotguns. [[ShortRangeShotgun It actually puts them at a disadvantage most of the time.]]
* TheJailer: They run a prison ship, the Purgatory.
* VillainTeamUp: They team up with the other big merc groups to defeat Archangel early in the game. They lose.
!!Vido Santiago
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vido_5980.jpg]]
--> ''"Actually, take your shot. Give me a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again."''
-->'''Voiced By''': Richard Green
The CEO of the Blue Suns and Zaeed's rival. He, along with Zaeed, were the founding members of the Blue Suns. However, years later, Vido betrayed Zaeed, shot him in the face, and left him for dead, leaving Vido the sole controller of the most powerful NGOSuperpower in the Terminus systems. Zaeed still searches for him to this day. [[spoiler: On Zaeed's loyalty mission, he can either be burned to death by Zaeed at the cost of the innocent civilians in the factory, or could get away, allowing you to save the civilians.]]
[[hardline]]
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[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists here]].
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[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists here]].Go here for the Main villain's examples now]].
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Starting a cleanup.
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[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists here]].
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* NobleDemon: She's not pleasant, but she's forthcoming with vital information Shepard needs, she approves of Mordin trying to cure the plague (that and of Mordin's willingness to resort to shooting people if the doctor route doesn't work), she's quick to try to help Shepard solve the Ardat-Yakshi problem, she gives you a reward if you do her a couple of favors (specifically she tells you the location of a planet with supplies on it), and in the comics [[spoiler: she becomes extremely angry at the Collectors trying to make deals for live specimens on her station]]. Also, in ''3'', if you do a few errands for she gives you a Terminus Fleet with three "updates" each worth 50 War Asset points, which combined with the Fleet itself makes for a whopping ''200'' War Asset points (which is very noble of Alia because the majority of non-major-plotline War Assets are less than 100).
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* NobleDemon: She's not pleasant, but she's forthcoming with vital information Shepard needs, she approves of Mordin trying to cure the plague (that and of Mordin's willingness to resort to shooting people if the doctor route doesn't work), she's quick to try to help Shepard solve the Ardat-Yakshi problem, she gives you a reward if you do her a couple of favors (specifically she tells you the location of a planet with supplies on it), and in the comics [[spoiler: she becomes extremely angry at the Collectors trying to make deals for live specimens on her station]]. Also, in ''3'', if you do a few errands for she gives you a Terminus Fleet with three "updates" each worth 50 War Asset points, which combined with the Fleet itself makes for a whopping ''200'' War Asset points (which is very noble of Alia Aria because the majority of non-major-plotline War Assets are less than 100).
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** [[spoiler: However, the bridge is far nicer to Reegar than most examples of this trope: his death is sudden but he ''dies a hero''; thanks entirely to Reegar and his squad the turians don't get their communications messed up.]]
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* HiddenDepths
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''.]]
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* HiddenDepths
HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: If you bring Legion along to Tali's recruitment mission, Kal'Reegar does react in surprise, shouting that you've got a geth right behind you...but when Legion explains that Legion is an ally, Kal'Reegar is smart enough not to be picky about having some additional help in ''beating the friggin' Geth Colossus.'' Also, if you manage to exonerate Tali without revealing the evidence of Rael's crimes, or if you simply withhold the evidence and allow Tali to be exiled, Reegar manages to figure out that you did in fact have evidence but simply withheld it, although it's not made clear exactly ''how'' Reegar figures it out.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Even if you save him on Haestrom, he's doomed to die ''off-screen''. An off-screen hero, however, whose squad is single-handedly responsible for the turians not losing an important communications relay.]]
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* NobleDemon
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* NobleDemonNobleDemon: She's not pleasant, but she's forthcoming with vital information Shepard needs, she approves of Mordin trying to cure the plague (that and of Mordin's willingness to resort to shooting people if the doctor route doesn't work), she's quick to try to help Shepard solve the Ardat-Yakshi problem, she gives you a reward if you do her a couple of favors (specifically she tells you the location of a planet with supplies on it), and in the comics [[spoiler: she becomes extremely angry at the Collectors trying to make deals for live specimens on her station]]. Also, in ''3'', if you do a few errands for she gives you a Terminus Fleet with three "updates" each worth 50 War Asset points, which combined with the Fleet itself makes for a whopping ''200'' War Asset points (which is very noble of Alia because the majority of non-major-plotline War Assets are less than 100).
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* TattooedCrook
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* TattooedCrookTattooedCrook: Although given that Omega has almost no "rule of law" to speak of and she herself is responsible for there being any "order" on Omega ''at all'', she's only a crook "de facto".
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* YouNeedToGetLaid: At one point, Aria will tell Shepard that he/she should find a "nice girl" (if Shepard is male) or a "nice young man" (if Shepard is female) to keep him/her warm in the meantime, since Shepard looks like he/she needs to "loosen up a little."
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* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: [[Don'tExplainTheJoke Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]]]
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* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: [[Don'tExplainTheJoke Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]]]]]
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* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi.
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* StealthPun: He occasionally considers transferring to a ship with a respectable name like Defrahnz or Iktomi. [[spoiler: [[Don'tExplainTheJoke Which would make the last part of his name either "vas deferens", the part of the male anatomy that transports sperm, or "vasectomy", a procedure that permanently sterilizes a man.]]]]
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* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did.
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* TookALevelInKindness: He's taken the complete opposite CharacterDevelopment in ''3'' than Han'Gerrel did.
did, although this is partially because this time around, Shepard has an interest in stopping the war just like Koris does (because Shepard needs as many fleets as he/she can get to fight the Reapers, and the quarians' decision to fight the geth could potentially cause a waste of valuable quarian resources).
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** [[FridgeBrilliance But Gerrel and Koris never actually switched their primary goals]]. Shepard's ''own goal'' has switched from game to game; in ''2'', Shepard was primarily interested in exonerating Tali. Since Tali was the daughter of fellow warmonger Rael'Zorah and since Tali (initially) shared Rael's views, exonerating Tali would help Gerrel's cause and set Koris' cause back, so Gerrel is helpful to you and Tali while Koris is a jerk. In ''3'', this time Shepard is gathering as many fleets as possible to take on the Reapers, so it's in Shepard's best interest that the quarians not be too busy fighting a war with the geth. So ''this'' time, Shepard's own switched goal helps Koris' cause and obstructs Gerrel's cause, so Gerrel is at odds with Shepard and Koris is on Shepard's side.
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Yeah. THIS guy. A member of Pitne For's trade group, he ran afoul of the Eclipse sisters after Pitne neglected to tell them the red sand he sold them was potentially lethal. Niftu wound up pumped full of his own product and left to wander Illium, stoned out of his gourd, while Pitne scrambled to get off-world.
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Yeah. THIS guy. A member of Pitne For's trade group, he ran afoul of the Eclipse sisters after Pitne neglected to tell them the red sand he sold them was potentially lethal. Niftu wound up pumped full of his own product and left to wander Illium, Nos Astra, stoned out of his gourd, while Pitne scrambled to get off-world.
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* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with no combat experience versus the leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I will tear Wasea about like a rag doll!"
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* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with no combat experience versus the leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I will tear shall toss Wasea about like a rag doll!"
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[[WMG: Niftu Cal]]
->"I am a biotic GOD! I think things...and they HAPPEN!"
-->'''Voiced by''': Mark Meer
Yeah. THIS guy. A member of Pitne For's trade group, he ran afoul of the Eclipse sisters after Pitne neglected to tell them the red sand he sold them was potentially lethal. Niftu wound up pumped full of his own product and left to wander Illium, stoned out of his gourd, while Pitne scrambled to get off-world.
Has a higher "meme-per-character" count than anyone short of Harbinger.
* AGodAmI
* BattleAura: Unfortunately, it's the most impressive trick he has.
* LargeHam
* NoYou
-->'''Shepard:''' You need help.
-->'''Niftu:''' YOU need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever!
* ShapedLikeItself: "I am a great wind that will sweep all before me like...a great wind! A great biotic wind!"
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with no combat experience versus the leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I will tear Wasea about like a rag doll!"
* WizardDuel: He fires a tiny Warp field that 'pops' an inch from Wasea's nose, then turns and walks away. She unceremoniously one-shots him, knocking him into the air and behind a few barrels just as Shepard and co. walk in.
->"I am a biotic GOD! I think things...and they HAPPEN!"
-->'''Voiced by''': Mark Meer
Yeah. THIS guy. A member of Pitne For's trade group, he ran afoul of the Eclipse sisters after Pitne neglected to tell them the red sand he sold them was potentially lethal. Niftu wound up pumped full of his own product and left to wander Illium, stoned out of his gourd, while Pitne scrambled to get off-world.
Has a higher "meme-per-character" count than anyone short of Harbinger.
* AGodAmI
* BattleAura: Unfortunately, it's the most impressive trick he has.
* LargeHam
* NoYou
-->'''Shepard:''' You need help.
-->'''Niftu:''' YOU need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever!
* ShapedLikeItself: "I am a great wind that will sweep all before me like...a great wind! A great biotic wind!"
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tanked-up merchant with no combat experience versus the leader of a murderous AmazonBrigade. "I will tear Wasea about like a rag doll!"
* WizardDuel: He fires a tiny Warp field that 'pops' an inch from Wasea's nose, then turns and walks away. She unceremoniously one-shots him, knocking him into the air and behind a few barrels just as Shepard and co. walk in.
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** [[spoiler:And if Shepard is a Colonist, it could also be interpreted as a Kick The Dog intended for Shepard as well.]]
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The Human-Reaper was merely the core. The Reaper shape itself is the outer hull, which had not been constructed yet.
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* MotherOfAThousandYoung: [[spoiler: According to Leviathan, Harbinger was the first Reaper, and created all other Reapers in its own image, which makes the Human Reaper odd.]]
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* MotherOfAThousandYoung: [[spoiler: According to Leviathan, Harbinger was the first Reaper, and created all other Reapers in its own image, which makes the Human Reaper odd.image.]]
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** He keeps it up in ''MassEffect3''; the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes of killing Shepard. [[spoiler:And then he slips up at the very end, when he forgets to check if Shepard is dead after [[{{BeamSpam Beam Spamming]] Hammer Company to death.
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** He keeps it up in ''MassEffect3''; the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes of killing Shepard. [[spoiler:And then he slips up at the very end, when he forgets to check if Shepard is dead after [[{{BeamSpam [[{{BeamSpam}} Beam Spamming]] Hammer Company to death.]]
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** He keeps it up in ''MassEffect3''; the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes of killing Shepard. [[spoiler:And then he slips up at the very end, when he forgets to check if Shepard is dead after [[{{BeamSpam Beam Spamming]] Hammer Company to death]].
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** He keeps it up in ''MassEffect3''; the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes of killing Shepard. [[spoiler:And then he slips up at the very end, when he forgets to check if Shepard is dead after [[{{BeamSpam Beam Spamming]] Hammer Company to death]].death.
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** He keeps it up in ''MassEffect3''; the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes of killing Shepard. [[spoiler:And then he slips up at the very end, when he forgets to check if Shepard is dead after {{BeamSpam}}ming Hammer Company to death]].
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** He keeps it up in ''MassEffect3''; the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes of killing Shepard. [[spoiler:And then he slips up at the very end, when he forgets to check if Shepard is dead after {{BeamSpam}}ming [[{{BeamSpam Beam Spamming]] Hammer Company to death]].
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*** [[spoiler:This conflicts with what the Catalyst tells you in 3, since all races are harvested. Presumably, humanity was being considered to become a Sovereign-class Reaper, while the races Harbinger dismisses would've been made into Destroyers instead.
*** [[spoiler: Not necessarily. Reapers might only be made up of the races that are considered useful in some way, while the other races are simply reserves as potential tools such as husks and indoctinated slaves. The Protheans are implied to have been turned into Collectors instead of Reapers, which implies that Reaper-production is not ''always'' the case. Harvesting might also simply involve archiving a races biological patterns and technological development, before wiping them out should they have been declared "irrelevant".]]
*** [[spoiler: Not necessarily. Reapers might only be made up of the races that are considered useful in some way, while the other races are simply reserves as potential tools such as husks and indoctinated slaves. The Protheans are implied to have been turned into Collectors instead of Reapers, which implies that Reaper-production is not ''always'' the case. Harvesting might also simply involve archiving a races biological patterns and technological development, before wiping them out should they have been declared "irrelevant".]]
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*** [[spoiler:This conflicts with what the Catalyst tells you in 3, since all races are harvested. Presumably, humanity was being considered to become a Sovereign-class Reaper, while the races Harbinger dismisses would've been made into Destroyers instead.
instead.]]
*** [[spoiler: Not necessarily. Sovereign-class Reapersmight only are implied to be made up of the races that are considered useful in some way, specifically chosen races, while the all other races are simply reserves reserved as potential tools such as husks and indoctinated slaves. The Likewise, the Protheans are implied to have been turned into Collectors instead of Reapers, which implies that Reaper-production is not ''always'' the case. Harvesting might also simply involve archiving a races biological patterns and technological development, before wiping them out should they have after they've been declared "irrelevant".]]
*** [[spoiler: Not necessarily. Sovereign-class Reapers
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*** [[spoiler:This conflicts with what the Catalyst tells you in 3, since all races are harvested. Presumably, humanity was being considered to become a Sovereign-class Reaper, while the races Harbinger dismisses would've been made into Destroyers instead.]]
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*** [[spoiler:This conflicts with what the Catalyst tells you in 3, since all races are harvested. Presumably, humanity was being considered to become a Sovereign-class Reaper, while the races Harbinger dismisses would've been made into Destroyers instead.instead.
*** [[spoiler: Not necessarily. Reapers might only be made up of the races that are considered useful in some way, while the other races are simply reserves as potential tools such as husks and indoctinated slaves. The Protheans are implied to have been turned into Collectors instead of Reapers, which implies that Reaper-production is not ''always'' the case. Harvesting might also simply involve archiving a races biological patterns and technological development, before wiping them out should they have been declared "irrelevant".]]
*** [[spoiler: Not necessarily. Reapers might only be made up of the races that are considered useful in some way, while the other races are simply reserves as potential tools such as husks and indoctinated slaves. The Protheans are implied to have been turned into Collectors instead of Reapers, which implies that Reaper-production is not ''always'' the case. Harvesting might also simply involve archiving a races biological patterns and technological development, before wiping them out should they have been declared "irrelevant".]]
