History Characters / MassEffect1PartyMembers

[[center: [- [[Characters/MassEffect Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/MassEffectCommanderShepard Commander Shepard]] | '''Party 1 Members''' | [[Characters/MassEffectKaidanAlenko Kaidan Alenko]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAshleyWilliams Ashley Williams]] | [[Characters/MassEffectGarrusVakarian Garrus Vakarian]] | [[Characters/MassEffectLiaraTSoni Liara T'Soni]] | [[Characters/MassEffectTaliZorah Tali'Zorah]] | [[Characters/MassEffectUrdnotWrex Urdnot Wrex]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Antagonists Mass Effect 1 Antagonists]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Npcs Mass Effects 1 NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2EarlyPartyMembers Early Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2LatePartyMembers Late Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2SecretPartyMembers Mass Effect 2 Secret Party Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2MainAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Main Antagonists]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2SecondaryAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Secondary Antagonists]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2NormandyCrew Normandy Crew]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2CouncilSpaceNPCs Mass Effect 2 Council Space NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2NonCouncilSpaceNPCs Mass Effect 2 Non Council Space NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3PartyMembers Party 3 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3AntagonistsAndNpcs Mass Effect 3 Antagonists and NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3MultiplayerCharacters Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPathfinderRyder Pathfinder Ryder]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPartyMembers Party Andromeda Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaCrewOfTheTempest Crew of the Tempest]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAndromedaInitiative The Andromeda Initiative]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheKett The Kett]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAngara The Angara]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaOtherCharacters Andromeda Other Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaMultiplayerCharacters Multiplayer Characters]]]]-]

[[center: [- [[Characters/MassEffect Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/MassEffectCommanderShepard Commander Shepard]] | '''Party 1 Members''' | [[Characters/MassEffectKaidanAlenko Kaidan Alenko]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAshleyWilliams Ashley Williams]] | [[Characters/MassEffectGarrusVakarian Garrus Vakarian]] | [[Characters/MassEffectLiaraTSoni Liara T'Soni]] | [[Characters/MassEffectTaliZorah Tali'Zorah]] | [[Characters/MassEffectUrdnotWrex Urdnot Wrex]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Antagonists Mass Effect 1 Antagonists]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Npcs Mass Effects 1 NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2EarlyPartyMembers Early Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2LatePartyMembers Late Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2SecretPartyMembers Mass Effect 2 Secret Party Members]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Main Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/SecondaryAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Secondary Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NormandyCrew Normandy Crew]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/CouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Council Space NPCs]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NonCouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Non Council Space NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3PartyMembers Party 3 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3AntagonistsAndNpcs Mass Effect 3 Antagonists and NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3MultiplayerCharacters Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPathfinderRyder Pathfinder Ryder]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPartyMembers Party Andromeda Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaCrewOfTheTempest Crew of the Tempest]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAndromedaInitiative The Andromeda Initiative]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheKett The Kett]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAngara The Angara]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaOtherCharacters Andromeda Other Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaMultiplayerCharacters Multiplayer Characters]]]]-]

* ForgottenFallenFriend: Averted. The ''Normandy'' crew is very upset about his death, and in [=ME2=] Dr. Chakwas reminisces about him over drinks with Shepard.
** He's also on the memorial wall in the ''Normandy'' in Mass Effect 3, and he will be mentioned if Kaidan, James, or EDI is brought to the Eden Prime mission.
** In private moments, Shepard is shown to [[TheChainsOfCommanding give him/her-self grief over Jenkins' death since it was his/her orders that caused him to run into the ambush]].

%%* InformedAbility

* LeeroyJenkins: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], actually, [[MeaningfulName despite the name.]] He's very eager to go out there and see action, but still follows Shepard's orders to the letter and takes point. In the end it still doesn't do him much good; some Geth drones ambush the squad and Jenkins gets gunned down before the rest know what's happening.

[[center: [- [[Characters/MassEffect Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/MassEffectCommanderShepard Commander Shepard]] | '''Party 1 Members''' | [[Characters/MassEffectKaidanAlenko Kaidan Alenko]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAshleyWilliams Ashley Williams]] | [[Characters/MassEffectGarrusVakarian Garrus Vakarian]] | [[Characters/MassEffectLiaraTSoni Liara T'Soni]] | [[Characters/MassEffectTaliZorah Tali'Zorah]] | [[Characters/MassEffectUrdnotWrex Urdnot Wrex]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Antagonists Mass Effect 1 Antagonists]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Npcs Mass Effects 1 NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2EarlyPartyMembers Early Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2LatePartyMembers Late Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2SecretPartyMembers Mass Effect 2 Secret Party Members]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Main Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/SecondaryAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Secondary Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NormandyCrew Normandy Crew]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/CouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Council Space NPCs]] |[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NonCouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Non Council Space NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3PartyMembers Party 3 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3AntagonistsAndNpcs Mass Effect 3 Antagonists and NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3MultiplayerCharacters Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPathfinderRyder Pathfinder Ryder]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPartyMembers Party Andromeda Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaCrewOfTheTempest Crew of the Tempest]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAndromedaInitiative The Andromeda Initiative]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheKett The Kett]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAngara The Angara]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaOtherCharacters Andromeda Other Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaMultiplayerCharacters Multiplayer Characters]]]]-]

[[center: [- [[Characters/MassEffect Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/MassEffectCommanderShepard Commander Shepard]] | '''Party 1 Members''' | [[Characters/MassEffectKaidanAlenko Kaidan Alenko]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAshleyWilliams Ashley Williams]] | [[Characters/MassEffectGarrusVakarian Garrus Vakarian]] | [[Characters/MassEffectLiaraTSoni Liara T'Soni]] | [[Characters/MassEffectTaliZorah Tali'Zorah]] | [[Characters/MassEffectUrdnotWrex Urdnot Wrex]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Antagonists Mass Effect 1 Antagonists]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Npcs Mass Effects 1 NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2EarlyPartyMembers Early Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2LatePartyMembers Late Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2SecretPartyMembers Mass Effect 2 Secret Party Members]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Main Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/SecondaryAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Secondary Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NormandyCrew Normandy Crew]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/CouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Council Space NPCs]] |
[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NonCouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Non Council Space NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3PartyMembers Party 3 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3AntagonistsAndNpcs Mass Effect 3 Antagonists and NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3MultiplayerCharacters Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPathfinderRyder Pathfinder Ryder]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPartyMembers Party Andromeda Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaCrewOfTheTempest Crew of the Tempest]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAndromedaInitiative The Andromeda Initiative]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheKett The Kett]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAngara The Angara]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaOtherCharacters Andromeda Other Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaMultiplayerCharacters Multiplayer Characters]]]]-]

[[center: [- [[Characters/MassEffect Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/MassEffectCommanderShepard Commander Shepard]] | '''Party 1 Members''' | [[Characters/MassEffectKaidanAlenko Kaidan Alenko]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAshleyWilliams Ashley Williams]] | [[Characters/MassEffectGarrusVakarian Garrus Vakarian]] | [[Characters/MassEffectLiaraTSoni Liara T'Soni]] | [[Characters/MassEffectTaliZorah Tali'Zorah]] | [[Characters/MassEffectUrdnotWrex Urdnot Wrex]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Antagonists Mass Effect 1 Antagonists]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Npcs Mass Effects 1 NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2EarlyPartyMembers Early Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2LatePartyMembers Late Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2SecretPartyMembers Mass Effect 2 Secret Party Members]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Main Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/SecondaryAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Secondary Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NormandyCrew Normandy Crew]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/CouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Council Space NPCs]] |[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NonCouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Non Council Space NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3PartyMembers Party 3 Members]]|[[Characters/MassEffect3AntagonistsAndNpcs Mass Effect 3 Antagonists and NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3MultiplayerCharacters Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPathfinderRyder Pathfinder Ryder]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPartyMembers Party Andromeda Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaCrewOfTheTempest Crew of the Tempest]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAndromedaInitiative The Andromeda Initiative]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheKett The Kett]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAngara The Angara]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaOtherCharacters Andromeda Other Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaMultiplayerCharacters Multiplayer Characters]]]]-]

[[center: [- [[Characters/MassEffect Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/MassEffectCommanderShepard Commander Shepard]] | '''Party 1 Members''' | [[Characters/MassEffectKaidanAlenko Kaidan Alenko]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAshleyWilliams Ashley Williams]] | [[Characters/MassEffectGarrusVakarian Garrus Vakarian]] | [[Characters/MassEffectLiaraTSoni Liara T'Soni]] | [[Characters/MassEffectTaliZorah Tali'Zorah]] | [[Characters/MassEffectUrdnotWrex Urdnot Wrex]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Antagonists Mass Effect 1 Antagonists]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Npcs Mass Effects 1 NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2EarlyPartyMembers Early Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2LatePartyMembers Late Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2SecretPartyMembers Mass Effect 2 Secret Party Members]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Main Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/SecondaryAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Secondary Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NormandyCrew Normandy Crew]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/CouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Council Space NPCs]] |[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NonCouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Non Council Space NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3PartyMembers Party 3 Members]]|[[Characters/MassEffect3AntagonistsAndNpcs Mass Effect 3 Antagonists and NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3MultiplayerCharacters Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPathfinderRyder Pathfinder Ryder]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPartyMembers Party Andromeda Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaCrewOfTheTempest Crew of the Tempest]] |[[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAndromedaInitiative The Andromeda Initiative]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheKett The Kett]]|[[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAngara The Angara]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaOtherCharacters Andromeda Other Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaMultiplayerCharacters Multiplayer Characters]]]]-]

[[center: [- [[Characters/MassEffect Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/MassEffectCommanderShepard Commander Shepard]] | '''Party 1 Members''' | [[Characters/MassEffectKaidanAlenko Kaidan Alenko]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAshleyWilliams Ashley Williams]] | [[Characters/MassEffectGarrusVakarian Garrus Vakarian]] | [[Characters/MassEffectLiaraTSoni Liara T'Soni]] | [[Characters/MassEffectTaliZorah Tali'Zorah]] | [[Characters/MassEffectUrdnotWrex Urdnot Wrex]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Antagonists Antagonists]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Npcs NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2EarlyPartyMembers Early Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2LatePartyMembers Late Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2SecretPartyMembers Mass Effect 2 Secret Party Members]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Main Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/SecondaryAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Secondary Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NormandyCrew Normandy Crew]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/CouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Council Space NPCs]] |[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NonCouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Non Council Space NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3PartyMembers Party 3 Members]]|[[Characters/MassEffect3AntagonistsAndNpcs Mass Effect 3 Antagonists and NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3MultiplayerCharacters Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPathfinderRyder Pathfinder Ryder]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPartyMembers Party Andromeda Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaCrewOfTheTempest Crew of the Tempest]] |[[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAndromedaInitiative The Andromeda Initiative]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheKett The Kett]]|[[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAngara The Angara]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaOtherCharacters Andromeda Other Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaMultiplayerCharacters Multiplayer Characters]]]]-]

[[center: [- [[Characters/MassEffect Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/MassEffectCommanderShepard Commander Shepard]] | '''Party 1 Members''' | [[Characters/MassEffectKaidanAlenko Kaidan Alenko]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAshleyWilliams Ashley Williams]] | [[Characters/MassEffectGarrusVakarian Garrus Vakarian]] | [[Characters/MassEffectLiaraTSoni Liara T'Soni]] | [[Characters/MassEffectTaliZorah Tali'Zorah]] | [[Characters/MassEffectUrdnotWrex Urdnot Wrex]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Antagonists Antagonists]] | [[Characters/MassEffect1Npcs NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2EarlyPartyMembers Early Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2LatePartyMembers Late Party 2 Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffect2SecretPartyMembers Mass Effect 2 Secret Party Members]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/MainAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Main Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/SecondaryAntagonists Mass Effect 2 Secondary Antagonists]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NormandyCrew Normandy Crew]] | [[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/CouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Council Space NPCs]] |[[MassEffect2AntagonistsAndNpcs/NonCouncilSpace Mass Effect 2 Non Council Space NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3PartyMembers Party 3 Members]]|[[Characters/MassEffect3AntagonistsAndNpcs Mass Effect 3 Antagonists and NPCs]] | [[Characters/MassEffect3MultiplayerCharacters Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPathfinderRyder Pathfinder Ryder]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaPartyMembers Party Andromeda Members]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaCrewOfTheTempest Crew of the Tempest]]|[[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAndromedaInitiative The Andromeda Initiative]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheKett The Kett]]|[[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAngara The Angara]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaOtherCharacters Andromeda Other Characters]] | [[Characters/MassEffectAndromedaMultiplayerCharacters Multiplayer Characters]]]]-]

For the pages listing tropes related to [=NPC=]s, Antagonists and Party Members who first appeared in other games in the trilogy, see the [[Characters/MassEffect Mass Effect Character Index]].

* LeeroyJenkins: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], actually, [[MeaningfulName despite the name.]] He's very eager to go out there and see action, but still follows Shepard's orders to the letter and takes point. In the end it still doesn't do him much good.

* InformedAbility: Two geth drones say otherwise.

** InformedAbility: Two geth drones say otherwise.
* [[DecoyProtagonist Decoy Squadmate]]: He's a placeholder for your real Soldier squadmember who joins about a minute or two after his death.
* {{Doomed Home|town}}world: Eden Prime is this for him. Pity he dies too soon for it to become a plot point. And it's not entirely doomed anyway; there's a DLC mission there in the third game.

* SacrificialLamb[=/=]RedShirt: He dies just before the player's first battle.

[[folder: Kaidan Alenko]]
!Lieutenant/Staff Commander/Major Kaidan Alenko
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/KaidanME3_6455.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:Mom was right. I should have brought a sweater.]]
-->''"We finally get out here and the 'final frontier' was already settled. And the residents don't even seem impressed by the view. Or the dangers."''

-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/RaphaelSbarge

A human biotic Sentinel Marine in the Systems Alliance military who specializes in technology and biotic support powers. One of two possible romance interests for a female Shepard. Returns as a party member and romance option (for either gender this time) in ''Mass Effect 3'' if he survived the first game.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: His father is white and he has a Ukrainian name, but there's some evidence that his mother is Singaporean.
* AngerBornOfWorry: If he's romanced and taken to the final mission of ''Leviathan'', he's not happy about Shepard almost getting him/herself killed.
-->'''Kaidan:''' Never do that again.
* AnIcePerson: Uses Cryo Blast, and the only character in ''3'' who can use it other than Shepard.
* AnimalWrongsGroup: One of his strategies for distracting the guards at the Silver Coast Casino is to claim to belong to one of these.
* ArmorIsUseless: [[spoiler: If Shepard is forced to shoot him, he/she only shoots him once with the Predator, the weakest pistol in the game. Despite wearing heavy armor, having kinetic barriers that have withstood dozens of bullets in cutscenes, a personal ability that makes said kinetic barriers even stronger, and having medigel on hand just in case he gets shot, the bullet goes right through him and he dies a few minutes after]].
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: During the first act of the third game, [[spoiler:he's made a Spectre]]. He also technically ''outranks'' Shepard after getting promoted to Staff Commander in the second game and then Major in the third [[spoiler: provided he lives that long]].
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Kaidan is prone to the occasional non-sequitur and odd, childlike observation.
* {{Badass}}: He can snap your neck with his mind or cause a synthetic to explode into a pile of useless scrap.
* BadassBisexual: Bisexual, a SpaceMarine with a decade of experience and over a dozen special commendations to show for it, and packing enough biotic power to keep a Geth Colossus suspended in midair. Kaidan's bisexuality was not confirmed until ''3'', at the same time he TookALevelInBadass in both story and gameplay.
* BadassBookworm: He is a skilled technician and field medic, which are his official roles in the Alliance.
* BarrierWarrior: In the third game, Kaidan takes this a step above standard biotics. His Barrier power reduces damage until he chooses to dispel it, and Reave temporarily reduces damage anytime it hits an organic enemy. Together, they make Kaidan nearly invincible.
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Most of his ''Mass Effect 3'' outfits have a helmet for vacuum conditions, except his From Ashes DLC Palette Swap. The eyepiece apparently overrides it. But of course, he's a biotic.
* BattleCouple: With Shepard in the first and third games if romanced.
* BeautifulDreamer: Implied if he's romanced in the third game.
-->'''Kaidan:''' You, uh, left without waking me.\\
'''Shepard:''' I didn't have the heart.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Shepard on Horizon in [=ME2=] and Mars in [=ME3=]. Shepard's sex and relationship with Kaidan is irrelevant.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: For a really easy-going and nice guy, he can break your neck with a single powerful biotic blast, and is adept at making your weapons blow up in your face.
* BoardingSchoolOfHorrors: To learn how to use his biotics he was sent to one to undergo TrainingFromHell.
* BiTheWay: He can only be romanced by a female Shepard in the first game, but he can be romanced by a Shepard of either gender in the third.
* BizarreBabyBoom: Was one of the first human biotics after his mother was caught downwind of a transport crash in Singapore, exposing him to Element-Zero ''in-utero''. He's reasonably confident that his specific case ''was'' genuinely accidental, but given the influence that [[EvilInc Conatix]] had after human biotics began emerging and their questionable activities at [=BAaT=], he's highly suspicious about subsequent similar "accidents".
-->"No one "knows". Doesn't mean it didn't happen. As big as the exposures were, it was hard to track down accidentals. [...] [[CouldSayItBut I'm not saying they intentionally detonated drives over our outposts]], but in retrospect, they were ''damn'' quick on the scene."
* BleedEmAndWeep: The defining moment of his backstory was when a turian DrillSergeantNasty [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat the crap out of him]] and tried to kill him with a knife [[DisproportionateRetribution for trying to stand up for his girlfriend after the same turian broke her arm]], causing Kaidan to lash out and snap his neck. Having never killed anyone before, Kaidan was horrified that someone died because he couldn't control himself, [[AssholeVictim even if it was in self-defense]]. He now keeps a tight lid on his biotics to avoid any repeats of that situation.
* BlessedWithSuck: His L2 implants give him more oomph than the average biotic running the stabler and safer L3s, but he has to deal with frequent migraines. And he's one of the luckier ones in terms of side effects. Some of the other party members, such as Wrex and Garrus, argue that the power is worth the side effects.
--> '''Wrex:''' You don't stop using a gun just because the kickback has a little sting.
* BreakTheCutie: Kaidan had a very idealistic view of the world in the first game, but he gets a lot darker in the following two.
* CanadaEh: For all the Canadian accents on humans (and the occasional alien), Kaidan is the only confirmed example - his parents come from Vancouver (though Kaidan was born in Singapore due to his father's military career). Lampshaded in his ''Citadel'' DLC scene.
-->'''Shepard:''' What are we having? Canadian delicacy of some sort?\\
'''Kaidan:''' Uh, sure, exactly. We have beef, bacon, we have beer... the foods of my people.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** In the first game, he takes a bit of convincing to loosen up and let himself go more often. Come the third, he has to convince ''you'' to take a "sanity check" with him on the Citadel.
** He completely writes off Cerberus as a terrorist organization in ''2'', seeing Shepard working with them as a betrayal. In ''3'', after the mission with ex-Cerberus scientist Dr. Cole, he asks Shepard if the people in Cerberus were good people and wonders if the Illusive Man was once a good person before he became who he is now.
* ComesGreatResponsibility: To an almost excessive degree regarding his biotics.
* CommandingCoolness: He's reached the rank of Staff Commander in ''2''.
* ConsummateProfessional: Definitely. In the first game, Shepard has to repeatedly tell Kaidan to disregard their rank and speak freely, after he admits to being a little uneasy with the idea of befriending a superior officer.
** Noticeably, whenever he's speaking to speak to those of a lower or similar rank, such as Ashley and Joker, he's far more casual and informal. Dr. Chakwas also mentions he had an OddFriendship with Jenkins.
* CovertPervert: He's surprisingly knowledgeable about extranet fetish sites, approves of [[spoiler:EDI's new body]] once the shock wears off, doesn't think he would survive an encounter with an [[DeathBySex Ardat-Yakshi]], is noted to be working very hard not to stare at [[HotScoop Diana Allers]], and implies that he was checking out Jacob during the mission on Gellix.
* CrocodileTears: Shows an unexpected talent for this if he helps infiltrate the casino in ''[[{{DLC}} Citadel]]''.
* DeadpanSnarker: Not as obvious as the others tend to be, but he has his moments.
--> (''after Shepard is asked for a favor in a dangerous situation'') That's very comforting. Certain death for some, fine for us.
* DefensiveWhat: When he has his most notable CovertPervert moment.
-->'''Lorik Qui'in:''' An asari [[FetishFuel in a pinstripe suit]] set tongues wagging among the younger male employees. So to speak.\\
'''Kaidan:''' It does sound like something that you'd find on an extranet fetish site... (''{{beat}}'') What?
* EyeColorChange: Normally brown, but in [=ME3=] they turn blue when he uses his biotics[[note]]Briefly when he uses Reave. Indefinitely when he uses Barrier[[/note]].
* FanDisservice: In ''Mass Effect 3'' you get to see plenty of [[ShirtlessScene shirtless Kaidan]]--[[spoiler:while he's lying in a hospital bed, with his face beaten in and bruised. Sure, he gets better in subsequent trips to the Citadel hospital.]]
* FemaleGaze[=/=]EatingTheEyeCandy: A romanced Shepard takes a good, long look at his rear as they return to the ''Normandy'' in ''3''. This took no time at all to go memetic. [[http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa335/VivaciousDeimos/tumblr_m0fi5zwTfN1r4nc13.gif A random female NPC]] can also be seen checking him out in the intro.
* FirstGuyWins: If romanced.
* FlawedPrototype: Kaidan's biotic amplifier implants are L2, a model series that was made before humanity really knew what it was doing when it came to biotics. He suffers migraines... and he's one of the lucky [=L2s=]. He decides not to get retrofitted with [=L3s=], because the [=L2s=] let his powers spike higher, the surgery that would be required has a high risk of complications, and he has a pretty deep distrust of any [[EvilInc Conatix]] offshoots.
* ForgotAboutHisPowers: In the second and third games in order to make sure his story arc matches Ashley's.
* FreudianExcuse: [[DefiedTrope Defied]]. Out of all of Shepard's human squadmates, Kaidan has the most [[TrainingFromHell justifiable reason]] to struggle with FantasticRacism, especially against turians. If the player opts to suggest that this is the case, Kaidan is not amused and pointedly refuses to use his past like that, because he is aware of how [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical]] it would be after all the things humanity has done.
-->'''Kaidan:''' If one ass was enough to judge a whole race, [[HumansAreBastards I'd hate humans too]].
* GayOption: In the third game.
* GonnaNeedMoreX: After Virmire, Shepard can try to comfort Kaidan by reminding him that humanity gave the turians a boot in the ass despite how much longer the turians had been around. Kaidan dryly remarks that, for the Reapers, they're going to need a bigger boot. [[GodzillaThreshold How right he was]]...
* GoodCopBadCop: He implies in ''Citadel'' that he prefers playing good cop.
* {{Handgun}}: One of his weapon types in the third game, along with assault rifles. In the first game, he was just slightly less terrible with handguns as he was with every other gun due to small bonuses on his passive class skill.
* HandicappedBadass: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]. The severe migraines and painful static shocks he gets because of his implants don't slow him down any.
* HealerSignsOnEarly: He is conveniently the first squadmate Shepard gets in the first game and the closest thing the party has to a dedicated healer.
* HeartbrokenBadass: Shepard's death messed him up pretty bad. When the Illusive Man tricked him into thinking his grief was all for nothing, Kaidan was livid.
* HiddenDepths: Kaidan initially appears to be just a quiet NiceGuy. Further examination reveals that he is very introspective about his and humanity's place in the galaxy, and he's so reserved because he's terrified of hurting someone if he loses control.
* IncompletelyTrained: By choice and the reason he's a Sentinel instead of an Adept. He got [=BAaT=] shut down before they could finish training any of the students and had enough residual trauma to turn down the Alliance's offer to finish his training in [=BAaT's=] place. He chose to train as a technician and medic instead.
* InformedDeformity: According to Thane, he has scarring that clearly identifies him as a biotic, but even with all the times Kaidan has had his clothes off, those scars are never seen.
* IRegretNothing: [[spoiler:His last words if he dies on Virmire.]]
* ItHasBeenAnHonor: [[spoiler:His goodbye if Shepard chooses to save Ashley instead of him on Virmire]].
* JackOfAllStats: In ''Mass Effect 3''. Decent weapon damage, high biotic and tech power (and the only character aside from Shepard who can use both), extremely tough, and an unparalleled ability to contribute to the expanded power combo system.
* JustFriends: [[{{Revision}} Retroactively]] with Male!Shepard in the first two games.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Depending on your choices on Virmire... and midway through the third game]].
* TheLancer: A dual role in the first and third games:
** Shares the role with Ashley in the first game [[spoiler:until one of them is killed off]].
** Back in the part in ''3'', sharing with Garrus[[spoiler:, though one or both of them may be dead at this point]].
* LethalChef: Implied to be this in the Citadel DLC. He offers to cook something, and Shepard worries that s/he survived Sovereign, the Collector Base, plus everything else during the course of the series, and can't believe that the one thing that will really off him/her is ''Kaidan's cooking.'' [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Later, Shepard can point out that the meal was actually pretty good,]] or that s/he was [[{{Troll}} teasing Kaidan about how sensitive he is.]]]] Shepard is much nicer if s/he is in a relationship with Kaidan.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: One of the main reasons why [[spoiler: the reunion on Horizon goes so badly]]. Shepard seems to be the only one to think it might be a good idea for Kaidan to know what the hell is going on. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late since all that left him with were the reports Cerberus itself was leaking to keep Shepard away from his/her old contacts. In the third game, rectifying this is an essential part of getting back on his good side. The player also has the option of [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential continuing to leave him out of the loop]], [[spoiler: which potentially ends in his death because he can't be convinced that it's NotWhatItLooksLike]].
* TheLostLenore: Potentially. As Kaidan or Ashley will be the SacrificialLion for the first game, they can also be considered this if a romance was pursued and they died.
* MagicKnight: [[TookALevelInBadass Grew into one]] by the third game.
* MagikarpPower: He starts weak, but with high levels, no other party member even comes close to competing with him for sheer variety of ways he can screw with the enemy.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: The Feminine guy to [=FemShep's=] masculine girl. Particularly prominent if Shepard is a Renegade, but still present if she's a Paragon. Kaidan also has this dynamic with Ashley.
* MasterOfNone: In the first game[[note]]The first game was less kind to hybrid classes in general. The Sentinel class, and by extension Kaidan, got the short end of the stick[[/note]], [[DownplayedTrope though not nearly to the degree he's typically made out to be]]. Even though he does become more versatile as time goes on and his array of support powers grows, he can never match any of his teammates in terms of combat power. Averted in ''Mass Effect 3'' where his versatility is one of his biggest strengths as well as gaining an assault rifle as a weapon and Barrier, the biotic equivalent of Tech Armor.
* MeaningfulName: "Kaidan" means "shackle" in Ukrainian. In this case, it refers to the mental restraints Kaidan places on himself to avoid losing control and hurting someone by accident.
* TheMedic: Kaidan is the only squadmate in the first game to get the Medicine talent, which decreases the recharge time on the First Aid talent.
%%* MightyGlacier: Investing in Kaidan's Barrier power, especially without using his default outfit and choosing the evolution to halve Barrier's recharge penalty, significantly slows down his ability to use his powers.
* MilitaryBrat: Not as prominent as with Ash, but it is still part of his background and influenced his decision to enlist. If not for Alenko Sr.'s military career, it is very likely that the family would not have been in Singapore when that transport exploded. It is also very likely the reason that Kaidan was identified later than the other biotics created from the Singapore incident.
-->'''Kaidan:''' I think it's commendable to follow in a parent's footsteps.
* MindOverMatter: One of the oldest human biotics. His [[FlawedPrototype L2 implant]] makes him one of the strongest, but at the cost of severe migraines.
* MotorMouth: When hopped up on coffee.
* MrFanservice: Like default Male Shepard, Kaidan's face is [[http://lcosta1973.tumblr.com/post/48834466889/and-this-happened-today-had-a-great-time based on a model]]. Combine that with Raphael Sbarge's voice...
* MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: With [[spoiler:Ashley after Virmire. One of them ''will'' always die so it's impossible to finish the game with both of them]].
* NiceGuy: One of the outright nicest characters in the series. [[BewareTheNiceOnes It in no way impedes his ability to kill someone with his brain]].
** In fact, he is actually the nicest squadmate in the first ''Mass Effect'': in the first Mass Effect game, during any major Paragon/Renegade choice, one squadmate will always advise you to take the Paragon option, and the other will always advise you to take the Renegade option. If Kaidan is one of your squadmates, Kaidan will ''always'' advocate the Paragon option, no matter who the other squadmate is (so even the normally Paragon Liara will advocate the Renegade option if Kaidan is the other squadmate). The one exception is [[spoiler:the rachni queen]] if Liara is present, and even then he only pragmatically points out that the acid tanks are not there to be capricious.
* NoodleIncident
** In the beginning of the first game, Chakwas mentions that Kaidan has over a dozen special commendations. These are never explained.
** In the third game's ''Citadel'' DLC, Kaidan mentions that he once had a run in with the vorcha Mafia at a casino. His only elaboration is that it involved [[NoodleImplements five-thousand credits and a bottle of whiskey]].
* OfficerAndAGentleman: He's polite, open-minded, and keeps strict control over himself and his biotic abilities. [[BewareTheNiceOnes And he can kick your ass]].
* OldSoldier: Even though he is thirty-six, at most, by the end of the series, [[WarIsHell everything he's gone through by that point]] has made him feel like one of these, especially compared to his students.
* OneManArmy: [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome It was offscreen]], but Kaidan apparently [[spoiler:fought through Cerberus's soldiers completely on his own to reach the Council during the coup]].
* OptionalPartyMember: After [[spoiler:nearly being killed on Mars, he's absent until Udina's attempted coup, wherein he can actually be killed or, barring that, have his request to return to the ''Normandy'' refused, making him a War Asset instead of a squadmate]].
* OutOfFocus: Like Ashley, Kaidan has a central role in ''Mass Effect 1'''s plot, but plays a much more minor role in the sequels compared to the other original party members. The intended subplot about [[spoiler:the Illusive Man turning Shepard and Kaidan against each other was significantly stripped down, most likely because of the number of [[IdiotBall Idiot Balls]] everyone involved needed to grab for the original plan to work.]] Particularly jarring if you romanced him in the first game, though it can be [[DownplayedTrope mitigated significantly]] if the player goes to talk to him when he asks.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: By the third game, he's actually been promoted ''over'' Shepard, but he still takes Shepard's orders because... [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking well]].
** Gameplay wise, he suffers from this in the first game. With proper skill point allocation, he can single-handedly render any enemy that's not a thresher maw or the final boss's first form completely helpless, but that's often overlooked in favor of the more exotic and flashy abilities other squad members can use.
** With all the biotics that join the squad in ''[=ME2=]'', it's easy to forget that Kaidan is one of the strongest known human biotics, only behind Jack and [[ExpandedUniverse possibly]] Gillian Grayson, and about even with Biotic!Shepard.
* PermaStubble: In ''3''.
* PlatonicLifePartners: If not romanced with Shepard. Shepard even calls Kaidan a brother to him/her.
* ProperlyParanoid: When Kaidan appears in ''2'', he warns Shepard that the Illusive Man is using the Reaper threat and Shepard's gratitude to control him/her. If he is brought to Cronos Station in ''3'', Kaidan is not surprised to find a recording of the Illusive Man laying out his plans to make Shepard sympathetic to Cerberus.
* RealMenWearPink: At the beginning of the second game he comes to Shepard's aid wearing the pink and white Phoenix armor (though he's wearing a black one when you meet him later on Horizon).
* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Ashley's red.
* RefugeInAudacity: Second only to [[{{Troll}} Javik]] if he helps infiltrate the casino in ''[[{{DLC}} Citadel]]''. He outright threatens a guard when pretending to mistake him for someone who owes him money, loudly claims that he represents the Varren Anti-Cruelty Association and is very unhappy about what he's seeing, and convinces a guard that he's going to cry.
* RelationshipUpgrade: Shepards of either gender can start a new romance with him in ''3''.
* RelationshipValues: Possesses this in ''3'' with Shepard [[spoiler: and it culminates in a MexicanStandoff at the Citadel. A high value will make him side with you, a lower value requires a reputation check, or he'll refuse to budge and either you or a party member will kill him]].
* TheRedMage: Kaidan uses both biotic and tech powers.
* ScarsAreForever: At the point of his examination by Thane, Kaidan has had his implant and the matching scars for roughly twenty years.
* SemperFi: A special operative, like all biotics, but still a Marine.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The sensitive guy to [=MaleShep's=] manly man. Particularly prominent if Shepard is a renegade, but still present if Shepard is a paragon. Unlike most examples, they totally avoid the "Manly Man = {{Seme}}, Sensitive Guy = {{Uke}}" implications if they are paired up. Kaidan also plays the sensitive guy to Garrus or Wrex's manly man if he is placed in the squad with them.
* ShockAndAwe: He has Overload.
* SpaceMarine: Again, if you're a soldier in the Alliance military, you're a Marine.
* StarCrossedLovers: With female Shepard in the second game if romanced in the first. With male Shepard in the third game unless a specific ending is chosen.
* StoneWall: When he's fighting organic enemies, the combination of Barrier and Reave can make him harder to kill than [[TheBigGuy James]], even with the health disadvantage.
* StopBeingStereotypical
** He expresses the belief that a lot of humanity's problems are because of people like Udina pushing for too much too soon. This also explains his hatred of Cerberus.
** He is also noted to have zero sympathy for biotic extremists.
* SurvivorsGuilt: [[spoiler:If Ashley dies, though he handles it better than she does in the opposite situation]].
* TookALevelInBadass: In ''[=ME3=]'', he went from a [[TheRedMage Red Mage]] focused on crowd control to a MagicKnight with StoneWall tendencies. Storywise, he received a rank up to Major and was declared the second human Spectre; IE, the most badass human in the galaxy after Shepard. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''[[{{DLC}} Citadel]]''.
-->'''Kaidan''': I may be L2, but I've worked very hard, and now I can ''reave''!\\
''[everyone else stares at him]''\\
'''Jacob:''' Really? That's... no.\\
'''Liara:''' That's a bit strange.
* TrainingFromHell: In his backstory at a BoardingSchoolOfHorrors.
* TranquilFury: [[BleedEmAndWeep The mess with Vyrnus]] left this as Kaidan's default state when he gets angry, but a particularly extreme case occurs after the mission on Horizon in 3, where [[spoiler:the Illusive Man and Henry Lawson were turning people into husks to try and control them]], Kaidan's seething hatred of the Illusive Man manifests itself in him very calmly wanting to rip the man in half.
-->'''Kaidan:''' After what I saw down there, I have never been more filled with rage.
* {{Transhuman}}: By nature of being a biotic human. Particularly notable for being one of the very first.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: If Kaidan was not romanced in the first game, there will be considerable UST in the third. This applies equally to both male and female Shepards.
* UnwittingPawn: Since Kaidan was unaware of the Lazarus Project, the Illusive Man was able to turn him against Shepard by strategically leaking information about his/her survival, [[spoiler:something Udina follows up on if Shepard makes no effort to reestablish their friendship with Kaidan.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Basically has this with Shepard in ''2'', carrying over into ''3''.
-->'''James:''' You know the Commander?\\
'''Kaidan:''' [[BrokenPedestal I used to]].
* WhatTheHellHero
** He's got some things to say about [[spoiler:Shepard apparently faking their death and working with Cerberus in [=ME2=].]] He also protests if Ashley [[spoiler:kills Wrex]], regardless of whether it is on your orders.
** If Shepard is forced to shoot him in ''Mass Effect 3'' when trying to arrest Udina, and never even tried to patch things up in the hospital, his last words are a lot less apologetic.
--->'''Shepard:''' You stood up for the wrong man.\\
'''Kaidan:''' Better... better than killing the wrong man.
* [[spoiler:YouShallNotPass]]:
** In the first game, [[spoiler:at the same time as Ashley's. It's up to you whether he survives over her]].
** In the third game, [[spoiler:this happens ''again'', when he, as a Spectre, stands between you and Councilor Udina. If you haven't done enough socializing with him beforehand, what Ashley did to Wrex, you do to him]].

[[folder: Ashley Williams]]
!Gunnery Chief/Operations Chief/Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mass-Effect-3-Ashley-Williams_2442.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330: Nothing like a nice relaxing stroll on the beach...[[ShotgunsAreJustBetter blasting bad guys with my boomstick]]!]]
-->''"Why is it whenever someone says [[WithDueRespect 'with all due respect,']] they really mean 'kiss my ass'?"''

-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KimberlyBrooks

A human Systems Alliance Marine who specializes in weapons skills and heavy armor. One of two possible romance options for a male Shepard. Returns as a party member and romance option in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' if she survived the first game.
----
* ADateWithRosiePalms: If you're male and turn down the chance of romancing her, Ashley will mention finding her own entertainment [[IllBeInMyBunk in her bunk.]]
* ActionGirl: Of all of the characters in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', only Wrex can match her for sheer toughness, and no one is as adept with weapons as her. This continues in ''Mass Effect 3'', where her skills are mostly focused on dealing damage (as opposed to James, the other soldier character, whose skills are more focused on survivability).
* AffectionateNickname: "Skipper", towards Shepard. Skipper is a nickname that U.S. Navy crew members commonly use for the commanding officer of the ship. She also calls Kaidan "LT", also a reference to his rank.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: In the military, due to being the granddaughter of the only general to ever surrender to aliens, even though he surrendered to [[TheMenFirst spare his men and civilians]]. For this, he was considered a GeneralFailure and promptly KickedUpstairs.
** She reached the rank of Gunnery Chief before we meet her, which is higher than her father ever got, although she says that she had "crap assignments" until that point. After the first game, she essentially "breaks the Williams Curse", either by [[spoiler:posthumously receiving medals from the turians or salarians for her actions on Virmire, or by finally getting some good assignments and climbing up past the glass ceiling her family stigma imposed thanks to serving with distinction under Shepard]].
* AlmightyJanitor: In the first game, Ashley is a lowly non-commissioned officer due to her family being politically blackballed. This is all in-spite of her [[TheAce exemplary test scores.]] Come ''[=ME2=]'' and ''[=ME3=]'', her work with Shepard is enough for her to finally achieve the ranks she deserves.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Confirmed by the developers to be mostly Hispanic.
* AmbiguouslyChristian: Maybe. In the first game, Ashley is the TokenReligiousTeammate of the crew. The game never goes into deep detail of her faith, outside of believing in God and that she regularly prays.
* AntiHero: A KnightInSourArmor or a PragmaticHero.
* ArmorIsUseless: [[spoiler: If Shepard is forced to shoot her, he/she only shoots her once with the Predator, the weakest pistol in the game. Despite wearing heavy armor, having kinetic barriers that have withstood dozens of bullets in cutscenes, and having medigel on hand just in case she gets shot, the bullet goes right through her and she dies a few minutes later]].
* [[spoiler:AsskickingEqualsAuthority]]: [[spoiler:She's made the second human Spectre in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''.]]
* TheAtoner: A lot of her actions are fueled by her desire to restore her family's good name.
* {{Badass}}: She's not someone you screw with.
** BadassFamily: The Williams family is ridiculously badass. Her grandfather, while being most remembered for surrendering to the turians at Shanxi was nonetheless a ''General''. Ashley also mentions that between her sisters, they are trained in hand-to-hand combat, swordplay and marksmanship. Ashley mentions that she once took a leave of absence to deal with her sister's overly horny boyfriend, who tried to push his luck. In the end, she actually didn't do ''anything'', since when the boyfriend tried to hit her sister, her sibling put him into the hospital in [[CurbStompBattle a matter of seconds.]]
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Most of her ''Mass Effect 3'' outfits have a helmet for vacuum conditions, except her ''From Ashes'' version. The eyepiece apparently overrides it.
* BattleCouple: With Shepard in the first and third game if romanced.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With male Shepard in the second and third games, if romanced in the first.
* BigSisterInstinct: Part of her backstory involves her taking a leave of absence from the Alliance to help her little sister deal with an overly clingy boyfriend.
* BoisterousBruiser: Her skills center around dealing out as much weapon damage as possible. She's also very enthusiastic, inside battle and out.
* BrutalHonesty: One consistent trait about Ashley is that she never bites her tongue when voicing her opinion.
* BruiserWithASoftCenter: Hits hard and hits first. Also likes poetry, talks to her sisters back home, and develops a soft spot for Tali.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** She gradually grows more comfortable about working with aliens over time.
** In the third game, after [[spoiler:Victus's son Tarquin]] sacrifices himself to [[spoiler:prevent the bomb on Tuchanka from detonating]], she will tell Tali that she is able to accept others dying in her place because she would make the same sacrifice for them, in contrast to her earlier SurvivorGuilt after [[spoiler:she is saved at the cost of Kaidan's life on Virmire]].
* ClingyJealousGirl: A mild case; she feels threatened by Liara's relationship with Shepard in the first game; even Liara lampshades this. In the third game, however, if he cheated on her with Tali in the second game, she takes it in stride if Shepard chooses to stay with Tali.
* CovertPervert:
** Pops up if you romance her in the first game. Along with the ADateWithRosiePalms entry, she'll mention that Commander Shepard has a great ass. ''Twice''.
** Seems to be a family trait. Her sister comments that male Shepard is cute in the first game, clearly jealous that her sister has such an attractive boss. Cue Ashley turning around and realizing that Shepard is [[RightBehindMe standing right there:]]
---> '''Ashley''': Tell me you didn't hear that.\\
'''Shepard''': 'Fraid I did.\\
'''Ashley''': ''[mortified]'' Shoot me now.
** If Shepard is female, Ash's sister will instead turn her affection to Kaidan.
* CoolBigSis: Acts as one to her younger sisters.
* CulturedWarrior: Just because she can drill you between the eyes at four hundred meters doesn't mean she can't like poetry. She even tries to romance Shepard with it.
* CustomUniform: Her outfit in the third game looks nothing like other Alliance uniforms or armor.
* DaddysGirl: Ashley's father wasn't around often due to his career, but Ashley was apparently very close to him. A large part of the reason she enlisted was to make him proud.
* DateRapeAverted: During one of her backstory conversations, she'll talk about how her Marine father taught all his daughters how to defend themselves. One foolish boy tried to put some unwanted moves on Ashley's younger sister. It didn't end well for him.
* DeadpanSnarker: Despite being dedicated to following protocol, she's definitely isn't shy about sassing Shepard.
* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler:Has shades of this during the first game. If she survives Virmire, after she says she should have been the one to stay behind, one of Shepard's responses is to lose their temper and accuse her of wanting to martyr herself to restore her family's honor. This seems to snap her out of it.]]
* DemotedToExtra: During the second game.
** She also is hospitalized early in the third game after being attacked by [[spoiler: Eva Coré]] on Mars, remaining out of action until [[spoiler: the Cerberus coup attempt.]] Many of her fans have bemoaned the fact that Ashley is not given much dialogue on ''Normandy'', but the writers have clarified that she has the ''same'' amount of lines as Kaidan; her conversations just mostly take place on the Citadel, while Kaidan's are largely restricted to the ''Normandy''.
* {{Determinator}}: Due to her grandfather being the only human to surrender to alien forces, the entire military hates her and assigns her to the lowest and most degrading posts they can. Despite this, she signed up for the Alliance anyway to help redeem her family name.
** Shepard notes in the third game that the very first time they met Ashley, she had just seen her entire platoon wiped out by geth and instead of laying down and giving up, her response was to pick up her gun and kept firing. Shepard implies that if they hadn't shown up, she would have likely continued to do so even if it meant she had to defend the colony by ''herself''.
* DidISayThatOutLoud: Pops up several times if Shepard is in a romance with her.
--> '''Ashley''': If you expect to get me in a tinfoil mini-skirt and thigh-high boots, I want dinner first... Sir!
* DistaffCounterpart: Given that Ashley has considerable prowess with a sniper rifle and automatic rifle, is frequently cast as a DeadpanSnarker and in the first game was something of a NobleBigot before CharacterDevelopment, one could make the very serious argument that she's essentially the human, female equivalent of Garrus Vakarian.
* DrinkOrder: In the third game, to cope with the impending Reaper attack, James gives her a bottle of alcohol. She drinks the whole bottle.
* DrinkingContest: This is what constitutes a shore-leave date with Ashley, romanced or not, in the ''Citadel'' DLC.
* DyingDeclarationOfLove: Averted. If you romance her, she refuses to say "I love you" until both of you come out of the endgame alive.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: She's first encountered fleeing from two geth troopers and their drones. She dives to avoid the drones' fire, takes them out with per pistol, then jumps behind cover before readying her rifle in anticipation for the two troopers. After Shepard and Kaidan kill the troopers, she thanks them for saving her life and then blames herself for the loss of the other marines.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** In spite of how she is less than trusting of aliens, particularly the Council, she references this in ''Mass Effect 2'' to rebuke Shepard's offer of working with [[NebulousEvilOrganization Cerberus.]]
--->'''Ashley''': I'm no fan of aliens, but Cerberus has a habit of being... extreme.
** She also dislikes Terra Firma in the first game, saying that their platform is noble, but too many of their members just use it to spread racism.
* FamilyHonor: The driving force behind her service in the Alliance military.
* {{Fangirl}}: Mildly towards Shepard if s/he has the War Hero background.
* FanservicePack: In the third game, it seems that her promotion [[spoiler:to Spectre status]] included a boob job.
** Including the lingerie she wears in the romance scene with Shepard. That doesn't look like regulation military issue (although Traynor and Shepard have [[LawOfConservationOfDetail the exact same set]], so...) Might be a perk of being a Spectre, though, they ''do'' always get the best gear.
* FantasticRacism: A surprisingly nuanced version of this. She doesn't trust aliens and has issues with turians in particular because her grandfather was the commander at the garrison at Shanxi, who was also the only human commander to ever surrender to alien forces. As a result, the Williams name is something of a curse, and Ashley suffers for it. Whether this comes across as a sympathetic FreudianExcuse or petty blame-shifting on her part is up to the player.
** The logical (and RealLife) reasoning behind this is that she overcompensates distrust of aliens because as a Williams, she is already under (unfair) scrutiny for being an alien-sympathizer or not pro-human enough. Similar in concept to ArmoredClosetGay except a much milder case that the player can help persuade her out of. It's important to note that even if she doesn't trust aliens, she vehemently criticizes the Terra Firma party for its blatant racism.
** She also expresses sympathy for Tali the instant she hears how the Council shafted the quarians after the geth went rogue. Tali is also the only alien whose presence on the ship she doesn't object to. It appears that her beef is mainly with the Council races. Furthermore, if she is romanced in ''1'' but left for Tali in ''3'', she takes it fairly well. If Shepard cheats on her with [[KnightTemplar Mira]][[DesignerBabies nda]] or [[AxCrazy Ja]][[BrokenBird ck]] on the other hand, she gets pretty mad.
** Her issue with Liara is mostly as a romantic rival and to extent, as Benezia's daughter. She will urge Shepard to speak to her after Benezia's death.
** Given that her grandfather was branded TheQuisling by ''humanity'' for doing something so heinous as surrendering in order to ''save civilians'', its entirely possible that she simply has trust issues and doesn't trust ''anyone''. Given her reaction to Shepard being involved with Cerberus in the second game and the fact she takes a long time to trust them again in the third, this might be the case. Ashley doesn't hate aliens, she just doesn't trust them to not let her down. This also fits with her being religious. So far, her faith in God is because they are the only person who ''hasn't let her down''.
** This trait seems to be [[CharacterDevelopment completely gone]] by ''3,'' replaced with a distrust of Shepard because s/he was [[WhatTheHellHero working with Cerberus]]. She also states that she has difficulty in seeing synthetics as truly alive, although this sentiment is largely shared by the rest of the crew except EDI; many of the crew fought against the geth in the first game.
* FirstGirlWins: If romanced.
* FriendlySniper: She can use sniper rifles, though cutscenes always show her wielding assault rifles.
* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: While far from naive and even somewhat cynical, she cannot comprehend what Cerberus hoped to accomplish [[spoiler:in Sanctuary on Horizon]], and considers her inability to do so what makes her human.
* GoodOldFisticuffs: Her sisters know fencing and aikido. Ashley knows Marine hand-to-hand and admits that she's "more or less a straight-up puncher".
* HeartbrokenBadass: If romanced by Shepard in the first game, it's clear that she took Shepard's death hard. It takes until half-way through the third game until she's ready to believe that Shepard is who they claim they are and trust them again.
* HeroWorshipper: To Shepard with the War Hero background.
** She angrily berates a colonist in ''[=ME2=]'' who insults Shepard, declaring that they're in the presence of a ''god''. [[BrokenPedestal She stops being this after that, however.]] Less than a minute after that, in fact.
* HiddenDepths: Her views on human/alien interaction actually delve much deeper than simple racism. While she has trust issues, her views fall more along the line of "we shouldn't become too dependent on them."
** She admonishes Shepard for thinking that just because she is capable of shooting someone between the eyes from 400 yards, it doesn't mean she can't like ''poetry''.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform: Her default armor in the first game is white and pink. ''[[HighlyVisibleNinja Pink]]''.
* HypocriticalHumor: Angrily berates a colonist in ''[=ME2=]'' for insulting Shepard only to then proceed to berate Shepard herself, call them a traitor for working with Cerberus and furious that they didn't think to inform her they were still alive.
* ImprobableAge: [[AllThereInTheManual Supplementary material]] says she's 25 in the first game, which is really pushing the suspension of disbelief if she's a senior NCO.
* InTheBack: She'll kill [[spoiler: Wrex]] this way if you take too long [[spoiler: to talk him down]].
* InTheBlood: She's a, what, fifth-generation Marine?
* IRegretNothing: [[spoiler:Her last words if she dies on Virmire.]]
* ItHasBeenAnHonor: [[spoiler:Her goodbye if Shepard chooses to save Kaidan instead of her on Virmire.]]
* IUhYouToo: She and Shepard do this. They "want each other to be happy".
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Depending on your choices on Virmire. It's also possible to shoot her midway through the third game when Udina turns traitor but it's not too hard to avoid.]]
* KnightInSourArmor: She's bitter and distrustful of aliens and the Council, but is dedicated to her job and is willing to lay down her life to do the right thing.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: If Shepard has the War Hero background, she has a little hero worship at the start of the first game.
* TheLancer: A dual role in the first and third games:
** Shares the role with Kaidan in the first game [[spoiler:until one of them is killed off]].
** Back in the part in ''3'', sharing with Garrus[[spoiler:, though one or both of them may be dead at this point]].
* LastNameBasis: Typically referred to as such in the first game, most often "Chief Williams" or "Williams".
* LettingHerHairDown: As of ''Mass Effect 3''. There's something amusing about James' "she's a fun girl when she actually lets her hair down", given he never met her onscreen before (their first exchange implies they knew each other already, but probably not for long -- presumably while Shepard was detained on Earth).
* LightningBruiser: In the third game, Ashley's weapon damage is second only to Garrus. Whether it's with her [[MoreDakka Marksman]] ability, or by using a combination of Disruptor Ammo, Inferno Grenades, and Concussive shot in that order to chain together [[CombinationAttack Tech Bursts and Fire Explosions]], Ashley can cause large amounts of damage very quickly with no help from Shepard or the third squadmate. She also has the highest defenses of the five squad members that don't have a damage reduction power.
* LikeParentLikeSpouse: Coming from a family that has been {{military|brat}} for generations, one could argue her attraction to a Male Paragon Shepard is due to Ashley being instinctively drawn towards strong, determined men who are career military. If romanced, in the third game she believes that if her father were still alive, Shepard would be the ''first'' boyfriend her father would approve of and the two of them would get on like a house on fire.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: One of the main reasons why [[spoiler: the reunion on Horizon goes so badly]]. Shepard seems to be the only one to think it might be a good idea for Ashley to know what the hell is going on. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late since all that left her with were the reports Cerberus itself was leaking to keep Shepard away from his/her old contacts. In the third game, rectifying this is an essential part of getting back on her good side. The player also has the option of [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential continuing to leave her out of the loop]], [[spoiler: which potentially ends in her death because she can't be convinced that it's NotWhatItLooksLike]].
* TheLostLenore: Potentially. As Kaidan or Ashley will be the SacrificialLion for the first game, they can also be considered this if a romance was pursued and they died.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: The masculine girl to Kaidan's feminine boy. Ashley also has shades of this with a paragon [=MaleShep=].
* MilitaryBrat: Ashley is pretty quick to let you know that she's the fourth generation of Williams to be in the military.
* MoreDakka: Marksman (buffs accuracy and firing rate) is one of her unique powers in ''3''. This really comes into play if you give her an already fast-firing weapon like the Revenant or Typhoon.
* MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: With [[spoiler:Kaidan after Virmire. One of them ''will'' always die, so it's impossible to finish the game with both of them]].
* NobleBigotWithABadge: Obviously, her views are influenced by her family's DarkAndTroubledPast, but she believes that alien races are just as susceptible to FantasticRacism as humans are, and that humans should be prepared to go it alone. In any event, she still has concrete standards (namely loathing for the direction the ''more'' racist Terra Firma party has gone, and an absolute refusal to work with Cerberus due to their terrorist activities). She also works well with all teammates, human and otherwise, in the field.
* [[OneManArmy One Woman Army]]: [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome It happened offscreen]], but Ashley apparently [[spoiler:fought through Cerberus's soldiers completely on her own to reach the Council during the coup]].
* OptionalPartyMember: In the third game, after [[spoiler:being severely injured on Mars, she's absent until Udina's attempted coup, wherein she can actually be killed or, barring that, have her request to return to the ''Normandy'' refused, making her a War Asset]].
* OutOfFocus: Like Kaidan, Ashley has a central role in ''Mass Effect 1'''s plot, but plays a much more minor role in the sequels compared to the other original party members. The intended subplot about [[spoiler:the Illusive Man turning Shepard and Ashley against each other was significantly stripped down, most likely because of the number of [[IdiotBall Idiot Balls]] everyone involved had to grab to make the original plan work.]] Particularly jarring if you romanced her in the first game, though it can be [[DownplayedTrope mitigated significantly]] the player goes to talk to her when she asks.
* OverrankedSoldier: As mentioned previously, Gunnery Sergeant is a somewhat implausible rank for a 25 year old woman to hold especially when she faces the kind of stigma that Ashley holds during a time of relative peace (i.e. before the geth attack on Eden Prime). Somehow, in the space of two and a half years between ''Mass Effect'' and ''Mass Effect 3'', she is able to earn a commission and be promoted to Lieutenant Commander, a rank that normally takes many years to earn even for people who began their careers as young Ensigns.
** It's possible that, since her technical scores are exemplary and she kept getting given crap assignments, the brass were trying hard to get her KickedUpstairs with a post on some backwater planet, where she wouldn't be much of a problem.
** Her promotion in ''3'' might be because being part of Shepard's crew opened a ''lot'' of doors for her, since it appears that the while the Alliance tried to hush up the crew about the Reapers, they only were actively trying to discredit ''Shepard''. It also seems that she was being prepared as a possible successor to Shepard as a Spectre. Or at least, Udina probably wanted a Spectre more amenable to his bidding.
* [[OvershadowedByAwesome Overshadowed by Shepard]]: Much like Garrus, she's an extreme badass and a fine leader [[spoiler:and, in the third game, gets inducted as a Spectre.]] But when Shepard is around, there's no doubt who's the boss, or [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking why.]] Exemplified if Shepard is the one to kill [[spoiler:Udina]], at which point s/he immediately takes total charge of the situation.
** [[HiddenDepths She will also admit]] that she feels this way in regard to the rest of the crew in the first game. She fears she'll be ineffective against the geth since she can't use biotics or tech like the others.
* PairTheSpares: If unromanced, she can hook up with James in ''Citadel'' if encouraged.
* PeekABangs: Replaces her PrimAndProperBun in ''Mass Effect 3.''
* PetTheDog: In spite of her views, if you talk to her after the Noveria mission, she'll tell Shepard to go comfort Liara [[spoiler:since her mother was killed there after succumbing to indoctrination.]] She also expresses a hope that having Tali be on their team will improve people's views of quarians during one of the game's many long elevator rides. As well, she takes the Virmire assignment of leading an assault force of salarians without complaint. In fact, the salarians come out of it with nothing but respect for her.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Subverted; her armor may be pink, but she's tough and hardly traditionally feminine.
* PrimAndProperBun: In the first two games, although Ashley herself is [[BrutalHonesty hardly prim and proper.]]
* ProperlyParanoid:
** Ashley does not trust the Council because she feels if push comes to shove, they will put the good of their own races ahead of humans. Come the third game, [[StrawmanHasAPoint she's proven right.]]
** When she appears in ''2'', Ashley warns Shepard that the Illusive Man is using the Reaper threat and Shepard's gratitude to control him/her. If she is taken to Cronos Station in ''3'', Ashley is not surprised to find a recording of the Illusive Man detailing his plans to make Shepard sympathetic to Cerberus.
* RealWomenDontWearDresses: Subversion. She's an undeniable badass and certainly never seen wearing a dress in the main games, but when Shepard mentions that he can't see her in a dress, she hesitates, saying "Damn... right... you can't!" This implies that she thinks she's ''supposed'' to be this way. If you pursue a relationship with her, she's also revealed to be a romantic at heart, while still keeping up appearances of being a hardass.
** Should Shepard cheat on her with Miranda in the second game, she angrily notes that when she goes into battle it's in ''armor'', not ''[[TakeThat swimwear]]''. Which is hypocritically hilarious if you use the alternative outfit for Ashley in combat (which is her skin-tight leather suit).
** Furthermore subverted in the ''Citadel'' DLC. If you take Ashley with you on the infiltration mission, she'll wear a dress. And if you ''don't'' take her, she'll say that she actually looks good in a dress and wishes she had an opportunity to wear it.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Kaidan's blue.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Potentially discussed; after learning about her family's backstory, Shepard can express concern that she hopes for an opportunity to fall on her proverbial sword in order to redeem her family name. [[spoiler:If she's the one left behind on Virmire, it has this effect]]. Not to mention news reports from the second game: [[spoiler:she's been awarded high honors by the salarian and turian governments for her willingness to give her life protecting aliens]].
* RefugeInAudacity: If she's taken to infiltrate the casino in ''[[{{DLC}} Citadel]]''. Her antics include feigning extreme drunkenness, loudly crying about a breakup, and brazenly hitting on a guard.
* RelationshipUpgrade: You can start a new romance with her in the third game regardless of history (the same applies to Liara and Kaidan, though Ashley's romance remains restricted to Male Shepard). "I'm just saying, we've been through a lot. I have to know -- are we going somewhere?"
* RelationshipValues: Possesses this with Shepard in ''3''. [[spoiler: It culminates in a Mexican Standoff. A high-value Ashley will side with you over Udina, while a lower one requires a reputation check, and if the reputation is too low, she will refuse to move and must be killed]].
* ReligiousBruiser: "Hey, if they're trying to find God, I'd be happy to speed them on their way."
* SemperFi: She's in the human military, so natch.
* SheCleansUpNicely: She got a major visual overhaul between ''2'' and ''3''.
* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler: If Shepard is unable to talk Wrex down, she may do this to save him/her.]]
** [[spoiler: And if Shepard is unable to talk ''her'' down during the Cerberus attack in the third game, Shepard can do the same to her.]]
* ShoutOut:
** Her name is a reference to ''Franchise/EvilDead'''s protagonist. During the Virmire stage, she can also make a comment about her "[[Film/ArmyOfDarkness boomstick]]."
** She also romances Shepard with by quoting Walt Whitman (a.k.a. ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'').
* ShutUpKiss: Invoked in the third game if the romance was continued.
--> '''Ashley''': Just shut up and kiss me.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: She could use shotguns in the first game, affectionately referring to her shotgun as her "boomstick", but she prefers assault rifles. She loses the ability to use shotguns in the third game.
* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: Takes the more realistic viewpoint to Paragon Shepard's continual WideEyedIdealist nature.
-->'''Shepard:''' That's a pretty pessimistic way of looking at things, Chief.\\
'''Ashley:''' A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist.
* SoProudOfYou: Her father salutes her after she becomes a Gunnery Chief, a higher rank than he could ever achieve.
* SoleSurvivor: Of her unit on Eden Prime.
* SpaceMarine: As with all human soldiers in ''Franchise/MassEffect'', literally.
* StarCrossedLovers: With male Shepard in the second game if romanced in the first. Avoided in the third game only if a specific ending is chosen.
* StrawCivilian: Holds this view of non-military folk, particularly politicians. Granted, most of the time [[ProperlyParanoid she seems to be right.]] One elevator conversation has her complaining about how people are going about their daily lives despite the threat of the geth and Saren; other party members' responses vary, but Garrus in particular points out that this is the difference between military and civilian worldviews.
-->'''Ashley''': It’s strange. The geth are attacking, and everyone around here is still worried about ordinary business.\\
'''Garrus''': You’re military, Chief Williams. They’re civilians. Civilians never believe the enemy is coming until they’re at the gates.
* SurvivorGuilt: [[spoiler:If she's saved on Virmire, she will express this. In the third game, a conversation between her and Tali showcases her CharacterDevelopment on this regard, as she tells Tali that she can accept Kaidan's sacrifice because she would have done the same thing in his situation, and says that one day, Tali will have her turn to sacrifice herself.]]
* TakeThat: She gives one to [[HollywoodAtheist those who have a problem with people having religious beliefs.]]
* TokenReligiousTeammate: Mainly in the first game. It's not brought up so much in the third. She was going to have a conversation about Shepard's NearDeathExperience, but it got cut.
* TookALevelInBadass: At the start of VideoGame/MassEffect1, she's a competent but unremarkable marine, and requires aid to survive against a couple geth troopers. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', assuming she survives, she's made a Spectre, essentially meaning she's declared humanity's second most competent agent behind Shepard him or herself.
* UnequalPairing: With Shepard. She also writes an e-mail to her sister warning about the possible implications of this, including possibly having to decide whether your loved one lives or dies. [[spoiler:This becomes HarsherInHindsight after Virmire, when she can potentially be saved because she's romanced, or sacrificed for a romanced Kaidan]].
* TheUnfairSex: If romanced previously, male Shepard calls her out on this attitude in ''3'', noting that if he chose to romance someone else in the second game, it was only because Ashley made her feelings abundantly clear on Horizon that they were ''over''.
* UpThroughTheRanks: Assuming she survived the first game, she goes from a gunnery chief (a grade of noncom) to a lieutenant commander.
* UnwittingPawn: Because Ashley was unaware of the Lazarus Project, the Illusive Man was able to turn her against Shepard by strategically leaking information about his/her survival, [[spoiler:something Udina follows up on if Shepard makes no attempt to reestablish his/her friendship with Ashley]].
* WellDoneSonGuy: Averted in that one of the proudest moments of her father's life was when she reached a higher rank than him, so for a while he took to saluting her and calling her "Sir".
** Played straight as she has this attitude to the Alliance, who blacklisted her family ever since Shanxi when her grandfather, General Williams, surrendered in order to save civilian lives. Ashley's struggle to prove herself to the Alliance gets to the point where Shepard berates her in the first game for wanting to jump on grenades, if it'd mean redeeming the Williams name.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Basically has this with Shepard in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', which carries over to ''Mass Effect 3''.
-->'''James:''' You know the Commander?\\
'''Ashley:''' [[BrokenPedestal I used to]].
* WhatTheHellHero:
** [[spoiler: Like Kaidan, she doesn't take it well when she learns that Shepard had apparently faked his/her death to work for Cerberus in ''[=ME2=]''.]]
** She can be given one if she [[spoiler:kills Wrex]] without being ordered to do so. If Shepard tells her to do so, Kaidan is shocked, but Ashley points out she was following orders.
** If Shepard is forced to kill her in ''Mass Effect 3'' when trying to arrest Udina, she says she had to take a stand like you did back in the day. If you never even tried to patch things up at the hospital, however, her last words are downright brutal.
--->'''Shepard:''' Dammit Ash, he was with Cerberus.\\
'''Ash:''' So were ''you''. I hope the Reapers send you to ''HELL''. ''[dies]''
* WithDueRespect:
** Despite her opinion of this line (note her head quote above), she uses it at least twice. Once in the first game when discussing alien crewmembers, and again in the Extended Cut if she's the injured squadmate during the airlift scene.
--->'''Shepard:''' You've gotta get out of here!\\
'''Ashley:''' ''[[ICanStillFight With all due respect]]'', Commander...
** Though her line from above may be an intentional callback on her part to what she said in the first game about what people really mean when they say that. Which makes it a bittersweet funny moment.
* VasquezAlwaysDies: [[spoiler:Not ''always'', but she is the only female squad member who can suffer a PlotlineDeath as early as the first game, while her girlier colleagues, Tali and Liara, don't face that possibility until part two and three, respectively.]]
* VitriolicBestBuds: An un-romanced Male Shepard or a Female Shepard can allow this relationship, especially once Shepard finds Ashley suffering from a hangover in Mass Effect 3.
--> '''Shepard''': You know, is it time to test the fire alarm? I think it is!\\
'''Ashley''': I'll pay you a million credits not to do that, sir/ma'am.\\
'''Shepard''': Two million credits, and we have a deal.\\
'''Ashley''': You're a damn space pirate.\\
'''Shepard''': I could order Joker to sing to you over the comm.\\
'''Ashley''': I hate you.\\
'''Shepard''': "I hate you...?"\\
'''Ashley''': Sir/Ma'am.\\
'''Shepard''': As you were, Williams!
* VindicatedByHistory: [[spoiler: InUniverse. If you choose to let her die in the first game, then by the second game she had become a martyr and face of the human fight on Virmire. She gets memorials in her name and all of her family's shameful past is forgotten and has been redeemed.]]
** [[spoiler: Also happens if she is still alive in the third game where she is promoted to Lieutenant Commander and eventually becomes the second human Spectre. She even lampshades it in the game that the Williams family curse is finally broken.]]
* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Comes into play if you romance her, especially if she [[spoiler:kills Wrex.]]
* WalkingArmory: In the first game. While everyone was required to carry all four possible weapon types, Ashley was the only squadmate with the potential to use all four effectively. This was removed in the third game when she was restricted to a ChoiceOfTwoWeapons like everyone else.
* YouShallNotPass: [[spoiler:At the same time as Kaidan's. It's up to you whether she survives over him.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Garrus Vakarian]]
!Garrus [[spoiler:"Archangel"]] Vakarian
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Garrus_Vakarian_06_by_johntesh_3389.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:Can it wait for a bit? I'm in the middle of some calibrations.]]
-->''"Fighting a rogue Spectre with countless lives at stake and no regulations to get in the way? [[JumpedAtTheCall I'd say that beats C-Sec]]."''

-->'''Voiced by:''' Brandon Keener

A turian C-Sec officer who joins Shepard's team after becoming dissatisfied with regulations at C-Sec. Specializes in technology and long-range combat. Rejoins Shepard as a squadmate in ''Mass Effect 2'' [[UndyingLoyalty becoming one of his/her most trusted and loyal comrades,]] and unofficially taking [[TheLancer the position]] of his/her NumberTwo. Fan demand made him a love interest for the female Shepard. He returns as a squad member in ''Mass Effect 3'', provided he survived the second game.
----
* {{Adorkable}}: In the first game, if spoken to in the Council chamber, he actually stammers when he says that in all his time in C-Sec, he's never been privileged enough to see or meet the Council. For the second game, it shows more clearly and consistently in his romance with female Shepard. First he agrees to Shepard's offer of casual sex, but each time you talk to him after that, he's increasingly awkward, worrying about all the ways their InterspeciesRomance could crash and burn. By the time he shows up in Shepard's quarters, he's babbling from nerves. Finally he confesses it's because he feels like Shepard is the only real friend he's got left, and after all his failures, he wants their relationship to be something that finally goes right.
** Come ''Mass Effect 3'', he's not as nervous around her if she continues to see him, but their first conversation on the ''Normandy'' is fraught with awkward uncertainty that he tries to mask with humor. It does appear again on their Citadel date just before the bottle shooting.
*** He can be similarly adorkable if [[spoiler: he and Tali hook up. But that's only if you don't romance either of them in the last game]].
** In Citadel DLC, when he and Shepard are roleplaying a first date (the idea of which screams the trope itself), he eventually is at a loss for words and breaks character. Amusingly, he almost immediately averts this when he drags Shepard to the dance floor, prompting ''her'' to be adorkable.
* AlienBlood: In the second game, after Garrus takes a gunship rocket to the ''face'', Shepard finds the poor bastard lying in a pool of what looks like blue paint.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: It's heavily implied that Garrus feels somewhat [[OvershadowedByAwesome inferior when compared]] to Shepard. His Shadow Broker dossier even says that Shepard's presence just might be preventing him from realizing his potential.
** Shepard can ''intentionally'' miss during a bottle shooting match in the third game. The look on Garrus' face that he's a ''better'' shot than Shepard speaks of how much of a win this is for him.
* AmazonChaser: Part of the reason he goes for female Shepard is the ''tremendous'' amount of respect he has for her leadership skills and prowess in battle. See InterplayOfSexAndViolence below.
* AngerBornOfWorry: Similar to other love interests in the Leviathan DLC for ''Mass Effect 3''. He chastises Female Shepard for almost getting herself killed, and later on he still seems worked up about it.
* ArousedByTheirVoice: During the "first date" on the Citadel DLC with a romanced Shepard, Garrus plays up his voice as one of his better qualities. If he isn't around in ''[=ME3=]'' and was romanced in ''[=ME2=]'', Female Shepard [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbBuXajA5-U laments not hearing his voice again]]. Apparently, she ''really'' likes it.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: In the third game, he's one of the highest-ranking officers in the entire turian military due to his prior experience fighting Reapers. Partly justified as the turian military (and turian society in general) is a self-described meritocracy and they don't have nearly as much problem rapidly promoting people as humans do.
* BabiesEverAfter: If he's romanced, during the final conversation with him in ''Mass Effect 3'', he brings up the possibility of finding out "what a turian-human baby looks like" after everything's over. Shepard can either agree with him and suggest adoption (Garrus points out that there's going to be a ''lot'' of krogan babies once the Reaper war is over) or claim that they'd be terrible parents ("I think two trained killers are enough for one family").
* {{Badass}}: Anyone capable of defending himself against three different mercenary groups all at the same time for more than a day is undeniably badass. Basically, in the time between ''Mass Effect 1'' and ''2'', he became the turian's answer to [[ThePunisher Frank Castle]]. He was actually a Spectre candidate.
* BandagedFace: Partial example. After taking a ''rocket to the face'' at the end of his recrutiment mission in Mass Effect 2, he spends the rest of the game wearing a bandage/artificial graft on the lower right side of his face. It's gone by the third game.
* BashBrothers[=/=]BattleCouple: As Shepard puts it, "If I'm walking through hell, I want someone I can trust by my side." To which he replies, [[DeadpanSnarker "I hope you're aware that this plan has me walking through hell too."]]
** May also count with Zaeed. Not only do the two have similar histories and identical weapon specialties, but Zaeed greatly respects Garrus' skills. It comes to a head in Citadel DLC when they discuss the apartment's features for possible modifications into a defensive base and then act on it. While they "improve" the apartment by booby-trapping it Zaeed remarks that he could have really done with knowing Garrus several years ago for a challenging mission.
* BestFriend: Throughout the trilogy, Garrus grows to be Shepard's closest associate and confidante, alongside Liara, as showcased by their final exchange in ''[=ME3=]'' ("There's no Shepard without Vakarian"). This is particularly true for Male!Shepard, since Fem!Shep can actually [[PromotedToLoveInterest take their relationship a step further from part two onward]].
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Garrus is generally a nice guy, if bitter about C-Sec and his own failings but get him angry and he'll go commando on your ass.
* BeyondTheImpossible:
** In ''3'', Legion remarks that it is physically impossible to improve the accuracy of the Normandy's weapons past .32%. Garrus then calibrates them to be .43% more accurate. Legion is utterly flabbergasted at the impossibility.
---> '''Legion:''' [[HowIsThatEvenPossible How did you accomplish this?]]\\
'''Garrus:''' It's a little secret we organics like to keep: always hold a little something back for emergencies.\\
'''Legion:''' Does our present circumstances count as an emergency?\\
'''Garrus:''' A geth meddling in our computers, telling me how to do my job? ''[[SarcasmMode No]]'', I can't imagine that would qualify.
** Played for laughs in the Citadel DLC. Garrus achieves the "impossible" with a romanced Female Shepard: He teaches her to dance.
* BizarreAlienBiology: Turians are one of only two known species (the other being quarians) that have a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirality_%28chemistry%29 dextro-amino acid based biology]]. As such, they can't consume any food or drink made for levo-amino acid biologies (humans, asari, salarians, krogans, etc.) without, at the least, not getting any nourishment from it; or at the most, having a fatal allergic reaction. If Shepard romances him in the second game, Mordin warns her about the dangers of ingesting.
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Garrus prefers to see the world like this. Unlike Samara, he's willing to give mercy a chance if [[MoralityChain Shepard]] [[WhatWouldXDo persuades him to.]]
-->'''Garrus:''' It's so much easier to see the universe in black and white. Gray? ...I don't know what to do with gray.
* BloodKnight: Almost to ''krogan'' levels. Omega in particular brought out this side of him; in his own words, criminals were everywhere and all he had to do was point and shoot. This attitude (and Sidonis) nearly gets him killed.
-->'''Garrus:''' Scratch one!
* BreakoutCharacter: Like Tali, he becomes ''far'' more plot relevant and fleshed out in ''2'', in addition to being a LoveInterest. In ''3'', Garrus, along with Liara, also has the most conversations/interactions with Shepard. Keep in mind, this is done despite the fact that Garrus could actually be dead in the player's import.
* ByronicHero: In ''[=ME2=]'', after he's been put through hell on Omega. Depending on the player's actions, he can fall further into this trope or start to be pulled out of it.
* CasualKink: Implied in the relationship between him and a female Shepard in a romance with him in the ''Citadel'' DLC of Mass Effect 3, in which they roleplay a first date and swap some suggestive dialogue before partaking in a MatingDance.
* CatchPhrase: "Just like old times..." Being one of only two squadmates that have been full-time in all three games, he's prone to saying this. Usually in a [[CasualDangerDialog casual manner]] about some danger or other.%% Note: Looped dialogue does not count as a catchphrase, so even though Garrus' dialogue is more memetic, it does not qualify.%%
* CharacterDevelopment: Paragon Shepard can help him undergo a surprising amount of this, with Garrus slowly coming to realize that regulations and safety precautions, while sometimes obstructive, are often there for very good reasons. [[spoiler: He can even decide, on his own, to re-apply to C-Sec once your mission is complete]]. Or, if Renegade, you can encourage his CowboyCop tendencies and have him [[spoiler: decide to reapply for Spectre status]]. Unfortunately, he seems to backpedal between games if you've encouraged him to work within the system -- which makes sense, considering [[spoiler: the Council did everything possible to rip apart everything he and Shepard's team accomplished in the first game, denying the Reapers' existence and allowing C-Sec to become corrupt and ruthless in its policing of the Citadel. Of course he'd get pissed off at the system and take things into his own hands]].
** The irony here is that Garrus' CowboyCop tendencies would have [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor made him right at home in post-''[=ME1=]'' C-Sec.]] He muses at Captain Bailey's cutting through red tape and encouraging of beating suspects, "Things ''have'' changed around here."
* ChickMagnet[=/=]EvenTheGuysWantHim: Garrus attracts the attention of no less than [[LongList Dr. Chloe Michel, Yeoman Kelly Chambers,]] [[spoiler: Tali,]] [[LongList a turian military scout, a turian patron at Silver Coast Casino]] and potentially [[FanPreferredCouple Commander Shepard herself]]. In ''Citadel'', he can get one of the guards at the casino to flirt with him. He receives a ShipTease from Eve and male Shepard.
* ColdSniper[=/=]FriendlySniper: Ruthless when [[CatchPhrase scopin' and droppin']] but very friendly outside of battle.
* ContinuityNod: A minor one, but Garrus says after ending a conversation with him, "I'll be here if you need me" or "Need me for something?" [[TearJerker He also says it if you reject him during his sex scene.]] This is one of his general lines when on a mission from the first game.
** The third game also has multiple references to Garrus and his calibrations.
* CowboyCop: Deconstructed in that he has to leave C-Sec in order to indulge his CowboyCop urges; just like in real life, actual police forces would not tolerate cowboy cops. [[spoiler:Paragon Shepard's influence can inspire him to rejoin C-Sec with a new appreciation for playing by the rules, in addition to reapplying for Spectre candidacy (which happens either route you take). Renegade Shepard's influence, conversely, will encourage his tendencies to the extent that he envies Shepard's lack of problems with red tape.]] Deconstruction is taken further in ''Mass Effect 2'', where he is now a vigilante bordering on KnightTemplar whose actions have resulted in multiple mercenary gangs teaming up to kill him. And even still, he notices that his work still hasn't changed very much at all.
* TheCowl: As Archangel, befitting his role as the ''Mass Effect'' universe's very own "Space-[[ComicBook/ThePunisher Punisher]]", or as some people think, "Space-Franchise/{{Batman}}".
* CulturalRebel: Garrus frequently displays this, being relatively lax compared to most turians when it comes to bending the rules and also recognising that following military protocol is ''not'' always the best course of action, particularly when it prevents him from helping people. He even admits it himself, "I don't think I'd make a very good turian."
* CulturedBadass: In the ''Citadel'' DLC, if romanced by a female Shepard, Garrus can dance tango with her.
* DeadpanSnarker: Probably the most sarcastic character next to Joker. This is pretty remarkable, [[HumorlessAliens considering that other races don't consider turians to have a sense of humor]]. Appropriately enough, by the third game, they're trading military jokes and even some self-deprecating wisecracks.
--> '''Wrex:''' I just had to make friends with the one turian in the galaxy who thinks he's funny.
* DeathByIrony: The Shadow Broker's dossier on Garrus reveals that he is a fan of dishing out these types of deaths to criminals. This includes shooting a weapon smuggler in the head with one of his own smuggled weapons, and ''[[CherryTapping coughing]]'' on a quarian virus specialist turned serial killer. He also plans on harvesting organ seller Dr. Saleon's organs, but decides that time is short and plans on shooting him (he will if Shepard chooses not to talk him out of it, and might if Shepard decides to let Saleon live).
* DeathFakedForYou: After you recruit him on Omega (and kill a metric crapton of mercs to do it), the mercs spread rumors that he died in the battle and Garrus is happy to accept them. They pretty much had to, because the true story of Garrus and Shepard's team completely owning all of them would have destroyed their reputation. It could also be that the mercs are [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat pretty sure he died]] when he took a gunship blast to the face. Somewhere down the line, however, the truth does come out. The mercs in the Citadel DLC recognize him under that name.
* {{Determinator}}: Held out against a band of three mercenary companies single-handedly for over a day.
* TheDreaded: By Omega's criminals while acting as Archangel. Also the [=CAT6=] mercenaries.
-->'''[=CAT6=] merc:''' I think that turian is Archangel! How are we supposed to kill him?!\\
''[BANG!]''\\
'''Garrus:''' You're not!
* DoYouWantToCopulate: While fumbling his way through a romance dialogue with female Shepard, he rather clinically refers to their upcoming get-together as "cross-species intercourse", and [[ThatCameOutWrong immediately feels dirty afterward]] for referring to his relationship with Shepard in such blunt terms.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: From the first game, he has two. His first appearance has him arguing with Executor Pallin over [[JurisdictionFriction the Spectres stealing his investigation]] out from underneath him, establishing Garrus as a [[CowboyCop cop who plays by his own rules.]] His second has him score a perfect headshot on the thug holding Dr. Michel hostage, demonstrating his [[ColdSniper prowess as a marksman]], but also that Garrus can be reckless in his pursuit of justice. Either one of these moments can be Shepard's first encounter with him, depending on how you play out the investigation on Saren.
** TheReveal in the second game that he's actually ''[[VigilanteMan Archangel]]'', establishes that Garrus has become far more DarkerAndEdgier. Without the influence of Paragon Shepard, this is likely because no one was around to serve as his MoralityChain.
** And finally, his first appearance in the third game, with him being saluted by a turian ''general'', shows how far he's come since his introduction as a C-Sec officer.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Kelly and Kasumi comment on how Garrus and female Shepard would make a good couple.
* {{Foil}}: To Paragon Shepard, where he essentially takes on the role of the [[TheCowl "Batman"]] to Shepard's [[TheCape "Superman"]], with his entire character arc throughout all three games probably summed up as 'almost just as awesome as Shepard'.
** In the first game, his hunting of Dr. Heart, forgoing rules and protocol are similar to Shepard gaining Spectre status and given free rein to investigate Saren. How he ends the pursuit, and his subsequent personal philosophy is also affected by Shepard.
** His accomplishments as Archangel in the second game are basically all three of Shepard's possible psychological profiles rolled into one {{Badass}}. He holds off an army of enemies single-handedly like the War Hero, he's the only one of his own squad left and is emotionally affected by it like the Sole Survivor, and he is absolutely [[ThePunisher Frank Castle]] on criminals, and gains a [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Name to Run Away From Really Fast]] like the Ruthless background. His exploits also have him emulating Shepard by gathering a posse of 12 specialists (though technically, Garrus did it first, and Shepard doesn't really have to get all 12 people).
** In the third game, despite being TheCassandra to his people after so many years, he now commands the respect of the leaders of his people, with generals saluting him and the Primarch asking for his advice, much like Shepard does with Anderson and Hackett.
* FriendsWithBenefits:
** His romance with female Shepard starts out this way -- Shepard suggests they have casual sex "to blow off steam" and Garrus, after a moment of shock, agrees. As things progress the relationship becomes more emotional, but the dialogue is never quite overtly romantic.
** In ''Mass Effect 3'', they can receive a full RelationshipUpgrade if you romanced him in ''[=ME2=]'' and don't choose to break up with him.
** In the ''Citadel'' DLC he can be ''way'' more romantic, going so far as to call Shepard "honey" and "love of my life."
** [[spoiler: If neither of them was romanced by Shepard, [[http://youtu.be/2Vg3-_nRQno Tali hooks up with him]] in ''[=ME3=]'' and, when he says that it's nice to have something to come back to, she protests and claims it's only a fling, she's "just using [him] for [his] body." His response is "You're so mean... and I'm okay with that."]]
*** {{Foreshadowing}}: In the game, you have ''Fleet & Flotilla'', and in ''Mass Effect 2'', you have a turian and quarian hooking up in a bar. The fact that they have compatible amino acids help.
* FromBadToWorse: In the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC for ''Mass Effect 2'', a file on him reveals [[spoiler:his mother is dying of a (currently) incurable disease and he and his sister aren't on very good terms]]. To push the trope further, by the third game, [[spoiler:only his father and sister are accounted for; his mother isn't mentioned once]].
* GallowsHumor: The exchange about hospitals not being fun to fight through becomes clearly this in ''3'', when he says, "I thought hospitals were ugly to fight through. This is so much worse."
* GeniusBruiser: He is primarily a master of weapons, but he's also a skilled technician.
* GetARoom: His reaction to Tali and Shepard flirting while on board a geth dreadnought.
** Can receive one from Zaeed in the ''Citadel'' DLC if he's in a relationship with a female Shepard.
* GlassCannon: Garrus can put out a ''lot'' of pain from an extreme distance, but for one of your "combat" characters, he is relatively fragile. This might be at odds with his high combat skills during the Collector Base mission, but his skills as a leader and strategist outweigh his relatively fragility.
* GoodCopBadCop: Implies in ''Citadel'' that he prefers playing bad cop.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Basically a darker Paragon Shepard. The extent to which he embodies this throughout the series, however, depends on Shepard's interactions with him.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Gains some shortly into ''Mass Effect 2'' after getting a rocket to the face; on a human face, his would definitely look like evil scars, although he's a good character.
** He apparently got them treated between ''2'' and ''3'', though they're still noticeable. Or maybe it was just a year's worth of healing. Dr. Chakwas even theorizes that he actually ''likes'' his scars, in regards to him turning down her offer of treating them.
* TheGunslinger: Combination of a Type A and D, being both a crack shot and being able to pull them off quickly as shown in his EstablishingCharacterMoment.
* GutFeeling: Garrus often trusts these, which lends even more to his CowboyCop status.
* HeadbuttOfLove: Since turian mouths are structured very differently from humans and fluid exchange can lead to anaphylactic shock, this is how he shows affection for female Shepard during their [[PreClimaxClimax romance scene]]. If the romance continues to the third game, Shepard and Garrus no longer have reservations with kissing.
* HeterosexualLifePartners[=/=]PlatonicLifePartners:
** With male Shepard and female Shepard (if not romanced), respectively.
---> '''Shepard:''' There's no Shepard without Vakarian.
** With any Shepard who didn't romance him, after a poignant bonding moment in the third game he sarcastically wonders if Shepard is going to ''propose''. [[spoiler: This happens to be the same moment in which, with a romancing Shepard, he ''does'' propose]].
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Lets his obsession with revenge get away with him in the second game; you can choose whether to stop him or encourage him.
* HollywoodKiss: Gives one to Shepard in ''3'' if they're in a romance during their Citadel outing.
* HonorBeforeReason: He often obsesses with seeing villains get their just deserts, regardless of whether pursuing them is the wisest course of action. He wrestles with himself over whether it's because of his pride, or because of his values in justice. If you take him down the Paragon path, he admits it was his pride that wanted him to hunt down Dr. Saleon/"Dr. R. Heart" more than it was to seek justice.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Performs this for many of his targets as Archangel. For ordinary criminals he just executes them via bullet to the head, but for special criminals he uses special means, e.g. damaging a saboteur's environmental suit so that it kills him by suffocation, killing a weapons smuggler with his own smuggled weapons, killing a drug dealer by giving him an overdose of his own drugs, and a quarian viral specialist serial killer with a cough. The only criminal he breaks this pattern for is a slaver, whom he [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown set ablaze, fractured the face with his rifle butt, and shot multiple times in every limb and primary organ.]] Though if the target was a [[MadeOfIron krogan]] (and the use of the term "primary organ" suggests that he was), this may have been [[DeathOfAThousandCuts barely enough.]]
* HumansAreUgly: [[PlayingWithATrope Played straight,]] [[SubvertedTrope subverted,]] [[AllBlueEntry and ultimately]] [[AvertedTrope averted]] in his romance with female Shepard (and in that order). He starts off by saying he doesn't have a fetish for humans and has never before considered -- let alone participated in -- an InterspeciesRomance. He's attracted to Shepard because she's the [[IfItsYouItsOkay woman he idolizes]]. However, come ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' and its obvious Garrus' attraction to a romanced female Shepard is increasingly physical (although he never loses any of his spiritual or romantic attraction to her either). Finally done away with once and for all during the ''Citadel'' DLC, in which he openly admits to finding female Shepard ''extremely'' attractive. Her hair, her LittleBlackDress, her body. [[MarsNeedsWomen He loves it all]]. To put it simply: he just ''loves her''. [[CrowningMomentofHeartwarming Everything about her.]]
* HurtingHero: In the second game; especially pronounced when pursuing a romance with him. Gets turned UpToEleven in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, where a dossier on him reveals [[spoiler: his mother has turian Alzheimer's, and his sister is on bad terms with him because he can't send any money to help and can't tell her what he's doing.]] Liara says to female Shepard in a romance with him that she's giving him peace.
** Although its also revealed that [[spoiler: he asked Mordin to use his STG clearance to pull some strings so the Salarian Medical Centre had clearance to pursue further research into the disease. He also donated his Cerberus pay and sends Collector samples to fund the project and get his mother onto one of the trials]].
** In ''Mass Effect 3'', [[FromBadToWorse he gets worse]], due to [[spoiler: the Reapers' invasion of Palaven]]. He worries constantly about his dad and sister during the course of the game, even praying for their safety at one point after his father tells him his sister has been injured before the call cuts off. [[spoiler: They do make it safely off the planet eventually, but Garrus's ill mother is never mentioned at all]].
* [[IfItsYouItsOkay If It's Female Shepard, It's Okay]]: Subversion of the InterspeciesRomance kind. Garrus doesn't have a fetish for humans--just female Shepard. In that case, "Yeah... definitely."
* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: Used in a sidequest and potentially subverted. Though it's less about killing them, more about not being obsessed with killing them to self-destructive levels.
* [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe I Never Knew You Had A Weakness For Men With Scars, Shepard]]: He's ''very'' surprised to hear that female Shepard is interested in him as a romance option. He doesn't mind as long as they can work things out, though.
* InformedAttribute: According to his backstory, Garrus was the top-ranked hand-to-hand specialist on the ship he served aboard while in the turian military, not that you would know through gameplay, since at most he throws a sucker punch every now and then.
* InnocentBigot: In the first game, he'll make some unprovoked and offensive racial comments to Wrex (essentially telling him he's [[YouAreACreditToYourRace a credit to his species]]) and Tali (blaming the quarians for unleashing the geth on the galaxy). Gets better in ''2'', possibly on account of working with Shepard's team and then his own multiracial squad on Omega. By ''[=ME3=]'', he's clearly very close friends with both Tali and Wrex, and even apologizes to Tali for that three-year-old comment. Interestingly enough, he displays no animosity towards humans even in the first game, which is usually common among turians.
* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YemxZkoDE0&feature=related More than one way to work off stress, I guess.]]
** His romance with female Shepard revolves around this trope. The above mentioned scene leads directly into the early stages of his romance with her. From there his romance is chock full of gun metaphors ([[ThatCameOutWrong which go somewhere horrible]]), [[RelationshipUpgrade Relationship Upgrades]] during gun-shooting contests on the Presidium, and numerous instances of DistractedByTheSexy during the heat of battle in the Citadel DLC. It's also stated that part of what attracts Garrus to Shepard is the respect he has for her [[AmazonChaser unparalleled ass-whooping skills]].
* InterspeciesRomance: Can end up in one with female Shepard or [[spoiler: Tali]] if both remain unromanced by the end of 3.
* ItsAllMyFault: In ''Mass Effect 2'', he blames himself for the death of his squad and feels he has to kill the traitor to avenge them. And according to turian culture, it ''is'' his fault -- if someone is placed into a position they weren't qualified for, the stigma is on the guy who put them there.
* KnightInSourArmor: In the second game, he's become like this. He's frighteningly devoted to his ideals, but expresses a lot of disappointment about how little he's changed things for most of Omega's residents.
--> '''Garrus:''' Walking around in this place makes me sick. People still dying, the strong still exploiting the weak. Nothing I did here even made a dent in this.
* TheLancer: Promoted to Lancer in ''[=ME2=]''. Aside from Miranda and Jacob he is the second to Shepard.
** Also, on the final mission he ''always'' does well when assigned to command the backup; both Fire Teams are good assignments, and he's as good as Grunt when it's time to HoldTheLine.
** Back in the role again in ''3'', sharing with Ashley/Kaidan this time.
* LetsWaitAWhile:
-->'''Garrus:''' You know me. I always like to savor the last shot before popping the heat sink ''[{{beat}}]'' [[ThatCameOutWrong Wait, that metaphor]] [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments went somewhere horrible.]]
* LostForever: If you don't recruit him in ''Mass Effect'', not only is he gone for the game if you wait too long, but you can't romance him in ''Mass Effect 2''. And if you don't romance him in ''2'', you can't start a new one in ''3''.
* MadeOfIron: The guy survives being shot by a gunship only a few meters away. And after the battle and a short rest in the sick bay he's able to get up and laugh when Shepard jokes about his new scars.
* MagneticHero: As Archangel.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: Curiously averted if he's romanced by a female Shepard. Humans and turians have a [[FantasticRacism bit of bad blood between them]] (though not nearly to the extent of the hostility between the krogan and turians or humans and batarians), but nobody raises an eyebrow at a romantic relationship between him and a female human. Could possibly be explained by the fact that Shepard tends to surround herself with open-minded people (even the more xenophobic characters like Ashley receive CharacterDevelopment that essentially dispels their prejudice), or at least ones who respect her enough to not make negative comments about her relationship.
* MarkOfShame: Bears this after Sidonis backstabbed him and, some time later, gets hit with a gunship barrage. It applies to both his armor and face.
* MatingDance: He has one with female Shepard should she be in a relationship with him in ''Citadel''. Things start off as an {{Adorkable}} tango. Then it gets good enough to draw attention from everyone on the dance floor. Then, well...
-->'''Shepard:''' I see you've been putting that reach and flexibility to good use.\\
'''Garrus:''' You know it. And it gets even better when you try it in bed.
* TheMcCoy: Garrus is usually the most emotional person on a given team, and when faced with injustice his first instinct is to seek revenge for the harmed party rather than justice. He starts seeing things more logically in the third game after his time attached to the turian command structure, seen in his discussion with Shepard about the 'ruthless calculus' of savings lives on a galactic scale.
* MemeticBadass: [[invoked]]
** In-universe is considered one on Omega as "Archangel".
** His skill with calibrations is also considered ''legendary'' by 3, to the point where he even manages to beat ''Legion'' in improving the ''Normandy's'' Thanix cannon, something that Legion -- a ''synthetic'', no less -- deemed impossible.
---> '''Legion''': Telemetry indicates that the calibration of Normandy's weapon accuracy could be increased by .32%.\\
'''Garrus''': You couldn't squeeze .34% out of it?\\
'''Legion''': Negative. That threshold is impossible.\\
'''Garrus''': You sure? Take a look now.\\
'''Legion''': Scanning. [[BeyondTheImpossible Normandy's weapon systems have been improved by .43%]]. ''[[HowIsThatEvenPossible How did you accomplish this?]]''
* MoralityChain: Paragon Shepard acts as one for Garrus, preventing him from going too far into KnightTemplar territory and becoming like the very criminals he so despises. It's heavily implied that Garrus is very aware of this.
* MyGreatestFailure: Sidonis. Turian culture places the stigma of a failure not on the individual, but on whoever put that individual in the position they weren't ready to handle. As a result, Garrus feels he is as guilty as Sidonis for the betrayal.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Admits that he's not a very good turian. Specifically, turians are supposed to respect the chain of command, and always do a job to the letter. Garrus has no patience for that; he will chew out a commanding officer if he thinks they're making a mistake, and he will bend or flat out break the law if it's inconvenient to justice.
* NiceGuy: Garrus is a genuinely friendly guy who just happens to be a bit of a loose cannon at times. Similarly to a Paragon Shepard, he's a clear-cut example of BewareTheNiceOnes.
* NoodleIncident: There were rumors during his Archangel days that he killed three men with one bullet. When asked, Garrus insists he can't claim that honestly: the third merc died from a heart attack.
* NumberTwo: By ''[=ME2=]'', he's pretty much Shepard's right-hand man (even if unofficially) and probably the most trusted fellow soldier and combatant. This continues into ''[=ME3=]'' if he's still alive.
* ObliviousToLove: It becomes a minor running gag that he's completely unaware that Dr. Michel has a major crush on him.
--> '''Tali''': She got you turian ''chocolate?''\\
'''Garrus''': She said she saw it and thought of me... [[ComicallyMissingThePoint why?]]\\
'''Tali''': ''[snickers]'' Oh, nothing.../(to a female Shepard romancing him): Watch yourself, Shepard.
* OhCrap: Garrus explicitly says this [[CrowningMomentOfFunny when seeing two heavy mechs being airdropped]] and when seeing the elevator bomb on Sur'Kesh.
* OneHitPolykill: When asked if he really killed 3 guys with one shot during his days as Archangel, [[SubvertedTrope he denies it.]] [[DoubleSubverted The third guy had a heart attack.]]
* OneManArmy: Held off three mercenary companies single-handedly as Archangel.
--> '''Shepard:''' How'd you manage to piss off every merc band in the Terminus Systems?\\
'''Garrus:''' It wasn't easy. I ''really'' had to work at it.
** Applies in gameplay, as well: the official strategy guide's advice for Insanity difficulty starts with, in essence, "Never take Garrus out of your team. Ever."
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Archangel is a nickname Omega's residents gave him for his good deeds.
* OptionalPartyMember: You can complete the first game without him. You ''have'' to pick him up in the second, but the dialogue changes if he wasn't on the team in the first game.
* OvershadowedByAwesome:
** Garrus is basically Paragade Shepard, except he's not the main character.
** Even the Shadow Broker knows this. His file on Garrus notes the turian's excellent leadership skills, with the note that he's unlikely to develop to his full potential if he stays in Shepard's shadow.
** As of ''Mass Effect 3'', he seems to finally come out from Shepard's shadow and into his own. The Turian Hierarchy puts him in charge of a special Reaper task force and during the course of the game, he's seen playing leadership roles to turian soldiers and refugees. Shepard him/herself notes that s/he's seen multiple turian generals saluting him and can ask him about his rank and what he thinks about becoming Primarch someday (Garrus is not crazy about the idea).
** Shepard can ''intentionally'' miss while shooting bottles with him on the Citadel, leading to Garrus gloating like a madman that he's a ''better'' shot than Shepard and triumphantly declaring;
---> '''Garrus''': [[AscendedMeme I'm Garrus Vakarian and this is now my favourite spot on the Citadel!]]
* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler: If Shepard chooses not to upgrade the geth with Reaper code, leading to their death at the hands of the quarians, Garrus is happy to be rid of them, unlike Tali.]]
-->'''Garrus:''' [[spoiler: The geth]] spilled a lot of blood. I'm not sad to see them go.
* [[spoiler:PairTheSpares: With Tali, assuming neither of them are occupied with Shepard in [=ME3=]]].
* [[spoiler:PlotlineDeath: Can die on the suicide mission in ''[=ME2=]'', at which point he does not appear in ''[=ME3=]'']].
* RedBaron: "Archangel".
* RelationshipUpgrade: Potentially with female Shepard in the second game. In the third game, they either break up or get ''another'' relationship upgrade, from FriendsWithBenefits to a committed monogamous relationship.
* RescueRomance: An arguable case. He wasn't really rescued during his introduction in the first game; however, his return in the second is indeed a rescue mission, and only starting in this game is he an actual romance option.
* RunningGag: In the later games, he tries to get other squadmates to talk about their past or their race's history during elevator rides. While the new crew members will indulge him on the one elevator ride they have together, every returning crew member wants him to shut up about it, much to his disappointment.
--> '''Garrus:''' You ever miss those talks we had on the elevators?\\
'''Tali:''' ''No.''\\
'''Garrus:''' Come on, remember how we'd all ask you about life on the flotilla? It was an opportunity to share.\\
'''Tali:''' This conversation is over.\\
'''Garrus:''' Tell me again about your immune system!\\
'''Tali:''' I have a shotgun.\\
'''Garrus:''' ''[hesitant]'' Maybe we'll talk later.
** In the third game, Garrus' love of calibrations is endlessly commented on.
* SarcasticDevotee: Second only to Joker.
* ScarsAreForever: Even with advanced medical technology, he's still got the scars he received from the gunship when you meet up with him in ''[=ME3=]'', six months later. However, an optional conversation with Dr. Chakwas suggests that this is his choice, as she thinks he [[RuleOfCool likes them.]]
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: After he leaves C-Sec, he starts to like taking the law into his own hands.
* SelfDeprecation: Swaps jokes about humans and turians with Joker a few times.
-->'''Joker''': What's the hard part about treating a turian who took a rocket to the face?\\
'''Garrus''': Figuring out which side took the rocket.
* SerialKillerKiller: One way to look at his actions as Archangel. While he was protecting the weak from thugs and drug runners, he also gave free reign to [[BloodKnight all his worst impulses]]. His Shadow Broker file notes that he went out of his way to give his targets "poetic" deaths.
* ShockAndAwe: He can use Overload in every game.
* ShuttingUpNow: In ''Mass Effect 2'', he pokes fun at Tali over the things she revealed in the elevators in the first game, then basically has this response when she threatens him with a shotgun.
* SickeninglySweethearts: By the "Citadel" DLC for ''3'', he and Shepard reach this kind of relationship. Zaeed is not impressed. Of course, this happens while Garrus is working with Zaeed to booby-trap every square inch of Shepard's apartment.
* SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer: He was never officially confirmed to be a squad member in ''Mass Effect 2''. All the promotional shots of him focused on the meeting with him on Omega.
* SociallyAwkwardHero: "Come here often? I imagine anyone who does is probably an alcoholic." - Garrus turning on the charm in the Citadel DLC.
* SpacePolice: For a while, he was a detective in C-Sec, though he [[CowboyCop quickly grew tired of it]].
* SpannerInTheWorks: Assuming he was recruited in the first game, Garrus ends up being one to the Illusive Man's attempt to keep Shepard away from the original squad. Garrus's disappearing act during the TimeSkip kept even the Illusive Man from being able to find out where he was, keeping him from tricking Garrus into thinking that Shepard was a traitor. Once Garrus's identity was revealed, letting him stay on the ''Normandy'' was the less risky option.
* StupidSexyFlanders: Because of his {{adorkab|le}}ility and [[{{Badass}} gar]] factors, he commands a relatively sizable shipping following even among straight male fans of the series.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: {{Downplayed}} in his relationship with Paragon Shepard in the first game. Shepard's steadfast refusal to bend or break the laws in place for ruthless efficiency as opposed to absolute necessity (even if s/he can) is certainly not what he expected or was hoping for when he joined him/her. He still follows but makes his disagreement known. Completely dissipated by the second game, where he becomes one of the most loyal friends that Shepard has.
* [[TokenMinority Token Turian]]: Even self-deprecatingly refers to himself as such in the third game. It also means that, until Tali joins up, he's the only one eating dextro amino acid-based food.
* TookALevelInBadass: At the start of ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', he was simply a bitter C-Sec cop. After his time on the Normandy, he's taken enough levels that he goes off to Omega to become a borderline OneManArmy, feared by every major criminal group there. Come ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the Primarch himself is deferring to Garrus for judgement.
* TragicBromance: Garrus has the most visible personality shift after Shepard's death (only Liara even comes close). The others return home and try to go on with their lives; Garrus spends two years as a vigilante in the galaxy's number one hellhole, either following Shepard's example if Renegade or ignoring it if Paragon.
* [[{{Deuteragonist}} Tritagonist]]: Garrus is the longest serving squadmate, joining early in each game.
* TronLines: The alternate appearance DLC pack for ''Mass Effect 2'' gives him these (as well as fixing the gash in his armor).
* UndyingLoyalty: There is ''no one'' that Shepard can trust to have his/her back more in a firefight than Garrus. No matter what Shepard does, Garrus will always be willing to follow him/her to hell and back.
* VigilanteMan: As Archangel.
* [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend Violently Protective Boyfriend]]: Somewhat toward Female Shepard if he's romanced through until ''Mass Effect 3''. In the Citadel DLC he insists on installing extremely overpowered defense mechanisms and essentially redesigning the entire apartment simply because he "needs to know [Fem Shep is] safe."
* VitriolicBestBuds: Most of Shepard and Garrus's dialogue is one long series of trying to out-snark the other.
** When Shepard ''intentionally'' misses during a bottle-shooting contest, Garrus starts to immediately gloat that he's ''clearly'' the better marksman. Shepard responds that all that proves is Garrus will be in charge when the ''bottles'' decide to take over. Garrus actually says the exact same thing to Shepard if s/he doesn't let him win.
** Also has this relationship with Wrex by ''Mass Effect 3''.
--> '''Wrex:''' I just had to be friends with the one turian in the galaxy who thinks he's funny.
** He also seems to be fond of messing with Tali across the trilogy, who has no trouble snarking back. [[spoiler: If neither is romanced by 3, the dynamic turns into BelligerentSexualTension]].
* WarriorTherapist: Pays Shepard back for the first two games by acting as one to him/her in ''Mass Effect 3'' as he sees Shepard slowly crumbling under the pressure.
* WeHelpTheHelpless: How he describes his squad's actions on Omega in ''Mass Effect 2''.
--> "You saw Omega. It was full of thugs kicking the helpless. I formed my team to kick back."
* WellDoneSonGuy: He joined C-Sec instead of pursuing membership in the Spectres because of his father.
** It appears they bonded somewhat, as he mentions in the third game that after Shepard got incarcerated, he got so desperate to warn the Turian Hierarchy about the Reapers that he did something he ''never'' thought he'd do, which was go to his ''father'' for help. Turns out that after Garrus laid all of the facts down in front of him, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure as a former C-Sec cop]], Garrus's father was completely convinced that the Reaper threat was indeed real and promptly went to the Primarch, repeatedly hassling him until he approved Garrus' token task-force meant to deal with the Reaper menace. This likely saved many turian colonies in the long run.
** Given that his father has enough influence to have the Primarch's ear (or whatever auditory organ turians have instead of ears) and that his father was willing to meet Garrus, hear him out, evaluate his claims on their own merits, and go to bat for him despite the estrangement between the two of them, his father would also qualify as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure.
** Toward the end of "Homeworlds," he, thinking he's not going to make it out, calls his father to apologize, but his father insists that Garrus survive whatever situation he's in and get back to Palaven so they can talk things over.
* WhatTheHellHero: He gives this reaction if you allow the Council to die at the end of ''[=ME1=]'' and he is in your party, although if Liara or Kaidan is also with you he's completely behind the plan.
** On Horizon, he will angrily call out Ashley or Kaidan's claim that Cerberus might be behind the Collector attacks, in contrast to Jacob and Miranda's dismissive reaction to the "typical Alliance attitude."
--->'''Garrus''': Damn it, Williams/Kaidan, you're so focused on Cerberus you're ignoring the real threat!
** If you [[spoiler: fake the genophage cure and kill Wrex to gain salarian support]] in ''3'', you have the opportunity to confess what you did to him. He wearily admits that he ''would'' have chewed you out for it a few years ago, but with everything going to hell he might have done the same thing himself.
** On the other hand, if [[spoiler: Wrex died in the first game and you manage to talk down Mordin, resulting in him surviving,]] he will be extremely impressed.
--->'''Garrus''': Remind me never to play you at poker.
* WorkingWithTheEx: To a Shepard who romanced him in ''2'' and broke up with him in ''3''.
* WorthyOpponent: Sort of. Garrus admits in ''3'' to a naive crewmember that he does admire the Reapers, in the same way that he admires a virus or a Thresher Maw: they are perfectly adapted for what they do. When the crewmember is horrified Garrus tells him that of ''course'' they're awful and he's not going to stop fighting them, but you have to have respect for your enemy and their capabilities.
* [[WhatWouldXDo What Would Shepard Do?]]: Shepard would lead a squad of up to twelve members and take out lots of bad guys... just like Garrus does before they meet again in ''[=ME2=]''.
* TheWoobie: In-universe example. Kelly Chambers says that she just wants to give him a hug and tell him it will be OK.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Paragon Shepard invokes this during the first game when Garrus wants to show no mercy to Saren for being a traitor. Shepard rebukes him, stating that when they confront Saren, they will give him the chance to return to face justice first and ''only'' shoot him if they are left with ''no other choice.''
** This also occurs in the mission to track down Dr. Saleon. Garrus is in favor of just outright shooting him, whereas Shepard points out that he will again be brought before a court of law. When they are forced to shoot Saleon, Garrus bitterly points out how pointless mercy was, causing Shepard to point out;
---> '''Shepard''': You can't predict how people will react, Garrus. But you can control how you will respond. In the end, that's what really matters.
** During his loyalty mission in the second game, Paragon Shepard can stop him from shooting Harkin and Sidonis, noting that this ''isn't'' like Garrus and that his mission for revenge is going too far and [[NotSoDifferent turning him into]] one of the criminals he so despises.
** To the point where Paragon Shepard will actually ''refuse'' to stand aside and intentionally places themselves in a position that is dead-centre of Garrus's sniper-scope, implying to him that he will have to shoot ''[[GoThroughMe through them]]'' if he wants to have any hope of killing Sidonis.
* YouAreInCommandNow: During ''3'', Shepard can ask Garrus about how close he is in the chain of command to being named turian Primarch (after seeing Garrus being saluted by turian ''generals''). Garrus' discomfort with the line of questioning likely means that he is far closer than he or anyone else would like to admit to being in that position.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dr. Liara T'Soni]]
!Dr. Liara T'Soni/[[spoiler:The Shadow Broker]]
[[quoteright:321:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Liara_2099_5588.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:321:Give me ten minutes and I can start a war.]]
-->''"You were marked by the beacon on Eden Prime -- you were touched by working Prothean technology. That is why I find you so fascinating."''

-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AliHillis

An [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe asari]] [[HotScientist scientist]] and expert on the Protheans who joins Shepard's team after being attacked by the geth. Also a powerful biotic with powers that can only be matched by an Adept Shepard. [[BoldlyComing Possible romance interest for a Shepard]] [[BiTheWay of either gender]]. One of only three characters who can join your party in all three games, being permanent in ''1'' and ''3'', and available in ''2'' via DLC.
----
* ActionGirl: Prothean ruins are a popular target for pirates and mercenaries looking for quick cash. If you want to excavate them alone, you've got to know your way around a fight.
* {{Adorkable}}: [[ShrinkingViolet Easily flustered]] because she's used to spending time alone and not around groups of people. For the most part, this only applies to her in [=ME1=] -- see TookALevelInBadass below -- though signs of it return in [=ME3=], especially during the From Ashes DLC.
* AdventurerArchaeologist: Although she'd rather just be an archaeologist. She occasionally makes references to encounters with pirate gangs and hostile wildlife in unexplored systems. Which is actually shooting closer to the actual archaeologist's life in parts of the world.
-->'''Liara:''' Our travels now are somewhat different from my normal excavations. I would prefer lengthier studies... and fewer explosions.\\
'''Wrex:''' It's good for you. A nice explosion now and then keeps the mind sharp.\\
'''Ashley:''' I think you speak for scientists everywhere, Liara.
* AdrenalineMakeover: Compare Liara when you meet her in ''Mass Effect'' to Liara by the end of Lair of the Shadow Broker. Though of course whether the getting the guy/gal part gets played straight/averted/subverted/etc depends largely on the player's own choice.
* AffectionateNickname:
** In a manner of speaking. Whenever Shepard's being sarcastic, they will switch to calling her "Doctor" or "[[LastNameBasis T'Soni]]".
** Her mother calls her "Little Wing" [[spoiler:if she's with Shepard on Noveria when they're forced to kill her mother Benezia]]. Its origin is revealed in the third game by her "father" [[spoiler:Aethyta]].
---> '''[[spoiler:Aethyta]]:''' You're treating her like a baby bird, Nezzy, but she's gonna raise one hell of a storm with those little wings.
* AirVentEscape: How she's reintroduced in 3. While being chased by a pair of Cerberus operatives.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Due to being a "pureblood."
* AngerBornOfWorry: If romanced, she shows it, though in a subdued way, when Shepard dives into the ocean in ''Leviathan'', especially after s/he starts coughing uncontrollably and going cold.
-->'''Liara:''' Don't EVER do that again.
* ArbitrarySkepticism: [[spoiler: In the third game, Liara seems to be in complete denial when Javik reveals that the asari goddess Athame and her guide Lucen were actually Protheans. When Liara claims that it is impossible, he snarkily comments that it must be an amazing coincidence that the statues and artwork of their myths just happen to look exactly like ''him'']].
* ArtEvolution: A subtle yet noticeable one. In Mass Effect 1 and 2, she had less striking features, such as lighter lips and eyes, pink around her face, and a rather standard casual uniform. Come ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', she has darker lips, intense blue eyes, more defined skin features, and wears a kickass yet sexy uniform.
* AsideGlance: Of gratitude when Shepard refuses to give her up to [[ThatOneBoss the krogan]] on Therum.
* AttemptedRape: Twice in ''Redemption''--a batarian and his cronies attempt to proposition/rape Liara. [[MuggingTheMonster Both times they end up dead]].
* BabiesEverAfter: Alluded to during her romance scene in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''.
-->'''Liara:''' So, tell me what you want. If this all ends tomorrow, what happens to us?\\
'''Shepard:''' I don't know. Marriage, old age, and a lot of little blue children?\\
'''Liara:''' You just say these things!
* BadassAdorable: In the first game, she's easily flustered and generally socially awkward, especially when dealing with people outside her species. She's also a biotic death machine.
* BadassBisexual: Omnisexual and a more powerful biotic than most Matriarchs.
* BadassBookworm: For a girl who spends all of her time buried in her books, Liara is ''horribly'' deadly with her biotic powers. How badass is she, you say? She's the only other character besides Adept Shepard who can use [[GravityMaster Singularity]], and her other biotic powers rival or even surpass Samara's, who is ''several centuries her senior''. She's powerful enough that she can send a powerful biotic [[spoiler: Spectre]] with armed backup running for her life. [[spoiler: Then again, her grandfather was a krogan]].
** Hell, from her comments about looking after herself when encountering pirates and looters at Prothean dig sites, she seems to be the Space IndianaJones.
* BadassFamily: Liara's mother is said to be a powerful biotic even by asari standards [[spoiler:and proves to be a difficult opponent when the player fights her. Liara's father is also unusually powerful for an asari and once took down a krogan with a head-butt. Liara's paternal grandfather was a veteran of the Rachni Wars and both of Liara's paternal grandparents fought in the Krogan Rebellions, on opposite sides; they killed each other once he found out the truth.]]
* BattleAura: Uses her biotic glowing to dissuade some enemies a few times.
* BattleCouple: With Shepard if romanced.
* BestFriend: Throughout the trilogy, Liara, alongside Garrus, grows to be Shepard's most devoted associate and confidante, even if they aren't romantically involved, as evident in her unique ability to consistently get Shepard to drop TheStoic mask and to open up to her about [[TheChainsOfCommanding the constant stress and fears they're facing]].
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Yet again. Liara's a very demure young asari who is entirely capable of turning an entire horde of geth into tinfoil with her brain. Ask [[spoiler: the Shadow Broker]] how seriously crossing her tends to go. [[spoiler: [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt Oh wait, you'd just be asking her]]]].
** Doing a quest for her reveals that [[spoiler:one of her assistants is a mole. After informing her of this, the player can go to her office and find out that not only did Liara already kill her assistant, she disposed of her body as well. This is especially hilarious if Shepard calls her to identify the traitor from just outside her office as it can make it appear that she killed and disposed of her assistant in a matter of seconds]].
** Exemplified when you reunite with her in the third game. The Cerberus mooks that were chasing her in the air duct get swept up in a singularity and both take a shot in the chest as they flailed about. They fall to the ground, completely vulnerable to Liara. The demure little blue lady ''exudes'' cold blood in her facial expression as she casually [[DoubleTap double-taps]] the two mooks.
** Liara is capable of telekinetically lifting a Geth Colossus -- which is an armored war machine that single-handedly wipes out small armies, one-shots tanks, and is the size of a ''three-story building''.
* BiTheWay: Sort of. Asari are a monogendered species, meaning they are all biologically female (can reproduce). However, they don't have any concept of gender divisions, and therefore can be equally attracted to any gender (or species, for that matter).
* BizarreAlienBiology: Asari reproduce by "melding", where they join their entire nervous system to their partner's and use the electrical impulses to randomize some of their own DNA for the offspring. Galactic science waffles on the subject, but it often turns out LamarckWasRight -- [[spoiler: Aethyta had a krogan father, and notes that she seems to have "a bit of his mouth."]]
** The asari are the setting's only innate telepaths, and they use it as part of the mating process. It's not only logical that asari daughters take after their parents psychologically, it's almost inevitable given the depth of the melding. That, or it has something to do with the fact that every asari that the players know take after an alien parent was also ''raised'' by said parent, making it NatureVersusNurture.
* [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Blue Skinned Space Babe]]: [[Pantheon/{{Aliens}} Goddess of the trope.]]
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:By the time of ''Mass Effect 2'', she's much less innocent and kind as she's had a rough couple of years by then. Cranked UpToEleven during the Fall of Thessia mission in the third game. She's a complete wreck even during the mission, to say nothing about after]].
* BrokenBird: By ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' she has become one.
* BrokenPedestal: Javik is... not remotely what she expected from a Prothean. For a good while she tries to be neutral about it, but in the Ardat-Yakshi monastery she [[http://youtu.be/HuMWZZLkBnY hears him say]] that the Protheans would never let such monsters walk among them and rather acidly asks "They didn't care for the competition?"
** [[spoiler: After the fall of Thessia, she angrily calls out Javik for not even caring, that she's spent her entire life studying his people and feels like it was for nothing. He's a ''Prothean''... he was supposed to have all the ''answers'']].
** After ''that'', she [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Broker_Terminal#Prothean_Notes:_2186_-_Entry_4 grows up a little]], no longer feeling betrayed but also discarding the pedestal entirely.
** The Thessia mission is a shock even without Javik. [[spoiler: Learning that her government's been breaking its own laws about Prothean technology for centuries rocks her entire worldview]].
* CameBackWrong: One of Liara's fears regarding [[spoiler: Shepard, after having handed the Commander's corpse over to Cerberus for the Lazarus Project. However, if she's romanced she says she knew it was really Shepard since the first time she touched him/her again]].
* TheCameo: Is the only main party member from all 3 games to make one in ''Anime/MassEffectParagonLost''.
* CaptainObvious: During parts of ''Lair of the Shadow Broker.'' Frequently lampshaded by Shepard.
* CharacterDevelopment: In the first game, Liara is a stuttering, bookish, nerdy girl. [[spoiler:In the second, she has become a ruthless information trader, but her tough attitude is revealed to be a defense mechanism if you romanced her in the first game]]. And by the third, she's double-tapping Cerberus mooks without batting an eyelash.
* CharacterFocus: Becomes more and more prominent over the course of the series to the point where she becomes the {{Deuteragonist}}.
* CharacterTic: Whenever something fascinates her, she adopts what could best be described as a standing up variation of the ThinkerPose.
* TheChick: Though she doesn't shrink from the fighting, she's (usually) the one who advocates Paragon options, and is generally the "can't we talk this over" squad member.
** There's one exception in the first Mass Effect game: if, during a major Paragon/Renegade choice (like what to do with the [[spoiler:Council]], for example), your other squadmate is Kaidan, Kaidan will advocate the Paragon option and ''Liara'' will go for the Renegade option. If your other squadmate is anyone other than Kaidan, Liara will always go Paragon.
* ChildProdigy: According to her, her intelligence was noticeable even in her youth. In fact, by asari standards she is still very young (human equivalent of around 19, even though her true age is over a hundred) when she meets Shepard.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: In the second installment, where she's somehow become an information broker despite no prior evidence that she had any skills in the field. (she does mention horizontal skill application, her talents in handling data and information for her archaeological digs, putting together information and clues from various worlds and discoveries, is very similar to what information brokers do but with more recent information with living creatures) [[spoiler: If the terminals around the Shadow Broker's ship is any indication, she also doesn't seem to stop some of his business practices]].
** Still presented sympathetically given that she had to do this to succeed as an information broker and [[spoiler:also only uses the resources of the Shadow Broker to help the war effort]].
* CutsceneIncompetence[=/=]CutscenePowerToTheMax: A really weird hybrid occurs when you first rescue her in VideoGame/MassEffect1. You're confronted directly by a Krogan Battlemaster and a small squad of Geth Shock Troopers after exiting the room you found her in via an elevator. In the cutscene right before the fight begins, you see her start glowing with a blue aura and balling her fists, which usually means she's about to unleash a biotic attack. Then the gameplay actually starts and she just cowers on the floor while the battlemaster charges you.
** However, she had been in a stasis field for a ''while'' by this point, so it's possible she flared her biotics in an attempt to fight back but the strain of doing so was simply too exhausting. The Codex and ''3'' mention that biotics require a higher calorie intake to keep their abilities at full strength, whereas Liara can't even ''remember'' the last time she ate. It's safe to say she's not at her full strength during that scene.
*** MyGreatestFailure: During the Shadow Broker DLC, Liara tells Shepard she was ashamed that all she could do was cower in a corner while the s/he fought the battlemaster.
* DatingCatwoman: Technically, this is her romance with Shepard in ''2''. S/he's a law-abiding Spectre while Liara's [[spoiler: the Shadow Broker]]. However, [[UndyingLoyalty it makes no problems between them]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming because they care for each other too much]].
* ADayInTheLimelight: ''Mass Effect: Redemption'' and ''Lair of the Shadow Broker.'' In the third game, she's also a mandatory squadmate in the missions on Thessia and Eden Prime.
* [[spoiler:DarkIsNotEvil: Upon becoming the new Shadow Broker, Liara vows to use her newfound power and influence for the power of good, and to aid Shepard in stopping the Reapers]].
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Serves as this in the series, playing pivotal roles in all three games and even being the star of a comic that bridges the first two games. [[spoiler: She's also the only party member from the first game who's exempt from the AnyoneCanDie rule]].
* DiggingYourselfDeeper: In the first game, Liara's attempts to explain why she's so interested in you in purely scientific means leads to a series of flustered, ever-escalating [[DoubleEntendre double entendres]].
* DistressedDamsel:
** You recruit her by rescuing her from a horde of bad guys, she doesn't fight once throughout the entire level, and she almost faints even after you've got her on the ship. Add this to her general naivete and she seems like the poster child for this trope. [[BewareTheNiceOnes Then you actually take her into battle,]] and quickly realize that [[BadassInDistress she can take care of herself.]] Lair of the Shadow Broker has her suggest that she's ashamed she had to rely on Shepard back then, like she is now. It should be noted that when you rescue her, she's unarmed and fatigued from being held immobile for goodness knows how long (if you save that mission for last, she thinks she's hallucinating Shepard's party).
--->'''Kaidan:''' When was the last time you ate? Or slept?
** And she ''can't remember''.
* DoubleTap: How she finishes off a pair of Cerberus operatives chasing her during her reintroduction in [=ME3=]. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill After having already trapped them in a singularity and shot them center mass in mid-air.]]
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:With Cerberus, to save Shepard's body from the Shadow Broker and the Collectors. The fact that she beats herself up over handing Shepard's corpse to the Illusive Man explains in part her behavior during the second game]].
* FailedASpotCheck: Notable if you bring Javik to Thessia.
--> '''Liara''': Incredible, the Beacon seems to think you are Prothean, Shepard. It must be from the Cipher you got back on Feros, all those years ago.\\
'''Javik''': [[DeadpanSnarker Or it could be the Prothean standing right next to you]].
* FamedInStory: By ''3'', her research on the Protheans has become the stuff of ''legend''. One datapad found on Mars has a scientist [[TheKnightsWhoSaySquee practically squeeing]] about getting the chance to work with her.
* FanservicePack: Apparently she entered her Matron stage when she became an information broker, assuming becoming a matron gives you the same upgrade that becoming a matriarch does.
* FlingALightIntoTheFuture: Taking a cue out from the Protheans in ''3'' she plants several time capsules across many worlds to warn future species in the event that the Reapers aren't stopped. She even has a section devoted to the heroics of Shepard, and you can tell her how wish it told.
** [[spoiler:If you choose the Refusal ending in ''3'', it turns out that her capsules are successful, and the next cycle defeats the Reapers]].
* FriendlessBackground: Liara admits that she never had friends before because of her [[FantasticRacism heritage as a pureblood]] and was often made fun of because of her interest in science.
* GayOption: For female Shepard.
* GoMadFromTheIsolation: Liara seems to be on the brink of this in the first game if you decide to rescue her after the rest of the main story missions. By the time you get there, she's completely convinced you're a realistic hallucination. So, yes, all that time you spent flying around, she's been locked in stasis.
* GoodAllAlong: Throughout the first game Liara's loyalty is often called into question because she's [[TheDragon Benezia's]] daughter. In the end, she proves she's a hero by doing all she can to fight the Reapers.
* GuestStarPartyMember: In the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC mission in the second game.
* {{Handgun}}: One of her weapon types in the third game, along with submachine guns. In the first game, she was just as terrible with handguns as she was with every other gun, though their innate accuracy still made them her go-to weapon.
* HasTwoMommies: And the other mommy is an asari. [[FantasticRacism Which is why she's shunned so much, as asari-asari relationships restrict genetic diversity]]... and have a higher chance of causing genetic defects like the [[DeathBySex Ardat-Yakshi]].
** As seen in BiTheWay, monogendered asari are "female" in the eyes of every other race, possessing the same sex organs and characteristics as would be expected for mammalian females, though one asari serves as the "father," and upon meeting her, she doesn't know who her mother Matriarch Benezia's partner was.
** Ultimately averted. Her "father" is [[spoiler:shown in the third game to be Matriarch Aethyta, the bartender from Illium and then the Presidium, assigned to keep an eye on Liara after Benezia went evil]]. Even though Liara's father is "female," she is very adamant that she is Liara's father, not her second mother, because she "didn't pop her out". When Shepard mentions that humans would call her Liara's "other mother," [[spoiler:Aethyta says "Well I'm not human, am I? [[SophisticatedAsHell Anthropocentric bag of dicks.]]"]]
* HeadbuttingHeroes: She doesn't get along very well with Javik after [[spoiler: the Fall of Thessia]].
* HeroicBSOD: After the [[spoiler: Fall of Thessia. Her homeworld is burning, she and Shepard have failed their mission, and Kai Leng casually slapped her aside and took the vital Prothean data. On top of all that, the Illusive Man coldly held his successes over her while all she was able to do in response is threaten him over a hologram]].
* HeroWorshipper: Towards Shepard ''big time''.
** In "Lair of the Shadow Broker", it's shown that her apartment is filled with souvenirs of her travels with Shepard from the first game, Prothean relics, a painting of Ilos, fragments of Shepard's N7 armour and a framed picture of the ''Normandy'' on her bedside cabinet. At the end of the mission, she returns Shepard's dog tags to him/her, saying she got it from Admiral Hackett. Why she would bother to retrieve that from him probably says a lot about how highly she regards Shepard.
** In the third game, she programs a series of time-capsules to be sent across the galaxy in case the mission fails, with one whole section of the archive devoted ''solely'' to tales of Shepard's exploits. If Shepard encourages her to be the one to decide how they will be remembered, she practically gushes over him/her.
* HiddenDepths: "Lair of the Shadow Broker" features this in abundance.
* HotBlooded: Liara definitely comes across as this in the second and third game. [[spoiler: Matriarch Aethyta]], her father, believes that this is because she's a quarter-krogan. "Well, don't go all blood rage on me."
* HotScientist: Just look at her.
* {{Hypocrite}}: At the end of ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', if the player chooses a certain dialogue option, Liara calls Ashley/Kaidan shortsighted for not trusting Shepard. It doesn't seem to occur to Liara that she could have prevented that whole conflict if it hadn't been for her own shortsightedness in obsessing over revenge to the point of forgetting to tell any of Shepard's other companions what was going on.
* IncompatibleOrientation: Can be invoked in the first game by Female Shepard when Liara reveals her feelings to the Commander.
* TheIngenue: Shy, sweet, and easily flustered? Yep.
* InUniverseCatharsis: "Lair of the Shadow Broker" provides closure for Liara's two years of mourning, grief and pain after Shepard's death.
* {{Irony}}: She's first encountered trapped in a Prothean force field. One of her main abilities is ''Stasis''.
* IShallTauntYou: When confronting the Shadow Broker, she [[spoiler: brings up his status as the previous Broker's "pet", triggering his BerserkButton.]] Judging by the files on him, [[spoiler: wherein the previous Broker warned him to watch his temper and that losing it costs him his better judgment, he would have been a far more dangerous opponent in the subsequent battle if Liara hadn't pissed him off]].
* ItGetsEasier: In the first game, she's one of the least experienced squadmates. In the third, she's introduced stoically and efficiently killing Cerberus troops. If she never talks with Aethyta, she and Wrex have this to say in ''Citadel'':
-->'''Liara:''' Killing people gets less troubling after the first few hundred.\\
'''Wrex:''' It does indeed.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy:
** If you have progressed far enough in the romance with Ashley or Kaidan by the time you get her romance dialogue, she admits she has a huge crush on Shepard but gracefully backs down, saying it is obvious Shepard already has strong feelings for Ashley/Kaidan and that she doesn't want to come between them.
** Also, in the second game, whether Shepard cheated on her or remained faithful to her, she will tell him/her that if s/he wants to move on, she can accept that and be happy for him/her.
* JerkassFacade: She adopts one in [=ME2=] to allow herself to operate in Illium's underworld. "You're threatening to flay people alive now?"
--> '''Liara:''' ''[flustered]'' I had to make them take me seriously. I wasn't going to actually do it.
** Comes back to bite her on the ass when her father mentioned that bluff or no, it made the asari higher-ups nervous enough to consider assassinating her.
* KnightInSourArmor: Becomes this by ''3'' after going through a BreakTheCutie in between ''1'' and ''2'' and getting her InUniverseCatharsis in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Her reaction to meeting [[spoiler:Javik, a living Prothean, in ''3'']]. Lampshaded by ''everyone'', with Shepard joking that they'll hand over questions to Liara because she looks like she's about to explode.
--> '''Joker''': So has Liara stopped bouncing yet? I'm guessing there may have been some bouncing.
* KnightTemplar: During the interim between the first and second game, though Paragon Shepard can pull her back from this.
* KnowledgeBroker: Becomes one in the second game to get revenge on the Shadow Broker for [[spoiler: his part is stealing Shepard's body and what he did to her friend]]. Regardless of whether or not Shepard aids her against the Broker, [[spoiler: Liara defeats him and inherits his power base, information network, and contacts, turning her into one of the most powerful people in the galaxy]].
* LadyOfWar: Her ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' outfit, which is also her default attire in ''Mass Effect 3'', gives her a graceful aura. Having biotic powers and being a member of the most graceful race in the galaxy give her bonus points too.
* LightIsGood: Her outfits are all white and bright colors, showing her heroic character.
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Throughout the duration of "Lair of the Shadow Broker", there is frequent humorous banter and interaction between Shepard and Liara.
* LonersAreFreaks: Subverted of course since she's a necessary party member, but in her childhood she was thought of as a weirdo because of her admiration for science. Liara admits that she doesn't fit in with others, but Shepard [[VideoGameCaringPotential can coax her out of this]].
* TheMedic: Her class skill in the first game adds to the amount of HP healed by medigel on top of the first aid ability.
* MindOverMatter: Usually holds the spot of most powerful biotic on your squad.
* MinoredInAsskicking: Most people find it more than a little odd that an archaeologist would be so good at combat. Then Liara points out that since they have potential for containing incredible technology, Prothean ruins are popular targets for pirates and mercenary raids. And Liara has worked in Prothean ruins. Alone. For decades. It also helps that she is from a race of natural biotics, and she is the offspring of two powerful matriarchs.
* MsFanservice: Her romance scenes are by far the most revealing out of any character in the game, and she's notably the only character in ''3'' to get completely naked.
* NerdsAreSexy: Considering that she's attractive and loves science, this trope was bound to follow.
* NeverMyFault: Liara has a tendency to blame others for things that she is responsible for: She yells at Javik frequently for not being what she wanted in a Prothean, but also criticizes Ashley/Kaidan for [[spoiler: their distrust of Shepard when Shep is working for Cerberus in the 2nd game. This detail was something she knew about for two years and refused to do anything about.]]
* NumberTwo: In ''Mass Effect 3'', she acts as an unofficial XO for the Normandy, with her office in Miranda's old quarters.
* NotSoAboveItAll: Her romance shows that Liara's not really as high and mighty in terms of personality as she seems to other characters. She seems to enjoy ''both'' [[{{Adorkable}} Paragon Shepard's]] and [[ActuallyPrettyFunny Renegade Shepard's]] sense of humor.
--> '''Liara:''' I don't want to put pressure on you.
--> '''[[DeadpanSnarker Shepard]]:''' I have fond memories of the last time [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex you put pressure on me.]]
--> '''Liara:''' (Smirks) So did I.
* NotSoDifferent: Noticeable in the second game, when Liara at times begins to unconsciously channel ''her mother''.
* NotThatKindOfDoctor: See OmnidisciplinaryScientist.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: If Shepard never goes through ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', then [[spoiler: Liara assembles a mercenary army and takes down the Broker herself.]]
* OlderThanTheyLook: During the first game, she's 106 years old, "barely more than a child." Asari live for about a thousand.
--> '''Ashley:''' Damn, I hope I look that good when I hit your age!
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist:
** Averted. In Peak 15, she may say the following upon the end of the first engagement against the [[spoiler:rachni]]:
-->'''Liara:''' Xenobiology is not my field. Maybe someone in the labs knows.
** Appears again in the third game, where she explains on Eden Prime the difference between an archaeologist and a paleontologist upon being asked about fossils, only to realize midway through her explanation that the one who asked was just kidding.
** While she most likely understands written Prothean, she cannot understand the spoken language and relies on Shepard to explain that a VI recording found on Ilos was a distress signal.
* OpenSecret: By the third game, everyone and their mum seems to know that she's the new [[spoiler: Shadow Broker]].
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler: No matter what Shepard does, she ends up being outsmarted by the Illusive Man. The entirety of the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' was a gambit by the Illusive Man to get Liara to kill off his biggest rival and gain his assets. She had to sacrifice her base and most of her resources to stop him from obtaining them. He still manages to track her down and dispatches troops to finish her off on Mars. When Shepard finds her, she's the only survivor in a base overrun by Cerberus operatives with no way out]].
* ParentalAbandonment: She never knew her second parent's identity, only her species (another asari -- a major societal no-no, because asari value genetic diversity [[spoiler:and also because that's where Ardat-Yakshi come from]]) and her relationship with her mother was apparently strained. [[spoiler:And that was ''before'' Benezia joined up with Saren and co.]] In the third game, Shepard can find out that her father is [[spoiler:Matriach Aethyta]], and encourage Liara to go talk to her.
* PlatonicLifePartners: If not romanced, Liara will have this type of relationship with Shepard by default.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Liara apparently didn't think the rest of the old team needed to know about the events of ''Redemption'', so when Cerberus began leaking information to isolate Shepard from his/her old contacts, Ashley/Kaidan didn't have the information they needed to see through it. This likely comes from her desire for vengeance distracting her from anything else, as even when Shepard does come to see her, she is clearly distant and almost completely focused and hunting for the Broker. [[NeverMyFault She remains oblivious even after the Shadow Broker is dealt with]] [[{{Hypocrite}} and has the nerve to criticize Kaidan/Ashley for being shortsighted]].
* PowerPerversionPotential: If romanced, Liara is revealed to use biotics during sex.
* PragmaticHero: In the second and third game.
** Softens up at least a little in the third game, becoming a KnightInSourArmor. She has the dubiously legal [[spoiler:Shadow Broker]] resources at her disposal, but uses them to help the war effort, and shows empathy toward all victims of the Reaper invasion.
* RagnarokProofing: Designed her own version of the [[FlingALightIntoTheFuture Prothean Beacon]], in case they failed to stop the Reapers. [[spoiler: Judging from the Stargazer scene or the Refusal Ending, they performed their task admirably]].
* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler: What do you think happens when an overconfident archaeologist tries to compete with the most skilled and ruthless criminal empires in the galaxy? Thought so. Although she is very smart and her efforts provide Shepard with some useful information, she simply doesn't have the experience necessary to be the Shadow Broker, and is clearly out of her league trying to compete with the Illusive Man. She never even manages to track down a single Cerberus operation, mostly because they smash much of her network and resources before she can pull everything together after Cerberus helped dispatch the previous Broker]].
* RedeemingReplacement: [[spoiler: To the Shadow Broker, though she wasn't interested in redeeming his name so much as she thought that the organization was too useful to let go to waste]].
* RelationshipUpgrade: Liara can be pursued as a romance in ''3'' even if you previously turned her down in the first game.
* ReligiousBruiser: In the first game, at least, it's implied that she is quite religious.
** [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Mother, Like Daughter]]: Her mother, Benezia, was an influential asari theologian before her FaceHeelTurn.
** [[spoiler: Javik believes she goes into denial when she rejects his assertion that Athame, the asari goddess [[NoSuchThingAsSpaceJesus was actually a Prothean]] and that his people [[AncientAstronauts influenced]] early asari civilisation]].
* RequiredPartyMember: During "Lair of the Shadow Broker" in ''Mass Effect 2'' and twice in ''Mass Effect 3''. The first is on Eden Prime in the "From Ashes" {{DLC}}, where you need her knowledge of the Protheans. The second is the mission on [[spoiler:Thessia, Liara's homeworld]]. She also takes James's place in your squad once you encounter her on Mars.
* {{Revenge}}: Her primary goal, as of ''Mass Effect 2,'' is to track down and kill [[spoiler:the Shadow Broker]] for trying to [[spoiler:sell Shepard's body to the Collectors.]] The DLC "Lair of the Shadow Broker" lets you achieve that goal in spectacular [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge roaring rampage]] style.
* RoaringRampageOfRescue: ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' is all about Liara rescuing Feron from the Broker after he was captured at the end of ''Redemption''. [[spoiler:Liara becoming the Shadow Broker is just an added perk]].
* SchrodingersGun: Regardless of whether the player downloaded the "Lair of the Shadow Broker" DLC, Liara is still [[spoiler:the Shadow Broker]] as of the third game. It's just that how she got there is a bit different: [[spoiler:If Shepard didn't help Liara take down the Broker, Liara hired dozens of mercenaries -- all of them the best of the best -- and took on the Broker in a ZergRush. Since they're not [[OneManArmy Shepard]], apparently they all ''died'']].
* SelfMadeOrphan: Potentially, if you make her fight alongside you to take down her mother in the first game. This is actually ''suggested'' by a party member, though, since Liara would know more about her mother, who's causing problems for everyone, than anyone else, and you have to fight Liara's mother one way or another. Subverted in the third game when it turns out her "father" is still alive.
* [[HeWhoFightsMonsters She Who Fights Monsters]]: Played with. She becomes incredibly ruthless by the second game in her hunt for the Shadow Broker, even if [[MoralityChain Paragon!Shep is continuously trying to pull her back.]] [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted, since while she does [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt kill and even take the place of the Shadow Broker]], she vows to only use the vast power to help Shepard fight the Reapers, which may be why Traynor is the one scoring all the victories against Cerberus; Liara's been focused on the Crucible since before Shepard encountered her on Mars.]]
* SheepInSheepsClothing: In the first game, ''everyone'' distrusts Liara because she's the daughter of TheDragon and they assume that she's really a spy trying to sabotage Shepard's mission. She acts like a shy, awkward girl who wants to befriend Shepard, but...she ''really is'' an innocent girl who wants to help. In the end, she proves to actually be Shepard's most loyal ally.
* TheSixthRanger: If you wait until after Virmire before going to Therum.
* ShoutOut: An archaeologist called '''[[Franchise/TombRaider L(i)ara]]'''...
* ShrinkingViolet: In the first game.
* ShuttingUpNow: Does this a few times when speaking to Shepard in the first game while alone with him/her.
* SkilledButNaive: At least in the first game. [[CharacterDevelopment No longer naïve]] [[BreakTheCutie in the second game.]]
* SlasherSmile: In ''Shadow Broker'', she gets off a nasty one after dressing down the Shadow Broker, pressing ''all'' of its {{Berserk Button}}s.
* [[TheSmartGuy The Smart Chick]]: Certainly isn't lacking in the brains department.
* SquishyWizard: Liara can only wear light armor and has low health. She makes up for it with spectacular biotic capabilities.
** Comes back even more strongly in the third game, where she might be the ''only'' biotic on your squad (if Shepard isn't one, Kaidan's dead and you haven't bought Javik). This can turn her low CON scores into a distinct Achilles heel.
* TheStoic: Post time skip and post BreakTheCutie in the second and third games she tends to act like this, almost never raising her voice and becoming somewhat TheComicallySerious mixed with BrokenBird.
** NotSoStoic: Still has moments of genuine emotion namely [[spoiler: when she and Shepard kill the Shadow Broker, when she hooks up with you later in the Shadow Broker DLC, hearing about a colony that [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled nuked itself rather than face the Reaper invasion]], when Thessia is attacked by the Reapers, and during certain romantic scenes in the third game]].
* StoryBranchFavoritism: In addition to ascending to the role of deuteragonist, in addition to being one of the very few love interests you can romance in all three games, in addition to being one of the only characters who can be a squad member in all three games--as if she didn't need enough prominence--she's also the character with the fewest PlotlineDeath options ([[spoiler:specifically, ''none''. The only time she can die is in the "My EMS Is Too Low" race to the beam, which will indiscriminately take everyone on your squad, and occurs during the final 15 minutes of gameplay in the trilogy]]).
* SurvivorGuilt: In addition to the guilt she feels for [[spoiler:handing Shepard's body to Cerberus]], it's heavily implied (especially in a romance) that she felt great guilt for surviving while Shepard was killed.
* ThatCameOutWrong: Her first conversation with Shepard, in which her fascination with his/her exposure to the beacon leads her to referring to him/her as an interesting test subject. See her quote above.
* TookALevelInBadass: She starts out as an awkward and bookish archaeologist. In [=ME2=], [[spoiler: she works as a ruthless information broker and is trying to take down the Shadow Broker. When Shepard meets her again, she is threatening to flay someone alive with her mind. She tells Shepard (and in the third game, her father) that she was just bluffing to scare the guy and wouldn't have really done it, but still, quite a change.]]
** [[spoiler:Mind you, that was before she chased Vasir by jumping out a window, and dropped plasma on the Shadow Broker]]. Not to mention how many of the Shadow Broker's mooks she tears through.
** What makes that scene even more powerful (and chilling) is that she's [[spoiler: practically channeling Benezia at that point. "Have you ever faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have." Her mother told Shepard the same thing in [=ME1=].]]
** Even before [[spoiler: working to kill the Shadow Broker]], she displays a lot of determination and ruthlessness in the "Mass Effect: Redemption" comic book. Apparently, working with Shepard was a very significant influence.
** ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' has her take two giant levels in badass. The first is when we encounter her in the trade center, where she's [[spoiler: chasing down a Spectre and hurling Shadow Broker agents around like toys]]. Let's repeat that for clarification: Liara is making a freaking [[spoiler: '''Spectre''']] flee from her. The second makes her potentially even more powerful than Shepard.
--->'''Liara:''' Give me ten minutes and I can start a war.
** You know how each character is introduced or provided a tag line? ''The Convict, The Scientist,'' ect? In the DLC Liara is introduced as ''The Elite.''
** Her introduction in the third game has her drop out of an [[AirVentEscape air-vent]], suspend the Cerberus troops chasing her with a [[GravityScrew Singularity]], draw her gun and casually shoot them... [[DoubleTap then once more]], just to [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy make sure.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Shepard, [[UpToEleven possibly moreso than anyone else in the series.]] Can also fit with ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend below.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: Even if you don't romance her, Liara's friendship with Shepard still has a level of this to it.
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler: VideoGame/MassEffect3 reveals that she was playing right into the Illusive Man's hands over ''Lair Of The Shadow Broker'', though her last minute screwing over of Cerberus by crashing the Broker's ship into their fleet did upset him a bit]].
* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Following Shepard's temporary demise, she took up a one woman crusade to get his/her body back from the Shadow Broker and the Collectors. As of the end of the second game, she's still working to track the Broker down and make them pay for ''daring'' to touch Shepard.
** She doesn't even need to be a girlfriend for this. Even if it's just a friend relationship, she will destroy you if ever try to harm Shepard.
** When you've got a millennium-long lifespan, spending a decade or two hunting down the jerk who messed with your buddy doesn't sound so unreasonable.
* VirginityMakesYouStupid: Though she's depicted as naive, she's not exactly an idiot. Still, she's less streetwise than Tali, who hasn't even spent any time off of a ship, since she spent most of her time alone in Prothean ruins with the only people she ever meets being pirates or looters, who tend to wind up dead.
* WarriorTherapist: Shares this role with Garrus towards Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3'', trying to keep him/her from falling completely into despair.
* WellDoneSonGuy: '''[[RunningGag Yes]]'''. She has more than a little friction with her mother, Matriarch Benezia, trying to do something to overcome being the daughter of a highly esteemed individual and [[MalignedMixedMarriage a union between asari]] and she never knew her "father" either. [[spoiler:Unless you coax the two into talking in the third game]].
* WhatTheHellHero: Surprisingly absent in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC -- even if you've cheated on her with another squad mate, she doesn't get angry about it.
** She does call you out about hooking up with another love interest (or if you have not, believing that you can make two years of grief simply go away) -- but then immediately apologizes for her outburst.
** Shepard can give a number to her for her more extreme actions in her quest to get revenge on the Shadow Broker.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: In ''3'', she realizes that she could live long enough to see the whole invasion through, and admits that while she used to feel sorry for shorter-lived species, she's no longer sure. [[spoiler: The Extended Cut's Refusal ending implies that she lives for quite a long time after the Crucible does not fire]].
* WomanInWhite: Her preferred outfit in Mass Effect 2 and 3, reflecting her new {{Stoic}}, LadyOfWar tendencies.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Paragon Shepard's interrupts in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' reminding her of how she was when they met and urging her to not descend into WellIntentionedExtremist territory, not even to protect them.
* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: [[spoiler:After she and Shepard kill the Shadow Broker, she takes his place. She's at least the third person to hold the title]].
* YouthfulFreckles: She ''is'' only 108 years old.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tali'Zorah]]
![[spoiler:Admiral]] Tali'Zorah nar Rayya/vas Neema/[[spoiler:vas Normandy]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tali_6115.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:I [[MemeticMutation have a]] [[BadassAdorable shotgun.]]]]
-->''"Our Pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this?"''

-->'''Voiced by:''' Ash Sroka (credited as Liz Sroka in 1 and 2)

A quarian machinist who specializes in technology and is traveling on her pilgrimage to find technology or resources valuable to the quarian Migrant Fleet. Joins Shepard's team for protection when she finds information incriminating Saren, and remains both out of gratitude and to help bring down Saren. She is a party member in all three games, as well as a romance option in [=ME2=].
----
* ActionGirl: She doesn't hesitate to get into a scrap.
* {{Adorkable}}:
** Particularly when you romance her.
--->'''Shepard:''' I trust you too, Tali, but you don't have to prove anything to me.\\
'''Tali:''' I know... well, no, not that I know... it's just that... well... it's not normally like this... I mean, wow... when did it get so hot in here?
** If romanced in ''Mass Effect 2'', she becomes more confident in her relationship with Shepard in ''Mass Effect 3''.
** Though this trait comes back in her romance in the ''Citadel'' DLC, where she acts like a giddy schoolgirl when recalling her childhood memories of watching "Fleet and Flotilla". She even sings Shepard one of the songs from the musical version. Which just so happens to be the [[RealSongThemeTune romance theme of the game]] ("I Was Lost Without You").
* AffectionateNickname:
** [[TheNicknamer James]] nicknames her 'Sparks' in ''3''.
--->'''James:''' Yeah, your quarian friend. The jumpy one with the glowing eyes? Sparks. \\
'''Shepard:''' Uh-huh.
** A male Shepard who romances her calls her "[[spoiler:miss vas Normandy]]." Joker quips that, every time he hears Shepard call her that, he expects her to be [[BeautyContest wearing a sash and tiara]].
* ApologeticAttacker: [[spoiler: She ''really'' doesn't want to kill Legion, and tells it before it dies that yes, it really does have a soul. She then mourns him later]].
* AppropriatedAppellation: During her loyalty quest [[spoiler: the Admiralty board (specifically Zaal'Koris) has Tali's ship name changed from "vas Neema" to "vas Normandy," in the belief that being associated with a human ship (and having a human captain represent her instead of a quarian) would hurt her chances of avoiding exile. After you earn Tali's loyalty (especially if you proved the admirals wrong and got Tali acquitted without the evidence), she decides to let the name stick]].
* AttackDrone: She can deploy two at a time in VideoGame/MassEffect3. One guards her personally, while the other floats around the the area, distracting enemies and bombarding them with rockets. While she can't summon more than two at a time, she can almost instantly replace them when they're destroyed. She could only deploy one in VideoGame/MassEffect2, which was so much weaker that a better name for it would be "Distraction Drone". At least ''that'' one had a name.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassAdorable: She can fight her way through hundreds of geth without breaking a sweat and yet she stammers when you romance her. She also names her combat drones and praises them for doing a good job of killing things.
*** [[spoiler: The ''Citadel DLC'' reveals that several of her lines from her romance arc in ''2'' were borrowed from ''Fleet and Flotilla'', her favourite film/musical. Given her Shadow Broker dossier mentioned her downloading it (as well as several other books about human interaction), it's implied she used it to give her the confidence to articulate how she felt]].
** BadassBookworm: Being a quarian, she is ''required'' to know about advanced subjects like starship engineering. And even among quarians she is considered an expert, even ''before'' she finishes her Pilgrimage after the first game.
** [[spoiler:FourStarBadass: If she's exonerated in her trial in Mass Effect 2, the other admirals elect to have her fill her deceased father's vacant position]].
** [[spoiler: AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Though only technically. She's an Admiral in the third game, but aside from making a few deals on the Citadel and voting against going to war with the geth, she doesn't really do any admiral stuff]].
*** [[spoiler: AsskickingEqualsAuthority: The reason she's promoted to the position of Admiral is because she knows more about kicking geth ass than any other living quarian]].
*** {{Ambadassador}}: [[spoiler: Seems to be her ''de facto'' position on the Admiralty Board. Having her be an admiral is required to get the peaceful ending to the Rannoch quest line, and on one occasion she is seen negotiating with a turian to arrange the Migrant Fleet's evacuation of turian refugees]].
* BattleCouple: With Shepard if romanced.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Part of the reason she has such UndyingLoyalty to Shepard. Until she met them, everyone she encountered on her Pilgrimage treated her like a second class citizen, a beggar or thief, simply because she was ''[[FantasticRacism quarian]]''. Shepard was the first person to treat her like an actual ''person'', offer her a place on their crew and make her feel truly accepted.
** It goes beyond this during ''2'', when it's shown that she believes that Shepard, a human, has been a better friend to her than any quarian ever has. It's notable that despite having "vas Normandy" shoved on her as a political play, if exonerated, she decides to keep the name.
* BewareTheNiceOnes:
** Tali is right up there with Kaidan in the sheer niceness department. That doesn't change the fact that she is a ''monster'' with a shotgun, can easily lock down most enemies, and can potentially have the strongest shields in your entire party even without upgrades. And when provoked, she can get both vicious and creative.
--->'''Tali''' (after being told by Shepard to not lose sleep over a volus who is racist against quarians): My brain agrees with you. My gut says I should jack his suit's olfactory filters so that everything smells like refuse!\\
'''Garrus:''' Remind me not to get on your bad side.
** In ''Mass Effect 3'', her response to [[spoiler: viewing the Illusive Man's plan to emotionally manipulate a vulnerable Shepard (after being resurrected by the Lazarus Project, and being cut off from all his friends and allies) into working with Cerberus]] shows she can be quite frightening when she is well and truly angry.
--->'''Tali''': [[TranquilFury He needs to die.]]
** How she shuts up Garrus pestering her about talking about her [[IllGirl immune system]] on the Citadel in ''2''.
---> '''Tali''': I have a ''shotgun''.\\
'''Garrus''': Mmmmmaybe we'll talk later.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Seems to invoke this in a Paragon Shepard. If you threaten Tali, Shepard ''will'' come after you. Tali's trial in ''2'' has Shepard actually ''berate'' the quarian Admiralty for even ''daring'' to accuse her of treason, which results in Shepard becoming so ''furious'' that the quarian Admirals meekly decide to drop all charges against her.
* BigRedButton: Though one doesn't really show up, [[LampshadeHanging she still points out the inadvisability of pushing them]].
* BiTheWay: During the Citadel DLC, if Garrus is romanced by Fem!Shep, depending on how the party goes, she can be found drunk and talking to herself in a pretend conversation with him, in which the possibility of a threesome intrigues her. PlayedForLaughs, but considering how flustered she got around Fem!Shep in the second game during that suit-linking conversation...
* BoldlyComing: It seems that Tali is a xenophile at heart; she either can romance Male!Shep, shack up with Garrus if neither of them are romanced, is interested in a threesome with Fem!Shep and Romance!Garrus as evidenced above, and states that Fleet and Flotilla, a romance vid about a [[StarCrossedLovers turian man and quarian woman]] "jump-started her puberty" after roping a romanced Male!Shepard into watching the vid and singing.
** Her Shadow Broker dossier in ''2'' lists more than a few purchases of books on human-alien interactions.
* BizarreAlienBiology: Quarians are one of only two species (the other being turians) that have a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirality_%28chemistry%29 dextro-amino acid based biology]]. As such, they can't consume any food or drink made for levo-amino acid physiologies (humans, asari, salarian, krogan, etc.) without, at the least, not getting any nourishment from it; or at the most, having a fatal allergic reaction. Also, the quarian immune system evolved to absorb and form symbiosis with micro-organisms, apparently a result of insect life never evolving on their planet; this makes them extremely vulnerable to infections, especially given they've been forced to live in totally sterile environments for centuries now. Javik even theorizes that this may have had a side effect of making her species more sympathetic to the plights of others.
* BreakoutCharacter: Like Garrus, her plot relevance surged up like crazy from the second game on, even becoming a LoveInterest.
* BreakTheCutie: She suffers an emotional breakdown while investigating her trial. You can potentially give her comfort by hugging her. [[spoiler: Or you can make it worse by handing over the incriminating evidence during her trial. Doing this will turn her father into a monster in the eyes of the quarian people and cost you her loyalty, most likely causing her death]].
** [[spoiler:Let the geth destroy the quarians in the third game. She commits suicide. Even if the geth and quarians make peace, she mourns everyone who died. Including Legion, to her own astonishment]].
* [[BubbleBoy Bubble Girl]]: Comes from a race of them. Their weak immune systems force them to live in their environmental suits constantly. As a bonus, prepubescent quarians actually ''do'' live in bubbles; getting their first suit is considered a rite of passage.
* ButIWouldReallyEnjoyIt: Tali is initially reluctant to sleep with Shepard, because their mutually [[BizarreAlienBiology bizarre alien biologies]] would result in anything from allergic reaction, to drastic illness, to death for her. She ''assures'' you that this does not coincide with her desires.
-->'''Tali:''' Just so you know, I'm running a fever, I've got a nasty cough, and my sinuses are filled with something I can't even describe. And it was totally '''{{worth it}}'''.
* CantHaveSexEver: She works ''hard'' to subvert this. [[spoiler: Her Shadow Broker dossier reveals she once had [[ADateWithRosiePalms "nerve stimulation" implants]], had them removed/turned off/reinstalled, and then finally had it installed and upgraded]].
** Assuming you romanced her, this is no longer a problem by the third game. Her body's immune system has adapted enough that she can have sex with Shepard safely.
* [[CantHoldHisLiquor Can't Hold Her Liquor]]: After the Horizon mission in ''3'', you can find her in the ''Normandy'' lounge getting hammered. Then if you go down to the cargo bay to talk to Javik, you walk in on her drunk-dialing him. Happens again in the Citadel DLC -- she gets drunk the quickest and is always one of the most hungover. If you opt to start the party lively, she is already slurring her speech, has to go to the bathroom, and has AlcoholHic issues at the outset. If the party is in one of the third phase quiet paths, she's in the restroom mumbling semi-coherently in a stupor.
* CharacterDevelopment: Tali is more mature in the later games. The way she advocates geth/quarian peace in the third game speaks volumes when the first encounter she has with an AI in the series (the credit-scamming machine) was to demand Shepard kill it ''on principle.'' Also, see VocalEvolution.
* CharacterTic: Tali frequently holds her hands together and bounces on her heels when she's nervous.
* ChekhovsGun: You know that knife strapped to her boot that we never see her using? It can come up in one very important moment in ''3'' -- [[spoiler: stabbing Legion if you pick the quarians over the geth]].
* ClingyCostume: Like all quarians.
* TheConscience: Acts as one of the voices of reason on the ''Normandy''... [[FantasticRacism except on the topic]] of ArtificialIntelligence.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Her Combat Drone in the second game is purple, in contrast to the red and blue ones used by enemy engineers and Legion respectively. In the third game, the color of her drone is changed to orange.
* CooldownHug: [[VideoGameCaringPotential Shepard has the option of giving this to her after]] [[spoiler: she finds her father's dead body]].
* CovertPervert: It's fairly obvious during the second game that Tali has secretly lusted after male Shepard since practically day one. And the second he shows ''any'' romantic interest in her, the first thing she makes clear is that she wants him to do the honors, so to speak.
** The Shadow Broker Dossiers further show that, after being authorized for Project Haestrom (shortly before the ME2's beginning), she installed several apps. These include videos dealing with loss, but eventually lead to apps on human mating rituals, Immuno-Boosters (for [[DoubleEntendre professionals]]) and several [[ADateWithRosiePalms Nerve Stims]].
** The Citadel DLC shows how horrible Tali is when she's drunk. Depending on your relationships with her and Garrus, she'll be fantasizing about Shepard or Garrus getting hot and heavy with her. If, as Fem!Shep, you romanced Garrus, she'll be fantasizing about [[ThreesomeSubtext all three of you together]].
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: A rather more literal example than most, both her visor and hood being purple in color.
** [[spoiler: Subverted when a picture of her without a suit is shown in the third game. Although her hair '''could''' be a deep shade of purple, matching her choice in clothing. It's... [[LensFlare kinda hard to tell]]]].
* [[spoiler:[[ADateWithRosiePalms Nerve Stimulation Implants]]: It's revealed in the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC that she had them, then removed and reinstalled the program multiple times before finally settling on the upgraded version]].
* DeadpanSnarker: To wit:
-->'''Tali:''' ''[to Garrus]'' I'm glad the imminent destruction of all organic life has improved your career opportunities.\\
\\
'''Tali:''' ''[to Shepard]'' What could I possibly be suggesting? I mean, a young woman gets saved by a dashing commander who lets her join his crew and then goes off to save the galaxy? [[LampshadeHanging How could she possibly develop any interest in him?]]\\
\\
'''Shepard:''' I'm not working for [Cerberus], they're working for me.\\
'''Tali:''' So ''you'' ordered the listening devices and tracking beacons that are all over this ship?
* DeathGlare: In her post-recruitment scene in the second game, Tali manages to throw a ''withering'' DeathGlare at Jacob during her briefing on the ''Normandy''. Through an ''opaque helmet'', which somehow makes it even more menacing.
* DiggingYourselfDeeper:
** Gets flustered and does this after accidentally revealing her attraction to Shepard in the second game.
** Alternately, if neither she nor Garrus is romanced by Shepard, this is her reaction when [[spoiler:Shepard walks in on her and Garrus together...]]
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: In ''3'', if you can't get the geth and the quarians to work together, choosing the geth side means she has to watch the entire fleet (and with the Pilgrimage recalled, that includes every quarian that wasn't exiled who could make it) get blown out of the sky. She walks off a cliff to her death]].
* DiscOneNuke: In the first game, she was a ridiculously durable death machine with maxed out Electronics and "Quarian Machinist", which raised her shields to very high levels, and in the former's case let her sap the shields off any enemy in one go. It was very easy to max out both those skills very early in the game.
* DrowningMySorrows: She resorts to this once or twice during the third game. It takes triple-filtered turian brandy introduced through an "emergency induction port".
--> '''Shepard:''' That's a straw, Tali. \\
'''Tali:''' [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness Emerrrrrrgency.]] [[InsistentTerminology Induction.]] [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Port.]]
* DudeMagnet: Almost as much as female Shepard, if you can believe that. [[spoiler: She's one of only two remaining squadmates to have a possible love interest ''other'' than Shepard (namely, Garrus), and she draws positive attention from Joker, Kenneth, and Kal'Reegar as well, and even Javik in a way]].
* TheEngineer: In the first game, Chief Engineer Adams is impressed with her skill. In the second, she gets automatically promoted to chief engineer herself as soon as she's recruited.
** In the third game, with the return of Chief Engineer Adams, she unofficially becomes Second Engineer and acts as his Relief. Adams comments that its good to have her back as she clearly knows the new ''Normandy's'' engines better than he does. Even Joker says that the ''Normandy'' doesn't seem to be running right without her handling the engines.
* EnemyMine:
** What she sees working with Legion as, until the end of the second game, where she stays in touch with it until the geth are upgraded by the Reapers.
** She also hates Cerberus and makes it clear that she's only there [[UndyingLoyalty because Shepard is.]]
---> '''Tali:''' I thought you were undercover, Shepard. Maybe even planning to blow Cerberus up. If that's the case, I'll loan you a grenade. Otherwise, I'm here for you, not for them.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When Fist's men start pulling guns during their meeting with her, she hits two of them with a grenade (destroying their shields and knocking them down), rushes to cover, and pulls out her pistol. If you wait a few seconds to intervene after the gameplay starts, she then guns one or two of the assassins down. After Shepard kills the remaining assassins, she thanks Shepard for the help, and tells him/her about how she obtained the data proving Saren is a traitor by disabling and then hacking information from a geth platform to Shepard's shock, as s/he thought such a thing was impossible.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Her feelings for Male Shep. Kelly, Kasumi, Liara, and Javik can all comment on it. Liara, in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', suggests she knew about Tali's feelings as early as the first game. Kaidan and Ashley's complete lack of surprise when they hear Shepard and Tali dropping innuendos at each other during a mission suggest they did too.
* [[spoiler: TheExile:]] In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', [[spoiler: one possible outcome of her loyalty mission is that she can be permanently exiled from the Migrant Fleet. But she still has a home on the ''Normandy'']].
* {{Expy}}: Of Aerie, the BrokenBird elf maiden from ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'', as evidenced by her naming her combat drone Chikktika vas Paus, a reference to Aerie's oft-spoken phrase "Faster than Chitika Fastpaws!"
* FacePalm: Well, ''Face Plate Palm''. Tali does this a few times.
-->'''Tali:''' ''(when Shepard asks about "vas Qwib-Qwib")'' Oh, boy. Here we go.
* TheFaceless: Justified. Her species has a weak immune system that means she must wear a special suit at all times. [[spoiler:In third game, if romanced by a male Shepard, she leaves a picture of her in his cabin]].
** [[spoiler: Due to laziness on Bioware and EA's part, the picture is actually an edited version of a stock photo from Getty Images. Link: http://gamerant.com/mass-effect-3-tali-spoiler-unmasked-image-benk-137322/]]
* FantasticRacism: Sometimes slips into this, the geth having become a major BerserkButton for the quarians.
* [[spoiler: FourStarBadass: Admiral, to be exact, in Mass Effect 3]].
* GadgeteerGenius: The quarians' [[PlanetOfHats hat]], but Tali is especially so.
--> '''Tali''': Please, Shepard, I'm a quarian! Give me a hunk of scrap metal, a circuit board, and some element zero, and I'll have it making precision jumps!
* GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: [[spoiler:You finally get to see Tali sans suit in VideoGame/MassEffect3 if you romance her ''and'' help the quarians reclaim their homeworld. Although her skin color isn't definitively green]].
* GetARoom: If previously romanced and then continued in ''3'', Tali and male Shepard flirt constantly throughout the Geth Dreadnought mission. If brought along as the third squadmate, Garrus ends up snarkily invoking this.
* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: If romanced by Paragon Shepard. It's a wonder half the ship [[TheImmodestOrgasm can't hear them.]]
* GlowingEyes: Like all quarian they become visible through her faceplate in ''Mass Effect 2'' and ''3''. Weirdly, not seen [[spoiler: in the picture of herself she leaves on Shepard's nightstand in 3]].
* HackYourEnemy: See "Set a Mook to Kill a Mook".
* {{Handgun}}: Along with shotguns, her main weapon type in all three games.
* HartmanHips: The mandatory mentioning of them along with the character is virtually a meme. Joker even snarks about it when James suggests that he get suited like a quarian to help with his disability:
--> '''Joker:''' Have you seen Tali? I don't have the hips to carry a suit like that.
** AscendedMeme: Became one in-universe as well, by ''2'' and ''3''.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With female Shepard.
* HoldingHands: Part of her romance path with Shepard.
* HotGypsyWoman[=/=]MatzoFever: Depending on whether you consider the Quarians as a FantasyCounterpartCulture to Roma, or to Jewish people.
* IAteWhat: In one version of the party in the ''Citadel'' DLC, she poisons herself with cheese made for levo-chiral consumers. Though it was really a desperate attempt to ChangeTheUncomfortableSubject of EDI discussing Traynor's... [[LesYay desires]] [[ArousedByTheirVoice for EDI's voice.]]
* ICallItVera: [[ShoutOut Chikktika]] [[VideoGame/BaldursGate vas Paus]], her combat drone. Her drones in the third game no longer have names, unfortunately. However, Chikktika is still mentioned at least once in the Citadel DLC, particularly on calling out Glyph's apparent incompetence at tracking down [[spoiler:the clone]].
* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: Her reaction if Shepard expresses interest in a romantic relationship. Tali had actually been in love with Shepard since the first game, but assumed that he would never see past her helmet and see her for her.
--> '''Tali:''' I've watched you for so long. And yet I never thought you'd ever see past... ''[gestures at her helmet]'' this.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer:
** An [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness exorbitantly worded]] email from her father, but this is the general gist of its contents. It's a real shame you can't show it to Tali.
** A more mild example with Kasumi after the night alone with Tali:
---> '''Kasumi:''' Tali is so cute. You're all she talks about, in that rainbows-and-butterflies kind of way. She loves you, Shepard. Be good to her.
* IllGirl: Something of a RunningGag concerning her; she finds the perception irksome.
* TheImmodestOrgasm:
** In the third game, a quick dialogue with a romanced male Shepard seems to poke fun at this.
---> '''Tali''': It's good to be back on the ''Normandy''.\\
'''Shepard''': Let me know if it's too quiet for you to sleep. I'm sure I can find you [[DoubleEntendre someplace louder.]]\\
'''Tali''': [[CovertPervert Hmm...]]
* ImStandingRightHere: She finds herself saying this from time to time. Even once to Shepard. Case in point: this conversation if she accompanies Shepard and Mordin on the latter's loyalty mission:
-->'''Shepard''': ''[riling up a sick krogan]'' I said a badass, not a sick scout whining like a quarian with a tummy-ache!\\
'''Tali''': I'm standing right here!
* InfoDump: Unlike the other alien teammates in ''VideoGame/MassEffect'', whose species' backstories are revealed through multiple conversations, other alien NonPlayerCharacters, and [[ProjectedMan Avina]], Tali dumps pretty much everything you need to know about the quarians in your first and ''very'' long conversation with her on the ''Normandy''. This is likely because she's the only quarian character in the entire first ''VideoGame/MassEffect'' game.
* InsecureLoveInterest: Fits this trope like a glove during her romance. Averted in the third game.
* InsistentTerminology: Falls into this when drunk on turian brandy.
--> '''Tali''': Turian brandy, triple filtered and introduced into the suit through an emergency induction port.\\
'''Shepard''': Thats a ''straw'', Tali.\\
'''Tali''': Emmeeerrrgency [[MemeticMutation induction]] [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments port.]]
* InterspeciesRomance: Her favourite movie (or "vid" as its called in-universe) is ''Fleet and Flotilla'', a film about an interspecies romance between a turian and quarian. Dialogue from ''Citadel'' implies that Tali is into aliens. Also, she can end up with either Male!Shepard or [[spoiler:Garrus]] depending on whom the player decides Shepard to romance. Both potential men she ends up with can be considered aliens.
* InTheBack: [[spoiler: She'll be forced to kill Legion this way if you're unable to broker peace between the quarians and geth and choose not to let Legion upload the Reaper code]].
* ItsQuietTooQuiet: At first, she has trouble sleeping on the ''Normandy'' because the ship is so quiet. She's used to the ships in the Migrant Fleet, which are frequently bought used or are remnants from the geth uprising, and which make a ''lot'' of noise. A quiet quarian ship is typically [[OhCrap a bad sign]].
** Reversed in the second game, where she's used to it and the clamor of the Migrant Fleet is distracting to her.
** And of course there's the CallBack to this in the flirting in the third game.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[TearJerker She initially refuses Shepard's advances because she believes that he'll be hurt by their relationship.]]
** Which is made all the worse [[spoiler: [[DownerEnding at the end of ME3, if the Destroy option isn't taken]]]].
** She also doesn't hold it against you if you break up with her in favor of your ''[=ME1=]'' love interest, saying earnestly that she hopes you two are happy together.
* JustFriends: [[ReVision Retroactively with male!Shep from the first game.]]
* LatexSpaceSuit:
-->'''Ken:''' ''[to Gabby]'' Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful bucket.. The whole suit is lovely, quite snug in all the right places...\\
'''Tali:''' You ''know'' [[ImStandingRightHere I can hear you]]!
* LostForever: Like Garrus, link up with her in ''2'' or forever hold your peace.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Towards Shepard. Upped in the later games. [[UpToEleven BIG time.]]
* [[spoiler:MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter]]: A literal example, even if she isn't evil at all. [[spoiler:Rael's experiments]] are morally questionable at best, and beyond the MoralEventHorizon to some.
* MamaBear: Even for a quarian, Tali is ''very'' dedicated to protecting the Migrant Fleet.
** Remarked upon in the second game. During her trial, various members of the crew of the ''Rayya'' are impressed that, despite being accused of treason and threatened with the possibility of exile, Tali's first thought was to safeguard the Fleet by embarking on a highly dangerous mission to secure the ''Alarei'' and eliminate the geth onboard.
** One of the reasons why she's reluctant to act on her feelings for male Shepard is that she's afraid of jeopardizing his mission by risking her health in pursuit of being with him. Shepard can then convince her that she's always been generous to a fault, and that just once, she should pursue her own happiness.
* MeaningfulRename: Despite the fact that "vas Normandy" is shoved onto her without her consent for political reasons, if she is exonerated, she still decides to keep her name as Tali'Zorah vas Normandy indicating her absolute loyalty and friendship with Shepard over any quarians.
* MildlyMilitary: She received military training on the Migrant Fleet and participates in military operations for the Admiralty Board in ''2'', but she's never identified by a rank and doesn't wear a uniform like the other Migrant Fleet Marines. She's also able to leave and join a renegade Spectre on a suicide mission simply by asking. [[spoiler: In ''3'', she actually does get an official military rank as an Admiral, but she says that she doesn't actually do any military commanding. She does, however, serve as an ambassador (to both the geth and the Citadel races) and a front line combatant]].
* MilitaryBrat: Due to her father being an Admiral in the quarian Fleet, Tali never saw much of him growing up. At the very least, she got the best military training in the Fleet, which explains her proficiency with a shotgun.
* MilitaryMaverick: [[spoiler: Has shades of this as an Admiral herself in the third game]].
* MotorMouth: She admits to this as a defense mechanism when she becomes nervous.
* MustNotDieAVirgin: Seems to be her motivation to "find a way before the last fight". It's no wonder that, if she survives to the third game, she doesn't end it alone.
* {{Nice G|uy}}irl: She's very polite, selfless, and forgiving. Shown especially in the third game, where she uses her connections in the Migrant Fleet to get a turian colony evacuated at the insistence of one of its former inhabitants, even though that same guy was a clerk on the Citadel who refused to let her into the Presidium, called her a "suit rat", and didn't even get her a doctor when she had a bullet in her arm. She notes that while she can rub in her current power to him, it wouldn't solve anything and would be immature.
* NobleBigot: Make no mistake -- as selfless and heroic as Tali is, she ''hates'' synthetic lifeforms. And she's one of the more ''open-minded'' quarians. Of course, this is a JustifiedTrope given her situation. Her people were driven off their home planet and nearly annihilated by their own created AI race, and the geth later [[spoiler:kill her father as well]]. The fact that the quarians started it aside, Tali has more than a few reasons to be distrustful of if not hostile towards, say, [[spoiler:Legion]]. Later, thanks to CharacterDevelopment, the aforementioned open-mindedness pays off. [[spoiler: The player's choices can make her be more friendly to Legion, sparking a friendly NotSoDifferent situation in the third game to resolve the whole quarian/geth conflict. Doing so factors in to the potential for reconciliation between the geth and quarians]].
* NotSoDifferent: From a Spacer Shepard, since both are {{Military Brat}}s whose parents eventually became an Admiral of their respective fleet. Even more-so when/if she becomes a high-ranked member of the hierarchy whom even higher-ups defer to.
* OddFriendship: In ''3'', it seems that she and Legion have been in communication, and it's clear that they develop a strange fondness for one another even after the other admirals lead the quarians back into war with the geth. [[spoiler: If Legion "dies" to give the geth true sentience and peace is achieved, Tali mentions that in lamenting all the people she watched die, she's mourning even Legion, "how weird is that?"]]
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Behind Jacob [[spoiler:and Legion]], Tali is one of the more sensible crewmembers on the ''Normandy'' in VideoGame/MassEffect2, [[NobleBigot though she still has her issues.]] [[spoiler:[[CharacterDevelopment At least until Mass Effect 3]]]].
* OptionalPartyMember: Just like Thane, Samara, Grunt, Zaeed, Kasumi and [[spoiler: Legion]] (i.e. non-DLC, post-Horizon squadmates), you can complete [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the second game]] without her. [[PlotTailoredToTheParty Doing this will come back to haunt you, though...]]
* OrgasmicCombat: Her french acting.
* OutOfFocus: Ironically, while her relevance to the plot grows bigger in the second and third games, her role in both of them comes much later than in the first where she was recruited after only two missions. In ''2'' she appears early on but is forced to take off due to the fact that she's in the middle of undertaking a mission for her people and she doesn't return until halfway through the game leading her to be absent for a good portion. Likewise ''3'' has Shepard busy with helping the turians and krogan and later dealing with the Cerberus coup, leading her to not return until halfway through the story once again.
** That said, despite all of that, she and Garrus are the only two squadmates that can fight alongside Shepard across all three games.
* PardonMyKlingon: She uses the term "bosh'tet" from time to time. [[BilingualBonus Which is similar to the Hebrew word for "shameful one" or a way to saying "shit" in portuguese.]]
* [[spoiler:PairTheSpares: If your Male Shepard does not romance Tali in Mass Effect 3, she will end up with Garrus]].
** [[spoiler: When you consider that Garrus is essentially a ''Paragade'' Shepard, it makes sense that she's attracted to those qualities. Not to mention the convenience of sharing similar body chemistry]].
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: [[spoiler: In the Extended Cut DLC, if you've got a romanced Tali accompanying you to the final run to the Crucible, she will end up critically injured in an explosion. Shepard will, in turn, have the other companion get her aboard the Normandy safely, prompting her to invoke this trope. You can either [[VideoGameCaringPotential give her one final, tender, heartfelt goodbye]]...or [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential say she'll just get in your way]].]]
* [[spoiler:PlotlineDeath: Can suffer this in ''[=ME2=]'', at which point she does not appear in ''[=ME3=]''. Can also suffer this in ''[=ME3=]'', depending on your choices during the re-ignited quarian/geth war.]]
* PopCulturalOsmosisFailure: Falls prey to several of these from the human crew, but finally gets to turn the tables in the ''Citadel DLC'', when romanced Shepard fails to get her reference to ''Fleet and Flotilla'', her favourite film/musical. The clip of the vid the player sees reveals she'd been quoting it directly in several of her romance scenes, and Shepard unknowingly did the right responses.
* PrecisionFStrike:
** When she's truly mad, she tends to use the term "bosh'tet," a quarian curse. She ''screams'' it at Kai Leng if she's brought along to Thessia.
** Taking her along to the [[spoiler: Cerberus Headquarters]] reveals that she's not afraid of using human curse words, either.
---> '''Tali:''' Choke on it, [[spoiler:Cerberus]] bastards!
* PoweredArmour: The quarian suits are a peculiar version of this. In the first game, Tali has ridiculously high shields, while her alternate appearance in ''2'' comes with a targeting scanner on her mask and in ''3'', one of her outfits gives her faceplate a ''blast-shield''.
* RankUp: [[spoiler:She is an Admiral in the third game]].
* [[spoiler: ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Technically becomes this in ''Mass Effect 3'', even if her position as an Admiral is mostly ceremonial. She's still very helpful if you want to broker peace between the quarians and geth]].
* RedOniBlueOni: Some people see her as blue, with [[LoveableRogue Kasumi]] being the Red Oni. Tali, [[BewareTheNiceOnes though she has her moments]], is kind, calm, and uses her [[TheEngineer considerable skills]] to aid others. Kasumi is upbeat, [[GenkiGirl energetic]], and uses her considerable talents for [[ClassyCatBurglar thievery and espionage]].
* ReassignmentBackfire:
** [[spoiler:When the Admiralty Board accuses her of treason, they officially change her ship from the ''Neema'' to the ''Normandy'', in hopes of publicly ostracizing her from the fleet and under the impression that Shepard would do a substandard job of defending her]].
** The Paragon ending to this has Shepard go PapaWolf[=/=]MamaBear on the entire quarian Admiralty board, fuming that they would even ''consider'' to exile Tali after everything she's done, which was help save the entire damn ''galaxy''. The middle option gets the entire crowd on her side. In the Renegade outcome, Shepard calls them flat out on their "political bullshit." The Admirals meekly decide to acquit her of all charges. After which, [[UndyingLoyalty she decides to keep the name "vas Normandy"]].
---> '''Shepard:''' We could still go back and get you exiled, if you want.\\
'''Tali''': ''[laughs]'' Hah! Thanks, but I'm fine with things like this. It's fun watching you shout.
* RefugeInAudacity: Calling an admiral a bosh'tet in the middle of her trial. To be fair, news of her father's possible death was intentionally withheld from her by said admirals.
* RelationshipUpgrade: Potentially with Male Shepard in the second game.
* RescueRomance:
** It even gets [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Tali that she often gets rescued by Shepard; not that she can't handle herself, but it certainly helped kick-start her feelings for him.
** Is done in reverse as well when she saves Shepard in the third game -- that is, [[spoiler: if you side with the quarians in their conflict with the geth]]. Also happens on the Geth Dreadnought, where Tali saves Shepard from falling to his/her death when the elevator is damaged by a rocket.
** The casual way in ''2'' that a Male Paragon Shepard states the reason for showing up to rescue Tali from an army of geth. Be honest, who ''wouldn't'' fall a little in love with him at that point?
---> '''Shepard''': I was in the neighborhood... thought you might need a hand?
** Inverted again in the Citadel DLC.
--->''[Tali kills two {{mook}}s]''\\
'''Tali''': [[RunningGag Did you really fall through the fish tank?]]\\
'''Shepard''': We'll talk about it later.\\
'''Tali''': Do you remember back when ''you'' used to rescue ''me'' in the wards?\\
'''Shepard''': We'll talk about it ''later''.
* RequiredPartyMember: In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', [[spoiler:the first and last missions of the Rannoch arc]].
* SetAMookToKillAMook: She can hack synthetic enemies and get them to kill each other. This includes [[GiantMook Geth Primes,]] [[SpiderTank Geth Armatures,]] [[MiniMecha Atlas Mechs]], and [[MoreDakka all types of turrets.]] Like most powers, it was nerfed heavily in the second game (it was considered overpowered in the first due to almost half of the game's enemies being synthetic), but was buffed again in the third (mainly in extending its functionality to screw up organic enemy weapons and covering both functions under the umbrella name "Sabotage").
* SinsOfOurFathers: [[spoiler:Her character quest in [=ME2=] centers around her being held responsible for her father's geth experiments -- actually a convenient smokescreen for the admirals to discuss the issue of going to war with the geth]].
* ShockAndAwe: She could use Overload in the first game. This was replaced by Energy Drain in the second and third games, which is unique to her, except for potentially Shepard. Energy Drain buffs her own shields in addition to draining enemy shields[[note]]in the third game, it also stuns enemies hit by hit for a few seconds[[/note]], but lacks the [[ChainLightning certain]] offensive properties that Overload gains in the third game.
* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler: If you can't broker peace between the quarians and the geth, then you must choose one of the two. If you choose the quarians, then Legion will knock Shepard down, strangle him/her, and hold him/her over the edge of a cliff. Tali then stabs it. In Legion's final moments, Tali tells it that she's sorry and that it does have a soul; if it's the Geth VI she tells him that "Legion would have understood" (she is mistaken)]].
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Well, she thinks so.
* ShrinkingViolet: In her romance with Shepard in the second game. She gets more confident and flirtatious in the third.
** She's actually quite snippy. You sass her, she'll gladly return fire. Just ask Wrex.
** Also, keep in mind that she isn't generally shy and is perfectly capable of having a conversation without stuttering or getting nervous. It's just Shepard's advances that make her nervous. And not even because of how forward he is; she's just looking out for his mission and doesn't want to pursue him at the expense of getting sick and not being able to help him.
* SiblingRivalry: If romanced in the sequels, after previously romancing Ashley in the first, both see the other as a sister. Bringing them both onto the Geth Dreadnought however, shows that they have some friction over their mutual feelings for Shepard (unless you commit to Tali beforehand).
* SkilledButNaive: When Shepard first meets her, Tali has survived numerous encounters with geth and Saren's forces, but was easily lured into an ambush set by Fist and the Shadow Broker.
* TheSmartGuy: The tech and engineering expert.
* SoleSurvivor: Loses her entire unit on Haestrom, with the possible exception of Kal'Reegar.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: How she can potentially realize that, yes, that is Shepard standing in front of her in the beginning of the second game. Only s/he would know about how she got the geth data for her Pilgrimage. This depends on whether you ''did'' give her the geth data way back in the first game.
* [[SquishyWizard Squishy Technician]]: Her tech powers can be incredibly useful when trying to mezz enemies, especially when dealing with synthetics, but her physical durability is pretty poor, due in part to the general fragility of her suit and (in [=ME1=] at least) the rarity of her armor upgrades. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' this is balanced out by pouring points into her Electronics skill and her "Quarian Machinist" Class skill, which increases her shields to the point where she can survive pretty much the whole game with the same suit she started with; in the later games, she's a bit more durable in general and gets a loyalty power that drains enemies' shields or synthetics' health and replenishes (or even overcharges) her own shields.
* StatuesqueStunner: She is the tallest female squad-mate, only a few centimeters shorter than M!Shep. Especially when you consider the fact that quarians are generally slighter and shorter than humans. To quarians, Tali may be something of a giantess.
* SubordinateExcuse: The second game reveals that she goes with Shepard just as much to be around him as to save the galaxy.
* TalkingLightbulb: What with being a quarian and all.
* TemptingFate: "Commander Shepard, this is Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib. ''[-- Do not ask about the name --]''." Guess what's one of the dialog options immediately after she says that?
* TerrifiedOfGerms: Given the quarians' weak immune system, this is rather serious concern. She's not as terrified as most of her race though, since she actively attempts to find ways to overcome this handicap in order to be intimate with a Male Shepard.
** She also expresses that she'd be willing to join suits with [=FemShep=], though it appears to be more about trusting her with her life, than actual romantic interest. Probably.
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: She wears purple, and her hood emulates the basic shape of feminine long hair (as do all female quarians' hoods).
* ToAbsentFriends: Regarding ''Miranda'' of all people, [[spoiler:if the latter doesn't survive Sanctuary in the third game (she has the same scene if Miranda survives, but it doesn't fit the trope)]].
-->'''Tali:''' Nice job, you genetically perfect Cerberus cheerleader ''bosh'tet. Keelah se'lai.''
* TokenGoodTeammate: In ''2'', is among the few party members who is not an AntiHero.
* TookALevelInBadass: At the beginning of the first game, (despite being 22), she essentially is a teenager in over her head, on the run from a few thugs. Come the third game -- three years, more or less, in-universe -- and she is [[spoiler:''an Admiral of the Fleet'']].
** Also occurred between the beginning and end of ''Mass Effect 1''. At the start, she was merely able to hold her own against a trio of regular assassins, and required Shepard's help to escape the situation alive. By the end of it she, like every other party member, is an army-crushing terror in gameplay, and in-story (at least according to her final conversation with Garrus in VideoGame/MassEffect3), she was able to rack up more kills against heavily armed and advanced geth infantry on Ilos than Garrus Vakarian himself.
* TranquilFury: Cerberus tends to be a calming influence on Tali. It makes more sense if you read the tie-in novel ''Literature/MassEffectAscension'', which details the events which made the quarians hate Cerberus.
-->(to Jacob)I don't know who you are, but Cerberus threatened the security of the Migrant Fleet. Don't make nice. [...] I assumed you were undercover, Shepard. Maybe even planning to blow Cerberus up. If that's the case, I'll lend you a grenade.\\
(After listening to the Illusive Man talking about how to manipulate Shepard into trusting him) He needs to die.
* {{Tsundere}}:
** After Shepard affirms he still wants to be in a relationship with her in the third game, she becomes much more relaxed around him, to the point that she starts displaying some of these traits.
--->'''Tali''': I thought I'd lost you.\\
'''Shepard''': You were worried?\\
'''Tali''': You bet I was! You dying because the geth overrode my hack? Think of my reputation!\\
'''Shepard''': You were worried.
** In ''Leviathan'', if romanced, she actually ''scolds'' Shepard for [[spoiler: diving into the depths of the ocean to [[DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu speak with Leviathan]]]], since she was left worrying like crazy until he got back.
** In the Extended Cut, [[spoiler:Tali is one of the love interests that implores Shepard to come back alive. The other one is Garrus]].
* UnderestimatingBadassery: The Shadow Broker in ''2'' has a unique comment for each potential party member about how valuable eliminating them and Shepard would be. But Tali? He's ''surprised'' Liara brought her along, what with her [[EverybodysDeadDave botched research mission]] on Haestrom. Though he could just be trying to press her BerserkButton.
* UndyingLoyalty: Best summed up in three simple words:
--> '''Tali''': Thank you... '''Captain'''.
* UnwittingPawn: To the Illusive Man, like so many others. The Illusive Man originally wanted to keep Tali away from Shepard like he did the rest of the original squad. That only changed when her cooperation with Shepard on Freedom's Progress convinced the Illusive Man that Tali was a factor he could control. He then used her to bolster Shepard's loyalty to Cerberus and to gain intel on the Migrant Fleet. Ironically, this may have saved Tali's life.
* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Gets a hint of this in the third game provided Shepard romanced her, especially if she [[spoiler: kills Legion.]] Also, she has four very simple words to say once [[spoiler: the files at the Cerberus Base reveal how The Illusive Man manipulated Shepard into seeing Cerberus as sympathetic]].
-->'''Tali''': He needs to die.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Garrus: Will snark at each other at any given opportunity, but they are shown to care for each other. [[spoiler: If Shepard doesn't romance her, by 3 it is shown to be BelligerentSexualTension.]]
* VocalEvolution: At the very beginning of the first game, Liz Sroka hadn't quite settled the nuances yet; Tali's voice was higher and has less of an accent. Her performance from the second game on is uniform. She also sounds a lot more expressive with her emotions; notably so in her TearJerker scenes.
* WasItReallyWorthIt: [[spoiler: If the quarians reclaim Rannoch violently rather than by making peace with the geth in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', she wonders if it was really worth exterminating a potential ally and personally killing a friend]].
* [[WellDoneSonGuy "Well Done, Daughter" Gal]]: Tali is sure her father loves her, but regardless is said to be rather distant, and probably has similar expectations for her as much as everyone else. And if you don't hug her during her loyalty mission, she remarks on how her father never used his "sick days" to show her his face... She's also not very happy that [[spoiler:his dying message essentially was just giving her orders]], remarking that she's not sure whether he didn't care at all, or this is the only way he could show it.
** Comes across in the third game when she gets hammered on turian brandy and admits in a conversation with Shepard that one of the reasons she admires Miranda is because she ''never'' changed herself to please ''her'' father. Even if half the time she was a "Cerberus Cheerleader Bosh'tet".
** If romanced she also comments that she's getting drunk with her boyfriend. Her ''human'' boyfriend.
---> '''Tali''': My father would have ''hated'' you.
* WhatTheHellHero: She ''will'' call Shepard out if he/she betrays her trust.
** She also reacts that way when she finds out Shepard is working for Cerberus, has a functional AI on board, or recruits [[spoiler: Legion]]. She was under the impression that Shepard had been working undercover and was planning to blow them up... [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend she was even going to offer a grenade.]]
** In the first game Shepard can call her out on her attempts to justify the quarians' attempted genocide of the geth when the geth became sentient (an action that led to the civil war that resulted in the quarians fleeing their homeworld).
** She's ''furious'' when Garrus innocently suggests using the standard turian tactic of [[ColonyDrop orbital bombardment]] to eliminate the geth troops on Rannoch, pointing out that the quarians have waited centuries to return home and he wants to leave bits of it uninhabitable by throwing ''rocks'' at it!
* [[WhatWouldXDo What Would Shepard Do?]]:
** Not as much as Garrus, but she tries, to the point of trying to emulate Shepard's [[NiceJobBreakingItHero nice job with the mining laser]] back on Therum with demolition charges. We'll just assume she forgot about how that kind of blew up in Shepard's face when s/he tried it... but hey, it still got Shepard what s/he wanted.
** Another example: When trying to help a fellow quarian on Illium who sold herself into indentured servitude to pay off stock market debts, Tali will follow Shepard's lead if you try to charm/intimidate a Synthetic Insights rep into buying her contract, offering increased business with the Migrant Fleet if you use Charm, or threatening to park said Migrant Fleet on top of the Synthetic Insights headquarters if you use Intimidate.
*** In 3, she'll state flat-out that [[spoiler: the only reason she took the Admiral position]] was because she thought Shepard would do the same thing in her position.
* WhenYouComingHomeDad: Makes it very clear that she was never close to her father in childhood. Though that is sort of expected if your father is part of the leadership council for your entire race.
-->'''Tali:''' I don't care what he would have wanted, Shepard! I wanted a father who cared about me more than his war effort. I wanted a father who would take the sick-leave time and let me see his face without a helmet in the way. Instead, I got orders. And this. And a panel of admirals who think I'm a traitor. Those were my father's gifts to me.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes:
** If she is [[http://youtu.be/ZIQ-iGF1t-4 brought along]] for the rachni sidequest in ''3'', she makes it clear she does not like crawlies. By freaking out when attacked by swarmers and screaming "Spiders ''spiders spiders '''spiiiiiiiiiders!!'''''" A later conversation with Garrus reveals she's felt this way since day one. If you have the Mass Effect: Datapad iOS app, she even sends you an email on the subject.
--->'''Tali:''' Spiders, Shepard. Seriously. Spiders.
** Which makes sense if you brought her with you to Noveria in the first game. She's particularly vulnerable to rachni acid attacks back then (since their acid attacks bypass her otherwise [[StoneWall absurdly strong shields]]), [[spoiler: and that was ''before'' the Reapers [[FateWorseThanDeath made husks out of them]]]].
* WorstWhateverEver: How she sums up the Citadel DLC BusmansHoliday. "Worst. Shore leave. Ever."
* WorthIt:
** Tali's response when she gets sick after her relationship with Shepard becomes intimate.
** Which gets a CallBack in 3.
--->'''Tali:''' And [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaPdGMxFSv0#t=19m43s for the record]]? Still ''totally'' WorthIt.
* WrenchWench: Quarians are the whole race of incredibly skilled engineers. And ''even among the quarians'', she is counted one of the best engineers and geth specialists. Note that it's not an InformedAbility. She is as skilled with technology as Legion and Kasumi. In other words, her level of tech-savvy rivals [[spoiler:over a thousand linked geth programs]] and the best human thief in the galaxy.
* YamatoNadeshiko: Believe it or not, Tali could be viewed as having shades of this. She's self-sacrificing, is very nice, is the most moral teammate of a Mass Effect 2 "squad" that mostly contains criminals and killers, the hood on her helmet resembles long hair, and for all her Action Girl tendencies she tends to ultimately defer to Shepard's judgment. [[spoiler: And she prioritizes her people above everything else, ''even her (optional) relationship with Shepard'': if you allow the quarians to get wiped out, relationship or not, Tali will commit suicide]].
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: In the second game, [[spoiler: Tali can be exiled from the Flotilla for treason. This doesn't stop the Admirals from calling on her during their assault on the geth in 3, but she admits she's their "dirty secret". It also keeps you from making peace between the two sides, as she must be an Admiral for that]].
* TheUnreveal: Go ahead, romance her in ''2''. See how sadistic Bioware can be.
** Close-ups do give you some view of her eyes and nose behind the mask. She looks rather human.
** If you romance her in Mass Effect 3 you get [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/File:Taliface.png a photo of her unmasked]]. [[spoiler: She actually looks very close to human, with some dark lines along her neck and three-fingered hands. She even has human-like hair. But also glowing eyes. The dark lines are also not exclusive to the neck, she has some on her forehead too, linking to her eyebrows]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Urdnot Wrex]]
!Urdnot Wrex
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phpsdLKkHAM_4868.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[MemeticMutation Shepard]].[[note]]Wrex.[[/note]]]]
-->''"Anyone who fights us is either stupid or on Saren's payroll. Killing the latter is business. Killing the former is a favor to the universe."''

-->'''Voiced by:''' Steven Barr

A krogan battlemaster who combines close-combat skills and enormous physical strength and durability with biotic powers. Joins Shepard's team out of both an interest in fighting a good battle and because the money is nice. He becomes a progressive-minded overlord of the krogan people in ''Mass Effect 2'' if he survived the events of the first game, eventually uniting them under his banner.
----
* AfraidOfNeedles: Mordin claims this about Wrex when he's eager to leave his lab and donate tissue samples later. It may or may not be true, but either way it's hilarious. But when he finally gets around to it...
--> '''Wrex''': [[GroinAttack Let's just say no scalpel should cut where he cut.]]
* AffectionateNickname: Affectionately refers to Mordin as "Pyjak".
* TheAllSolvingHammer: One of the first things Wrex usually suggests when confronted by a problem is to eat the individual responsible.
** Whenever a Krogan, be it another clan leader or his own brother, starts giving him shit he simply head butts them. While this is Krogan culture Wrex is not adverse to head butting people of other species to shut them up
** Ironically, a Thresher Maw ''Hammer'' is exactly the solution to defeat a Reaper on Tuchanka in ''3'', by [[SummonBiggerFish summoning Kalros]].
* [[AncestralWeapon Ancestral Armor]]: In the first game, he asks Shepard to retrieve his family's armor from a turian smuggler. In a subversion the constant arms race had rendered it useless, and is only valuable for personal reasons.
--> '''Wrex''': My ancestors actually ''wore'' this piece of junk?
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority:
** He is a krogan, and thus tends to equate ass-kicking with respect (as shown when he head butts another Krogan who is getting too mouthy for Wrex's liking). He may even [[DiscussedTrope discuss this]] with various other crewmembers, by asking them if they could beat Shepard in a fight. Kaidan dismisses the question with how he'd realistically never have to fight his superior officer; Wrex decides that that's why Shepard is his superior officer, and why s/he would win. Tali (or Liara) asks if krogan size up ''everyone'' for a fight, to which he replies yes, in a tone of voice which suggests that he's genuinely surprised that the other races don't.
** [[spoiler: In Mass Effect 2, assuming he survived the first game, he is in the process of reforming and uniting krogan society through sheer force of personality (and ass kicking, when necessary).]]
--->'''Wrex:''': [[spoiler:Speak when spoken to, [[{{Jerkass}} Uvenk]]. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome I'll drag your clan to glory whether you like it or not]].]]
** The "who would win" bit sets up a BrickJoke in "Citadel" - [[spoiler: en route to fighting the Clone, Wrex gloats to Ash[=/=]Kaidan that they're about to get their answer after all]]. It's also turned around when Zaeed and Javik ask who'd win: him or Grunt? Both immediately respond with a headbutting contest before GenreSavvy Shepard shuts it down because s/he knows what comes next, and it would be hell to clean up the resulting destruction.
* [[spoiler:BabiesEverAfter]]: In the third game, [[spoiler:with Eve, and you can even see the baby in some of the endings! Also to his horror, as his pivotal role in curing the genophage has made him very desirable as breeding stock to ''all'' krogan females. And Eve/Bakara encourages them. His poor quad are literally sore from overuse]].
* {{Badass}}: Almost up to memetic levels. The strongest and toughest of your combat oriented party members in game with tons of experience under his belt. Also, one of the few living beings in over a ''thousand'' years to kill a [[SandWorm Thresher Maw]] on foot. Wrex himself, implies that the only person he believes could actually beat him in a straight fight is Shepard.
* BadassBaritone: His voice has deepness that is only matched by a few other krogan, the [[EvilSoundsDeep Reapers]] [[spoiler: and the Leviathan]].
* BadassBoast: Gives one in the third game. Note that the quote is fully capitalized ''in the game's subtitles'':
--> '''Wrex''': I AM URDNOT WREX AND '''THIS IS MY PLANET!!!'''
* BadassGrandpa: Not overt, but Wrex hints that he was either born during or shortly after the Krogan Rebellions, making him ''very'' old, even for a krogan. Especially once you consider that, even though Mass Effect takes place in the future, Wrex would have been born when Earth still had ''Vikings''.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Eve says that Wrex has always been enthusiastic around fertile females. [[spoiler: With the genophage cured]], the Citadel DLC informs us that as the leader of the most powerful clan and symbol to the galaxy of the awesomeness of their people, they've been lining up around the corner for his seed. And what's funnier, Eve/[[spoiler:Bakara encourages it, probably to break Wrex of the habit through forced overindulgence]].
* BerserkButton: Any mention of destroying the krogan's chances of curing the genophage will provoke a violent reaction. [[spoiler:It can get Wrex killed in the first game unless you can talk him down, and you are forced to kill him in the third game if you sabotage the cure]].
* BigGood: Becomes this to the krogan on Tuchanka if he lives past Virmire. "Eve" in the third game privately admits to Shepard that Wrex the greatest thing to happen to Tuchanka in over a ''thousand'' years.
* TheBigGuy: Type 1 (gruff and withdrawn). Also has shades of Types 3 and 5.
* BizarreAlienBiology: Krogan have secondary ''everything'', from cardiovascular to nervous systems.
** And four testicles, referred to in the fandom and then in the second game as a "quad". Wrex will say that Shepard has a quad. He'll even say this about ''female'' Shepard.
* [[BloodBrothers Blood Brother/Blood Sister]]: He declares Shepard to be his if [[spoiler: Shepard saves Eve and cures the genophage.]] To him, the krogan have no greater friend, no greater hero, than the commander.
* BloodKnight: Though he's downright moderate compared to the rest of his species.
-->'''Wrex:''' They'll sing battle songs about this someday! Reaper blood has finally soaked our soil!
* BountyHunter: One of many jobs he's taken over the centuries. He first encounters Saren while on the job, unsettling him to the point of quitting -- which ends up saving his life.
* BruiserWithASoftCenter: Not so much in the first game, but played straight from the second game onward.
* CainAndAbel: Abel to Wreav's Cain. [[spoiler:He's thus not at all sad to see Wreav get killed by Kalros in 3]].
* CatchPhrase: He tries out a few during "Citadel". They generally involve calling himself "Uncle Urdnot". Tali tells him to keep trying.
* CaptainObvious: "I raised the hammers; you have to activate both of them. My advice is: avoid the [[WaveMotionGun giant laser!]]"
* TheCasanova: According to the krogan females. In the ''Citadel'' DLC, [[spoiler:if the genophage is cured, he'll complain about how he's been [[ReallyGetsAround so busy mating]] that he needs an icepack for his crotch. If Eve/Bakara is still alive, he says that she is encouraging it (probably to try and break him of the behavior through forced overindulgence)]].
* CoolOldGuy: In the second game, this is given as the reason the krogan are uniting under his leadership.
* CoolUncle: The ''Citadel DLC'' particularly highlights that the rest of the squad have come to see Wrex as this [[HonouraryUncle type of figure]].
-->'''Tali:''' You're like the crazy, head butting uncle I never had.
* CrazyAwesome: In-Universe, the Urdnot Mechanic acknowledges that Wrex is a "crazy old man", but at the same time, what he's saying makes sense and is actually ''working''. Because of this, in the third game, Eve calls him the first bright light the krogan have had in a millennium.
** His crazy awesomeness has combat applicability as well: in the Citadel DLC, he [[spoiler:saves Shepard and a squadmate from a false flag ambush by [=CAT6=] mercs in a C-Sec shuttle by diving out a window and body slamming the cockpit canopy, which causes it to crash. This is a shuttle model which is canonically described to be designed first and foremost for rugged durability and has been stated to be able to withstand 1000 earth atmospheres of pressure. And Wrex, true to his name, wrecks it]].
* CutsceneIncompetence: [[spoiler: Ashley downs him with one shot from a rifle in [=ME1=] before [[DoubleTap finishing him off with a few more shots]], (Shepard can pistol-whip him and shoot him repeatedly on the ground) and Shepard can kill him with a pistol in [=ME3=]. He also mysteriously forgets that he has barriers and biotic powers]].
* DareToBeBadass: To motivate the krogan to fight a common enemy rather than fighting themselves and the rest of the galaxy.
-->'''Wrex:''' Now hold your heads high like true krogan. There's a Reaper that needs killing!
* DeadpanSnarker: Provides half of the snark in the first game.
* DeathGlare: Displays a great one in ''3'' when the salarian dalatrass insults the krogan. The look on his face makes it clear that he wants nothing more than to pull out a shotgun and leave a large hole in the ''Normandy'''s bulkhead where she was standing.
** For bonus points, the scene is focused on him, so you get to see just how pissed off Wrex is, taking up the ''entire screen''.
* DespairEventHorizon:[[spoiler: Betray him by sabotaging the genophage cure and he'll completely lose it. He'll withdraw krogan support, leave the galaxy to burn, and try to gun you down with a shotgun to boot. As far as he's concerned, if his species is going to go extinct, humanity can join them]].
** Implied to have gone through a minor one before you meet him. After his father betrayed him he lost hope of reforming his race into anything resembling a proper civilisation, and began roaming the stars and killing people for credits. If he survives the first game he gets renewed hope and has a more successful job at kicking the krogan together.
* DirtyOldMan: In [=ME3=], according to Eve, he's a bit... enthusiastic about fertile krogan females. By the ''Citadel'' DLC, he's over this. Largely because he's been with so many that his genitals physically hurt. Which says something when you're a member of a species of armored reptilian walking tanks with regeneration capabilities, and you're considered one of the most badass specimens of that species.
** ChivalrousPervert: On the other hand, he respects women a lot more than the average krogan.
* DrivenToSuicide: A possibility, if you make a certain series of decisions. In [=ME3=], if you [[spoiler:sabotage the genophage cure, Wrex will come after you, conveniently forgetting his biotics and shields... [[SuicideByCop Suicide by Shepard.]]]]
* DynamicEntry: [[spoiler:In the ''Citadel'' DLC, when Shepard and a crewmate are pinned down by a shuttle full of mercs, Wrex [[SuperWindowJump crashes through a window]] a few stories above and body slams the shuttle]].
* EnemyMine: With the turians in the third game. Despite the fact that neither Wrex nor Primarch Victus are quick to trust the other, Victus is completely in favour of curing the genophage and Wrex makes good on his promise to send krogan troops to aid in the defense of Palaven.
** Victus and Wrex also seem to find common ground opposing the [[SmugSnake salarian dalatrass]]. She seems to clearly irritate them ''both''.
* EpicFail: [[spoiler: If you opt to sabotage the genophage cure in ''3'', he comes after you with a shotgun. In all outcomes, he'll miss Shepard with a shotgun ''at point-blank range'' and will be gunned down either by Shepard or C-Sec, despite the former being unarmored and unarmed when Wrex attacks]].
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: He is encountered inside the C-Sec offices, where a C-Sec officer is reprimanding him for his attempt to kill Fist. Wrex responds with a series of [[BadassBoast Badass Boasts]], then proudly declares that he's still going to kill Fist to the officer's face before leaving and telling Shepard to mind his own business. If you talk to him immediately after you conclude your business in C-Sec, he asks to go with you to take down Fist and [[AssholeVictim kills Fist after the crime lord tries to surrender.]] If you don't, and instead wait until after you have dealt with Fist to speak with him, he is impressed by the wreck you made of Chora's Den, and gives you the bounty he was supposed to collect as a show of respect.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Subsequent games make it clear that he's not ''evil'', but in the first he's decidedly darker than other party members. Take him on Virmire when you discover the captured salarians driven to mindlessness by indoctrination, and he's visibly unhappy about it, saying that you don't ''do'' that to prisoners -- kill them, sure, but not ''[[MindRape that]]''. That said, he also objects to Paragon Shep releasing them. He's also reluctant if Shepard decides to free the Rachni Queen, though this is justified by [[ItMakesSenseInContext backstory reasons]].
** He does, however, approve of Renegade Shepard releasing the salarians for the sole purpose of gunning them all down. To him, it's as cut-and-dried a MercyKill as he's ever seen. As far as he's concerned, even though they'd all die in the blast anyway, it'd take a cold person to let them live on like that for any longer than necessary.
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: See MeaningfulName.
* {{Expy}}: He shares many traits with Canderous Ordo, of KnightsOfTheOldRepublic fame. Most notably, both are the team [[TheBigGuy Big Guy]], come from a culture of {{Blood Knight}}s, and are disillusioned with their cultures' slowly self-destructive behavior.[[spoiler: They also both regain their idealism and become the leader of their people in the second game]].
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Seriously considers one during Virmire. If you're unable to talk him out of it, Ashley kills him to protect you]].
** [[spoiler:If Shepard sabotaged the genophage cure in Mass Effect 3, he will return later on, having found out, and tries to kill Shepard no matter what. He also calls off all his support for the war.]].
* FamilyHonor: While he was never on good terms with his father and was eventually forced to kill him in self-defense, Wrex appears to have been close with his grandfather, swearing an oath before he left Tuchanka that he ''would'' regain their family's battle-armour, stolen by a turian after the war. He can finally achieve this several hundred years later with help from Shepard.
* FantasticRacism: Openly admits to be racist against salarians, and his distrust of them causes him to act up and nearly screw up the deal.
* FoeTossingCharge: As a guest party member in ''Citadel'', his most common tactic is to charge into the enemy mob and club them with his shotgun. Horrified players will soon realize that Wrex easily has twice as much HP as other party members, [[LeeroyJenkins and thus can survive running out in the open and being shot at by multiple assailants]].
* FriendlyEnemy: He mentions having one in an asari named Aleena [[spoiler: who is strongly hinted to be a past identity for Aria T'Loak in Mass Effect 2]].
* TheGadfly: Especially in the first game's infamous elevator sequences, where [[{{Troll}} he frequently says outrageous things to your squadmembers just to see how they react.]]
* GenreSavvy:
** When talking to Grunt in the second game.
---> '''Grunt''': Okeer is dead.\\
'''Wrex''': Of course. You're with ''Shepard''. How could he be alive?
** Being Genre Savvy saves his life in a BackStory in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1''. He and a few other mercenaries were hired for a job by Saren, but Wrex suspected Saren might [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness go back on his word once the job was done]], so he left without waiting for his payment. [[ProperlyParanoid Turns out he was right]], as every other mercenary from that job ended up dead.
** Has elements of being DangerouslyGenreSavvy, by Krogan standards his reforms are insane but Wrex understands that the Krogan have to be dragged kicking and screaming to salvation, his understanding that Saren is a BadBoss, use of [[SummonBiggerFish Kalros to get the genophage cure dispersed]] and that he knows the the dalatrass will try and stop the cure all show that Wrex has survived for so long for a VERY good reason.
* GoodIsNotSoft: [[spoiler: As krogan overlord, he institutes many reforms to save his race from the brink... and if he has to go against tradition or bust heads for it to work, so be it]].
* GoodScarsEvilScars: All over his shell. It conveniently helps players distinguish him from other krogan.
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: Another par for the krogan course. Initially believed Shepard survived being spaced due to having a redundant nervous system.
--> '''Shepard:''' Yeah, humans don't have that.\\
'''Wrex:''' Oh.... It must've been painful then.
* GuestStarPartyMember: In the ''Citadel'' DLC of ''3''.
* {{Handgun}}: In the first game, he had access to all weapons but could train with assault rifles and shotguns. In ''Citadel'', his weapons are shotgun and heavy pistol.
* HiddenDepths: An exile from a barbaric race. Utterly ruthless. A one man army. The most vicious bounty hunter in the galaxy. Also the only squadmate to be affected by Ashley or Kaidan's death in the first game (other than the one you chose to save at the cost of the other's life, obviously) and quite possibly the most sensitive and caring character towards Shepard other than Liara and Kaidan. And he tried to end his people's infighting, pretty much making him the krogan equivalent of a hippie. Who says bloodthirsty, thousand-year-old reptilian warlords don't have hearts? Two of them, in point of fact.
* HonoraryTrueCompanion: To the ''Normandy'' crew from the second game onwards.
* HopeBringer: Along with "Eve", he becomes this to the entire krogan species over the course of ''2'' and ''3''.
* ImStandingRightHere: On Noveria, if Garrus objects to killing the rachni queen.
-->'''Garrus''': We can't exterminate them. Not without the Council's approval. Genocide is one of the reasons we fought the krogan-- ah...\\
'''Wrex''': You want to learn about genocide, Vakarian? I'll take you to a krogan obstetrician's office.
* {{Irony}}: Wrex is annoyed with how most krogan live up to negative stereotypes and believes that some customs need to be ignored to truly save the species. As a result many krogan despise Wrex for not respecting tradition. Then come ''Mass Effect 3'' and Eve describes what the glorious krogan of ancient times were like and they sound a lot more similar to Wrex than 99% of the other krogan we meet in the series. So it can be argued that the guy closest to being a traditional krogan... is Wrex.
* IWorkAlone: Fortunately, he's a reasonable example of this trope; he prefers to work by himself, but he's perfectly willing to operate with small groups. Shepard also works in small groups, so he's got no problems with that. It's just being part of armies he has issues with.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** [[spoiler:Gives Shepard a very warm greeting as the krogan overlord. From a grizzled old cynic like him, that really means something. He even invites Grunt to be part of the clan. As warlord, he does everything in his power to aid his people, [[GoodIsNotNice whether they like it or not]].]]
--->'''Wrex:''' Shepard! My friend!
** Despite disliking salarians in general, he honestly comes to respect Mordin in [=ME3=], affectionately nicknaming him "Pyjak." [[spoiler: After Mordin sacrifices himself to cure the genophage, Wrex says that he'll honour him by naming one of the newborn children after him. Maybe one of the girls]].
* JustEatHim: He's fond of using this to end arguments. It's generally effective at making people go away.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Possible in the first game, which has repercussions throughout the series. Also possible in the third game, if you sabotage the genophage cure: he'll find out and you'll have to blow him away on the Citadel]].
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He'll kill the local crime lord Fist after you get Fist at your mercy. Tali and potentially Shepard certainly don't disagree.
* [[KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect Krogan Scientists Get No Respect]]: Averted. The Urdnot scientists are actually complaining because Wrex has turned them to ''agricultural'' sciences and focused their efforts on increasing crop yield, irrigation and better farming methods. Only on Tuchanka could the ''scientists'' be upset that the ''Warlord'' doesn't want them to blow things up!
* KnightInSourArmor: Yes, he does help save the galaxy and eventually becomes chieftain of Clan Urdnot but he's also as cynical as they come. If Shepard continuously supports him, he shows a much more idealistic side as things go on.
* LeeroyJenkins: In ''Citadel'', while most other party member AI have the sense to keep in cover during a firefight, Wrex's primary attack strategy is to charge opponents and melee them. [[MadeOfIron He can survive this and win...]] unless you're playing on Insanity, in which case he predictably gets quickly gunned down.
** Ironically he can even be this on Insanity with the right build which rapidly turns any adventure on the ''Citadel'' into a bit of StrategySchmategy - You can do whatever you and your teammate want, Wrex is gonna be knocking heads around.
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: His interaction with "Eve" in the third game.
* MadeOfIron: While krogan are notorious for this anyway (being the only species capable of going to the rachni home worlds) Wrex takes this up a notch by being nigh unkillable on most difficulties. Up until [[NintendoHard insanity mode]] Wrex can simply charge into a squad of enemies and murder them all with little effort.
* MagicKnight: In addition to his substantial toughness and general combat skills, he's also a biotic.
* TheMcCoy: To Dalatrass Linron's TheSpock and Primarch Adrien Victus and Paragon Shepard's TheKirk, in ''3''.
* MeaningfulName: He's called Wrex because he wrecks stuff. Get it? [[DontExplainTheJoke It's funny because it's a pun!]]
** Also, rex = Latin for king. Fits with him [[spoiler:becoming the krogan overlord in the second game]].
** According to the devs, they called him Wrex after a Tyrannosaurus Rex, which still comes from "king." This also leads to an amusing ContinuityNod in the second game, where data on Grunt's extranet searches reveal that he [[WikiWalk went from searching about Wrex to reading about dinosaurs]].
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: His usual suggestion for dealing with a problematic individual is to [[JustEatHim eat them]].
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Invoked in ''3'' if you bring Liara and Garrus along to Sur'kesh, he's deeply happy she's there... oh, and Garrus too.
* [[MyNameIsInigoMontoya MY NAME IS URDNOT WREX]], '''AND THIS IS MY PLANET!!!'''
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Wrex is somewhere in between playing this straight and averting it. He mostly embraces the overall krogan culture and attitudes, but he's far more willing than most of his race to acknowledge a lot of their actions are idiotically self-destructive (to the point of making some attempt to fix that in the second game).
* NoGuyWantsToBeChased: In the ''Citadel'' DownloadableContent for ''3'', the reason he's on the Citadel at all is because, following [[spoiler:the dealing with the genophage in Priority: Tuchanka]], every single female krogan wants a go with him so that their firstborn can be of his genes. He'd likely have less of a problem if they actually gave him a break.
-->'''Shepard:''' Considering [[WarIsHell everything we've been through]], I can think of worse positions to be in.\\
'''Wrex:''' Trust me, [[DoubleEntendre I've been in every position in the past few days]].
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Wrex in no way comes off as dumb, but he is much more sophisticated than he lets on.
** Also works in a subversion to his BloodKnight tendencies. One of the elevator convos has Garrus eagerly wanting to see how the ''Normandy'' handles in a fight, to which Wrex[[note]]and also Liara[[/note]] retorts about the folly of getting into slugging matches in a ship meant for stealth. The opening of the second game proves that Wrex was entirely correct about that.
** Rather than trying to appear dumb he simply lets his [[TheGadfly gadfly]] tendencies and krogan stereotypes let people think he's dumb, when in fact he had a mind like a razor and is simply fed up of trying to make a difference.
* OddFriendship:
** With Shepard. Dialogue in ''3'' indicates that he's deeply fond of Liara...[[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Garrus]], in his own way.
---> '''Wrex''': I have to make friends with the one turian in the galaxy who ''thinks he's funny''.
** Despite Wrex's open dislike of salarians, particularly their ''doctors'', he honestly grows to respect Mordin after he stands his ground against him. As mentioned in the first game, this is Wrex's way of sizing people up.
---> '''Wrex''': Ha! You've got a quad, doctor! Keep her safe!
** He has a soft spot for Tali too, as shown in The Citadel DLC.
---> '''Tali''': I can look after myself, you know...\\
'''Wrex''': I know, but I'm old and I worry.\\
'''Tali''': You're like the crazy head butting uncle I never had...
* OptionalPartyMember: He doesn't have to be recruited to finish the first game.
* OutOfFocus: Of this six original squadmates, Wrex is the only one who never returns to the squad. He still has plot relevancy, but he's relegated to SupportingLeader. Thankfully, he's a GuestStarPartyMember in the third game's ''Citadel'' DLC.
** Whether relatedly or not, he's also the only one of the first six squadmates who isn't a potential LoveInterest.
* TheParagon: For his people, should he survive to the second game. Solidly cements this position should the [[spoiler:real cure for the genophage]] be administered under his reign. Fittingly, he had tried once before but lost faith in his people, and was inspired to try again by another paragon: Commander Shepard.
* ParentalSubstitute: While not overt, it appears that he's taken this role toward Grunt, being enthusiastic about letting him take the RiteOfPassage to become a member of Clan Urdnot in ''2'' as well as placing him in charge of [[BadassArmy Aralakh Company]] in ''3'', in recognition of Grunt's skill. One of his comments in the second game insinuates that he may be grooming Grunt to be his successor as Overlord of the krogan.
* PapaWolf: Becomes this for his entire species.
* ProperlyParanoid: He was hired by Saren once, but eventually decided to leave without waiting for pay since it didn't take him long to get suspicious of the guy. Turns out all the other mercs he was working with were found dead a week later.
** He also knows that the dalatrass won't let the genophage be cured without trying something.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch Deconstructed]]; he knows full well that the krogan people are too attached to their short-sighted warrior traditions to save themselves from extinction. In the sequels, he reconstructs the trope by seizing power of Clan Urdnot and working to return the krogan to a proud warrior race instead of a race of thugs for hire.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: We don't know how old exactly Wrex is, but given that he defeated a Thresher Maw ''over'' a thousand years ago and hints that he may have been around during the Krogan Rebellions (which happened in ''700 AD'')... yeah, Wrex is ''very old'', even for a krogan.
** For those not willing to do the math this would make Wrex nearly 1500 years old at the start of Mass Effect. Even Samara would be half a millennium his junior.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: About as reasonable of an authority figure as you can be for an entire species of {{Blood Knight}}s.
** While it's unspoken, it's worth noting that Wrex is perfectly content to allow Shepard, an ''alien'', to serve as a member of Grunt's krantt during their RiteOfPassage, likely because he knows that they [[LoopholeAbuse don't actually have a rule]] that says that the members of your krantt have to be ''krogan''.
*** Who is in the prospective krantt says a lot. Depending on who you take with you, it's either just Shepard, who has iron-clad and gold-plated badass credentials in Wrex's eyes, or Shepard and someone that Wrex fought alongside in the last game, who has also proven themselves as a badass.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: And red skin, red armor, and red guns...
* RedOniBlueOni: Plays the red to Eve's blue[[spoiler: as leaders of the krogan]]. Also the Blue to Wreav's Red.
* RefugeInAudacity: If he helps infiltrate the casino in ''[[{{DLC}} Citadel]]''. First he'll claim to [[BlatantLies be a food inspector]] (though as pretty much the king of all krogan, he could be one, if only because [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem he can declare himself one]]), then he'll just start distracting the guards ''by berating them for doing a bad job at guarding''.
* RevengeBeforeReason: [[spoiler: In [=ME3=], if you betray his friendship and sabotage the genophage cure, he will come after you on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge]].
* RoyalBlood: To a degree; his father was an overlord of the Urdnot clan. [[spoiler:If he survived Virmire, Wrex will be the ruler the Urdnot Clan and de facto ruler of of the krogan homeworld Tuchanka in ''2'' and ''3'' (as his dealings have positioned Clan Urdnot to be the most powerful clan)]].
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Wrex used to have a tribe of his own, though he fled Tuchanka after a fight with his father. [[spoiler:Later, he will become the ruler of most of the krogan clans]].
* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: His stance when traditional-minded krogan impede his vision. A necessary evil, for the traditional mindset is what led to the decline of the krogan people in the first place.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: In his backstory, he met Saren while working on a job. Something about Saren rubbed him the wrong way, so he left without waiting long enough to be paid. His instincts were right: he was the only merc from that job to survive.
* SelfMadeOrphan: In self-defense.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Believe it or not he embodies both sides of this trope. The latter is obvious but he shows a surprisingly caring side of himself after Virmire. He's the only character to talk about Ashley/Kaidan's death other than Joker and the Virmire Survivor, and the only character to comfort Shepard over it, telling you he respects your decision. The relationship between him and Paragon Shepard also fits this trope.
* SlaveToPR: He executes a gang leader against your orders because he was hired by the Broker to personally kill him. He even gives you the bounty if you don't bring him along and beat him to the punch -- he won't take credit or payment for something he didn't do.
* SociopathicHero: Mostly in the first game, less so in the sequels.
* SpecialSnowflakeSyndrome: The Codex notes that krogan biotics are exceptionally rare, even as biotics go. So, naturally, the krogan who joins the adventuring party just happens to be a biotic. This was for lack of anyone else to fill the Vanguard slot in the original team.
* TheStoic: It's a significant moment whenever he really does emote.
-->"Shepard."\\
"Wrex."
** When Wrex joyfully bounds out of his "throne" to greet Shepard with unabashed happiness in ''2'', it's fairly startling. Especially in contrast to the cold shoulder s/he gets from the Virmire survivor on Horizon.
** He also appears openly enthusiastic about having Grunt join Clan Urdnot, with almost fatherly pride when he completes the rite. [[spoiler: Especially if Grunt kills the Thresher Maw, something no one has done since Wrex himself 1000 years prior]].
* StopBeingStereotypical: Dislikes the self-destructive violence of the other krogan and is working to change it.
* SupportingLeader: If he survives to ''Mass Effect 3'', he's this for the krogan, who can provide the second highest amount of War Assets (only behind humanity). [[spoiler:This all depends on how you handle curing the genophage, however]].
** Even in the mission on Sur'Kesh, he keeps the enemy distracted to make Shepard's mission easier.
* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: Wrex drops a hard one when [[spoiler: Allestia Iallis reveals herself to be a sleeper agent for Benezia]].
-->'''Wrex:''' We'll see about that, bitch.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Subverted. Wrex admits he pretends to be this, simply because it's ''expected'' of krogan.
** While Wrex isn't ''evil'', he is the most ruthless of Shepard's original six squadmates. When the player is faced with a major Paragon/Renegade choice, one squadmate will always endorse the paragon choice, and one will always endorse the renegade choice. Wrex is the only party member to always endorse the renegade choice regardless of party combination. Even Ashley, the next most renegade squadmate, will endorse the paragon option if she is in the party with Wrex.
* TooDumbToLive: What he thinks of anyone that goes up against Shepard. Which [[spoiler:makes you wonder what that says about ''him'' when he does this on Virmire. PlayedWith in that he likely knew he had no chance at actually "winning" but was doing it as a matter of principle or honor rather than tactics. Thankfully, the player has three ways of talking him out of it]].
** [[spoiler: The same logic also applies to his confrontation with Shepard in 3 if the cure is sabotaged, though there it might have been blind fury rather than any other reason]].
* TookALevelInIdealism: Starts out as cynical as they come. If continuously supported by Shepard, he becomes more and more idealistic with each game.
* TryNotToDie: The worst possible "goodbye" before you try and summon Kalros.
-->'''Wrex:''' I know you're doing this for your own reasons, Shepard, but try to make sure you don't get your ass killed. I wouldn't know what to say at your funeral.
* UncomfortableElevatorMoment: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOg-nLWe71w Wrex seems to really like the elevators.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: By the second game, even if he can't go with Shepard, it's clear that he has nothing but undying respect for him/her and will help him/her in anyway he can. This can take a few knocks depending on your actions in the third game.
* UseYourHead: [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority In true krogan fashion]], he uses this to assert his dominance.
** Unfortunately, he doesn't see it when Shepard has the opportunity to follow his lead, headbutting ''the same krogan that Wrex did earlier'' to get him to shut up. The Shaman does see, and finds it hilarious.
* UnwantedHarem: The Citadel DLC reveals there are downsides to being the clan leader who cured the genophage -- namely, everyone wants their firstborn to have his genes. There's a line of women outside his dwelling that stretches "as far as you can see", he has to sneak out his own bathroom window to get away, and he still gets jumped leaving Tuchanka.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Garrus.
* WhatTheHellHero:
** If he's taken to Noveria and Shepard spares the rachni queen. As he reminds you, millions of his ancestors died to defeat the rachni the first time.
** If you deleted Maelon's research, he has some choice words for you in the last game -- it takes rescuing Eve, following him to the Shroud and trying to patch things up between missions before he's willing to call you a friend again.
** [[spoiler: If you betray his trust by sabotaging the genophage cure, he tries to kill you. On the same occasion, he also calls you out for your actions during the Citadel coup if you killed the Virmire Survivor -- ''and'' for the turian bomb on Tuchanka if you let it go off]]. It's a bit of a low point for Shepard, all in all.
--->'''Wrex''': [[spoiler: What's the matter? Ashley not around to do your dirty work? Oh right, you killed her too! And it's time you found out how that feels!]]
* [[WhatWouldXDo What Would Shepard Do?]]: After the events of the first game, he takes Shepard's example and advice to heart and decides to return to Tuchanka and make another attempt to save his people from themselves.
* WhereItAllBegan: If you cure the genophage [[spoiler:and Eve is alive]], you will meet up with him at the place where his father ambushed and tried to kill him, and he will remark about how the genophage turned the krogan into "animals".
* WorldsBestWarrior: On Tuchanka, anyway, but he has some impressive feats throughout the rest of the galaxy, too. The only person probably superior to him is Shepard, and his only clear successor is Grunt.
* WorthyOpponent: Considered his FriendlyEnemy Aleena[[note]]who is heavily implied, but never explicitly stated, to be Aria[[/note]] to be this.
** Wrex views Shepard as one when they first meet, seeing Shepard as a warrior worthy of his respect. He drops hints in the first game that he believes in a fight Shepard could easily take him down, which considering Wrex once single-handedly defeated a ''Thresher Maw'', says a hell of a lot.
*** By the end of the second game, you'll probably have done a lot of the same things he did, and without the MadeOfIron characteristics that the krogan have going for them. It's no wonder Wrex respects you.
[[/folder]]

!Guest Party Members

[[folder:Richard L. Jenkins]]
!Corporal Richard L. Jenkins
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jenkins_1199.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:200:[[TemptingFate With a name like that, surely he'll be around forever. Right?]]]]
-->''"We've got a Spectre on board! That's why I'm so wound up - I can't wait for the real mission to start."''

-->'''Voiced by''': Josh Dean

An over-enthusiastic Alliance soldier from Eden Prime, he is assigned as part of your squad when everything goes to hell there. Continuing in the long Bioware tradition of early sacrificial party members, he dies in the opening few minutes.
----
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: He says he's itching for some action just before the Eden Prime mission. Too bad "action" in his case meant watching his homeworld get scorched and being gunned down by a pair of geth recon drones.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Despite his boundless enthusiasm and naïveté, various characters imply Jenkins was a very competent soldier.
** InformedAbility: Two geth drones say otherwise.
* [[DecoyProtagonist Decoy Squadmate]]: He's a placeholder for your real Soldier squadmember who joins about a minute or two after his death.
* {{Doomed Home|town}}world: Eden Prime is this for him. Pity he dies too soon for it to become a plot point. And it's not entirely doomed anyway; there's a DLC mission there in the third game.
* ForgottenFallenFriend: Averted. The ''Normandy'' crew is very upset about his death, and in [=ME2=] Dr. Chakwas reminisces about him over drinks with Shepard.
** He's also on the memorial wall in the ''Normandy'' in Mass Effect 3, and he will be mentioned if Kaidan, James, or EDI is brought to the Eden Prime mission.
** One interpretation of when Shepard later encounters a young over-enthusiastic mercenary (who is also voiced by Josh Dean) on Omega, the reason they stopped dead in their tracks, turned slowly around and, if taking the Paragon interrupt, broke the kid's gun and ordered them home, was because he reminded them too much of Jenkins.
* FunPersonified: According to Chakwas. One of her stories involves him pestering Kaidan for a biotic demonstration, only for Kaidan to accidentally throw him so hard across the room, she thought he was seriously injured. Jenkins then leapt up, gleefully exclaiming:
--> '''Jenkins''': That was ''awesome''!
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: If you're on a NewGamePlus, he'll be level 50+ and still die to a few bullets after having been ordered to take point.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Despite being with you for at most a minute or two and dying right before the first fight, he is a fully functional squad member that can be issued orders and even has some skill points for you to assign despite never having an opportunity to use any abilities.
* HeroWorshipper: To Shepard. This is rarely a good sign for a character's mortality rate this early in the story.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: If Shepard has a Survivor or Ruthless background, Jenkins can gush about what he/she's done is worth him being a Spectre candidate, to which Shepard can state that it's a past that brings him/her bad memories.
* NaiveNewcomer: Definitely had an incredibly idealistic outlook on the Spectres, and the heroism of Shepard him/herself.
* LeeroyJenkins: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], actually, [[MeaningfulName despite the name.]] He's very eager to go out there and see action, but still follows Shepard's orders to the letter and takes point. In the end it still doesn't do him much good.
* SacrificialLamb[=/=]RedShirt: He dies just before the player's first battle.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He got one conversation and a couple of lines. For a [=BioWare=] squad member, that's waving hello in passing.
[[/folder]]

* InnocentBigot: In the first game, he'll make some unprovoked and offensive racial comments to Wrex (essentially telling him he's [[YouAreACreditToYourRace a credit to his species]]) and Tali (blaming the quarians for unleashing the geth on the galaxy). Gets better in ''2'', possibly on account of working with Shepard's team and then his own multiracial squad on Omega. By ''[=ME3=]'', he's clearly very close friends with both Tali and Wrex, and even apologizes to Tali for that three-year-old comment.

* YouAreInCommandNow: During ''3'', Shepard can ask Garrus about how close he is in the chain of command to being named turian Primarch (after seeing Garrus being saluted by turian ''generals''.) Garrus' discomfort with the line of questioning likely means that he is far closer than he or anyone else would like to admit to being in that position.

** He also seems to be fond of messing with Tali across the trilogy, who has no trouble snarking back. [[spoiler: If neither is romanced by 3, the dynamic turns into BelligerantSexualTension]].

* VitriolicBestBuds: With Garrus: Will snark at each other at any given opportunity, but they are shown to care for each other. [[spoiler: If Shepard doesn't romance her, by 3 it is shown to be BelligerantSexualTension.]]

* {{Expy}}: He shares many traits with Canderous Ordo, of KnightsOfTheOldRepublic fame. Most notably, both are the team [[TheBigGuy Big Guy]], come from a culture of {{Blood Knight}}s, and are disillusioned with their cultures' slowly self-destructive behavior.

-->'''Voiced by:''' Kimberly Brooks

* [[RealMenLoveJesus Real Women Love Jesus]]: Maybe. It's left deliberately ambiguous what religious denomination she belongs to, save for that it's monotheistic.

** The "who would win" bit sets up a BrickJoke in "Citadel" - [[spoiler: en route to fighting the Clone, Wrex gloats to Ash[=/=]Kaidan that they're about to get their answer after all]]. It's also turned around when Zaeed and Javik ask who'd win: him or Grunt?

* MurderIsTheBestSolution: His usual suggestion for dealing with any problematic person is to [[JustEatHim eat them]].

-->'''Voiced by:''' Liz Sroka

* MightyGlacier: Investing in Kaidan's Barrier power, especially without using his default outfit and choosing the evolution to halve Barrier's recharge penalty, significantly slows down his ability to use his powers.

* MightyGlacier: Already one in [=ME1=], but even more so in the ''Citadel'' DLC from [=ME3=]. The next most bulky squad member, James Vega, tops at a little over 1,200 health and 1,200 shields, before factoring in the damage reduction of his Fortification power. Wrex can have 2800 health and has a skill that charges his shields up to over ''5000''! For context, on normal difficulty, standard EliteMooks like Centurions have 700 health and 700 shields, and on Insanity, they have 1,200 health and 1,125 shields. And that's before his biotic Barrier power factors in its percentage damage reduction! He also likes to charge enemies and either blast them with his shotgun or just beat them to death with his fists and elbows. Which isn't hard, because he is about twice as big and bulky as his enemies.

* OutOfFocus: Like Ashley, Kaidan has a central role in ''Mass Effect 1'''s plot, but plays a much more minor role in the sequels compared to the other original party members. The intended subplot about [[spoiler:the Illusive Man turning Shepard and Kaidan against each other was significantly stripped down, most likely because of the number of [[IdiotBall Idiot Balls]] everyone involved needed to grab for the original plan to work.]] Even Wrex, who is in a similar situation, still manages to get more screen time in the sequels. Particularly jarring if you romanced him in the first game.

* OutOfFocus: Like Kaidan, Ashley has a central role in ''Mass Effect 1'''s plot, but plays a much more minor role in the sequels compared to the other original party members. The intended subplot about [[spoiler:the Illusive Man turning Shepard and Ashley against each other was significantly stripped down, most likely because of the number of [[IdiotBall Idiot Balls]] everyone involved had to grab to make the original plan work.]] Even Wrex, who is in a similar situation, still manages to get more screen time in the sequels. Particularly jarring if you romanced her in the first game.

* OutOfFocus: Like Ashley, Kaiden has a central role in ''Mass Effect 1'''s plot, but plays a much more minor role in the sequels compared to the other original party members. This is likely due to the fact that [[spoiler: either he or Ashley are guaranteed to die in the first game, so it made less sense to develop a character who would be dead for many players.]] Even Wrex, who is in a similar situation, still manages to get more screen time in the sequels. Particularly jarring if you romanced him in the first game.

* TookALevelInBadass: In ''[=ME3=]'', he went from a [[TheRedMage Red Mage]] focused on crowd control to a MagicKnight with StoneWall tendencies. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''[[{{DLC}} Citadel]]''.

* OutOfFocus: Like Kaiden, Ashley has a central role in ''Mass Effect 1'''s plot, but plays a much more minor role in the sequels compared to the other original party members. This is likely due to the fact that [[spoiler: either she or Kaiden are guaranteed to die in the first game, so it made less sense to develop a character who would be dead for many players.]] Even Wrex, who is in a similar situation, still manages to get more screen time in the sequels. Particularly jarring if you romanced her in the first game.