History Fridge / MassEffect

* Salarians are stated to be "haplo-diploid egg-layers; unfertilized eggs produce males and fertilized eggs produce females." Umm... Doesn't that mean that males only carry the genetic material of their mothers? Females have fathers, but males only have mothers. "Nephew" can be either "brother or sister's son", but [[FrigdeLogic wouldn't a salarian female have dozens, if not hundreds of sons? Why's he so close to this particular one, no matter how smart?]] That particular SequelHook is the size of the Burj Khalifa.

* The menu in MassEffect1 is blue. In the DarkerAndEdgier sequel the menu is orange. The same colours as the KarmaMeter -Playsbassbadly

** Although that only stands for a Renegade Shep, for everyone else it's just mean.

** Although that only stands for a certain kind of Renegade Shep, for everyone else it's just mean.

* The menu in MassEffect1 is blue. In the DarkerAndEdgier sequel the menu is orange. The same colours as the KarmaMeter -Playsbassbadly
* Salarians are stated to be "haplo-diploid egg-layers; unfertilized eggs produce males and fertilized eggs produce females." Umm... Doesn't that mean that males only carry the genetic material of their mothers? Females have fathers, but males only have mothers. "Nephew" can be either "brother or sister's son", but wouldn't a salarian female have dozens, if not hundreds of sons? Why's he so close to this particular one? That particular SequelHook is the size of the Burj Khalifa.
** I think he mentions the kid is a gifted scientist, so it's probably because the kid is really intelligent.
*** Personally, [[WildMassGuessing I think that the kid is Chorban]], the guy who figured out the extinction cycle ''just by studying the Keepers!''

** I think he mentions the kid is a gifted scientist, so it's probably because the kid is really intelligent.

* Salarians are stated to be "haplo-diploid egg-layers; unfertilized eggs produce males and fertilized eggs produce females." Umm... Doesn't that mean that males only carry the genetic material of their mothers? Females have fathers, but males only have mothers. "Nephew" can be either "brother or sister's son", but wouldn't a salarian female have dozens, if not hundreds of sons? Why's he so close to this particular one? That particular SequelHook is the size of the Burj Khalifa.

* The menu in MassEffect1 is blue. In the DarkerAndEdgier sequel the menu is orange. The same colours as the KarmaMeter -Playsbassbadly

* The green circuit board shown during the bypass minigame may seem like a decorative frill, until you figure out that all the links follow the electric circuits shown on it and never deviate from this template. Once you learn the internal logic of their layout, it becomes possible to win it every time without ever double-checking what symbols are actually hidden underneath the selectable dots or making any errors. -Drakkenmensch

* At the end of Garrus' loyalty mission, if you're going with the Paragon route, [[spoiler:when Sidonis talks about how he can't sleep at night, he walks to one side, and Shepard walks between him and Garrus to prevent Garrus from shooting him - until Sidonis leans against a railing. Pay close attention, and you'll notice that Shepard ''isn't'' next to the railing. He's giving Garrus a shot, and ''Garrus isn't taking it''. After that, there's one last dialogue choice before Sidonis leaves, where Garrus wants one last chance to shoot Sidonis - even though he already has a clear shot. Garrus is putting some serious thought into this decision.]] -Tropers/TeraChimera

* At the end of Garrus' loyalty mission, if you're going with the Paragon route, [[spoiler:when Sidonis talks about how he can't sleep at night, he walks to one side, and Shepard walks between him and Garrus to prevent Garrus from shooting him - until Sidonis leans against a railing. Pay close attention, and you'll notice that Shepard ''isn't'' next to the railing. He's giving Garrus a shot, and ''Garrus isn't taking it''. After that, there's one last dialogue choice before Sidonis leaves, where Garrus wants one last chance to shoot Sidonis - even though he already has a clear shot. Garrus is putting some serious thought into this decision.]] -Tropers/TeraChimera
* Almost pointless but notice how almost all Asari wear gloves now think about how their species would mate.

* At the end of Garrus' loyalty mission, if you're going with the Paragon route, [[spoiler:when Sidonis talks about how he can't sleep at night, he walks to one side, and Shepard walks between him and Garrus to prevent Garrus from shooting him - until Sidonis leans against a railing. Pay close attention, and you'll notice that Shepard ''isn't'' next to the railing. He's giving Garrus a shot, and ''Garrus isn't taking it''. After that, there's one last dialogue choice before Sidonis leaves, where Garrus wants one last chance to shoot Sidonis - even though he already has a clear shot. Garrus is putting some serious thought into this decision.]] -Tropers/TeraChimera

*** This is also why she is the prime suspect (according to the fandom) for the outbreak of 'scale itch' on the Normandy; it's a sexually transmitted disease, and only carried by varren, which are basically the alien equivalent of pit bulls. [[Squick Implications]] [[Understatement unpleasant]]. - princeforte '''(PS: Will someone get these god damn fucking useless custom internal links to work, and then change the stupid mark-up page?)'''

** [[FreudWasRight]]

*** This is also why she is the prime suspect (according to the fandom) for the outbreak of 'scale itch' on the Normandy; it's a sexually transmitted disease, and only carried by varren, which are basically the alien equivalent of pit bulls. [[Squick Implications]] [[Understatement unpleasant]].

** This troper had a moment of Fridge Brilliance for Mass Effect's plot itself. Initially, he had many of the same misgivings stated on the [[JustBugsMe/MassEffect Just Bugs Me]] page: [[spoiler:Why didn't Saren activate the Citadel Relay while he was there, secretly? Why didn't Sovreign just attack the Citadel in the first place? What was the point behind Saren having to find the Beacons and Ilos? But then, this troper reached the Ilos VI, and through the dialog with it, [[ThisIsSparta EVERYTHING. MADE. SENSE.]] Sovreign's original plan was to get the Keepers to activate the Relay themselves, allowing him to let the Reapers return without ever really lifting a finger. But with the Keepers modified by the Protheans, Sovreign's essentially screwed. Sure, he could've flown in and hooked himself up to the Citadel and done the job manually, but as we see at the end of the game, he would've gotten Curb Stomped pretty badly by the defending fleets and then that'd be the end of the Reapers. So with Saren's help, he formulates a backup plan. Somehow, he knows the Protheans made a miniature Relay that let them get to the Citadel, so he sends Saren off to find it, with the Beacons able to tell him the location (likely by tracing the Beacons back to their point of origin). At the same time, Saren begins gathering allies: the Geth, the Krogan, the Rachni, etc. All of it, ''all of it'', the gathering of allies and the finding of the Conduit, was all just to provide Sovreign with cover and protection long enough for him to activate the Citadel Relay manually. The new plan would've been thus: with the Relay on Ilos secured, Saren teleports onto the Citadel with an army of Geth, Krogan and Rachni, completely overwhelming the defenders and crippling the Citadel's "ground" defenses. Sovreign flies in with the Geth fleet, the Geth carving a path for him through the Citadel fleet and holding off any reinforcements. Saren, in control of the Citadel's Control Center, closes the Citadel's arms, preventing anyone else from approach the station. With the Geth fleet maintaining a perimeter outside and Saren's army preventing anyone still on the Citadel from interfering, Sovreign is given all the time he needs to hook himself up to the Citadel, activate the Relay manually and summon the other Reapers.]] EFFING. BRILLIANT. -GhostWhoWalks
** Why is Sovereign all put out and annoyed (more than usual) and says you wouldn't comprehend its reasons when you ask him why he and his kind carefully bait civilizations so they can destroy them every fifty thousand years? Would you be annoyed if someone you really don't like asked you why you needed all that technological help to have sex?
*** And further, why is the entire Reaper race so angry with Shepard? S/He's an entire species-wide cock-blocker of monumental proportions!
**** As of the end of Mass Effect 2, the Reapers probably consider Shepard guilty of [[spoiler: murder, grave-robbery, desecration of the dead, and child-killing. No wonder they look pissed.]]
** Manuel from Eden Prime may seem crazy at first but looking back, everything that he babbled about was actually true.
*** Thinking on this, I just realised that he was probably exposed to the beacon just before the attack. The doctor describes him as 'always a bit unstable', but maybe this is what happens to a 'lesser mind', as Liara put it. - {{Tropers/Randomfanboy}}
*** 'Lesser mind'? If he indeed was exposed to the beacon, Manuel understood perfectly well what the message meant far sooner than Shepard did after his exposure. Being a slightly 'off' genius (some form of autism perhaps?) allowed Manual to probably process the beacon information much faster, with great clarity. Too bad he went mad from the revelation... {{Tropers/X-File}}
** In that same vein the mechanic from Horizon in ME2 [[spoiler: blames Shepard and the Alliance for bringing the Reapers down on the colony, despite the fact that other netural colonies are being targeted and the Alliance defenses used by Shepard are exactly why most of the colony was saved.]] Yes, he's a coward for not helping out... ''but'' [[spoiler: Shepard and the Illusive both agree that it is too big a coincidence that the Collectors target a colony where one of Shepard's crew is stationed]], so ''technically'' he was right. This doesn't make me wish any less for a Renegade Interrupt to punch him in the mouth. - koolkame
** I just noticed this, but in the Exodus Cluster, there is a star named Utopia which Eden Prime orbits. The thing about this system is, every planet orbiting it is named after a philosophical Utopia. These planets are: Arcadia, named after an area of Greece where people lived down to earth and close to nature; Eden Prime, after the Garden of Eden where the bible says that Adam and Eve lived until [[Satan made them eat the apple]]; and Zion, a term used by Judaism t descibe the promised land where God will dwell with his chosen people; Nirvana, where according to Buddhism someone ascends to when they no longer require to be reborn. The last planet is Zanadu, which isn't the idea of a Utopia, but the name of the city where Kublai Kahn made his capital and had is "Pleasure Gardens".
*** Most of the star systems have naming schemes. Boltzmann system objects are all named after famous theoretical physicists, Enoch system are all based on the Old Testament, Fortis are all based on Latin words for virtues, etc. The names span a large number of cultures, too, which can either indicate that various human cultures settled different systems, or that humans have a worldwide culture that isn't nearly as Anglo-centric as most depictions of the future.
*** Yes, this does seem less fridge brilliance and more [[SwissMoment Swiss Moment]].

** The principle villains of MassEffect 2 are [[spoiler:The Collectors. You could buy a limited Collector's Edition, whereupon you got The Collector's armor as a bonus. It's not an edition for collectors. It's the edition OF The Collector's. Of course!]] -- JackSlack
** At first, I thought Jack's character design was too over the top. Then I learned that it is common for abuse survivors to get tattoos and piercings as a way to reassert control over their own body, and it all made perfect sense.
** OK. So let's talk about Udina. He's a cold, uncharismatic toad. His decision making is absolutely lousy. He clearly lacks any ability to be a good politician. So why on earth did he get such a high position? The answer comes from Anderson: "Udina has his uses. If you want to get anything done on the Citadel, he knows who to ask." ''Of course''. He's not a politician; he's a ''bureaucrat''. He's a very good bureaucrat. As an assistant to a decent politician, he'd make that politician's career - People would praise that politican as decisive and capable. But Udina is also ambitious and doesn't know his own limitations. It's a combination that got him promoted above his level of competence... right to the point where he could help end all organic life, in fact. -- JackSlack
** Remember that song that played every time you died? That one that you began to associate with death and eventually hated? Well, it's Saren's ''theme song''. Meaning that the game developers have been conditioning you the ''entire game'' to hate him. Brilliant.
*** The menu music? That's Vigil's Theme.
** The only time you hear two elcor speaking directly to each other is in ''Mass Effect'' in the elcor ambassador's office. Careful listeners will notice they do ''not'' preface their conversation with their emotions. Of course, this is because they ''can'' detect the minor physical and pheromone changes of each other, and have no need to express them verbally.
*** And then FridgeLogic kicks in when you realize that the Elcor don't use those prefaces themselves, the TranslatorMicrobes do that for them (as evidenced by the Elcor who hacked his translator to allow him to fake the emotional descriptions).
** Go look at the map of the Citadel Council Chambers in ''Mass Effect''. That's it, really get a good look at the shape of it. [[spoiler:[[OhCrap Seem]] [[TheReveal familiar]]?]]
*** This freaked me out when I noticed it because it makes so much sense since the whole tower is basically [[spoiler: Sovereign's throne.]]- koolkame
** In Mass Effect 2, one of the first things you behold upon entering Omega is a line of people queued in front of an elcor bouncer. According to the Codex, elcor are heavy worlders capable of punching their way through a bulkhead, adept at detecting body language, and who speak in a very calm, concise and ''infuriating'' manner. Thus it makes sense to use them as bouncers.
*** To wit, remember that elcors grow up in a culture/world that emphasizes deliberation and caution since on their homeworld, just falling over could probably kill you. Thus an elcor willing to act 'fast' and get into scuffles as a bouncer would be required to do wouldn't just be an average elcor, but the equivalent of a soldier. Sure, it seems like to us that the bouncer is being reasonable... but it may very well be that the elcor is really really close to losing his shit.
** It's easy to get angry about how the love interest from the original. They're at least distant, if not outright hostile. But, think about this for a minute. Shepard is probably as angry about this as you are! He/She would go looking for someone for confort. Tali and Garrus serve as the UnluckyChildhoodFriend of sorts. Thane is the dying Woobie to bond with. Miranda and Jacob take Ashley and Kaidan's place almost perfectly. They all have good reasons for acting like this -- ''Especially'' [[BrokenBird Liara]]. It turns out [[spoiler:she got that way saving your life. Trashing her ends up being an epic case of WhatTheHellHero.]] It's still infuriating for Liara/Shepard shippers, but presumably remaining loyal to her will pay off in ME 3.
** If you read the Codex entry on the Unification War, you'll note that the turians have a thing about a member of their species who has no facepaint markings, as it apparently is taken as sign of someone who can't be trusted because they have no declared allegiances. Unsurprisingly, Saren's face is unpainted, but the real brilliance comes in ''Mass Effect 2'': [[spoiler: Warden Kuril of Purgatory has no facepaint,]] which should be a subtle warning sign that [[spoiler: he's going to betray you.]]
*** That, and he's voiced by Fred Tatasciore, the same guy who voiced [[KnightTemplar Sa]][[TheDragon ren]] and [[CompleteMonster Balak]] in ''MassEffect1''.
** At first glance, Grunt seems "off" when compared with other krogan. He's not as big, lacks the huge hump that other krogan have, he doesn't have the serrated head ridges, and his skin is smoother and softer-looking than other krogan. Until you realize that all the other krogan refer to him as a child, and that his physical appearance is what a ''young'' krogan looks like. His hump is small because it hasn't grown yet, and his skin isn't rough and pitted because he hasn't lived long enough for it to develop that way. His entire character design, from the ground up, shows how young he is compared with other krogan.
*** This is explained in-game.
** On Garrus' loyalty mission, if you confront Sidonis, [[spoiler: he seems genuinely ashamed and guilty of his actions in betraying Garrus' squad.]] At first, this seems pretty normal for someone like that, but check the Codex entries on turians. [[spoiler: Betrayal of the team and refusing to own up to your own mistakes and actions - like Sidonis did, by fleeing and hiding - is a ''deep'' taboo among the turians.]] ''No wonder'' the guy is so torn up about it.
*** Why does Garrus reluctantly forgive Sidonis? When confronted by his crimes, Sidonis confesses and owns up to his mistakes. That's another huge thing for turians, and ties into why Garrus chose to let him go.
** In the sequel, the Collectors start to capture human colonists en masse [[spoiler:to create a new Reaper based on humanity]]. This makes a lot of sense considering [[spoiler:the Battle of the Citadel and [[strike:Sovereign]] Nazara's destruction. With the Reaper fleet stranded in dark space after the death of their--presumably--only vanguard, a Reaper based on defiant and promising humans would be the perfect replacement and pave the way to the inevitable invasion. But Shepard ''comes back from death and destroys that too''. Cue the pissed of Reapers powering up and charging headlong into the galaxy to unleash hell.]]
*** Not only that, but the novels drop a small tidbit about Collectors being interested in human biotics. This seems like a throwaway scrap of information, but it all makes sense when you consider [[spoiler:they're trying to make new Reapers out of human genetic material. Reapers integrate biological material with Element-Zero based technology. Biotics are a perfect group of subjects to see exactly how well the species is suited to this kind of synthesis. THAT'S the whole reason behind littering the galaxy with eezo-based technology too -- they want to see how other species react to eezo to judge how compatible they are with Reaper technology]].
** Also in the sequel, some fans don't like the way your Charm and Intimidate checks are completely tied to your Karma Meters rather than an upgradeable skill. However, it makes a whole lot more sense this way because it means that your reputation is preceding you. If people know you have history of kindness, they are more likely to believe you when you try and charm them. Likewise they are more likely to cower before you if they know what badassery you're capable of. Also, it means that every conversation is an opportunity to upgrade your Persuasion skill: a character that always takes a neutral response WILL miss out on a lot of Karma and therefore be unable to orate properly. [[YourMileageMayVary It doesn't fix every problem]], but the concept is interesting.
*** Flip it around, it works better than having a reputation: If you behave politely to everyone you meet (As a Paragon would), then you would have difficulty trying to actually ''intimidate'' someone without it sounding somewhat unimpressive. Likewise, bully your way around the universe by shooting people in their feet, and it would be hard to act pally and charming with someone ''without'' it sounding insincere. Having Charm/Intimidate checks tied to your Paragon/Renegade values makes a lot more sense than arbitrary assigning skill points to abstract skills because that's how people behave in real life! Someone who ''would'' be considered a Paragon would have a lot more success in charming someone than intimidating, and vice-versa.
*** Then again, the system in the first game makes sense as well. When you add points to the skill, you're basically training it offscreen. Think [[ApolloJusticeAceAttorney Apollo Justice]] and his [[NoIndoorVoice Chords of Steel]].
** At first glance, the Vanguard's Charge ability doesn't seem to fit within the various powers of mass effect fields. The power to move at insane speeds and phase through solid objects en route to the target? That doesn't make any sense based on what we've seen so far, until you look at the mass relays, including [[spoiler: the Conduit - which actually did allow Shepard's crew to ''phase through the Citadel walls''.]] Biotics are, after all, just a way for organics to generate mass effect fields, so theoretically an organic can do anything an ME-based technology can pull off. Looking more closely at it, it becomes obvious: Charge is essentially a ''short-ranged, much slower, one-way version of a mass relay jump''.
** In the sequel, it's possible to help CompleteMonster Morinth kill her KnightTemplar of a mother, Samara. It's easy to look at Shepard's decision to do this as a case of ChaoticStupid or severe MoralDissonance, unless you're playing a majority Renegade game. After completing her loyalty mission and talking with her a few more times, Samara will state that she would have killed you a long time ago if she hadn't sworn her Oath before joining, and that after you part ways, if she ever sees you again, you're as good as dead. And all of a sudden, the decision to save Morinth looks a bit more like a [[MagnificentBastard profound moment of foresight]]. Which person would be less of a threat to an AntiHero: the KnightTemplar who would kill the galaxy's only hope for doing his/her job, or the sex vampire who's only a threat to you if you're TooDumbToLive?
** You know those scars on Renegade Shepard's face, provided you don't remove them with the Med Bay Upgrade? It's a subtle, over the two games, but Shepard is ''slowly turning into Saren'' through his/her actions.
*** Heck, even ''Paragon'' Shepard is slowly becoming Saren's inverse: [[spoiler: The Geth? On your side thanks to Legion. The Krogan? On your side thanks to Wrex. The Rachni? On your side thanks to the Queen you spared on Noveria. With former enemies like these, who needs friends? (Though you probably made a lot of those, too.)]]

*** [[spoiler: And remember, Saren was in control of several research corporations. He could very well have 'leaked' Geth designs and tech. Why? Because it would be tech that he, and by extension, Nazara could control.]]
** It's noted on the main ''MassEffect'' page that the planet Klandagon is described as having a massive scar carved from a mass effect weapon fired either at or by the Reaper you board in 2. But notice what's in the orbital just outside Klendagon? [[spoiler: An asteroid belt. [[EarthShatteringKaboom Boom.]]]]
** Many people were irked over Garrus' loyalty armour being just as broken and burnt his standard armour, which gets damaged during his recruitment mission. They complained about it being a blatant case of a simple repaint... which it is, ''literally'', in the game. Genius! - ThePein
** So, hey, the credits for ''MassEffect 2'' are pretty nifty and all, with that awesome music playing in the background, as you're reading that white text against a black background with gold section headers... wait a second, where have I seen that color scheme before? [[spoiler: That's ''Cerberus''' colors!]]
** Speaking of colors. At first it kind of irked me to notice that the repaints after the loyalty missions all had the generic badass black color-scheme while the original outfits all had more originality and the colors made everyone seem more individual. Looking at the squad selection screen after getting several loyalty missions though you start to notice that the loyal ones are starting to look similar. As they become loyal they're putting on a uniform. They're becoming part of the team! -PaJa
*** That moment of Fridge Brilliance led to this troper's own moment of Fridge Brilliance. Consider Garrus. the other team members go from various color schemes to some combination of black/orange/white. Garrus, and to a lesser degree, Tali, change their armors to something that resembles the Cerberus color palette, but maintains distinct differences, such as Garrus's use of blue. After reading the above entry, the thought struck me: Yes, the ME1 veterans are changing something to fit in with Cerberus, but retaining enough individuality to show that they are allied with Shepard first, and Cerberus a very distant second. The reason that Garrus shows more individuality is that he was recruited early, when Shepard was at his most uncomfortable working with/for The Illusive Man. -Schezar
** In the first Mass Effect, Saren's goal is to preserve the existence of organic life by proving that it can be of use to the Reapers -- that submission, to paraphrase one of his lines, exists as a preferable alternative to extinction. Naturally, everyone thinks he's crazy, and that the Reapers would wipe out all organic life anyway. It's not until Mass Effect 2 when you [[spoiler:discover that the Collectors were once Protheans]] that you learn he was ''right'' -- the Reapers would have preserved organic life[[spoiler:, though almost certainly in a very different form than what existed]]. Not only that, but it's likely that Saren KNEW [[spoiler:the true fate of the Protheans]], which is why he was trying to prove that organic life should be spared [[spoiler:once again]]. Submission really DID exist as an alternative to extinction. (Though [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu "just beating the hell out of the Reapers"]] was [[TakeAThirdOption obviously better than either of those choices]].) -Technogeek
** On the flip side to the Collectors, also remember the keepers - more than likely, a different race modified as the protheans were (long long long ago). Considering the important role the keepers play in the Reaper's plans, it's likely that the keepers were involved in the very first cycle (or at least, for quite some time).
** In the sequel, minor mooks can be buffed by Harbinger '''ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL'''. Now go back [[spoiler: and notice what happens to Saren once you "kill" him the first time in the original. Sovereign tried the same trick.]]
*** That makes perfect sense! Note, that when Harbinger possesses one of the Collector's it glows gold. In the ending cinematic, Harbinger's hologram is also gold. [[spoiler: When Sovereign possesses Saren, he glows red, and Sovereign's hologram on Virmire is red.]]
*** [[spoiler: Although the Turians will be the first race with a "culture" to be accepted as the servants of the reapers. And even then for Saren it is shaky since the Heretics are also considered possible candidates as the next generation of "keepers" who knew a lot more about Sovereign than Saren who doesn't know his true name as Nazara.]]
**** [[spoiler: Not sure what the above entry is trying to say, as according to what Vigil says it seems as if at least some sentients become indoctrinated during every Reaping, and at the very least the Protheans had a galaxy-wide culture and were turned into the Collectors.]]

* So, pretty much every gameplay change between the first and second games has an in-universe justification. Ammo? It's heat sinks. No Mako? Probes. Appearance and class change? Project Lazarus wasn't perfect. However, what if a Paragon player in the first game decided to be a complete asshole in the second? It's mentioned a few times that Shepard's personality may have changed due to brain damage - turning him from a nice guy to a jerk, vice versa, and everything in between.

* The background of the menu of ''Mass Effect 2'' is the interior of the Normandy. The menu itself is Shepard's private terminal. You're playing as Shepard before ''you even start the game''.

* At first I was a bit disappointed with the general lack of diversity among the Galactic races. All but two of the major races in the game have the same basic design as humans. They're all bipedal, land dwelling species, with four limbs. All of them except for the volus survive on an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. Even the hanar and the elcor are not that exotic, being basically alien jellyfish and elephants. It was even worse with the asari, each one basically a blue human female with a cuttlefish on their head. At first I just chalked this up to developers being uncreative, until the [[spoiler: Reapers]] came in. [[spoiler: The Reapers are not only shown to subtly influence galactic civilization for their own purposes, but they're also able to alter and create new species, like the Collectors, and the Keepers. Also the Reapers reproduce by capturing all the advanced life in the galaxy and melding into a new Reaper. It's probably much easier for them do this when all of the advanced life is similar so as to make them more compatible. So it's not much of a stretch to imagine the Reapers going from planet to planet altering any promising looking species to make them more genetically similar.]]

** I got another one. Its always annoyed me in the games how NPCs always turn their head in one direction before exiting the area (usually after you fulfill a quest for them.) It looks completely silly and unnatural, and it was a chore for me to wrap my head around why they do that. Only recently did I have an epiphany as to why: Mass Effect is a Space Opera. Opera is usually acted out on stage. The NPCs are all playing roles for Shepard and the crew to interact with. After their moment in the spotlight, they leave. The NPCs are stage actors and are signaling their exit from the scene instead of announcing it. Looking left and walking means "Exit Stage Left!" - {{Anomaly188}}