Mass Effect Andromeda: The Andromeda Initiative / Characters

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/MassEffectAndromedaTheAndromedaInitiative

This page is for listing the tropes related to Non-Player Characters in Mass Effect: Andromeda that are part of the Andromeda Initiative, including the Nexus and any colonies.

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Ryder Family

Scott/Sara Ryder

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ryder_twins_5.jpg

Voiced by: Tom Taylorson (Scott Ryder), Fryda Wolff (Sara Ryder)

The opposite-sex twin of Pathfinder Ryder and the Player Character the player did not choose at the start of the game, Scott/Sara travels to Andromeda alongside their sibling and father. Born in 2163, Scott joined the Alliance military and was stationed at an outpost near Arcturus Station prior to joining the Andromeda initiative. Sara, also prior to joining the Initiative, served as a support to researchers at the Prothean ruins on Mars.

Adventurer Archaeologist: Sara, during her time on Mars.
Agony Beam: Is subjected to one by the Archon so they can use their connection to SAM to activate Meridian.
And Now for Someone Completely Different: Is Promoted to Playable in the final mission, as they need to reset their sibling's connection to SAM manually.
Badass Bookworm: Sara is predominately a Prothean researcher and known for her smarts, but she's no stranger to combat.
Badass Family: They are the son/daughter of Alec Ryder, one of the first humans to travel through a mass relay and an N7 operative, and the twin sibling of Pathfinder Ryder.
Badass in Distress: At the climax, the Archon takes them prisoner to use their implant to control Meridian. It works, but he also gets more than he bargained for - through sheer Heroic Willpower, they manage to exercise some control of their own, using it to first guide their Pathfinder sibling to the Archon's location, then provide them with the means to sabotage his connection during the final battle.
Butterfly of Doom: The sibling that's woken out of cryo first is the one that gets to be the big hero, the other sibling is put into a coma because, by pure chance, their revival process was interrupted when the ark hit the Scourge.
Call to Adventure: Both siblings. It was part of the reason why Sara got involved with Prothean researchers. Scott meanwhile, guarded the Charon Relay, and always wanted to go to the other side.
Death by Despair: Comes very close to it if Ryder tells them everything that happened after settling Eos. Dr. Carlyle has to put them back in a coma to stabilize their vitals.
Defiant Captive: When kidnapped by the Archon, they still do everything in their power to resist and make sure their twin can do what they need to defeat him.
Genius Bruiser: Scott is a soldier, but is very well versed in Prothean theories, and even had a few of his own.
Heroic BSoD: The unconscious twin suffers one if they're told the truth about what happened on Habitat 7.
Missed the Call: Either Ryder child could have become the Pathfinder. The one who doesn't ends up in a coma and misses out because their twin was reawakened a couple minutes sooner.
Momma's Boy: Positive connotation. Scott was very close to his mother, and she always encouraged him to learn and grow. Sara is the same way. Without hesitation, when asked if they could have anyone from home in Andromeda, it is their mother.
Precision F-Strike: Not that the game shies away from swearing. But, during the final battle...
Scott/Sara: Barrier's open, fuckwad!
Schrödinger's Player Character: The gender that the player selects determines which sibling Alec chose as his successor and thus is woken up first. The other remains in cryo for just a few minutes longer which causes their cryo pod to become damaged and the sibling to be placed in a coma.
Sins of Our Fathers: Like the player Ryder twin, their promising Alliance career was cut short when Alec was discharged for illegal AI research.
Spanner in the Works: The Archon uses the SAM implant to try and hijack Meridian. Scott/Sara struggle with the Archon over control, allowing the Player Character to save the day.
Static Role, Exchangeable Character: They're the sibling who isn't chosen by you as the main protagonist.
There Is Another: They are next in line to become Pathfinder if anything happens to you. And many NPCs comment on how awesome it's going to be when both Ryders are finally on the field.
Jaal: I can't wait to see the look on Evfra's face when he learns there are two of you.
Trauma Conga Line: First, their mother died shortly before the trip into dark space. Then, their cryo pod breaks and puts them in a coma. Then, their father dies on a mission, and (if the Pathfinder is honest) they learn about both that and the fact that there's no home for them in Andromeda. Then, they finally wake up but find their ship under attack by kett, and their sibling is dying. Then, they're kidnapped by the Archon and subjected to horrible torture while trying to help their sibling stop the Archon. The fact that they're still willing and able to answer the Call to Adventure after this speaks volumes of how tough Ryders are.
What the Hell, Hero?: You can lie to them about Alec's death. They don't appreciate it, although they'll be a bit more understanding if you say you didn't want the upsetting news to worsen their recovery.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Scott grumbles about the possibility of one of the Golden Worlds being cold if spoken to while unconscious.

Pathfinder Alec Ryder

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/andromeda_alec.png

Voiced by: Clancy Brown

Alec Ryder is the father of the Ryder twins. Notable as one of the original explorers to go beyond the Charon Relay with Jon Grissom, a veteran of the 2157 First Contact War and an N7 operative, Alec was originally designated as humanity's Pathfinder for the Andromeda Initiative.

The Ace: Smart enough to design a fully capable AI and a enough of a badass in combat to be N7. He certainly qualifies.
Action Dad: He is leading an expedition to completely unknown and likely dangerous space, with his two children along for the ride.
Badass Bookworm: The man is a skilled enough soldier to make it through N7. He's a scientist.
Bold Explorer: Among the first explorers who traveled beyond the Charon Relay and is the original Pathfinder, who is part soldier, part scientist and part guide according to Jien Garson.
The Charmer: According to Zevin Raeka, he could be surprisingly charming when prompted.
Determinator: It didn't matter that AI research was illegal in the Milky Way. It didn't matter that he was blacklisted by the Council. It didn't matter that his own wife was telling him to let her go, Alec Ryder was damn well going to do everything short of a literal deal with the Devil to save her. He might well have succeeded.
Endearingly Dorky: As Sara tells it, his first meeting with Ellen had him trying to turn on the bad-boy charm... and utterly failing to get a word out; he neglected to share this detail with Scott. They still managed to wind up lovingly married.
Elites Are More Glamorous: Being an N7 makes him this pretty much automatically but his status as a Pathfinder may also apply. He was also part of a team that first travelled through the Charon Relay ^note, something even Admiral Anderson (one of the first N7s) cannot claim to have done. According to Sara Ryder's Codex entry that still didn't keep him from being dishonorably discharged for his AI research, which in the Milky Way was a big no-no, no thanks to the Geth Uprising.
Everyone Has Standards: After getting kicked out of the Alliance, Alec turned to the Shadow Broker for help with his AI research, but he drew the line at Cerberus.
Expy: The N7 designation is iconic to the Mass Effect franchise thanks to Commander Shepard, and Bioware milked that by making Alec (or his armor and other effects) front and center of the marketing campaign. Further, Alec Ryder is basically Commander Shepard, if they were past their glory days and made an effort to start a family. The fact that Pathfinder Ryder, the child of an N7, is directly picked as successor parallels with the fact that Pathfinder Ryder has symbolically been passed the torch from Commander Shepard.
Alec Ryder: When your back's against the wall, if you can't run from it... use it.
Genius Bruiser: In addition to being an N7 soldier and explorer, Alec also is an artificial intelligence researcher and created SAM years prior to leaving for Andromeda.
Happily Married: He deeply loved Ellen. So much that his research for SAM was a way to halt her disease, and he put her in cryo to keep her alive.
Heroic Sacrifice: Just when Scott/Sara and Alec have just managed to neutralize a deadly storm in Habitat 7 (the planet supposed to be their new home, which lacks a breathable atmosphere) an explosion knocks the two away and cracks open Ryder's helmet. Alec realizes the rescue shuttle won't make it in time and gives his helmet to his son/daughter saving their lives at the cost of his.
It Runs in the Family: Only notable on playing as Scott and Sara, but it's clear the Ryder twins don't just get their Determinator status from him... Sara also inherited some of her dad's romantic dorkiness as well (also, his love of coffee).
Military Maverick: The Alliance didn't look too kindly on his AI research.
Mind over Matter: Ryder Sr. is a biotic despite being born long before the Bizarre Baby Boom that resulted in human Biotics. Justified in that SAM is capable of mimicking biotic abilities.
Mysterious Backer: Alec Ryder's AI research and the Andromeda Initiative itself were backed at least in part by a mysterious benefactor who provided them with resources and money and who also apparently possessed knowledge of the Reapers. In a brief correspondence between himself and Jien Garson, he shared the same concerns Jien had about their mysterious backer. The popular bets on the identity of this benefactor are on Cerberus.
No Social Skills: Several times, people who knew him admitted that Alec's social skills were pretty terrible. Cora outright calls him a "prickly bastard". In conversation with SAM, Ryder states that most conversations with his kids resulted in awkward silences that lasted for hours.
No Transhumanism Allowed: Viewing Alec's first memory shows that he was a proponent of humanity enhanced by artificial intelligence - essentially describing synthesis - but his recommendations were denied due to the illegality of AI research.
Old Soldier: Born in 2129, he was among the first explorers to go beyond the Charon Relay (back in 2149, 36 years before the Andromeda Initiative leaves the Milky Way galaxy), and is about 56 as of 2185, when he went into cryo. Though given that the Human life expectancy is around 150 in the Mass Effect universe that's not even middle age anymore.
Once Done, Never Forgotten: Alec's dishonorable discharge for illegal AI research became this for the entire family. Alec's actions destroyed not only his career, but also Scott and Sara's.
One-Man Army: N7, remember? Ryder, Cora and Liam can find an example of him having wiped the floor with a kett squad on Habitat 7 (if Ryder and Liam had passed through the area previously, they'll note the dead kett weren't there before).
Parental Neglect: While far from abusive, dialogue, particularly from Scott/Sara, implies that he was a rather distant father who was very caught up in his work. Considering that it was to save his wife, it is more understandable if not fully excusable.
Posthumous Character: While Alec dies early in the game, a major subplot is trying to unlock SAM's records of Alec's memories to uncover the true reason why Alec joined the Initiative and made his child the new Pathfinder.
Sacrificial Lion: Alec is an N7 trained soldier and excellent commander who has everything necessary to lead the Andromeda Initiative to success. Naturally, he dies early, leaving his child to pick up the torch.
Science Hero: Alec is a former N7 marine as well as a talented scientist specializing in artificial intelligence. He was chosen to serve as a Pathfinder precisely because of this dynamic.
Secret-Keeper: So secret he even blocked SAM's memories about it: His wife is still alive.
Shotguns Are Just Better: Favors the N7 Crusader shotgun in combat.
Sins of the Father: He inadvertently tainted both of his children's once-promising military careers with his AI research.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Similar to Nihlus Kryik, he dies within the first hour of the game though he gets far more development after his death.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Alec was pretty distant with both his children but he still loved them dearly. While he always acted the professional, Alec was worried about the Ryder sibling who was in a coma after their cryopod was damaged, despite Dr. Lexi telling him not to worry. He also expressed his regret that he wasn't as close to his children as he might have wanted to be. Differences in dialogue based on the gender of the player Ryder sibling imply that the distance was slightly worse with Scott than with Sara.
Alec Ryder: (in an audio recording) It's these moments when you wish you told your children you love them more often. Or ever.

Dr. Ellen Ryder

Ellen Ryder (nee Harlow) was Scott and Sara's mother, and Alec's late wife. She was a prominent researcher of eezo, and made some of the first human biotic implants. Her implants were later adapted to house the SAMs that all of the Pathfinder use. This research gave her a terminal disease, and she died a few years before the game starts.

All Girls Want Bad Boys: According to the story Scott was told about how Alec and Ellen met, Alec put on the N7 bad boy act, which worked like a charm. Subverted in the version Sara was told: Ellen saw through the whole thing, and thought Alec's attempt to play the bad boy was Endearingly Dorky, so she finally asked him out since he obviously wasn't going to make a move.
Been There, Shaped History: She helped develop both the infamously flawed L2 biotic implants and the stable but weaker L3 implants that replaced them.
Face Death with Dignity: Ellen was remarkably accepting of being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Even on her deathbed she was more focused on helping her family cope with it. Alec was the one who couldn't accept it, which drove most of his actions.
Good Parents: Unlike her more aloof husband, Ellen was by all accounts a loving mother who encouraged her children to be at their best and expand their horizons. Scott and Sara both miss her terribly, and are delighted to learn that she is still alive.
Happily Married: She deeply loved Alec. Audio logs of her remark that she's hoping to catch up on some anniversary dinners she and Alec missed while they were working.
Missing Mom: To the Ryder twins. While she's missing, that's not permanent: she is on the Nexus in cryostasis, under the pseudonym Elizabeth Reilly.
My God, What Have I Done?: She is implied to have had this reaction when she learned about the "long list of horrific side effects" her L2 implants caused, as she then went on to develop the L3 implants that sacrifice a lot of power in exchange for not hurting their users.
Not Quite Dead: One of Alec's recordings remarks that Ellen was put into cryo to halt the spread of her disease. And she's gone with the Initiative under a false name. No one other than Alec and SAM know about this, not even Scott or Sara.
Posthumous Character: Her work on biotic implants gave her eezo poisoning, which is a terminal disease. Both Scott and Sara mourn her. Of course, thanks to Alec's tireless efforts, she wasn't actually dead yet.
Your Days Are Numbered: Ellen has known this for a long time, ever since she was diagnosed with eezo poisoning.

The Nexus

Leadership

Jien Garson

Voiced by: Jamie Clayton

The mysterious founder of the Andromeda Initiative, who travelled to Andromeda aboard the Nexus, ahead of the Ark ships.

Bold Explorer: The entire purpose of the Andromeda Initiative is to settle and explore the Andromeda Galaxy. Publically, at least.
The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much: Her coroner's report mentions her body was severely burned. The Initiative higher-ups blamed it on the Scourge and tried not to think about it afterwards, shrugging off Jien being in a dark portion of the Nexus as disorientation.
Deal with the Devil: She didn't like the idea of working with the benefactor, but she was running out of money and had no choice. She very much considered it this.
Determinator: She spent over twenty years trying to drum up support for the Initiative.
Eccentric Millionaire: Described as such by various characters and the codex itself. Unlike most examples of this trope though she used her money quite productively by founding the Initiative and essentially creating an entirely new civilization in Andromeda.
Founder of the Kingdom: Not a kingdom, per se, but as the founder and leader of the Andromeda Initiative itself, the purpose of which is partly to build colonies in Andromeda.
Gender-Blender Name: Jien is a masculine Japanese first name.
Improbable Age: According to Tann, Jien was "young for a human" when she came up with the idea for the Initiative.
The Leader: For the Andromeda Initiative as a whole.
Locked Out of the Loop: She didn't know about the Reapers, and the Benefactor didn't bother telling her beyond a few vague hints.
Mysterious Backer: The Andromeda Initiative and Alec Ryder's AI research were backed at least in part by a mysterious benefactor who provided them with resources and money, and who apparently also possessed knowledge of the Reapers. In an audio recording, Jien expressed discomfort with this backer because she didn't know who they were. The popular bets on the identity of this benefactor are on Cerberus.
Non-Idle Rich: How else could you describe someone who put together something as big and powerful as the Andromeda Initiative.
Posthumous Character: It turns out that she is killed along with most of the Nexus leadership when the Nexus collided with the Scourge before the events of the game and a large wing of stasis pods (including hers) was destroyed. Of course, that's only the official story. In truth, she was murdered by an assailant likely sent along by the Mysterious Backer, and the Initiative likely didn't want to look into it further after the Scourge.
Settling the Frontier: Part of what her initiative is about.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: She hired Sloane Kelly because she felt the Blitz veteran's hatred for bureaucracy would be a boon. She had no way of knowing Sloane and said hatred would get her kicked off the Nexus, whereupon she formed a vicious criminal gang.
Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: Deconstructed. Jien had actually run out of money to fund the Initiative years back. Because a set of bleeding edge spaceships and the tech required to get to and settle another galaxy cost a lot. Enter the Benefactor...

Director Jarun Tann

Voiced by: Kumail Nanjiani

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jarun_tann___wisdom_and_knowledge.png

An egotistical salarian politician who was the Deputy Assistant of Revenue Management for the Nexus. Currently the acting Director of the Andromeda Project.

Bad Boss: Zig-Zagged with Reasonable Authority Figure. Many of the Nexus' problems can be traced back to Director Tann. His Fantastic Racism against the krogan caused them to rebel (while the Nexus was trying to recover from a previous rebellion), he is power-hungry and very controlling to the point of disregarding advice if they conflict with his personal opinion, he exiles anyone who speaks out against him and his policies (such as Keri if Ryder gives her truthful answers during her interviews), and he has any exile that tries to return executed as a traitor. He gets so bad by the end of the game (refusing to authorize the Pathfinder's mission to activate a device to terraform habital planets) that all the Pathfinders and the crew of the Tempest just completely ignore him and activate it anyway.
Beleaguered Bureaucrat: The guy is an accountant and in a position of authority he was not prepared for (with the whole him initially being fairly low down the leadership food chain thing, and all). It's made him rather insecure but he tries to hide it.
Embarrassing Nickname: Kesh likes to call him "Number Eight," as a reminder that he is eighth in line of being in charge of the whole Andromeda Initiative. She claims that it keeps him humble.
Fantastic Racism:
- He views the krogan as dangerous brutes that should never have been allowed into the Initiative. This led to all of the krogan save Kesh deserting the Initiative in retaliation for a reneged deal to give the krogan more political authority in exchange for their help quashing the Nexus uprising. While Tann wasn't the one who made this deal, he was against it, as he believed the krogan would ruin the Initiative if they did.
- He seems to have a bit of a condescending attitude toward the angara and a very colonialist attitude in general. During a conversation with an angaran diplomat, the diplomat asks what the Initiative can offer the angaran people and Tann responds with "knowledge and wisdom". The diplomat immediately fires back they have plenty of that already. Near the endgame, if Ryder nominates the Moshae to serve as ambassador, Tann will immediately complain that they're surrendering a lot of influence, only to be told that that's the entire point.
Hated by All: Addison, Kesh, or well, everyone, don't seem to care for him much.
Inferiority Superiority Complex: Tann is actually quite insecure, but he masks it with arrogance.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Tann is arrogant and unwilling to risk forfeiting his authority. However, his heart is in the right place. He also laments the hundreds of people who "died before they even woke up" because of The Scourge.
Karma Houdini: For all the problems he caused due to his Inferiority Superiority Complex, Fantastic Racism, and questionable competence, the only negative thing that can happen for him is for the Pathfinder to appoint Morda as the new ambassador, ensuring the krogans get the political power Tann denied them, and Tann has to deal with being terrified on a daily basis.
Pointy-Haired Boss: He (mostly) means well, but is largely incompetent. He clearly likes being in charge and bossing people around, but hates having to deal with the negative aspects of his job and often tries to foist that off on other people.
Promoted Fanboy: In-universe. He has nothing but the highest admiration for Jien Garson and what she had accomplished with the Andromeda Initiative. And then she died along with six other people who were above him and Tann was forced to take her place.
Propaganda Piece: Enlists the aid of an asari reporter to film a documentary that is supposed to distract the Nexus population away from the problems they are having. He'll have her arrested if she doesn't get the answers Tann wants.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Zig-Zagged with Bad Boss. Credit where credit's due, Tann very quickly figures out you're the protagonist and throws all the resources and political support he has at you. He only really refuses to support your course of action once, and he is quick to apologize when you turn out to be right. Even when you do something he totally disagrees with (supporting the krogan and the exiles most notably) he limits himself to a chilly warning of the possible consequences.
Rousing Speech: He likes giving these, but like the man they tend to come off as self important and trying a little too hard. The one he gives to the asari and salarians when their arks finally arrives is, not surprisingly, one of the better ones.
Selective Obliviousness: As part of his fantastic racism, he sees the krogan as brutes and that nothing they've done since joining the Initiative has changed his mind on this. Ignoring the fact that, per the Codex, several of the clans who joined up weren't involved in the Rebellions, most of the krogan are pretty non-typical krogan, like Kesh, who he works with on a day-to-day basis. And their pissed-off attitude is directly because of the way he treated them.
Self-Serving Memory: After the credits roll, he claims it's his sage advice and council that helped Ryder succeed, and that he always had faith in them. Yeah...
Stunned Silence: If Nakmor Morda is made ambassador, and Ryder goes to speak with him afterward, Tann is completely at a loss for words.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Self-important, likes power and being in a position of authority, thinks of himself as a big deal... hello, salarian Donnel Udina!
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Depends on the dialogue chosen. He and Ryder may get along just fine — or Ryder can be outright dismissive of Tann.
Unfit for Greatness: Due to everyone ahead of him in the chain of command dying, he has been forced to assume responsibilities that are far beyond his capabilities.
Volleying Insults: Director Tann is fully capable of giving as good as he gets:
Ryder: The way I see it, you need me. If I pull this off, maybe you'll look like the leader you pretend to be.
Tann: But first, you have to succeed at being the Pathfinder you pretend to be.
You Are in Command Now: After most of the Initiative leadership were killed prior to the events of the game, leadership fell to Tann.

Department of Colonial Affairs

Director Foster Addison

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/foster_addison_0.jpg

Voiced by: Zoe Telford

The human Director of Colonial Affairs for the Andromeda Initiative. Foster is tasked with overseeing all colonization logistics for the Initiative, and the settling of the Andromeda galaxy, making sure that all their settlements are up and running and that colonists have a place to live.

"Ass" in Ambassador: Apparently during a meeting with the angaran delegation to the Nexus, she swore a lot. Mercifully, the angaran diplomats weren't offended. They appreciated the emotional directness. They were also amused by the swearing.
Beleaguered Bureaucrat: As the Director of Colonial Affairs, it's her job to oversee all of the colonization efforts within the Andromeda Initiative. However, seeing as she has no colonies to direct, it's a little difficult for her to do her job.
Corrupt Bureaucrat: Not to the extent of her assistant director, but Addison has done a number of questionable things, including looking the other way when it was clear that Spender was corrupt, and hiring mercenaries, then turning to Ryder when they double-crossed her and started killing Initiative people, but asking Ryder not to let anyone else know what she'd done.
Could Say It, But...: If Ryder chooses, when settling Elaaden, to go for the "Fuck Tann" option, Addison will respond by saying she cannot comment.
Defrosting Ice Queen: She has no patience for joviality or incompetence, largely due to the state of the Initiative when Ryder first meets her. Every question or insight Ryder offers is met with hostility, because Addison wants to make it clear that these are not just words or abstracts. Every delay or mistake means people die. She unclenches slowly every time Ryder makes some practical progress, though she's always pretty brusque.
Did Not Think This Through: Minutes after explaining just how screwed everyone is if Ryder doesn't go out and find a suitable location for a colony, she tries to pull strings to prevent their ship from leaving the Nexus.
Didn't Want an Adventure: Addison's plan was to help with the early set up of colonization, then bugger off into quiet obscurity. Having to help pitch out the sinking ship that is the Initiative when Ryder finds it was not the plan at all.
First-Name Basis: She refers to Alec Ryder as merely "Alec". When the younger Ryder asks about it, wondering how "close" she was to their father, Addison states that it was not a term of endearment but a reminder that Alec hadn't earned being called anything else yet.
I'm not your new mother, if that's what you're asking.
Grammar Nazi: According to this exchange:
Addison: All right. What happened?
Ryder: To who?
Addison: To whom. And your goddamn father. Sorry, my face is tired from dealing with... everything.
- Notably, she herself uses "less" a few sentences later when she should have said "fewer."
Jerkass: Addison is not exactly a pleasant person, largely because of the stress of preventing the Andromeda Initiative from falling apart — a job she didn't even really want.
Jerkass Has a Point: Several times over the course of the game. Early on, she mentions her quite understandable concern with having Kandros, a military man and head of the Nexus' security force, being given more power in a civilian operation like the Initiative.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Addison does have some small redeeming qualities, caring about a friend of hers who convinced her to join the Initiative, tasking Ryder with finding and retrieving them when it looks like they've been abducted by outlaws. As it turns out, said friend is pissed off at Addison for not allowing the colonists to have children (and it's implied that Tann strong-armed Addison into this position).
- She's also in favor of allowing the Angara to represent the Cluster, and calls Tann a 'Colonial wad' for wanting the Initiative on top.
Lady Swears-a-Lot: Noticeably more foul-mouthed than the other Nexus leaders. She bluntly refers to Spender as an "ass" and declares dealing with complaints low on her give-a-shit list.
Last-Name Basis: She calls the Player Character Ryder until they've settled a number of outposts and lived up to their job. Ryder tries to call her on it, to no avail.
Addison: Ryder.
Ryder: It's "Pathfinder."
Addison: Ryder.
Mayor of a Ghost Town: When first met, Addison is Director of Colonial Affairs, but the only two colonies around ended badly, so she doesn't have much to do.
My God, What Have I Done?: If Ryder exposes the true extent of Spender's corruption, Foster is horrified that she allowed herself to ignore all the warning signs of what was going on just because it made her job easier.
- During Ryder's search for her missing colleague, Dr. Kennedy, when she learns that her policy banning pregnancies has put her friend and the first baby born in Andromeda in mortal danger from the kett.
- And, when she discovers that the privateers she armed and hired to guard Initiative convoys have turned pirate and attacked innocent settlers.
No Social Skills: Part of the reason she's so abrasive is because she absolutely did not want a job that involved interacting with people often, and yet what's happened has led to exactly that.
Odd Friendship: With Dr. Kennedy, who was the one who talked Addison into joining the Initiative. According to Addison, they hated each other on first meeting, and within thirty minutes of that had started a bar brawl. With a lacrosse team. And yet even after Kennedy left the Nexus in a huff, Addison still considers her a friend.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: If Ryder manages to reconcile the krogan with the Initiative, Addison retroactively claims New Tuchanka as an Initiative colony all along.
Settling the Frontier: As the Director of Colonial Affairs, helping colonists do so is basically her job.
Survival Mantra: When Ryder pushes the wrong button, questioning why Addison hasn't done anything about the complaints against Spender, Addison takes a moment to count to five before answering. Apparently, this is a common practice for her to stay calm.
Took a Level in Kindness: Addison becomes much less hostile to Ryder after Ryder establishes the Initiative's first outpost.
What the Hell, Hero?: She'll call Ryder out if they don't do their job and make sure the colony sites they choose are safe for the settlers.
Worth It: Should Ryder choose Nakmor Morda as ambassador, Addison will immediately complain about the massive headaches this brings her... then adds that it's all completely worth it just to see Tann soiling himself every time she gets angry.

Assistant Director William Spender

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/william_spender_at_colonial_affairs.png

The Assistant Director of Colonial Affairs. Drack suspects that Spender played a part in the Nexus uprising but cannot prove it, and asks Ryder to help him find proof.

Asshole Victim: No matter how you resolve his story arc, he deserves worse. Much worse.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: In the 14 months since the Nexus reached Andromeda, he's managed to piss off and betray virtually everyone he works with; the Nexus mutineers, the krogan, and the Initiative government he ostensibly works for, all for the sake of his own career advancement. If you choose to exile him from the Nexus, Drack notes that a lot of people will be gunning for him, and Drack himself is at the very top of that list.
Corrupt Bureaucrat: Oh yeah. All he cares about is his personal advancement, and he'll do anything and undermine anyone who gets in his way.
Dragon-in-Chief: To Director Addison. Or, more accurately, that is what he believes himself to be, to the point where he outright states that he's the one who runs Colonial Affairs.
Establishing Character Moment: Spender is first seen harassing a salarian engineer over installing equipment that is supposed to make sure everyone on the Nexus is able to breathe. Basically, he says "don't do it because I say so".
Evil Is Petty: After getting the krogan to quash the uprising and then reneging on their deal, Spender works with a gang of exiles to make sure the krogan colony on Elaaden fails by stealing their seed vault. He also has notes in his apartment that show he actively works on making everyone around him feel miserable. A note found in his apartment also shows he's trying to manipulate Addison into disliking Kesh.
Fantastic Racism: Hates Kesh and krogan in general. He doesn't seem to be too fond of salarians, either.
Hate Sink: He doesn't have any redeeming qualities, and exists to be disliked. How hated is he? If you choose to lock him up as opposed to exile Kesh mentions that she has engineers working to keep Spender from getting airlocked.
Hypocritical Humour: Among his belongings is an email record from someone requesting advice about how to work with lower-level employees. Spender's reply amounts to "try to be on their side". By this point, it is abundantly clear Spender has no use whatsoever for his own advice.
Jerkass: While he's nicer than some characters, such as The Archon, the guy makes Director Addison seem personable in comparison.
Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Some of the files in Spender's apartment have him express frustration at the technicians' resource management. Spender's idea of "proper resource management" is withholding air filters that allow people on the station to breathe, and trying to reroute the power that keeps the stasis pods active. That last one had Kesh threaten to airlock him.
Laser-Guided Karma: Regardless of which choice Ryder takes (and how much more he deserves), the end of Drack's plotline ends with everything Spender's worked for in ruins thanks to Ryder exposing him to the entire Initiative.
Literal Ass-Kicking: Kesh literally booted him out of engineering offscreen when she decided that his interference had gone too far. The witnesses were delighted.
Ryder: How literal are we talking here?
Del Jasin: Boot to ass. It was glorious.
Obstructive Bureaucrat: Very nearly to an art form.
Playing Both Sides: Provided the leader of the uprising with weapons and then woke the krogan up to deal with them. Why? He wanted a promotion.
Small Name, Big Ego: He's he assistant director of colonial affairs, but acts like he is (or should be) running the whole Initiative. He even thinks he's in a position to threaten the Pathfinder.
Smug Snake: Is thoroughly incompetent and is extremely unpopular, even with the leadership, and yet he is able to keep his job despite efforts to remove him from his position. Addison remarks that while she thinks he's a jerk, he's the only one who will take on the near-impossible duties. Even when he's caught out, he's utterly unapologetic about his deeds.
Villainous Breakdown: If he's just imprisoned, for the rest of the game he can be found in the Nexus' holding cells, holding his head in his hands.

Nexus Militia / APEX

Tiran Kandros

Voiced by: Steve Pirot

A turian who serves as the head of the combat forces and the commanding officer for multiplayer strike missions. Following the exile of the rebels he is the head of security for the Nexus. He is the cousin of Nyreen Kandros from Mass Effect 3's Omega DLC. He is also the protagonist of the comic book, Mass Effect: Discovery.

Air Quotes: Uses them when declaring himself "the good one" of his family.
Call-Back: He mentions that his cousin Nyreen became a pirate on Omega.
The Cavalry: During the final mission, Kandros shows up on Meridian with reinforcements.
The Infiltration: Based on the official summary for Mass Effect: Discovery, Tiran Kandros is a young turian military recruit who has gone undercover in order to infiltrate the Andromeda Initative.
Mission Control: He's the one giving orders during multiplayer missions.
Not So Above It All: If Ryder helps rescue the Natanus, Kandros will mention that his lieutenant threw a "we survived dark space" party for the turian recruits in the militia, leaving them "a little delicate" the next day. Kandros declines to say whether he partook and then tells Ryder not to ask so loudly.
The Paragon: Much to Kandros's annoyance. After his sister decided to be a sculptor instead of a soldier and his cousin Nyreen turned pirate on Omega, his traditionally military family looked to him with all the expectations. He claims it was the reason why he joined the Initiative, telling Ryder that he was tired of being the good one.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Second to Kesh in the line of reasonableness for Initiative authority, allowing Ryder to access security footage for both Spender and the Rensus case, and as he says is firmly on the side of 'keeping everyone alive' if Ryder voices breaking up the protest.
- That said, during said protest, he will advocate for marching them out at gunpoint despite it being mostly peaceful at the time - they only try to kill the plants feeding the station air if Ryder sides against them.
- During "Path of a Hero", if called on arresting Keri, he notes that Tann had wanted to exile her. He just went with temporarily putting her in a cell.
Sole Survivor: Implied to be this, based on a line in a preview of the comic, showing a scene where Kandros's unit had been ambushed and killed almost to a man.
Kandros: My unit fought hard to the end. Facing their end bravely, as any turian would. I'd have given my life alongside them, just as proudly...
You Are in Command Now: Tiran didn't start off in charge of security, that was Sloane Kelly. Tiran and a group of others got captured by the kett while they were out on a mission. Tiran escaped, grabbed a gun and managed to free everyone else. By the time everything was over, he'd fallen into being in charge. And then Sloane mutinied, and the rest was history.

Other Nexus Residents

Superintendent Nakmor Kesh

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nakhor_kesh.jpg

Voiced by: Allegra Clark

A female krogan engineer who serves as the Nexus Superintendent for the Andromeda Initiative. She oversees construction and engineering aboard the Nexus. She's also the granddaughter of Nakmor Drack.

Action Girl: Averted, as unlike other krogans, she prefers to overlook the works around the Nexus instead of doing any fighting.
Action Girlfriend: Downplayed, she's not much of a fighter. But she's better than her botanist boyfriend.
Action Mom: If you complete the main storyline quests and Nakmor Drak's loyalty quests, she gives birth to a clutch of her own, fathered by her partner Nakmor Vorn.
Battle Couple: Zigzagged. Initially, she and Nakmor Vorn subvert it, as she's the Action Girlfriend and he's a Non-Action Guy. Played straight in the end sequence, where he gets a case of Took a Level in Badass by using his genetically engineered gas-plants as grenades to fight against the Kett.
Babies Ever After: In the epilogue, Kesh and Vorn successfully produce a clutch with no losses to the genophage.
Beleaguered Bureaucrat: Similar to Addison above, but in this case it's keeping the Nexus online. Overlaps a bit with Badass Bureaucrat as her ability to manage limited resources kept the Nexus intact in spite of the uprising.
Call-Back: She belongs to Clan Nakmor, which sent an ambassador to Clan Urdnot that Shepard encountered on Tuchanka during the events of Mass Effect 2.
Heroic Lineage: By krogan standards. Aside from her grandad, her great-grandmother is the legendary warlord Shiagur.
Large and in Charge: Subverted in that despite being a krogan and the Nexus Superintendent, she's actually rather small for a krogan, being shorter than Tann.
Mama Bear: For her crew. An early conversation has one of them mentioning that she delivered literal boot-to-ass when Spender was bullying them.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: While she dislikes the genophage, she remarks that the krogan really forced the hands of the salarians and turians. She gets pissed however, if Ryder rescues Pathfinder Raeka and abandons her grandfather's scouting teams.
Nice Girl: Her very first words are in defense of you and showing you support. Notable if Ryder saves Raeka instead of the krogan scouts. While Kesh is massively pissed, she never actually yells at Ryder for it, the closest she comes being warning them to avoid Drack until he calms down.
No-Sell: A questline on Kadara has Ryder fetching some strong booze for her, at the request of one of her underlings. Afterward, it turns out despite Ryder having the forethought to order an entire six-pack of the stuff, it still didn't have any effect on her.
Not So Above It All: The most sensible and level-headed of the Initiative higher-ups, but it's possible to wander in on her blowing off Tann pestering her with Fake Static.
- You can deliver flowers from Vorn to her, at which point she scoffs at him wasting time and resources to be sentimental. When Ryder then asks if this means she doesn't want them, she immediately wants Ryder to hand them over.
Raised by Grandparents: She was raised by her grandfather Drack in place of her parents.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Kesh is probably the most reasonable and friendly authority figure on the Nexus, and will outright admit she likes Ryder. Also, she makes sure all the airlocks on the Nexus are working perfectly after Spender's arrested. She may have every reason to hate the guy, but no-one's getting airlocked on her watch.
Stuff Blowing Up: According to Drack, Kesh wasn't born a superintendent. She started out really liking taking machinery apart. And creating lots of sparking explosions.
Sweet Tooth: She loves Galaxy Swirls. An overheard conversation on the Hyperion's arrival to the Nexus involves a salarian looking through the ship's inventory, noting they have an abundant supply, and being told he'd have to fight Kesh to get them.
Thrown Out the Airlock: Played with. On one hand, she threatens to throw Spender out one when he harasses her engineers one too many times, if he is jailed she makes sure all airlocks are properly sealed to prevent it from happening.
"No one is getting airlocked on my watch."
Troll: She hired Vetra for the Initiative, and neglected to mention this to her grandfather when he ran into her fetching something for Kesh. He didn't learn until he got back to Kesh and found Vetra sitting there.
What the Hell, Hero?: She's not pleased if Ryder chooses to save Pathfinder Raeka instead of Drack's scouts.

Keri T'vessa

Voiced by: Rebecca Night

An asari journalist tasked by Tann to create a documentary on the Andromeda Initiative. She is a romance option for a Ryder of either gender.

Consummate Professional: Zig-Zagged Trope. Once Keri learns Ryder is romantically interested in her, it becomes almost impossible to keep her professional interest and her romantic interest in them separate. At one point, she makes a Freudian Slip making it clear she already sees them as a couple, and on another occasion, she hears that Ryder briefly "died" and can't hold back her emotional relief and joy at seeing they're okay. That said, she does make it clear that nothing sexual can happen until after the documentary is finished so that it doesn't compromise her work's integrity.
The Cutie: She's one of, if not the, youngest sounding asari encountered. Combining that with a general niceness and innocence despite the harsh conditions in Andromeda, and she's here.
Disproportionate Retribution: If you give Keri the kind of answers that Director Tann doesn't like (i.e. the truth) he'll have her arrested (with the mention he wanted to exile her as a first resort). He lets her go, however. Eventually.
I Will Wait for You: If she becomes Ryder's girlfriend, she promises to always be waiting for them when they return to the Nexus.
The Mistress: Keri is perfectly fine with being Ryder's second, and secret, lover. She doesn't care that Ryder shares their heart with someone else — she simply loves them and loves spending time with them, at one point even stating that she's asked the bartender at Vortex to make sure Ryder's Love Interest doesn't catch them.
Morton's Fork: Regardless of the answers you choose during her interview segments she will go through some hardships before things get better, either by landing in a jail cell for reporting the unembellished truth or by being attacked by angry colonists for sugarcoating the actual situation.
My God, What Have I Done?: Based on what she says in her cell, reporting the truth in her documentary had unforeseen consequences. Namely, riots.
Polyamory: Played With. Keri tells Ryder early in their flirting that she doesn't mind if they want to share their heart with another. In most cases, however, Ryder's other lover will believe themselves to be exclusive. The only permanent exception is Avela Kjar, who also accepts that male Ryder has a life away from her. Peebee can also be an exception before her Loyalty Mission, but afterwards, she wants Ryder exclusively, too.
Propaganda Piece: What Director Tann would have her film, while she would prefer to document the truth. Ryder can make a case for either argument when discussing it.

Sidera Nyx

Voiced by: Eleanor Matsuura

Vetra's kid sister, currently working in Operations on the Nexus.

Big Sister Worship: She gives Vetra a hard time, but she really looks up to both her and Ryder and only wants to be of help.
Damsel in Distress: She gets taken hostage at the end of Vetra's loyalty mission.
If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Defied. If Ryder is in a relationship with Vetra, Sid asks if they expect her to give them this talk, saying Vetra's an adult and can take care of herself. Besides, she thinks they make a cute couple.
Fangirl: She constantly gushes over how awesome Ryder is.
Hero-Worshipper: In particular, she thinks Ryder is the "Best. Pathfinder. Ever.". On top of that, she thinks her sister is doing an amazing job as well.
Intrigued by Humanity: Vetra mentions Sid has a lot of interest in human stuff and borrows some of their turns of phrase.
Kid Hero: A very subtle version of one, given that she's been using her position on the Nexus to help people and, depending on Ryder's encouragement, will continue doing so even if it gets dangerous. Addison expressly demeans her for being a "teenager."
Noodle Implements:
Cora: Vetra, what’s up? You keep sighing.
Vetra: Do I? Sorry. Sid asked if I could get her a timer, medi-gel, and fifteen pairs of socks. That can't be good.
One Head Taller: Notable in the epilogue, when the two stand next to one another. Sid is actually slightly taller than her sister.
Shipper on Deck: If Ryder and Vetra hook up, Sid immediately starts to gush and make horrible jokes about their relationship when her sister tells her.
Spanner in the Works: Unintentionally for Addison, when Sid uncovers her plot.
Tagalong Kid: She's a minor in turian terms and tags along to help on Vetra's mission.
Unwanted Assistance: Vetra's loyalty quest is a result of Sid's attempt to prove that she's grown up enough to help out. She impersonates her sister and uses a bunch of favors that various people owed her to help out some people who were exiled from the Nexus, resulting in them getting captured by someone who was out for revenge, then put herself in danger trying to help Vetra and Ryder fix the mess. Also, she used a bunch of favors that Vetra had been planning on using later.
Younger Than They Look: She looks like any other (adult) turian, but dialogue reveals she's actually a minor in turian terms.

Avina

Voiced by: Dannah Feinglass

The virtual intelligence tour guide first encountered aboard the Citadel in the Original Trilogy. Avina is installed aboard the Nexus as part of the Andromeda Initiative and can be accessed on terminals throughout the ship. As with her Milky Way counterpart, the virtual intelligence is designed to answer questions and provide guidance and insight on current events. With a limited capacity for discourse, Avina is more suited to offering information rather than opinions.

Adaptational Modesty: This new iteration of Avina appears dressed in military workman uniform, whereas she first appeared in very form-fitting attire, to the point of Barbie Doll Anatomy.
Blue-Skinned Space Babe: Not her, specifically, but she is a virtual intelligence with a holographic interface that was built to resemble an asari, who do happen to be a race of blue-skinned space babes.
Call-Back: Yes, she's that Avina from the Citadel from the original trilogy.
Dissonant Serenity: Being a pre-programmed VI, she retains her unflinching cheerfulness regardless of the situation, including when Knight's people hack her to spout anti-AI information.
Did you know artificial intelligence like me is a threat to all sapient life?
Grand Theft Me: During the "Firefighters" sidemission, she gets hijacked by an anti-AI hacker to serve as his "sock puppet" to covertly contact Ryder.
Nice Girl: Like her Milky Way counterpart, Avina is impeccably polite.
Projected Man: She appears to users as a holographic asari.
Robo Speak: Slips into this on Ryder's arrival at the Nexus, since she's unable to identify when everything will be livable.
Avina: Estimated time to colonization... UNKNOWN ERROR.
Viewer-Friendly Interface: Can't get more user-friendly than a holographic avatar that you're able to interact with merely by talking.

Knight

"Knight" / Katherine Night

An anti-AI activist who first comes to Ryder's attention when they try to cripple SAM and sever their connection.

Absurdly Youthful Mother: She looks surprisingly young for someone whose kid is at least somewhere near his twenties. Admittedly, in the Mass Effect universe, humans live longer, but still...
Anti-Villain: She may be head of an anti-AI group, but she thinks she's doing the right thing, and desperately tried rescuing her son from Cerberus before the story. However, she starts loosing the "anti" when she tries bombing the Nexus' computer systems, which are needed for the station and those onboard to survive.
Avenging the Villain: If Ryder gets her killed, her son Alain promises he will take revenge on Ryder.
Break Them by Talking: It's possible to do this provided you figure out why she hates AI so much and build a device (thanks to SAM) that helps out Alain. Ryder can then call her out on what she's doing and even point out that SAM helped her son which causes her to stand down and be arrested, with Alain helping your science team as "community service".
Broken Pedestal: Should Ryder talk her down, afterward it's clear Alain's view of her has taken a massive hit.
Character Death: If Ryder fails to work out her motivation without being caught, Knight cannot be talked down, and is shot on Kandros's orders.
Fantastic Racism: Towards all AI, though not without justification. If Ryder and SAM help Alain, she starts turning around.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Believes that if SAM is seen as too successful, the Initiative higher-ups will force them on people, including those who aren't capable of handling the responsibility. So she tries to kill SAM, and destroy the Nexus' computers to prevent them making more.

Nexus Science Team

The head research team on the Nexus. They are Suvi's coworkers who transferred her onto the Nexus. Includes the asari Doctor Aridana, the salarian Professor Henrik, and the turian Chief Lucan. Other scientists get shipped to Havarl to study the amazing cell mutations there.

Actual Pacifist: They despise violence, even against AI.
Boxed Crook: "Crook" is pushing it, but if Knight stands down, Alain joins them as part of his community service.
For Science!: Averted. They are quite clear that their studies should have a practical purpose.
Let's Get Dangerous!: They're running all of the coordination when Meridian is found and the Archon seizes the Hyperion.
Motor Mouth: Ryder can potentially walk in on the tail-end of what sounds like a lengthy lecture about the diversity and adaptive powers of Heleus plantlife that turns out to have come in response to Aridana asking Henrik whether a given plant was safely edible. She has to prompt him for the actual answer to her question. ("Yes," so long as it's cooked, apparently.)
Multinational Team: Sci-fi variant with different races. Asari, salarian, turian, and even human with Suvi and possibly, Alain Knight and the krogan Nakmor Vorn.
Omnidisciplinary Scientist: All of them: Aridana is an astronomer, mathematician, and skilled with AI; Henrik is a xenobiologist skilled with both flora and fauna, and Lucen is an oceanographer and geologist. As an asari, Aridana had time to pick up the degrees, and salarians are known to pick up skills quickly, but Lucen is a bit odd.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: They assist Ryder in finding Khi Tasira, over Tann's orders, giving them the Ghost Storm technology.
Ryder: Thank you.
Doctor Aridana: For what? We've just been collating gamma surges, all afternoon.

Nilken Rensus

A turian from the Nexus, and one of the colonists from the failed Eos sites. Labelled the first murderer in Andromeda, whose innocence Ryder has to prove.

All There in the Manual: Turians with no facial markings are considered liars. Nilken has no facial markings.
Apologetic Attacker: Apologised before firing on Reynolds.
Cassandra Truth: Insists the kett were the ones who killed Reynolds, but, what with their public argument and Reynold's last words being a Big "NO!" no-one believes him. It turns out he was right on that front. A kett shot Reynolds at the exact same time he did.
Clear My Name: Insists he's innocent, and asks Ryder to prove it. Turns out he's innocent of the actual death, but he had tried to shoot his friend and superior all the same.
Cruel Mercy: Having him released rather than exiled means everyone knows what he did, and as a result he becomes a pariah on the Nexus. Eventually, it gets so bad he tries to be returned to stasis.
Happily Married: His wife insists Nilken didn't commit the murder. Averted if Ryder doesn't have Nilken exiled, she'll divorce him when he doesn't tell her truth. If Ryder has him exiled, they do stick together, because he did.
I Did What I Had to Do: Says as such if Ryder finds him on Kadara.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: An e-mail found at Site 2 suggests the Uprising was going to kick off anyhow, with the Initiative in as bad a state as it was, but the failure of Site 2 and Nilken's apparent act of murder was what gave everyone casus belli.

Ark Hyperion

Captain Nozomi Dunn

The human female captain of the Hyperion.

Authority Equals Asskicking: When the Archon attacks the Hyperion to capture SAM and the unchosen Ryder twin, she doesn't hesitate to pick up an assault rifle and become the only NPC in the whole segment that inflicts any notable damage on the opposition.
The Captain: She is in charge of the Hyperion, the Ark ship carrying twenty thousand humans to the Andromeda Galaxy. Invoked against Alec when he tries to take command.
Determined Homesteader: Once the sleepers have awakened, she plans on making a solid home on Meridian and has a friend helping her get it all together. Of course, if she survives.
Going Down with the Ship: An odd variation, if she lives. She'll refuse to leave the Hyperion even after it's crashed because it's her ship, and as far as she's concerned everyone else hasn't gotten off yet. Once the last sleeper is let out, then she'll leave.
Hellbent For Leather: She's one of a handful of NPCs who wear uniforms with a distinctly leather-like texture.
Heroic Sacrifice: A possibility. She sends all of the Hyperion's crew down to the evacuation and crash-lands the Hyperion on Meridian to stop the Archon. She dies, but the rest of the world survives. However, it is possible to save her if you've connected with and acquired the support of the other Pathfinders before the battle.
The Men First: She makes it clear to Alec that the safety of the colonists is her concern. During her Heroic Sacrifice, she makes sure the escape pods get all of the power they need when she crash lands the ship, so that they can survive.
Power Hair: Her short haircut befits her firm and no-nonsense demeanor.
Protectorate: Makes it clear that she considers the humans, and presumably other species, on board the Ark to be hers. She puts their safety before any other concerns.
Reasonable Authority Figure
- When Alec Ryder tries to override her authority she calmly but firmly shuts him down, before laying down the available options for debate, while making it clear that the final decision is hers. Notably, Alec comes around to her way of thinking as soon as he listens to her reasoning.
- As captain of the human ark, Dunn has the authority to strip the human pathfinder of their position of she feels it is necessary. Her support of Scott/Sara despite Alec ignoring the line of succession is what allowed them to get started on fixing the Initiative's problems.

Dr. Harry Carlyle

Voiced by: Daniel Riordan

A male human doctor who worked on the Hyperion and part of Alec Ryder's Pathfinder team.

Combat Medic: Subverted. He's brought to the front lines because Alec figures having medical staff on hand during the landing on Habitat 7 is a good idea. After the mission, he realizes that the front lines aren't for him, and switches positions with Lexi.
Feeling Their Age: The reason he steps down from being the Tempest's medic. Habitat 7 made him realize he'd gotten too old for field work, and so it was best handed off to a younger generation. Even if, in this case, the younger generation is more than twice his age.
Intergenerational Friendship: With Lexi. Something of an odd case, since she's more than two hundred years old yet still considered the 'junior' in the relationship. Harry lampshades it in a message when describes himself as 'an old man less than half [her] age.'
The Medic: He was the chief human medical officer on the Hyperion, as it was the human ark.
Non-Action Guy: Habitat 7 was too much fire for him, so he decided to stay on in the safer Nexus to look after the NPC Ryder.
Protectorate: He considers it his job to watch over NPC Ryder. This is reinforced in a message he sends Lexi.
Harry: You take care of your Ryder, I'll take care of mine.
Those Two Guys: He's close with Doctor Lexi. She agreed to take his place on the Tempest as a result.

Alec Ryder's Pathfinder team

Alec Ryder's initial choice of specialists for the visit to Habitat 7.

The Cavalry: They all join in at the final fight at Meridian.
Character Death: Kirkland is shot dead by the kett for no readily apparent reason, besides establishing a little more that the kett are dicks.
Distressed Dude: Greer is set upon by some kett. Whether Ryder saves him in time or not is an optional objective. If they don't, he's dragged off to the nearby kett base and vivisected.
Doomed Hometown: Kirkland is from Eden Prime, and was present when Saren and the geth stormed through.
Dwindling Party: On Habitat 7, between all the events that go on, by the end of it the only three members of the initial team still capable of standing (in some cases, literally) are Ryder, Liam and Cora.
Mauve Shirt: They all get some interaction early on, but after Habitat 7, they drop off, either because they're recovering from injuries, too shaken by the experience, or just dead.
Two Girls to a Team: Hayes and Cora are the only gals on Alec's team if the player chooses Scott. Obviously not the same if you chose Sara.

Second Wave Specialists

A trio of humans from the Hyperion, woken up at the beginning of the second wave of colonization. Consists of Iora Pilay, Hunter Kerry and Darla vas Hyperion.

Bubble Boy: Darla mentions having spent her entire childhood in a quarian environment suit.
Happily Adopted: Darla lived on a quarian ship growing up, which is why she uses their naming structure.
Jerkass: Hunter, while not quite as awful as some other folks, is pretty rude and irritating to others.
Last Episode, New Character: They only appear after the end credits, because it's only by that point the situation has calmed down enough for their jobs to be required.
No Social Skills: Iora's second conversation with Ryder has her snap at them, before apologizing and admitting human interaction takes her a bit of a run-up.
Ultimate Job Security: Hunter declares that, thanks to the situation the Initiative's in, the whole thing is an organizational nightmare. Which is good for him, since it means job security.

Ark Natanus

Captain Dea Praeton

The captain of the ark, Dea was a renowned former Sixth Fleet pilot.

Book Dumb: A message can be found of her telling Macen not to send her science-related stuff unless it has pictures since she can't make sense of it otherwise.
Determinator: It was thanks to her and the turian SAM that Natanus even got to where they were going.
Going Down with the Ship: Averted. She is said to have left the Natanus on one of the logs. Given that the ship was on minimal power and barely holding together, staying would simply have been suicide.
The Men First: She put a lot of power into cryo to save what turians she could. Thanks to her, the Natanus loses even fewer people than the Leusinia by about 3,000.

Pathfinder Macen Barro

The turian pathfinder, currently missing in action.

The Engineer: While in Blackwatch, he was a decorated combat engineer, a la Garrus.
Dead All Along: Died shortly after the turian ark hit the Scourge. It is only when Ryder and Avitus go to investigate that they discover what happened to him..
Hope Spot: Rix mentions that he's certain Macen is alive because SAM would've transferred to him if Macen died. However, Macen is in fact dead. The connection with SAM was damaged when the ark hit the Scourge and interrupted Macen's attempt at transference.
The Lost Lenore: Once it becomes clear that Macen is dead, he becomes this for Avitus, who spends the rest of the game in mourning regardless of whether or not he becomes the new Pathfinder.
Odd Couple: Macen is a model turian citizen in a society that highly emphasizes rules and regulations while Avitus is a former Spectre who enjoys bending the rules. Furthermore, where Avitus admits to "not being a feelings guy", Macen has no problem openly saying that he wants his lover's face to be the last thing he sees in the Milky Way.
The Paragon: Considered a model citizen in the Turian Hierarchy.

Avitus Rix

Voiced by: Trevor White

An ex-Spectre, and the second-in-command for the Turian Pathfinder team. Finds Ryder on Havarl while being under attack by Roekaar fanatics.

Ace Pilot: Avitus is an extremely skilled fighter pilot, which he proves during the final battle.
Affectionate Nickname: Macen calls him Avi.
The Alcoholic: If he doesn't become Pathfinder, he ends up as a drunk mercenary on Kadara. Even before then, it is mentioned that Avitus enjoys his horosk.
Classified Information: When Ryder tries asking him about his past when they first meet, he mentions as a Spectre everything he did was classified. And no, the fact he's retired, and several million light years and centuries away from his superiors isn't going to change that.
Determinator: It takes a lot of effort to claw out of an escape pod, considering they're designed to endure deep space.
Evil Mentor: Avitus's mentor was Saren Arterius himself. Interestingly, when asked about if the supposed years doing the council's dirty business broke him, and mentions the actions as "rumors", indicating he doesn't actually believe some of it.
I Will Find You: Spends most of the game looking for the turian Pathfinder.
Heartbroken Badass: Once Avitus is forced to face the fact that Macen is dead, he spends the rest of the game in mourning and either becomes an alcoholic mercenary or throws himself into tracking down the rest of the turian survivors while refusing to speak to a grief counselor. In the latter case, he proves to be a huge asset in the final battle.
Hot-Blooded: According to Macen's last words, he has a bit of a temper.
Knight in Sour Armor: Despite his initial claims, he proves to be a strong temporary leader for the turians in a time of crisis. If he becomes the Pathfinder, he makes that leadership more permanent.
Light Is Not Good: Wears mostly-white armor and has a white carapace, but as a Spectre (personally sponsored by Saren, no less) he would not be a stranger to using some pretty brutal methods.
The Men First: A standard turian mantra, but he's keeping things calm among the turians on Havarl, and later among the initiative as a whole if he becomes the new Pathfinder.
Mysterious Past: Spectre dealings aside, he also apparently has some history with Kaetus, Sloane's right-hand turian, though neither elaborate on this.
Not So Stoic: Despite saying he's "not a feelings guy", he becomes increasingly upset as he and Ryder explore the turian Ark and piece together what happened to Macen.
Number Two: To Macen. After he finds out about Macen's death, Ryder can encourage him to step into Macen's shoes.
The One Guy: If Sara Ryder is the human Pathfinder and saves Raeka on the Archon's flagship, Avitus can end up as the only male Pathfinder.
Retired Badass: Andromeda was supposed to be Avitus's retirement plan, after serving as a Spectre for many years.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: He refuses to believe Saren turned on the Council entirely of his own free will, believing something happened to make him do it, but just thinks he went mad, not knowing about indoctrination.
Straight Gay: In a relationship with the turian pathfinder, Macen.
You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Ryder can tell basically tell him this to convince him to take up the mantle of Turian Pathfinder.

Ark Leusinia

Captain Elonis Atandra

The asari captain of Ark Leusinia.

The Captain: She is in charge of the Leusinia, the Ark ship carrying 20,000 asari to the Andromeda Galaxy.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite her dislike of Sarissa, it takes something truly egregious for her to strip Sarissa of the Pathfinder position. She is also quick to trust Ryder's judgement, realizing that a Pathfinder has better knowledge of the situation.
What the Hell, Hero?: Let's just say that she is not the biggest fan of Sarissa, especially when she finds out the truth about Matriarch Ishara's death.

Pathfinder Ishara

The original asari pathfinder, Matriarch Ishara is a highly respected diplomat. She was killed in a kett assault when the Valiant attacked Ark Leusinia.

Due to the Dead: On the Leusinia, there is a shrine dedicated to her in one of the abandoned rooms, with her helmet as the centerpiece.
The Paragon: She's described as an outstanding diplomat of great wisdom and capabilities in almost everything. Considering that her first diplomatic mission in Heleus ended in a shootout and her death because she couldn't defend herself without her treacherous bodyguard's support, it comes across as somewhat of an Informed Ability instead.
Posthumous Character: Died when the kett attacked Ark Leusinia after her second-in-command, Sarissa, left her to die in order to retrieve a kett module containing tactical data.
Really 700 Years Old: Was a matriarch when she died, and so would have been somewhere between 750 and 1,000 years old.
Technical Pacifist: While the role of Pathfinder does involve combat wherever necessary, Ishara's background is in diplomacy and law, having served as a judge on Thessia. Sarissa also claims that Ishara died trying to negotiate with the kett, though given that an audio file shows that she died in combat right after Sarissa abandoned her, Sarissa's claim might have to be taken with a grain of salt.

Pathfinder Sarissa Theris

The asari pathfinder. Sarissa Theris is Matriarch Ishara's tiamna^note and successor, who stole a kett module that contained a wealth of tactical data when the Valiant attacked Ark Leusinia.

Barrier Warrior: During Cora's loyalty mission, she and Cora protect a section of the Leusinia that is exposed to space from a kett broadside with a massive biotic barrier. Also, when discussing Sarissa, Cora mentions a battle Sarissa fought in where her barriers played a key role.
Bodyguard Betrayal: When the kett attacked Ark Leusinia, Sarissa prioritized retrieving kett tactical data over protecting Matriarch Ishara, the asari pathfinder.
Break the Haughty: If her secret is revealed but she's allowed to continue her work as Pathfinder, she becomes a lot less smug and arrogant during later encounters aboard the Nexus. Having to make amends to one's entire species probably tends to do that to a person.
Cora: You can survive without forgiveness. They train us for that, too.
Broken Pedestal: For Cora, after she and Ryder discover what Sarissa did.
Fallen Hero: For Cora, and also the crew of Ark Leusinia if the truth about her succession gets out.
I Did What I Had to Do: She views it acceptable to have abandoned Ishara to keep the kett data, as it would help their ark get out of the Scourge. Later, she kept this a secret, since she believes she, as the Pathfinder, must inspire hope in the other asari. The player can agree or disagree with this.
Meaningful Name: A sarissa is a Greek polearm popularized by the Macedonian Phalanx.
Military Maverick: Implied by Captain Atandra. After finding out that Sarissa left Pathfinder Ishara to die while she escaped with the Kett data, she makes a reference to Sarissa's "hare-brained schemes." Should she retain her position as Pathfinder, her Codex entry notes that back in the Milky Way she was one of these, frequently performing risky acts for great reward and getting away with it. It just happens that this time, it bit her in the ass, and hard.
The Needs of the Many: Sarissa chose saving the ark by stealing the kett data over saving Ishara's life. It could be argued that Sarissa did the right thing... but given that the Leusinia is in the state that it's in because she stole the data...
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Sarissa's theft of the kett navigational data made the kett desperate to track the asari down to make sure no one else could have it, and they came dangerously close to destroying the ark and the asari species with it. As valuable as that data is, it is implied that if Sarissa hadn't stolen it, the Leusinia would have been able to get to the Nexus on its own like the Hyperion did. If the Hyperion hadn't made it, Sarissa's actions could have doomed the whole initiative.
Atandra: One of your harebrained schemes got Ishara killed?
Sarissa: The kett killed her. I had to make sure the ark could escape them.
Atandra: And we did... again and again while they hunted us down! It's only dumb luck that Ryder found us!
The Paragon: Sarissa argues that a Pathfinder is supposed to be this when she is found out and chose to lie to keep looking like a hero. You may choose to keep her secret, in which case she remains as Pathfinder, and a hero in the asari's eyes. You can also rat her out but convince the Ark crew to keep Sarissa as their Pathfinder even so, which results in her becoming much more humble when you talk to her afterwards.
Purple Is Powerful: Wears a purple bodysuit underneath her armor.
Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: If Ryder reveals what she did and doesn't argue in favor of her keeping her position, the last word on her is that she gathered up her stuff and left without a word to anyone.
Skewed Priorities: During the Leusinia's flight from the kett, she made the decision to let the command crew's families out, instead of vital personnel. Which the Leusinia actually needed. Thoughtful, but given the circumstances, spectacularly dumb.
The Smurfette Principle: If Scott Ryder is the human Pathfinder and sacrifices Raeka on the Archon's flagship, Sarissa will be the only female pathfinder.
Warrior Poet: She is the author of several battle manuals which, going by Cora's direct quotes, tend to lean toward the poetic. For example:
Cora: "A huntress without the trust of her team stands alone: she is a tree in the desert, bearing only defiance."
Sarissa: My own words, Lieutenant?
What the Hell, Hero?: First she abandons her Pathfinder for something the kett have been chasing the Ark all over space for, and then lies about the true reason why Ishara was killed so that she could still be seen as "their shining hero". Captain Atandra calls her out hard if the truth comes out.
While You Were in Diapers: If Ryder criticizes Sarissa for risking the entire ark by stealing kett navigational data, Sarissa snidely remarks that she was studying tactics when Ryder's ancestors were toddlers. Of course, Ryder shoots right back.
Sarissa: I was doing this before your ancestors were alive.
Ryder: And yet, here we are.

Vederia Damali

An inexperienced asari huntress encountered aboard Ark Leusinia. She helps you fight off the kett and conduct repairs on the ship in order to escape the Valiant. She is also next in the asari Pathfinder line of succession.

Barrier Warrior: If she is Pathfinder, she'll destroy the Archon's ships with a biotic field.
Ensign Newbie: Vederia lacks experience, and it shows during the mission, having only gotten the job a week before Ryder showed up (on account of everyone else being dead or gone). After she is made Pathfinder, Vederia can be seen in Pathfinder HQ on the Nexus, asking Cora for advice.
Humble Hero: In contrast to Sarissa, she is much humbler about herself and her talents.
Purple Is Powerful: Wears a purple bodysuit underneath her armor.
Redeeming Replacement: If she becomes the asari Pathfinder.
Religious Bruiser: Ryder can note that Vederia draws a lot of her strength from her faith, and she agrees, stating that it comforts her to know that she is not alone. If she's made Pathfinder, she'll also mention that the asari SAM in her head makes that doubly true.
The Smurfette Principle: If Scott Ryder is the human Pathfinder and sacrifices Raeka on the Archon's flagship, Vederia will be the only female pathfinder.
Walking Armory: She carries two big rifles and a submachine gun for a total of three guns, more than any other NPC in the game — even more than Sarissa.
You Are in Command Now: If Sarissa's secret gets out and Ryder doesn't argue otherwise, Captain Atandra hands her the title of Pathfinder, as she was next in the line of succession.

Ark Paarchero

Captain Lumont Hayjer

The captain of the salarian ark.

Ambadassador: He can become the interim leader.
The Cavalry: He'll take the field by Ryder's side during the assault on Meridian, whether or not he succeeds Raeka as Pathfinder.
Indy Ploy: Rigs up an EMP on the fly to disable the kett guns. The trope is par the course for salarians, but Lumont is highly adept at it. The Faking the Dead plot Pathfinder Raeka executed was also his brainchild.
The Leader: If he becomes the salarian Pathfinder, he tends to speak for the non-human Pathfinders as a whole, and is treated as the de-facto voice of authority.
The One Guy: Hayjer is the only male arc captain.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Like Raeka if he succeeds her. Salen Varn never suspected him of having any involvement with the plan to surrender the salarian ark, stating Hayjer isn't corrupt.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: If he's Pathfinder, and Ryder comes to him looking for help investigating the capture of the salarian ark, he'll suggest they do something which is not technically legal: search a high-ranking salarians' quarters without a warrant or their permission.
Took a Level in Badass: Before the Paachero reached Andromeda, Hayjer was just a ship's captain and nothing more. During the course of storming the kett ship, he manages to rig up an impressive EMP. And that's without the possibility of him becoming Pathfinder.
You Are in Command Now: If the krogan are rescued instead of Raeka, then he will succeed her as Pathfinder. Unlike the asari and turian replacements, he will immediately take over without much prompt from Ryder.

Pathfinder Zevin Raeka

Voiced by: Gemma Whelan

The salarian pathfinder.

Action Girl: Particularly unusual for salarian women, as they are usually politicians and kept from the front lines. Her codex entry marks she started to train as one, but decided against it.
Ambadassador: Like Ryder, she's prominent in the interactions between the Initiative and the Andromeda races, whether on the battlefield or in negotiations. Depending or your actions, she may also become the official representative for the Initiative.
Badass Adorable: Her voice is sweet and bubbly, but she is a trained soldier. She's good enough that Drack, who as a rule hates salarians, thinks she's impressive (and asks if they're sure she's not part-krogan).
Brought Down to Normal: She deactivated her SAM when the ark was attacked, as part of the Faking the Dead plot. She re-activates her SAM upon returning to the Nexus if she's still alive.
Character Death: Dies if Ryder saves the krogan scouts over her.
Faking the Dead: Places an already deceased salarian in her cryo pod to fool the kett.
Genius Bruiser: She's a deadly warrior and trained with a weapon. But back in the Milky Way, she gained great fame by restoring biological diversity to her colony world of Erinle mentioned in the codex of Mass Effect 2.
It's All My Fault: She feels tremendously guilty if Ryder saves her instead of the scouts, believing that her bidding Ryder goodbye pressured Ryder into making a choice.
The Men First: She cares for her people and wants to save them. It can get her killed.
Planet of Hats: Discussed in her codex entry. Raeka was groomed to be a politician as salarian women always do. But she knew it wasn't for her.
Reasonable Authority Figure: If she survives, she backs up Ryder's idea to lead the assault on Meridian. Even if she's the only Pathfinder at the time.
Samus Is a Girl: Gender-inverted and invoked. She uses the body of an already-deceased male salarian in her cryo pod. Anyone from the Milky Way would have her file, know she was a woman, and recognize the trick. But someone like the kett^note would be fooled.
Secret-Keeper: She was Alec Ryder's confidante. She implies Alec confided much of his secret dealings to her. She refuses to discuss them with Ryder out of respect for Alec's privacy.
Sole Survivor: Assuming that she survives, Raeka is the only one of the original Pathfinders who isn't killed, outliving Pathfinders Macen, Ishara and Alec Ryder. Even if she dies, she will arguably have lasted the longest, since it is implied both Macen and Ishara died before the human ark reached Heleus.

Major Saelen Varn

A "retired" Special Tasks Group officer from the salarian ark. He contacts Ryder after the ark is rescued, believing that salarians aboard the ark had sold out to the kett to allow their species capture.

The Ace: Captain Hayjer describes him as being a particularly good STG agent.
Badass Boast: If Ryder allows Aden to go free, Varn warns them that if he gets the chance, the only way they'll be able to identify Aden is by his dental records.
Buried Alive: The real Saelen Varn turns out to have been shot on Elaaden and left for the sand to cover. Ryder finds him before he expires.
Conspiracy Theorist: Nexus official Rand Lon warns Ryder that Varn is one and that he is mentally unstable. This is a lie, as Lon is a member of the cabal Varn is tracking down.
Everyone Has Standards: The STG isn't exactly known for being the most moral organization, but Varn is horrified by Aden's plan to have cooperated with the kett to be exalted and then take them down from the inside.
I Need a Freaking Drink: Remarks he needs one after catching Dr. Aden. After he deals with the dart in his lungs, of course.
Made of Iron: He takes injuries a krogan might find troublesome, but he takes them in stride and prioritises his task before treating them.
Major Injury Underreaction: His emails certainly make him out to be light-hearted about his life-threatening injuries.
Properly Paranoid: After looking over the circumstances in which the kett captured the salarian ark, Varn became convinced that someone had cooperated with the kett. He is 100% right, with several salarians aboard the ark who woke early, knowing they were outgunned by the kett, decided to let the Paarchero be captured and figure out a long game to destroy the kett from within.
Retired Badass: The Andromeda Initiative was Varn's retirement plan before he began investigating the conspiracy. Despite being out of the game and old, Varn is still very capable and travels from Elaaden to Kadara with a poisoned dart inside him in order to bring down Doctor Aden. After the mission is over, he sends Ryder a message saying he looks forward to real retirement... unless the Paarchero commanders want a counter-terrorism consultant.

Dr. Medrow Aden

A high-ranking member of the Paarchero leadership.

Chekhov's Gunman: His stasis pod can be found while exploring the Archon's ship. He turns up alive and well after Ryder's journey to Khi Tasira.
Did Not Think This Through: As Ryder angrily notes, he and his conspirator's plan was spectacularly stupid, even for salarians. Even if they had gained knowledge on kett operations, they'd have been in no position to actually utilise it. Good ol' salarians.
Ryder: "I know how not to get us all exalted; get us all exalted!" You idiot!
I Did What I Had to Do: How he, and presumably his fellow conspirators, justify their actions, even more so if he's only caught after the Archon is defeated - they have no operational knowledge of the rest of the kett forces elsewhere in Andromeda, and their actions were the only way to get that knowledge. Major Varn disagrees.
Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: While his actions are horrific, he at least feels some guilt over what he did.
The Mole: If Ryder lets him go free, he pretends to feed information back to the kett, but is planning to lie and sabotage it, in the hopes of scuppering the kett plans.
My God, What Have I Done?: If Ryder lets him go free, in exchange for the kett data, he sends them an email thanking them for calling him out on his behavior, noting he deserves it.

Nexus Colonies

Prodromos

August Bradley

Voiced by: Charles Parnell

An ex-Alliance lieutenant and mayor of the outpost of Prodromos.

Ambadassador: He's one of the four options for Nexus Ambassador to Helios at the end.
Bald of Authority: His position as the first successful outpost leader and ex-military status gives him quite a bit of pull in the Initiative, and he leads colonists not just from Eos but other worlds as well to assist Ryder a few times throughout the game.
The Cavalry: During Liam's loyalty mission, he leads the Settlers of Prodromos to assault the Pirate ship. He does it again during the final mission.
Last-Name Basis:
- Prefers to be called Bradley over August, probably due to his time in the military. His former comrade Dr. Ramirez likes to call him August to mess with him a bit.
- Inverted with Liam, who calls him "Augie".
Old Soldier: He's a former Alliance veteran. He was forced to retire after suffering a leg wound in battle.
Retired Badass: He may have retired from frontline service, but that doesn't stop him from grabbing some unarmed shuttles and a bunch of civilian friends, crossing half the cluster and royally messing up a giant kett ship with nothing but technical skill, copious amounts of snark, and sheer badassery. All because the Pathfinder's team could use a hand. And then he shows up again to lend a hand during the epic final battle against the entire kett fleet.
What the Hell, Hero?: If Ryder talks to him wearing N7 armor, Bradley will be very critical because Ryder isn't an N7, so it's technically stolen valor. He will relent if Ryder shows proper deference (mentioning that it didn't seem right to modify it to remove the logo), and he'll assume Ryder is wearing their dad's armor.^note If Ryder is flippant towards the armor, Bradley mentions the only reason he's letting this go is because of who Ryder is. If it were anyone else, they'd have words.

Chief Grace Lito

Chief engineer of Promise and Resilience, Grace Lito was the only person to survive the destruction of both outposts. She can move into Prodromos at Ryder's request.

The Cavalry: If Ryder orders her released from Cryo she joins the engineers of Prodromos during Liam's loyalty mission as the primary hacker.
Determinator: After being the sole surviving member of two failed outposts on Eos, Grace gets points for going back for a third try with Prodromos after she is thawed out.
Giver of Lame Names: Ryder and their party aren't exactly impressed by some of the names Lito's given to Eos' features, like the Sheartop ("because it is") or the Presson Dunes ("because we have to press on").
Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: After Resilience failed, she went back into cryo.
Sole Survivor: Only known survivor of both Promise and Resilience.^note
Voice with an Internet Connection: During Liam's loyalty mission. She also radios Ryder's team on Eos every time they first enter a new area, and regales them with a short tale on how the various landmarks got their names.

Danny Messier

One of the settlers on Prodromos, with possibly the worst luck in Andromeda.

Break the Cutie: Danny starts off bright-eyed and eager to see what Eos has to offer. Run-ins with the wildlife, the kett and the Remnant burn that out of him. He eventually winds up on Elaaden, drinking himself into incoherence at the Paradise.
Meaningful Name: Named after Charles Messier, the famed astronomer who originally catalogued many of the Real Life star clusters depicted in the original trilogy.
Morton's Fork: No matter what Ryder suggests he chooses to do, he gets attacked, and Ryder has to save him each time.

Taerve Uni

Mayor Priya Blake

The mayor of the Voeld colony. A former Alliance officer.

Jurisdiction Friction: She's an Alliance officer through and through. It causes problems with her civilian population.

Ditaeon

Mayor Christmas Tate

The snarky mayor of the Ditaeon outpost on Kadara. Definitely not to be confused with Christmas Jones.

Cool Old Guy: He describes himself as being the oldest colony mayor, and he's managing a colony on Kadara.
Cult: Finds one that worships the Remnant and has Ryder take care of it.
Deadpan Snarker: Just ask him what Ditaeon means.^note
Embarrassing First Name: Not that he tries to hide it. He blames his mother, Holiday.

New Tuchanka (Initiative portion)

Mayor Kariste Archana

An asari mayor of the Initiative part of New Tuchanka.

The Cavalry: She's one of the potential allies in the final battle.
Hufflepuff House: Gets the least amount of interaction of all the mayors. The fact that the establishment of the New Tuchanka outpost depends entirely on the player's choices might have something to do with this.
Mama Bear: She takes the safety of her people very seriously. Ryder walks in on her arguing with some angry krogan threatening to do damage to anyone poking around their family quarters (the krogan are understandably protective of their new kids).
Reasonable Authority Figure: She's determined not to repeat the screw-ups and shabby treatment that led to the krogan walking out on the Initiative in the first place.

Characters / Mass Effect Andromeda: The Andromeda Initiative

Ryder Family