This article contains spoilers for the Mass Effect Trilogy and Mass Effect: Andromeda.
The Mass Effect trilogy did an absolutely stellar job depicting alien races and characters as fully fleshed out, complex individuals with wants and desires no less important than a human’s. It’s something quite a lot of science fiction franchises—across movies, TV, and games—struggle with, often reducing non-humans to one-dimensional background actors there to offer a quip or play out an overdone trope. With Mass Effect 4 on the horizon, BioWare has the opportunity to capitalize on the original Mass Effect trilogy’s strengths and double down on alien companions, whether it’s simply a far bigger list of companions or a smaller ratio of humans to non-humans.
The Mass Effect universe has some of the most intricate lore surrounding the many alien races that call the Milky Way home. One of the reasons why Mass Effect Andromeda was criticized was because the new alien races didn’t feel quite as believable as the ones back home. In order for Mass Effect 4 to be a return to form for BioWare, it should lean on what the original trilogy was already good at, and the companions are the perfect place to start.
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More Alien Companions in ME4 Would Highlight Mass Effect’s Worldbuilding
The most direct way for BioWare to double down on alien representation in the Mass Effect universe would be to increase the ratio of aliens recruited to the new roster. Some of the most memorable moments in the Mass Effect series occurred when two party members from the same alien species interacted with one another. Liara being somewhat afraid of Samara when she first met her, and Wrex diagnosing what was wrong with Grunt with a single glance were interesting insights into alien culture that weren’t really explored in the original games in any sort of depth. It would prove fun squad dialogue if nothing else.
Even within the already established alien races of the Milky Way galaxy, there are a lot of options for Mass Effect 4 to pull from. A Batarian slaver turned peacemaker, an Elcor exiled from his home planet, a Volus who doesn’t want to be a merchant, or a Hanar with a funny bone all would make great characters. Even races that already have representation within the crew have potential. The differences between individuals of the same alien race are what make Mass Effect non-humans so believable. Alternatively, Mass Effect 4 could also introduce new aliens to the Milky Way galaxy.
Returning Alien Party Members From the Original Normandy Crew Could Prove Interesting
The N7 Day 2023 Mass Effect 4 teaser trailer showed Liara T’Soni picking up a piece of the N7 armor with a dead Reaper in the background. Together, these clues point towards ME4 taking place sometime after the events of ME3, with the “Destroy” ending being canon, though it’s unclear exactly how long of a gap there is in between. Since Asari can live up to 1,000 years, it could very well be possible for the time skip to be large enough that everyone from the original crew member list has long passed away, with the exception of Asari like Liara, Samara (or Morinth), and possibly EDI.
Another thing to note is that cryostatis is definitely a thing in Mass Effect; it could very well be used as a convenient McGuffin to reintroduce more of Shepard’s party members post time-skip. If the original crew is alive, it would mean that players would get to see familiar alien party members explore a devastated Milky Way Galaxy in the wake of the Reapers’ destruction. The teaser also showed potential new alien companions standing behind Liara as she went to pick up the N7 armor piece. From their silhouettes, they look like a Salarian, a Drell, and an Angaran (from Andromeda). Since both Mordin and Thane Krios are almost definitely dead, this means that all three aliens in the trailer are characters players haven’t seen before, at least, not as part of Shepard’s crew. How an Angaran found himself in the Milky Way galaxy is another discussion entirely.
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An Alien Main Character is a Risk Worth Considering
Whether or not Commander Shepard’s story is over still hasn’t been confirmed. The developers have been especially tight-lipped about this particular topic, and fans can only speculate. If Shepard is dead, and a new protagonist is in store, it could very well be from an alien species. If BioWare does decide to go this route, the alien species that makes the most sense as potential main characters is Asari. They’re the most human-like among the different races, have a rich culture and lore to pull from, and aren’t all cut from the exact same cloth as Krogan or Salarian.
For some, however, an alien protagonist for ME4 would be a hard pill to swallow. It could run the risk of alienating a lot of potential players who want to play the Shepard-esque self-insert and live out their sci-fi fantasy. It would be a divisive decision, perhaps even more so than Mass Effect 3‘s ending.
A middle ground would be that one of the original crew members takes up Shepard’s mantle after ME3. The likeliest candidate to take up this role is Liara T’Soni, as her appearance in the game is all but confirmed. The most extreme approach would be to let players pick the race they want to play as and go full RPG. However, since it is nearly impossible to tell a convincing narrative story in the same vein as the original trilogy when the protagonist’s race is up to the player to decide.