ADMIRAL ANDERSON
Admiral David Edward Anderson is a career military officer in the Systems Alliance Navy. Born in London in 2137, he later moved to Arcturus Station and became the first graduate of the Alliance’s now-renowned N7 marine program.
Anderson is one of the Alliance’s most decorated Special Forces operatives and served with honor during the First Contact War.
He was the original captain of the SSV Normandy before relinquishing command to his XO, Commander Shepard.
After the Alliance victory in the Battle of the Citadel, Anderson was promoted to Admiral and chosen to advise Citadel Councilor Donnel Udina on military matters.
Anderson later became embroiled in a Cerberus plot to abduct his friend Kahlee Sanders, but he foiled the abduction and returned to duty to prepare for the Reaper invasion.
ROMANCE
Admiral Anderson is not a romance option for either male or female Shepard.
ADMIRAL HACKETT
Admiral Steven Hackett is a decorated officer in the Systems Alliance, currently assigned to Arcturus Station on the far side of the Sol Relay.
In the battle for the Citadel, Admiral Hackett commanded the Fifth Fleet. Following that victory, he was promoted to head of the Alliance military. Hackett was born to a single mother in Buenos Aires in 2134.
When his mother died in the pandemic of 2146, he was placed in the Advanced Training Academy for Juveniles, where his superior talents in science and leadership quickly became evident.
Hackett enlisted in 2152, volunteering for high-risk missions to colonize space beyond the Sol Relay.
He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on Arcturus Station in 2156 and soon proved his ability in the First Contact War.His rare ascent from enlisted man to admiral remains an Alliance legend.
ROMANCE
Admiral Hackett is not a romance option for either male or female Shepard.
LIEUTENANT CORTEZ
Lieutenant Cortez, the Normandy’s shuttle pilot, is a humble Alliance Officer. Having survived the attack on Earth, he’s no stranger to loss.
Even though he is dealing with the loss of his husband, Lieutenant Cortez still maintains a steady grip on the shuttle controls.
He’s a skilled pilot, capable of getting Shepard and the squad into any and all missions and more heavily defended landing zones.
While behind the shuttle controls, he’s all business and able to maintain a level of professionalism befitting the Normandy ’s crew. Back on the ship, he can relax a bit and let people get to know a more personal side to him.
ROMANCE
Cortez is a romance option for male Shepard. He is present for the entirety of the game but is strictly professional on missions.
To form a more personal relationship, visit him in his station on the Normandy cargo deck.
KEY CONVERSATIONS
In early conversations on the Normandy , Cortez shows that he’s handling his professional duties well but is hurting emotionally.
At one point, Shepard can suggest that Cortez should take some time off and go to the Citadel. Doing so enables his later content.
On the Citadel, Cortez is initially in the docking bay, watching ships go by. Later, Shepard can find him down in the refugee camp.
KEY MOMENT
Once Shepard has encountered the first two Citadel moments with Cortez, Cortez e-mails Shepard and asks him to come to Purgatory.
Shepard finds Cortez there, determined to celebrate and live life while he can. Shepard can choose to bring up the possibility of a relationship and commit to Cortez here.
During the final assault on Earth, Cortez’s shuttle is shot down; if Shepard is romancing Cortez (or helped Cortez deal with his grief without a romance), Cortez’s hope and will to live help him survive the crash and he has a final radio conversation with Shepard.
DR. CHAKWAS
Dr. Karin Chakwas is a trauma surgeon and a major in the Alliance Navy.
She served on the SSV Normandy under both Captain Anderson and Commander Shepard and was aboard the ship when it was destroyed by the Collectors. She later quit the Alliance in order to rejoin Shepard on the Cerberus-built Normandy SR-2 .
Along with most of the second Normandy ’s crew, Dr. Chakwas was kidnapped by the Collectors and taken beyond the Omega 4 relay, where Commander Shepard eventually rescued her.
After the Alliance impounded the Normandy SR - 2 , an inquiry found that Dr. Chakwas had “no significant role in or provable knowledge” of Cerberus’s criminal activities. She has since rejoined the Alliance.
ROMANCE
Dr. Chakwas is not a romance option for either male of female Shepard. However, you can have a night of drinks with her just before the final mission.
JOKER
Flight Lieutenant Jeff “Joker” Moreau is a respected pilot with the Alliance Navy. Born and raised on Arcturus Station, he is widely considered to be the best helmsman in the Systems Alliance.
Moreau enlisted with the navy directly out of school and quickly gained the respect of his superiors.
He served as pilot of both the Normandy SR-1 and its successor, the SR-2, and he was at their respective helms during the Battle of the Citadel and the assault on the Collectors.
Moreau suffers from Vrolik syndrome, a rare, debilitating disorder also known as brittle bone disease.
ROMANCE
Joker is not a romance option for either male of female Shepard. He can, however, engage in a relationship with EDI if Shepard councils both parties to do so.
CONVERSATIONS
Joker will say something unique after every major mission in the game.
If Shepard approaches but does not immediately initiate conversation, Joker may launch into a discussion with someone else (EDI, if she is nearby, or someone else over the radio).
He reacts to the arrival or death of former squadmates as well.
To hear everything he has to say, make sure to talk to him after major missions (like the end of the genophage campaign, or the Citadel coup, or after the end of the Geth/Quarian War) or after major plot events (like EDI’s introduction).
After Thessia, Joker will make an inappropriate comment that starts a more emotional scene.
When the second dialogue choice comes up, choosing the Renegade option will shut Joker down until the end of the game, with Shepard telling Joker in no uncertain terms to stop his inappropriate comments.
On the Citadel, Joker is present on the Presidium Commons with EDI early in the game. After the Citadel coup, he can be found in Purgatory, watching people dance away their cares.
MIRANDA LAWSON
Miranda Lawson is a high-ranking former Cerberus operative and a human biotic.
Lawson headed Project Lazarus, the Cerberus operation that brought Commander Shepard back from the brink of death after the first Normandy was destroyed.
Lawson is an example of the achievements possible through genetic engineering. She was created in 2150 through manipulation of her father’s DNA.
Her entire physical and mental composition was deliberately engineered, including a longer life span and a superior immune system.
Lawson accompanied Commander Shepard on the maiden voyage of the Normandy SR-2 and was part of the crew responsible for the defeat of the Collectors.
She has since left Cerberus. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
ROMANCE
Miranda was a romance option for male Shepard in Mass Effect 2 , and if Shepard romanced her, he has the option to continue the relationship.
She cannot join Shepard’s squad, however, so while committing to her does preclude other romances, this long distance relationship can be lonely and may not feel as rewarding as others.
Previously in Mass Effect
If you’re playing Mass Effect for the first time, then it is assumed that Miranda survived the suicide mission during Mass Effect 2.
She meets Shepard several times on the Citadel, and Shepard meets her again while investigating the Sanctuary facility on Horizon.
Players who import a Mass Effect 2 game save where Miranda is not present will find that there is no full replacement for Miranda, in which case nobody talks to Shepard on the Citadel in her place.
At Sanctuary, video messages that would have come from Miranda instead come from Oriana, Miranda’s sister. The final confrontation between Shepard and Miranda’s father does not have Miranda there to save her sister.
If Shepard commits to a relationship with Miranda and warns her about Kai Leng, it increases Miranda’s chances of surviving the Horizon mission. If not, she dies in Shepard’s arms.
MORDIN SOLUS
Dr. Mordin Solus is a master geneticist and former operative for the salarian Special Tasks Group. Dr. Solus is well known for his work in perpetuating the genophage, a biological weapon that almost completely sterilized the krogan species.
He eventually left the STG to open a clinic on Omega, where his combat skills kept the clinic safe and operational amid Omega’s lawless society.
In 2185, Commander Shepard recruited Dr. Solus to research the Collectors and the Reapers. He was a member of the Normandy crew that traveled beyond the Omega 4 relay to attack the Collectors.
He survived the mission, but his current whereabouts are unknown.
ROMANCE
Mordin is not a romance option for either male or female Shepard.
Previously in Mass Effect
If you’re playing Mass Effect for the first time, then it is assumed Mordin is alive, having joined Shepard during Mass Effect 2 and survived the suicide mission.
He escorts Eve to safety during the Sur’kesh mission, stays with Eve in the med bay on the Normandy, and escorts Eve to the Shroud tower on Tuchanka. He sacrifices himself to override the sabotage (unless stopped by Shepard).
Players who import a Mass Effect 2 game save where Solus is dead will find that the salarian scientist Padok Wiks takes over most of Mordin’s roles during the Genophage Campaign.
JACOB TAYLOR
Jacob Taylor is a human biotic and was once a Cerberus operative working under Miranda Lawson. Born in 2157, he began his career as a Systems Alliance marine and served as a member of the Corsairs, an arms-length program for operatives working outside of Alliance jurisdiction.
Taylor survived the geth attack on Eden Prime but left the Alliance afterward because of what he perceived as unresponsiveness in the face of aggression.
While working for Cerberus, Taylor thwarted a plot by batarian terrorists to unleash a bioweapon on the Citadel. Soon after, he was assigned to Project Lazarus, the Cerberus effort to reconstruct Commander Shepard and the Normandy stealth frigate.
Following the project’s completion, Taylor accompanied Shepard through the Omega-4 relay to destroy the Collectors.
He survived that mission and has since left Cerberus, although his current whereabouts and affiliations are unknown.
ROMANCE
If female Shepard romanced Jacob Taylor in Mass Effect 2 , she can talk about how their relationship ended but does not have the option to continue it.
Jacob has moved on to someone else, although he remains friendly to Shepard and grateful for the time they had together.
Previously in Mass Effect
If you’re playing Mass Effect for the first time, then it is assumed that Jacob survived the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2 and assists Shepard with rescuing Dr. Brynn Cole and her enclave of former Cerberus scientists trying to defect.
Players who import a Mass Effect 2 game save where Jacob is not alive will find that, without Jacob’s calm and steady influence, they must work harder to gain the trust of Dr. Cole.
SPECIALIST TRAYNOR
Specialist Samantha Traynor is the Normandy ’s new communication officer. She’s in charge of letting Commander Shepard know about key communications, be they radio transmissions she expertly picked up or Shepard’s personal e-mail.
At times, Specialist Traynor may even be able to let Shepard know the mood of specific crewmates, keying Shepard in to important conversations.
In her personal life she’s a fun, playful character with a fondness for games and expensive dental hygienic equipment.
Despite her quirkiness, or perhaps because of it, she’s a great personality aboard the Normandy with many surprises.
ROMANCE
Traynor is a romance option for female Shepard. She is present for the entirety of the game and never leaves her station near the galaxy map.
KEY CONVERSATIONS
Traynor provides an early introduction to the Normandy and opens up the mission at Grissom Academy and the chance to rescue the Cerberus defectors.
She also has personal talks in which she discusses the difference between working in a lab and working on a frontline warship.
If romancing Traynor, make sure to speak with her before the final mission. Unlike most other major romances, there is no option to speak with Traynor on Earth, and the talk on the Normandy is the last time Shepard sees her.
KEY MOMENT
Once Shepard has had the ambient conversation about Traynor liking to play chess, Traynor will send an e-mail offering to come up to Shepard’s cabin.
She brings a chessboard and is prepared to play but makes an offhand comment about being jealous of Shepard’s shower. If Shepard’s intimacy is high enough, she can offer to let Traynor use the shower.
Traynor makes it clear that she’s interested in a serious relationship, not just a fling, and Shepard can commit to the relationship by joining Traynor.
COUNCILOR UDINA
Donnel Udina is the lone human on the Citadel Council. Although he has a keen ability for furthering his own political career, Udina has long promoted humanity’s interests first and foremost in the galactic arena.
When humanity won a position on the Council for its part in defending the Citadel, the Alliance chose Udina for the position. He holds the office to this day.
Despite his unwavering focus on human interests, Councilor Udina is usually willing to collaborate with other species. Even his opponents concede that Udina gives fair consideration to nonhuman proposals, so long as humanity also benefits.
ROMANCE
Councilor Udina is not a romance option for either male of female Shepard.