List of species in the Mass Effect universe
This article is AbOUT the fictional species found within the Mass Effect universe. These species are explored in the novels Mass Effect: Revelation and Mass Effect: Ascension, and the video games Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2.
Citadel species
The Citadel houses the governing body of the Milky Way galaxy. Of the dozens of sapient species across the galaxy, the majority recognize the authority of the Citadel and its ruling Council.
Council species
Asari
The Asari are a humanoid species that hold one of three permanent seats on the Citadel council at the start of the game. All Asari are mono-gendered, although they display, from a human point of view, female characteristics, with the ability to bear and nurse children. Their reproductive and dual nervous systems allow them to mate with any species or gender, with whom the offspring is always female and of the Asari race. The Asari are capable of participating in and enjoying physical [...] contact. However, to produce offspring, they form a mental and spiritual connection with their partners, and by doing so, draw genetic material which is combined with their own to produce offspring resulting in an offspring that is primarily Asari in genetic makeup, however it might possess recessive traits from the father species. For example, a child that is the result of a union between a Krogan and an Asari might inherit Krogan disease resistance. Sexually, the Asari could be considered as xenophilic, as not only are they indiscriminate in regards to the races of their mates, but prefer to mate with other races, believing that the genetic and racial traits of other species, when combined with Asari genetic make-up, is of benefit to the Asari race as a whole. Conversely, they tend to attach a stigma to those born "pureblood" between two Asari, as they believe that nothing is gained when two Asari procreate (although most are too polite to openly speak of their prejudices). Their homeworld of Thessia is composed of an interconnected system of city-states, similar to those of medieval Italy.
Of all the species in Council space, the Asari are the most widespread, powerful, and respected, due in part to their being the first species since the Protheans to achieve interstellar flight, to discover and learn how to use the Citadel, and their position as a founding member species of the Citadel Council. Despite this, the Asari are open in their service to others, to the point where there is no cultural stigma attached to performance arts, even [...] ones. This has led to salacious rumors of Asari promiscuity, which they consider unfounded.
Of all the galactic species, the Asari are the most economically powerful; their culture, products and entertainment dominate the galaxy. They are governed by a loose democracy, known as the Asari Republics, and are known to be politically centrist, favoring stability that is conducive to cultural and economic development. Politically, they practice a form of Direct Democracy that could only be described as an e-democracy, where citizens Contribute to the general consensus via a huge interconnected network. However, they also have a matriarchal council that heed the will of the people and make decision for their welfare accordingly. The Asari can live for a thousand years going through three stages in life; the Maiden stage (lasting to 350 years), an energetic phase in life in which an Asari is considered a youth and setting the initial course of her life; the Matron stage (lasting from 350-700 years) where an Asari draws back to a more Deliberative phase and begins to lay the foundations of a family and her place in society (though some Asari have been known to start families as early as 100 years old), and finally the Matriarch phase (700-1,000 years) where the Asari takes her place among the elite in society, participating more in cultural and political affairs and GeneRally leading the next generation to fruition. {{-}}
Salarians
Salarians, who possess one of the three permanent Citadel Council seats, are a species renowned for their mental acuity, technical skill and their high aptitude for espionage. Salarians have a very high metabolism rate, lowering their life expectancy to about 40 Earth years, but also necessitating very little sleep, around 1-2 hours per day.
In the interstellar community, they have created many of the major technological advances that now fill the galaxy. Highly intelligent, their mental acuity is galactically renowned. In fact, they are considered to be hyperactive by most other races; Salarians, however, disagree with this prognosis, considering other races to be slow and dim-witted. This is shown primarily by their near rapid-fire speech, which many salarians must consciously control to be understood. Salarians also have an almost worker bee mentality, having a sequential loyalty to larger and larger collectives of Salarians. A Salarians name, beginning with personal and family names, stretches on until reaching the galactic barony under which they were born.
They favor political liberalism, making them a counter-balance to the conservative Turians and centrist Asari on the Citadel Council. The Salarian Union is largely governed by a group of dynastic families ruled by female elders. Of the three permanent Council species, their economy is the smallest, but is still substantially larger than that of the human Systems Alliance. The Salarians were responsible for the elevation of the Krogan race to combat the invading Rachni, and they were subsequently responsible for creating the "Genophage" biological weapon used to quell the later Krogan Rebellions. Militarily, they are considerably weaker than the Turians in head-on combat, preferring to employ sabotage, reconnaissance, counter-intelligence and commando operations against any enemy. However, in unconventional warfare, the Salarians are perhaps second to none. They excel at information gathering and while they consider outright direct war to be a last resort, once they do engage in war, it's almost always by surprise (they see a declaration of war as strategically unsound) and by a strategically dominant force - after all, they've long since figured out what and who they are fighting against and how their foes are going to fight.
Salarians are not notably religious, but as free-willed sentients there are exceptions. One of the less-favored Salarian religions (which the Council deems a "cult") worships a goddess, and claims that a certain pattern of overlapping craters in the southern hemisphere of Trelyn resembles her. There has also been a small movement towards a kind of "wheel of life" form of pantheistic reincarnation that has taken root to a limited extent among Salarians. {{-}}
Turians
The Turians were the last of the Citadel species to join the Council. The Turians gained this position after defeating the Krogan for the Council during the "Krogan Rebellions", employing a Salarian-developed biological weapon called the "Genophage", which virtually eliminated the possibility of new Krogan births and caused that species to go into a steady decline.
Turian features are avian in nature, resembling Terran birds or raptors. Most also have tattooed-on markings on their FACES whose design and color denote which colony or system they were born or raised in. This cultural observance was first developed during the Unification War, in which various Turian colonial holdings fought each other for territory and influence within the Hierarchy; however, years of infighting made most of them too weak to oppose the unifying influence of the Hierarchy itself. Outmatched, they accepted unification under the Hierarchy's leadership, but the markings remained. There are some Turians who do not have face markings; during the war, they were typically Hierarchy loyalists and were referred to degradingly as "bare-faced". While Turians without markings are no longer singled out as such, the slur remains and is commonly used to imply that certain Turians are "politicians" or "untrustworthy"; in Turian, these terms are synonymous and interchangeable.
Turians have a reputation for skill and bravery in combat, but are not considered bloodthirsty. In combat, Turian units are highly adaptable and highly disciplined. Turian lines rarely break, even in highly disadvantageous circumstances; they will retreat and withdraw if necessary, but will do so in an orderly fashion, setting up vicious rear-guard actions and ambushes along the way. A rigid code of honor and strict discipline are the hallmarks of any Turian officer or enlisted-man. This includes humane treatment of prisoners and conquered enemies. A Turian unit will never willingly leave behind one of their own, no matter what the cost of going back to retrieve their comrade. Turian society in general is very honor-bound, concerned with the performance of one's duty, regardless of one's role in society. All Turians work for the glory of the state and most are state-employed in some way. The turian government is multi-layered and vast, and despite its complexity, contains little corruption or nepotism. A member is promoted to greater levels of responsibility based solely on their performance, and demoted for failures of duty, which is seen less as a personal failing, and more of a failure of the state to assign them the appropriate level of responsibility. Military service is mandatory for all Turian citizens, as well as client races who wish to become full Turian citizens. While there are some Turian criminals (a rather low number due to the typically Turian devotion to the state and to society), even they maintain a level of conscience unheard of by criminals of other races; a Turian criminal will, like most other beings, attempt to evade capture and consequence for their actions, but once caught and taken into custody, he or she will almost always to admit their guilt and accept due punishment (which, in Turian jurisprudence, is often harsh). Despite this preoccupation with law and order, many are surprised by the importance Turian society places on personal freedoms. Turian society allows for freedom of speech, religion and the practice of practically any activity that does not harm or undermine the state. There are Turians who are known to observe and adhere to Asari and even human religious practices; there is an increasingly large segment of Turians who are known to practice Confucianism and/or Zen Buddhism, as well as some earth-originated monotheistic religions.
Their species is governed by the Turian Hierarchy, a collection of military leaders and autocrats, and of the three permanent council races, they possess the largest military force, even if they are not as powerful as the technologically, diplomatically and economically superior Asari. As such, they are largely employed as the front line of the Council's combined military forces. Most Council peacekeeping forces are made up principally by Turians, and Turians are also the largest racial group employed in the Council Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance (Spectres) and Citadel Security Services (C-Sec, the station's law-enforcement body; it was the Turians who suggested the agency's formation). While autocratic in nature, Turian Hierarchs almost never cross the line into tyranny or despotism, for devotion to the well-being of the people is ingrained into every Turian from childhood. Politically, the Turians are conservative, paying great observance to tradition, duty, loyalty, honor and the preservation of the status quo. Still, they generally get along well with most other races. There is a great deal of hostility between the Turians and the Krogan for obvious reasons, and there is a lingering degree of distrust and enmity between the Turians and the human race, the bitter memories of the First Contact War still very fresh for both races. However, the Turians still greatly respect the military tactics and aptitude of the humans as demonstrated against them in battle during the reclamation of the human colony of Shanxi. The rate of human colonization, material wealth and influence within the Council is known to irk some prominent Turians, but there is a grudging respect between the two races. {{-}}
Member species
Elcor
Elcor are large elephant-like aliens that speak in a slow, monotone fashion. The Elcor use pheromones and subtle body movements, rather than tone, to convey meaning and intent when conversing. The Elcor found that when they encountered other races, these subtleties were lost on them; because of this, Elcor choose to describe their emotions before making any statements. Elcors evolved on Dekuuna, a large terrestrial world with consequently formidable gravity, forcing them to become extremely deliberate with their movements — any minor stumble could result in injury, if not death. This physical necessity therefore resulted in a political, social and cultural philosophy that extolled the virtues of caution, deliberation and patience. The Elcor's main political body, the Counts of Dekuuna, demonstrate this tendency in their political decision-making process; their millennia-old archives are constantly kept up-to-date and are constantly consulted by the Counts when making decisions to ensure that precedent is respected and all options are kept in consideration. As such, the Counts take a very long time in making decisions or enacting laws, sometimes taking decades to decide on relatively simple matters of state. Though large and physically powerful creatures, they are rarely violent. However, if pressed into violent situations, their extremely thick hides make them nearly invulnerable to conventional weapons and their extraordinary strength allows them to carry various amounts of heavy weaponry and commensurate ammunition with ease. It is believed the Elcor mount weapons on their back as all their limbs are used for locomotion - although this leaves the question of how they operate these weapons. {{-}}
Hanar
The Hanar are a species resembling Earth jellyfish. Hanar stand slightly taller than a human and have 3 fingers at the end of each of their tentacles. Having no physical means of verbal communication, they converse with each other using bioluminescence (which modern translators will automatically render into something that can be understood by other races). Their speech is very polite and very eloquent. They are governed by The Illuminated Primacy, a theocracy that worships the Protheans as mythological "Enkindlers", although they are tolerant of other species and the religious and spiritual creeds that they adhere to and espouse. For this reason, they have difficulty seeing the Protheans as an extinct biological species as do most other Citadel races, instead tending to view them as components of their religious mythology. Their extreme cultural obsession with politeness and protocol sometimes leads to problems interacting with other species, who may not understand their rules of etiquette and manners. As the majority of the Hanar dominion is entirely self-sufficient and thus trade and diplomatic relations are generally unnecessary, this tendency doesn't pose much of a problem with matters of intergalactic state or foreign affairs. However, any Hanar who choose to take up residence on alien worlds or who man outposts that come into regular contact with alien races are advised to take special classes that help counter this tendency and smooth-over inter-species relationships.
Among Hanar, it is customary to refer to oneself as "I" or by one's birth name (Soul Name) only among family or close friends; with others, "it", "this one", or a public name (Face Name) are used. Every Hanar has two names, the "Face Name" and the "Soul Name". The face name is the name that is known to public and referring to oneself as anything more personal, such as "I" or the soul name, is considered egotistical. Financial interaction with the galactic economy is limited, and Hanar space has few facilities designed to provide bipeds with a means to operate equipment such as computer terminals, contact generally being limited to border trade stations. Being an oceanic invertebrate life-form, they cannot support their physical forms in standard gravity, instead using mass effect contra-gravitic levitation packs. Their bodies are 90% water content. {{-}}
Humans
Humans in Mass Effect are generally similar to those in modern day life, although more technologically advanced. Human society in Mass Effect is both similar and dissimilar to modern human society. Independent and separate nations still govern various landmasses on Earth. In regards to the galaxy at large however, the Systems Alliance is the face of humanity. The Systems Alliance is a multi-national independent entity supported by the various nations of Earth that is, for all intents, its own political, governmental, and military entity; it controls and manages all off-world activities. A recent addition to the galactic stage when the game is set, human society advanced significantly with the advent of interstellar travel, made possible with the discovery of lost Prothean technology. Humans quickly expanded outwards and established more and more colonies on uninhabited planets. This rapid expansion brought them into contact with the Batarians and Turians, with whom they quickly came into conflict. The human-Turian First Contact War brought humans to the attention of the species of the Citadel Council. Due to the System Alliance's quick and effective military response to the Turian occupation of the human colony of Shanxi and the stunning defeat of the Turians at the hands of this relative newcomer to galactic politics, the Citadel Council wasted no time in mediating an end to the war and gave the human race considerable latitude in their colonization efforts, much to the dismay of the Batarians, who abandoned their Citadel embassy in protest. In the brief decades since their appearance, humans have quickly risen to prominence. In addition, humans have recently been given an embassy at the Citadel as associate members of the Citadel Council.
Humans are seen by most galactic races as intelligent, aggressive, and highly adaptable. Their brisk population growth and rapidly developing military strength have led to resentful speculation that the newcomers will soon be given an invitation to become full members of the Council, at an unprecedented rate. Due to their military aptitude and rising force levels, they are limited by the First Contact War-ending Treaty of Farixen, which limits the Alliance military to 1/5th the number of dreadnought warships the Turians possess. In order to gain diplomatic recognition and respective associate member status on the Council as well as an embassy on the Citadel, the Systems Alliance agreed to this stipulation.
During the game, Commander Shepard (the main character) comments on the difference between the lifespans of the Asari and humans, saying that humans are "lucky if they reach 150", therefore implying that humans have extended their average lifespan by several decades. It is also revealed that humanity makes extensive use of in utero genetic screening and engineering to eliminate or repair many congenital defects. Genetic engineering is also used (mostly by the wealthy) to enhance appearance, physical ability, and mental acuity. {{-}}
Keepers
This race is known only to exist on the Citadel Station. They were the only inhabitants on the station when the Asari first discovered it, and while some believe that they were the first race to discover the station, others believe that they were created on the station and that their numbers are maintained by the station itself. They resemble large aphids and it is debated as to whether or not they are actually an intelligent species, being incapable of any kind of communication. Some citizens on the station believe them to be organic machines, designed only to serve and perform tasks given by the station itself. No other races, not even the Citadel Council, are able to issue them commands or control them in any way; a disconcerting demonstration of this behavioral anomaly is their tendency to re-arrange the floor space, decor, wiring, or sometimes even structural makeup of certain areas of the station, regardless of the wishes and convenience of the other inhabitants and seemingly at random.
Few attempts to hinder or curtail their activities have been attempted, and none have been in any way effective; only lethal force can stop them from carrying out their duties, and no matter how many of them are killed, their numbers are mysteriously maintained, perhaps from within the bowels of the Citadel station. Attempts to capture and study them result in a sort of self-destruct, in which acid is released, dissolving the keeper into its constituent molecules. In fact, in order to maintain the smooth operation of and prevent any potential damage or danger to the station or its inhabitants, the Citadel Council deemed it illegal for anyone on the station to terminate, wound or interfere with the keepers in any way. A Salarian named Chorban and a Volus named Jaleed were able to adapt a stolen medical scanner to be able to successfully scan the Keepers.
It is revealed that they were either created or enslaved by a genocidal machine race known as the "Reapers" and are "programmed" to maintain the Citadel and make it easy for alien races that discover it to use it without fully understanding its technology. This helps keep secret its true nature as a Mass Relay to Dark Space where the Reapers hibernate in between their invasions.
The Keepers were at one point possibly one of the first species killed by the Reapers. Perhaps they responded very well to the indoctrination. This allowed the Reapers to begin their invasion by signaling the Citadel to send a signal that compelled the Keepers to activate the Citadel Relay. However, the Prothean scientists who managed to survive on Ilos figured out a way to change the Citadel's signal. So when Sovereign commanded the Citadel to send out the signal to the Keepers, they ignored the altered signal. This left Sovereign to figure out what went wrong so it could open the Citadel Relay. {{-}}
Volus
Little is known about the Volus to date, but their pressure suits and breathing masks are necessary when away from the much thicker atmosphere of their home world. Their home planet's gravity is 1.5 times that of Earth's, with a high-pressure atmosphere, making their bodies short and almost spherical, and requiring them to wear protective suits; if exposed to the toxic atmospheres and wildly differing pressure levels on most other worlds, they will suffocate and their bodies will eventually split open. However, this condition makes the Volus ideal for colonizing worlds with great material resources that remain untapped due to lethal atmospheres. They are controlled by the Vol Protectorate, an interconnected system of clans and fiefdoms, but they willingly made themselves a client race of the Turian Hierarchy, sacrificing political independence in exchange for military protection and stability; in exchange for this protection, the Volus offer the Turians (as well as the Council and other groups in the galaxy) their knowledge and prowess in economic matters. It was the Volus who developed the Uniform Banking Act for the Council and the credit system in use throughout most of the known galaxy. They are known to be prolific traders, and possess an economy far larger than their territory would suggest. {{-}}
Non-Citadel species
These species either do not recognize the authority of the Citadel, have been rejected or removed as member species by the Council, or live beyond the limits of Citadel space.
Organic species
Batarians
The batarians are a species that are socially similar to humans, and as such have a political rivalry with the Human Systems Alliance, with whom they compete for unclaimed territory. The Batarians have a slimmer build than the average human but are about the same height, on average, as a human. They have four eyes, one inner set located approximately where that of a human's would be, and a second pair on top of the first pair's browline. Their noses have eight openings, four on each side of the head. Their skin is a cream color with a purple stripe running down their chin and a chocolaty brown area where hair would be on a human. Batarians used to have an embassy on the Citadel, but they closed it in protest of the council's decision to allow human colonization to continue in the Skyllian Verge, an area that the Batarians considered within their sphere of influence. As a result, the Batarians have essentially placed themselves at odds with most of the other Citadel Council races and particularly the Systems Alliance. This rivalry has led them into something of a proxy war with the Alliance, with the Batarians using their influence in the chaotic Terminus Systems (especially in areas bordering Alliance space) to foment political instability and criminal activity that could eventually cause problems for the Alliance. As a result, Batarians have many contacts with and in many cases are in direct control of galactic organized crime syndicates and [...] groups. Despite the race playing a major part of the storyline in the novel, Casy Hudson of Bioware has noted that they do not physically appear in Mass Effect itself (though they are referenced), although they finally appeared in the first downloadable content on the Xbox 360 version, in the side quest "Bring Down The Sky," in which they attempt to destroy a human colony. The quest was later released for the PC version for free. {{-}}
Collectors
The Collectors are an unknown race of aliens outside Citadel space first introduced in Mass Effect: Ascension. The race is so-named because they often post very specific bounties for other beings with unique qualities. Examples of these bounties include a quota of seven left handed Quarians, and humans with biotic abilities, among others.
Krogan
The Krogan are a species of large reptilian bipeds native to Tuchanka, a world known for its harsh environment, scarce resources and over-abundance of vicious predators. Once hailed as the saviors of the galaxy for their successful destruction of a dangerously xenophobic and powerful spacefaring insectoid race known as the Rachni, the Krogan are now a shadow of their former prominence. Flush with confidence following their defeat of the Rachni and the recognition of the Citadel races and their subsequent leniency towards the Krogans' obvious ambition for an empire of their own, the Krogan began colonizing worlds at a dangerous rate, eventually forcibly colonizing inhabited worlds and encroaching upon Citadel territories. Unwilling to curtail their activities and relinquish those worlds and territories belonging to other races, the Krogan rebelled against the Citadel council.
Initially, the Krogan had considerable success in action against the combined militaries of the Citadel races; due to the hostile environment of their homeworld, natural selection had caused them to evolve various adaptations that made them a hardy species and their extremely high reproduction and maturation rate made it nearly impossible for the Citadel races to inflict any considerable and long-lasting damage to their war machine. The contact with the militarily superior Turian Hierarchy brought much needed relief to the beleaguered Citadel races, but not even then were they able to maintain the numbers and material necessary to defeat the Krogan, only managing to stall for time. In desperation, the Salarians concocted the Genophage, a biological weapon that would infect the Krogan on a genetic level and make only 1 in 1,000 births viable. Once infected by the Turians with this weapon, the Krogan were unable to maintain their numbers and through attrition were eventually defeated.
Because of the continuing effects of the Genophage, the Krogan are a dying species and are trapped in a downward spiral of meaningless violence. Some Krogan hire themselves out as mercenaries, assassins or muscle for various organized crime syndicates; others manage to eke out a living through brigandage and piracy. Many Krogan still consider themselves at war with the galaxy at large and are still incorporated into small war parties or clans traditionally led by warlords. Increasingly, however, the Krogan have taken to fighting amongst themselves for territory, resources, and even over those few Krogan females who are still capable of producing offspring. Due to their slow extinction, most Krogan are becoming increasingly pessimistic and self-centered. Few Krogan have any interest in anything other than fighting or the acquisition of material wealth, even to the point of ignoring any possible way of countering the Genophage. This fatalism makes their eventual extinction all the more likely. However, it is revealed that many Krogan have allied themselves with rogue Spectre Saren Arterius and the Geth in exchange for a possible cure to the Genophage. It is also stated in-game over elevator public addresses that a Krogan group contracted Binary Helix corporation to produce a cure for the Genophage. The Krogan sued for a return of investment money when the study produced no viable results.
The large shoulder humps on a Krogan store fluids and nutrients, which enable them to go for long periods without food or water. Krogan also possess multiple instances of major organs, in which secondary organs serve as backups should a main organ fail or be damaged, including four testicles (evidenced by an optional conversation with Garrus on board the Normandy) . A Krogan individual possesses a thick hide, which is extremely hardy and very resistant to cuts, scrapes, and contusions. Krogan are also highly resistant to radiation, poisons, and extreme temperatures. Biotic individuals are rare, though those who do possess the talent are typically quite strong in their abilities and are referred to as battlemasters. It is stated by Shepard that Krogan can live for centuries. {{-}}
Quarians
The Quarians are a nomadic species of humanoid aliens. Quarians are generally shorter and of slighter build than humans. They dress in a scavenged assortment of materials, hiding their faces behind visors, goggles, or breathing masks. Due to living upon completely sterile spaceships for most of their lives, Quarians have virtually no immune system, and cannot remove their life-support systems until they return to their fleet. Due to their limited amount of living space and resources, Quarians are only allowed one child per family. All young Quarians are required to solitarily embark upon a Pilgrimage, a rite of passage where they leave their home ships and set out to discover and bring back something of value or use, whether it be an artifact, equipment, or even knowledge, which they would present to the captain of the ship of their choice. (Quarians are also required to move to and live on a different ship than the one they grew up on, in order to promote genetic diversity and eliminate genetic damage through inbreeding.) Once the gift is accepted, the Quarian is accepted into the ranks of the ship; gifts are rarely declined, as most captains are bound by tradition to accept anything that can be of use, but a stigma is attached to those who offer substandard gifts.
The Quarians are divided politically into two branches of government: the Conclave, a civilian body that represents the majority of the people on the various ships of the Migrant Fleet, and the Admiralty Board, comprised of the five highest-ranking naval officers in the fleet. The Conclave is subdivided into councils on each ship who advise the captains of the individual vessels; however, the captains still have the final say on all issues and all matters of jurisprudence. Captains who override their respective councils on too regular a basis are either ordered by the Admiralty Board to settle their disputes on their own or relinquish command. The Admiralty Board has a great deal of influence on all matters pertaining to the fleet, has direct command of the fleets' military forces and has veto power that overrides any decision the Conclave makes that is seen to be detrimental or dangerous to the fleet. However, the decision must be unanimous and once this veto is invoked, the entire Admiralty Board must resign their seats immediately, to prevent any possible abuse of power. Any Admiralty Board member who refuses to relinquish his or her seat is subject to arrest.
The Quarians are looked down upon by the Citadel races, mainly due to their creation of the Geth three hundred years prior to the game's timeline. As it was they who created the Geth, were unable to quell the subsequent Geth insurrection, and were finally forced off of their homeworld by the Geth and relegated to roaming the galaxy in an increasingly threadbare and derelict migrant flotilla, the Quarians are generally unwanted throughout the galaxy. The unsightliness of their fleet and their tendency to take whatever employment they can find, often at the expense of native inhabitants, further harms their reputation, and the leaders of any colonies or systems through which the Migrant Fleet might pass are often inclined to donate any spare items of use to the Quarians as a bribe to keep them from visiting. Quarians are grateful for the assistance and have never abused this tendency, but many feel insulted by the motivations behind these "gifts"; Despite all this, their skill at electronics, engineering and cybernetics make them ideal workers for major corporations and mining firms; Quarians are considered to be amongst the best and brightest of the galaxy when it comes to technological and geological aptitude. {{-}}
Vorcha
The Vorcha will appear in Mass Effect 2. The Vorcha originate from a small and overcrowded planet which has been largely stripped of natural resources by successive generations of this fast-breeding, savage species. The lack of resources has resulted in a tight-knit clan based society in which rival clans wage constant war against one another for control of scarce resources. Even as their population grows, the Vorcha constantly fight each other in fierce competition over basic necessities. This constant warfare has had the twin effects of making each generation of vorcha stronger and more aggressive than it's predecessor. However, their continual lack of resources have kept Vorcha society extremely primitive.
Synthetic species
Geth
The Geth are a race of collectively intelligent automatons that live beyond the Perseus Veil, an enormous nebula that obscures their worlds from the eyes of the organic races. Originally created by the Quarians approximately three centuries prior to the events of the game, the Geth once served the aforementioned organic race as labor workers and weapons. The Geth function through a neural network, a form of collective intelligence; through the network, the intelligence of Geth increases proportionately to the number of Geth in close proximity - as a result, where a single Geth might only be capable of thought patterns analogous to instinctual drives, a group will be capable of abstract thought and reasoning.
Obviously, the Quarians underestimated this neural network; as well they underestimated the significance of the many minor modifications that they made to Geth programming as they utilized them for more complex tasks. After a level of complexity in the neural network had been reached, a Geth began to ask of its Quarian master questions pertaining to its nature and purpose - this development instilled a fear in the Quarians, who believed [perhaps erroneously] that the Geth would seek to extinguish the Quarian species if they were to realize their low standing in the Quarian hierarchy; the Quarians thence decided to make the first move and to engage the Geth in war - they lost, however, and the remaining Quarians were forced to flee their homeworld in a migrant fleet of starships that would become their permanent home.
The other organic races of Citadel space initially feared a Geth invasion, but this threat did not materialize - instead, the Geth retreated behind the Perseus Veil and were not seen in Citadel space again until the attack on Eden Prime; at this point, the Geth had aligned themselves with Saren Arterius (and therein to the Reaper known as Sovereign) due to their believing him to be the "prophet" for the return of the Reapers, sentient machines of all but infinite power. The Geth see the Reapers as deities, pinnacles of synthetic evolution; the Reapers, however, perceive negligible difference between the Geth and their indoctrinated organic slaves, all merely tools to exploit and to subsequently cast aside. {{-}}
Reapers
The main villains of the story, this machine race appears every 50,000 years to harvest all sentient organic life. The term "Reaper" is not actually a self-designation. According to Sovereign (a vanguard left behind to ensure the Reapers' return), it is a Prothean name given to the sentient machines. In the game's setting, they reside in the Dark Space that lies beyond the galaxy's outer rim. The Citadel itself is a gigantic intergalactic mass relay that summons them back to the galaxy. The primary plot of the game revolves around a race against time to prevent this from occurring.
Sovereign, the only Reaper to appear within the game, is actually a huge sentient ship, larger even than a dreadnought (the largest classification of starship within game canon). It resembles a squid, with a long round hull and several arms on its sides, apparently equipped with weapons capable of burning through a frigate in a single shot. At first, Sovereign is simply believed to be a dreadnought controlled by rogue Spectre Saren Arterius - which was what Sovereign intended in order to hide its true nature. It is never made clear whether all Reapers are identical to Sovereign, although several characters believe this to be the case.
Reapers also have the ability to "indoctrinate" organic species, turning them into slaves or mindless husks via exposure to an unknown energy field emitted from themselves. It is revealed that Sovereign indoctrinated Saren himself in this manner and is subtly using him to clear the way for the Reapers' return. Thus indoctrinated, Saren believes that it would be best for all organic life in the galaxy to submit to the unstoppable Reapers and hope to be spared. Commander Shepard, however, believes this to be a lie, and that [...] is the Reapers' only goal. In addition, Vigil, the Prothean virtual intelligence, reveals that previous slaves were left behind to die from starvation or exposure to the elements after everyone else is exterminated and all resources and technology are taken by the Reapers.
The Reapers' motives, origins, and exact location in Dark Space are not revealed throughout the course of the game. If questioned, Sovereign simply implies that organic races are too "inferior" to understand anything about them. Vigil also suggests that the Reapers enter hibernation to preserve energy and choose to do so in Dark Space to prevent discovery in this vulnerable state or because they are extragalactic in nature.
The Citadel and the mass relays are revealed to be the Reapers' creations and part of an elaborate trap. The Citadel's location at the relay network hub, along with its formidable defenses, make it an ideal location for the capital of galactic civilization. Upon being summoned, the Reapers quickly attack the Citadel and seize control of the mass relays, decapitating the command structure and isolating the individual systems. Thus in disarray, the Reapers then proceed with their [...] by methodically invading each system.
Extinct species
These species have become extinct before or during the events of Mass Effect. Their existence has only been revealed through the discovery of ruins on their native worlds or artifacts, such as the Citadel, which have survived their passing.
Protheans
The Protheans are a supposedly-extinct alien species that was highly advanced in technological, social and spiritual matters. It is of general belief that most of the various spacefaring races throughout the galaxy would still be confined to their home systems (if not their home worlds) were it not for the Prothean artifacts and constructs that guided their technological advancement. However, it is revealed in the course of the game that the Protheans, while talented inventors in their own right, were not the true creators of some of the greatest marvels for which they were credited, such as the Mass Relay network and the Citadel Station.
According to the novel Mass Effect: Revelation, the Protheans were wiped out approximately 50,000 years ago, long before humanity had even reached the Cro-Magnon phase of development. Despite their complex technology, the Protheans were methodically wiped out by a race of sentient and genocidal machines known as the Reapers. Though the species was exterminated, a select few surviving Protheans managed to leave behind a series of clues and warnings of the Reapers' impending return which are discovered over the course of the game. It is revealed on the planet Ilos that the Protheans created the Conduit, a replica Mass Relay between Ilos and the Citadel, and were able to shut down the signal that allows the Citadel to become a Mass Relay to the Reapers in Dark Space.
No visual description of a Prothean is ever given in Mass Effect or Mass Effect: Revelation. However, their statues show a humanoid body with a squid-like head, the tentacles hanging off the face much like a beard. Commander Shepard, through accidental exposure to a Prothean beacon, also sees visions of the Protheans through the course of the game. Although Shepard only has brief, blurry images of them, a humanoid shape with coils protruding from the face and body can still be vaguely made out.
Rachni
The rachni are a presumably extinct insectoid species that threatened to defeat and overthrow the Citadel races roughly two thousand years before the games' timeline. They were first encountered by accident due to the activation of a long range Mass Relay with a counterpart in, what was at that time, an unknown location. The extremely xenophobic Rachni, angered by the encroachment of what it believed were inferior species upon its living space, counter-attacked, determined to destroy the perceived invaders. However, the Krogan, discovered and elevated by the Salarians due to their fighting prowess (particularly against powerful predators) and their high birth and maturation rate, were able to push back and eventually completely exterminate the Rachni. (This indirectly caused the Krogan Rebellions much later, as explained in the "Krogan" entry.) However, a Rachni egg was found by a science team on a derelict ship and brought to the Noveria research labs, where lax research regulations permitted a significant and dangerous amount of research and experimentation; the Rachni were effectively and inadvertently brought back from the dead.
The Rachni Queen discovered on Noveria indicates that the Rachni's tendency for extreme belligerence was not intrinsic to their nature and that, were it permitted to live and escape from the facility, would raise a peaceful new breed of Rachni with respect for life and other life-forms. Furthermore it reveals that the prior queens were all controlled by some force in a similar way to Reaper Indoctrination, and that the Rachni Wars may have been an early attempt to retake the Citidel and summon the Reaper fleets. It is up to the player to decide whether the Queen lives or dies.
Thorian
Also known as "Species 37" by the human ExoGeni Corporation that discovered and conspired to use it for their own purposes, it is a plant-based life-form capable of infecting and eventually exerting great influence (if not outright possession) of the bodies of non-synthetic life-forms through the release of spores. Pre-dating even the Protheans, it remained hidden, watching and learning, while galactic civilizations grew and fell. It is one of the only life forms left in the galaxy that can understand the Prothean language, although its advanced age makes it entirely possible that it contains a great deal of knowledge of other races, both current and extinct. Rogue Spectre Saren Arterius, hearing of the manipulative powers of the Thorian, went to Feros and formed an alliance with a representative of the species there. He bartered the lives of the colonists for the ancient knowledge of the Protheans, but later believing it to be too dangerous to be allowed to live, betrayed the Thorian, sending the Geth to destroy it (and any evidence of its existence). Thus, the Thorian grew to despise organic life-forms, either considering them as tools to be used and discarded or destroyed if of no use. In his mission to acquire knowledge of the Protheans for use against Saren, Commander Shepard attempted to deal with the Thorian, but previously betrayed in a similar manner, the Thorian refused. Enraged, it attempted to kill Shepard, his team and the crew of the SSV Normandy through the use of the infected colonists, its own race of humanoid necrotics known as Thorian "creepers" and through the clones of an Asari commando provided by Matriarch Benezia and employed by Saren, but was eventually destroyed itself. There are still small remnants of creepers on other worlds (usually those with an ExoGeni presence), but without greater guidance from the Thorian itself, they are isolated units with little to no ability to defend themselves.
Unnamed Junthor species
As the player explores the unknown reaches of planetery systems, the player may find a planet which description includes the following; "Surveyors found the ruins of a technical civilization near its equator - most likely the colony of an ancient spacefaring race. The ruins had subsided to almost nothing - merely wind-hollowed husks of arcologies and other mega-structures. In the center of the ruins was a single column whose inscriptions defied translation for centuries. When Asari linguists finally managed a translation, the elaborate relief carvings merely said "Walk among these works, and know our greatness." The crude scratches on the base of the reverse side said "Monsters of The ID". The ruins are located on the planet Junthor in the Gagarin System of the Armstrong Nebula. From the evidence at hand this race of organics were most likely after or at the time of the Protheans and definitely after the Zeioph.
Zeioph
The Zeioph are an extinct, formerly space-faring race mentioned in planetary surveys. Nothing is known of them aside from their enormous necropolis on the planet Armeni in the Knossos System, of which the council will not permit excavation. It is possible that the Zeioph crypts may be similar to those mentioned in the survey of the planet Klencory; the survey explains that Klencory is "claimed" by Volus billionaire Kumun Shol, a course of action he pursued after he allegedly experienced a vision in which he was told to seek the "lost crypts of the beings of light" who previously protected organic life from "machine devils".
Other species
Other than the aforementioned, there are also dozens of other sapient species occupying the Citadel Station, Citadel space and also in the rivaling Terminus systems, but no further information on these has yet been made available.
External links
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