What Stargate Universe could learn from Mass Effect's Characters

[JohnSN7]

I am a big fan of the Mass Effect video game series. The two games currently in the series are my favorite video games ever. My avatar is even a character from Mass Effect. I could go on and on about the game, but I wanted to focus on the characters of Mass Effect and what SGU could learn from the Mass Effect characters. Note: You play as Commander Shepard, a commando. You create your own Commander Shepard and give him/her a first name. So when I refer to Commander Shepard, that's your character.

Mass Effect is a science fiction epic first and foremost. It is also proof that you can have great character development and be sci-fi at the same time. One of the core components of Mass Effect is the characters, specifically your squad mates. As Commander Shepard, you interact with these characters throughout the game as you progress on your mission to hunt down a dangerous rogue operative. These characters are very diverse and you build a relationship with them throughout the game. Dare I say it, you even have chemistry with them and make a good team. TEAMWORK. SGU has none. Most of these characters are total badasses (Wrex, Garrus!!!), but they are not "square-jawed heroes" as TPTB call any respectable character. They have flaws and some very important skeletons in their closets. And you know what? I enjoy getting to know these characters with all their badassery and all of their flaws too. I do not enjoy getting to know the SGU characters because they are not likeable.

I'll focus on one of my favorite characters: Garrus. Garrus is an alien police officer who is struggling with his job. He is fed up with the bureaucracy in his agency and unsure of whether or not he wants to remain a cop. Overall, he is polite and honorable, but he is also somewhat rebellious. Shepard helps Garrus pursue a criminal that got away from him earlier in his career. Throughout this hunt, he starts to develop a desire for personal vigilante-style justice rather than justice by law. The main character can encourage Garrus to either be judge and executioner himself or to adhere to the standards of the law. All of this is within the first game. I haven't even gone into to the second game where Garrus takes some interesting turns. Tell me this is not better character development than SGU.

What's the point to all of this developing relationships with your squadmates? Well in this game, they can die. Permanently. Mass Effect is a series. Your save files and all of your choices in the previous game are transferred to the next game so it is, in effect, your story. If someone dies in the first game (or the second game), they are dead for the rest of the series. This, combined with the fact that you bond with your squadmates, makes their deaths meaningful. Certain squadmates can live or die depending on your choices and they can be hard choices to make. Does SGU do this? No. They haven't really put the regular characters in danger. There's barely been any action in the show, after all. I don't care for the SGU characters enough to be worried about whether they will live or die. I know most of the people on this site would cheer if the Destiny blew up with all of them on it. I would be upset at the loss of a cool-looking ship that we barely got to see because of all the arguing and sex but I digress.

I apologize for the length of this. In conclusion, SGU's characters could learn from Mass Effect's characters by:
1) Having more likeable, respectable characters (who also have flaws).
2) Putting them in danger. Maybe even killing some of them.
3) The Destiny crew working as a team. And I know this one is hard, but a little camaraderie wouldn't hurt either. Actually it would help a lot; as much as it could possibly help this horrible show.

 

[ParagonPie]

But the writers of SGU have purchased the Big Book of Character Cliches from amazon.com!

Honestly its because the writers at bioware are actually very good at their jobs, the fact that they can write two different versions of the same character reacting to how the player percieves and interacts with them. I myself am a huge fan of the Mass Effect games (though recently been playing through Dragon Age Origins) and the characters are indepth, with the exception of maybe Ashley or Kaiden everyone else was especially deep (or when I got deep in Liara, bow chikka bow wow).

Wrex is possibly my favorite character in the first game, his dry wit and excellent sense of humour especially if you have him in Ilos. More importantly he is honest, he tells the reality of it.

There is also one thing which SGU seems to lack, and that is the personal drive for these characters, yes personal self preservation is always a key factor but it shouldn't be the only one, SGU should have been a damn good show, but instead it always makes me wonder why these people haven't placed a rifle inbetween their teeth and pulled the trigger. Thing is the writers of SGU think the audience are fools and take us as such, having characters who have the depth of a card board cut out or completely unlikable bastards who have no want to redeem themselves calling it 'darker and ediger'.

 

[Aragon101]

Games? SGU isn't about some stupic pixel characters fighting "Aliens" (so immature). It's about finding hte deep flaws within humanity and exposing them to the light. People are SCARED of SGU's raw power in showing humans what we really are when teh chips are down [/Mallozzi]

Seriously, Mass Effect kicks so much ass that i don't think it can ever be made into a movie/show whatever. It's just much too varied in all teh choices that having to pick just ONE will anger alot of fans.

Garrus especially is brilliant in the game, EVERY character including Ashley i think it's very well rounded. Ashley feels less depth because her issues are personal and somewhat superficial instead of the other's who face deep critical challenges that are much more epic in scope. (Garrus' vigilantism, Wrex's anger over Genophage, Liara's study of the Protheans)

Mass Effect 2 dropped the ball a bit with it's new characters, though Thane, Miranda and Jack were especially awesome. Legion was a bucket of pure win though Mordin was HI-Larious, and having Garrus and Tali again in a new evolved state was brilliant Garrus' deadpan style is PERFECT for him. "At some point in my life, i got used to the smell of burning bodies. That's probably a bad thing." LOL

SGU should weep and kiss at Bioware's writers feet in comparison to dark storytelling

Hell i love ME so much i crossed it over with SG Whuahahahaha!

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6260570/1/Apostles_Message

 

[Pariah]

Really? I loved ME2's characters and I was surprised by how willing in 2 I was to run to every person and pick their brains (I only spoke to Tali/Garrus/Liara in ME1)

Bioware has great writing, SGU wishes it could do a fraction of that but that'd require ditching half of the cast or changing them beyond recognition.