5 Mass Effect Characters Who We Want To See In Prime Video's Sci-Fi Series

The "Mass Effect" TV series moving forward at Prime Video just got an update, one that's bittersweet for fans. It's been confirmed that the Prime Video "Mass Effect" is not a direct adaptation of the space opera video games, but a new story set in the same world. Specifically, it will take place after the events of the "Mass Effect" video game trilogy (though it's not clear how long after yet).

"Mass Effect" is a role-playing game (RPG), where player choice shapes the direction of the narrative. The protagonist Commander Shepard (Jennifer Hale/Mark Meer) isn't a character in the traditional sense. Rather, they are a customizable avatar for you to experience and influence the story. Everything they do or say is under your control. The TV series will have to lock in a "canon" version of the trilogy's events, but replaying that story in a pure linear structure would never satisfy anyone.

The "Mass Effect" universe is also wide open, flush with history and alien civilizations for new stories to explore. Yet one of the most endearing parts of the games are the supporting characters. Across all three of the original games, Shepard recruits a squad of exceptional individuals to help them on their missions. If the series is going to be canon to the games, here's the familiar faces we most want to see in "Mass Effect."

Space operas typically feature a wretched hive for the universe's scum and villainy. "Star Wars" has Mos Eisley, and "Mass Effect" has Omega, a city/waystation for the galaxy's criminals built into an asteroid. The current ruler of Omega, introduced in "Mass Effect 2," is Aria T'Loak. She runs the place with only one law: "Don't f*** with Aria."

Aria's presence onscreen backs up that authority because she's voiced by Carrie-Anne Moss, most famous as Trinity from "The Matrix" (Moss is one of the many sci-fi acting legends in the "Mass Effect" games, from Keith David to Lance Henriksen.) While Aria is not part of Shepard's squad, she does become something of an ally to the Commander. In "Mass Effect 3," the downloadable content (DLC) mission "Omega" lets the player, as Shepard, team up with an ousted Aria to retake Omega.

If Omega makes an appearance in the "Mass Effect" TV series, there's no reason not to throw in an appearance by Aria. Aria's species the asari can also live for centuries, so she could still show up even in the TV series takes place long after the games. Even better, if Moss is up to reprise the role, put her in blue Asari makeup and let her fully inhabit the character.

Wrex (Steven Barr) is one of the original squadmates in the first "Mass Effect" game. He's a krogan, a warrior race so ferocious they almost overran the galaxy. Thus the krogan were infected with a "genophage," a slow-burn genocide that made it biologically difficult for them to reproduce.

In the first "Mass Effect," Wrex is a mercenary. Ruthless and violent in a casual way, he's all but given up on his people. Over the game, Shepard can reawaken Wrex's idealism and sense of honor, making him return home to rebuild his clan, Urdnot. He sits out as a squadmate in the next two games, but retains an important role, especially in "Mass Effect 3" where a cure for the genophage becomes a possibility.

Curing the genophage (or choosing not to) is one of the most consequential decisions the player faces in "Mass Effect 3." For me, the thought of not curing it never even crossed my mind, because how could I have Shepard betray a brother-in-arms like Wrex? If the "Mass Effect" TV writer felt the same, then there's room for the series to explore the restored krogan ... and if Wrex lived up to his promises to reform his people.

Tali'Zorah, or just Tali (Ash Sroka), is one of the most beloved "Mass Effect" squadmates. So much so that she joins Shepard's squad in all three games. If there's one reason players choose the male Commander Shepard, it's the chance to pursue a romance subplot with Tali. Loyal and brave but with a bright sense of humor, Tali lights up any scene she's in (but despite that light, you can't see her face through her containment suit's helmet even with that). Her aptitude for technology plus her mix of bubbliness and sarcasm resemble Kaylee (Jewel Staite) from "Firefly."

Tali is a quarian; during Earth's 19th century, her people created the geth, a synthetic servant race. The geth rose up and the quarians were exiled from their homeworld, Rannoch. They endure as a civilization in a flotilla of ships; quarians wear containment suits due to their weakened immune systems.

In "Mass Effect 2," Tali got a beefed up role, culminating in Shepard visiting the quarian flotilla and getting a taste of the internal politics for retaking Rannoch. Come "Mass Effect 3," the fate of these two races falls into Shepard's hands; you can either help the quarians defeat the geth, help the geth repel the quarians (causing Tali's death), or with a silver tongue and proper prior decisions, you can end the conflict and unite the two races. Which option will the TV series choose? Fingers crossed it's one that lets Tali pop up.

Another of Shepard's original squad, Liara T'Soni (Ali Hillis) is an archaeologist specializing in studies of the Protheans, an ancient civilization that vanished millennia ago. Liara's knowledge winds up being pivotal to unlocking the mysteries Shepard faces. In the second game, she is not part of the squad; she's instead become an information broker, using her galaxy-spanning web of contacts to aid Shepard. She returns full-time in "Mass Effect 3," wiser, sharper, and colder.

Liara is young by Asari standards (108 years old) and she shows her youth with naivete and social awkwardness. Yet she avoids being a wet blanket character; she steps up without losing her good heart. Even if she does become more ruthless, it's only because she cares about protecting her friends. She's easily the most compelling of the original three love interest characters in "Mass Effect." Due to her prominent role across all three games and her intense loyalty to Shepard, Liara is sometimes pinned as the "canon" love interest of the Commander, not to mention a series' mascot in her own right.

With how synonymous Liara is with "Mass Effect" and the centuries of life she has ahead of her, it seems right that she makes an appearance in the TV series.

If someone likes "Mass Effect," then it's a safe bet that their favorite character is Garrus Vakarian (Brandon Keener). He's easily the most popular squadmate in the series, and alongside Tali he's part of Shepard's squad in all three games.

Garrus is a turian, an avian species that values militarism and meritocracy. While Garrus is introduced as an investigator for C-Sec (the police force of the Citadel space station), he's a cultural rebel who butts up against authority. If most Turians care about the law, Garrus cares most about justice. Yet despite that hardheadedness, and a ruthless streak, Garrus is also a swell and easygoing guy even when he's under gunfire. Sardonic and charming, he gets all the best lines. "Hospitals aren't fun to fight through," Garrus says in "2." "What is fun to fight through?" Shepard asks. Garrus: "Gardens, electronic shops, antique stores but only if they're classy." 

Garrus became Shepard's in-canon best friend — because how could "Mass Effect" players not want him to be their best friend? A common analogy is that if Shepard is Superman, then Garrus is Batman; the complementary, slightly darker hero who is best friends with the no. 1 hero. Shepard tells Garrus in "Mass Effect 3" that "there's no Shepard without Vakarian." It's a lovely, well-earned sentiment to close out their trilogy-spanning friendship, but the sad thing is that no matter the ending of "Mass Effect 3," Garrus has to go on without Shepard. The TV series could explore how he does so.

The "Mass Effect" TV series is currently in development.