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This page is for listing the tropes related to Commander Shepard, protagonist of the ''[[
For the pages listing tropes related to Party Members, NPCs and Antagonists in the trilogy, see the [[
----
[[File:femshep sheploo 4170.png|frame|''"You can fight like a [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|krogan]], run like a [[Lightning Bruiser|leopard]], but you'll never be [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G8f4m2y9_k better than Commander Shepard]!"'']]
{{quote|''"We have to give everything.... even if that means our lives. We will stop at nothing. We will fight for the lost!"''}}
'''Voiced by''' Mark Meer (male), [[Jennifer Hale]] (female)
The [[Player Character]], a human Systems Alliance Marine and graduate of the N7 special forces program whose gender, appearance, and outlook are determined by the player. In the first game, Shepard is selected to be the first human Spectre, an elite agent of the [[The Federation|Council]]. After stumbling upon a Prothean Beacon and Saren's plans, Shepard sets out on a quest to stop Saren and save the galaxy from his attempts to bring back the Reapers.
In the second game, Shepard is killed in a surprise attack by the Collectors. But since s/he's too valuable to let stay dead, Shepard is resurrected by Cerberus. After forming an uneasy alliance with the extremist group, Shepard begins building a team for a suicide mission to stop the Collectors and their mass-human abductions.
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In the final game, the Reapers began their final assault on the galaxy, and it's up to Shepard to rally the disparate peoples of the galaxy together in their darkest hour to repel the threat of extinction.
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by Commander Shepard include:}}
The following tropes appear in-game (note: the majority of these tropes apply no matter which version of Shepard is played, though there are a few that are exclusive to the female version):
==A-E==
* [[100% Heroism Rating]]: Or [[Jerkass|Hundred Percent Jerkass Recognition]]. You know, either way.
* [[Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder]]: No love interest from the original game sticks around very long in the sequel... and 2/3 of them chew you out for working with Cerberus. In the meantime, there are lots of fresh catches on the boat, especially two previously unavailable fan favorites from the previous game.
** Liara fans are being offered reconciliation with the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100723104726/http://masseffect.bioware.com/info/dlc ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''] DLC.
** And, with the announcement that {{spoiler|whoever survived Virmire is included in ''[[Mass Effect 3]]''}}, Shepard's romance of a squad-mate in ''Mass Effect 2'' ''[[Your Cheating Heart|will]]'' be addressed.
** This is also Jacob's justification for leaving femShep for another woman (without telling her first). And romancing someone else after {{spoiler|the death of Thane}} perhaps also counts, considering how the romance isn't referenced again.
* [[Acquired Poison Immunity]]: A side-effect of the cybernetic implants installed during their resurrection in
** This first is noticed in the introduction when Shepard briefly awakens prematurely, requiring Miranda and Wilson to adminster over twice the dosage of sedative in order to knock Shepard out again. On Omega, a Batarian bartender likewise gives Shepard a poisoned drink that is ''lethal'' to the average human that only effect is to knock them out for a few minutes.
** Failure to realise that without constant supervision, a sedated Shepard won't stay that way for long, ends up foiling
** One medical report in ''
* [[Action Girl]]
* [[Action Survivor]]: The [[Sole Survivor]] background.
* [[Always Save the Girl]]
** Hell, you'll be called on it if you don't. There is no easy way out of that situation.
*** It also constitutes a very interesting and well done situation. It is one of the few game choices that players don't base on gameplay mechanics, but instead on their emotional connections to the story.
* [[An Adventurer Is You]]: [[A Commander Is You]] is not related to Shepard at all. For the first game:
** The Soldier is ''The Tank'' of the game, being later capable to wear the heaviest armour along with having talents that can make the Soldier the toughest class to kill. Being able to use all guns also makes them a ''DPSer''. Dips into ''The Healer'', having the First Aid talent.
*** In ''Mass Effect 2'', Soldiers get Adrenaline Rush, which causes [[Bullet Time]]. They also become something of a Jack, due to them retaining the ability to use all kinds of weapons and having access to the highest number of the game's new ammo powers.
*** Soldiers were tweaked a little in the third game
** [[The Engineer]], a definite ''Combat Engineer'' with the trope [[The Engineer]], acts as ''The Debuffer'' with tech abilities that don't do much damage but are useful due to hindering your enemies; along with ''The Healer'', since they share the First Aid and Medicine talents, and the Medic specialization with the Sentinel class. Is something of a [[Squishy Wizard]], only having access to light armour, Basic Armour talent, and pistol talents. Due to always having to fight and also having the best healing abilities out of all the classes, is a [[Combat Medic]].
*** In ''Mass Effect 2'', Engineers get the Combat Drone, a [[Weak Turret Gun]] of sorts. It should be noted, however, that the Engineer is an incredibly effective combat class when dealing with synthetics.
*** In ''Mass Effect 3'', the class's propensity for equipment is increased even further with the addition of the Defense Turret ability, which makes it so you can have a fixed [[Weak Turret Gun]] next to you while your drone roams the battlefield.
** The Adept is ''The Mezzer'', having a bunch of abilities to force your enemies to be temporarily helpless. Is also something of a [[Squishy Wizard]], as it may only use light armour, Basic Armour talent, and the Barrier talent to stay alive; and can only get pistol talents. Can be a [[Game Breaker]] at higher levels with very powerful biotic abilities with low cooldowns.
*** In ''Mass Effect 2'', the Adept's special ability is Singularity, which is a kind of [[Gravity Screw]] for enemies.
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*** '''Mass Effect 3''' added the ability to revive squadmates without medigel by touching them; the Infiltrator's cloak makes them the class that's now best suited to be the Medic.
** The Vanguard is ''The DPSer Scrapper''/''Mezzer'' with their shotgun and biotic abilities to ensure they get in close unimpeded. Is also a [[Magic Knight]], being later able to use medium armour with their Tactical Armour talent and the Barrier talent to defend themselves along with their shotguns.
*** In ''Mass Effect 2'', the Vanguard becomes even more of a [[Magic Knight]], as he gets the only melee ability in the whole game:
**** Taken even further in ''Mass Effect 3'' where the Vanguard has ''another'' melee power no one else gets and is given special bonuses to shields when charging to make close range fighting even easier.
** The Sentinel is ''The Mezzer''/''Debuffer'', having [[The Red Mage|both biotic and tech abilities]] to disable their opponent; ''The Healer'', having access to the Medicine and First Aid talent; and a [[Squishy Wizard]] that only has the Barrier talent to keep themself alive, lacking an armour talent (but still able to use light armour) and only being able to improve their pistols through their class talent (which is less then all the other classes are able to do).
*** In ''Mass Effect 2'', the Sentinel instead becomes ''The Jack'', having access to a decent range of offensive powers as well as [[Deflector Shields|Tech Armor]], which makes them into a potential variant of ''The Tank''.
*** ''Mass Effect 3'' extends the Tank role by refining Tech Armor; it reduces damage instead of adding to your shields, and you only lose it when you turn it off. This is offset a bit by a nerf to your power cooldowns when it's on.
** And every class can take a talent from other classes, if you get the achievements for it and make a character with it later in the first game. In the sequel, you can give Shepard one ability from one of his/her squadmates, so a Soldier can use a biotic slam attack, an Engineer can create a biotic shield, or a Vanguard can drain enemy shields among other things.
* [[And Now for Someone Completely Different]]: Technically you're still Shepard, but one sequence has you briefly [[Ascended Meme|assume control]] of a LOKI mech. You know, those small, slow, weak bots with the least powerful guns in the game you cut down by the truckload? Don't worry, it isn't for long.
* [[And This Is For]]: How Shepard kills
{{quote|That was for
* [[An Ice Person]]: In ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' and beyond, Shepard is the only character with access to the Cryo Ammo power as an Infiltrator, Soldier
** An Adept Shepard can still fit this trope by equipping the M-622 Avalanche, which freezes its targets. Shepard, regardless of class, is the only one who can use Heavy Weapons.
** [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|Potentially symbolic]] of the fact that Shepard has spent two years, both literally and figuratively, ''on ice''.
* [[Anti-Hero]]: While Paragon actions lead more towards the heroic end and the renegade actions lead more towards the antiheroic end, it is very easy to play as an overall anti-hero due to the fact that you don't have to play to the extremes on either side.
** Placing Shepard on the scale precisely is a tricky problem since the player determines all his/her motives and actions, so Shepard can do plenty of good, seemingly noble thing with a purely selfish motivation depending on how you roleplay. Plus you can be a shining beacon of purity and reason otherwise but still perform actions that would usually lock a character into at least a Type IV. In the sequel, Shepard can even show signs of Type I, if you fail as many loyalty missions as possible and get most of your squad killed in the endgame.
** And in ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', he/she can fall even farther. Killing even their squadmates.
* [[Anything That Moves]]: Shepard can be played this way.
* {{spoiler|[[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence]]
* [[Asskicking Equals Authority]]: A large part of the reason s/he ended up a Spectre in the first place; in [[Multiple Choice Past|all]] [[One-Man Army|three]] [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|possible]] [[Sole Survivor|reputations]], the baseline message is that Shepard is a ''[[Badass]]''.
* [[The Atoner]]: Implied, if you pick the Ruthless reputation (particularly with the Colonist background, which turns Torfan into Shepard's [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]) and then play Shepard as a [[Neutral Good|Paragon
** Or if you played as Renegade in the first game, and Paragon in the second.
** Or if you had both the Earthborn reputation and the War Hero reputation.
* [[Authority Equals Asskicking]]: ''Mass Effect 2'' really [[Lampshade Hanging|stresses this
* [[Back
{{quote|'''Garrus:''' [[Like a Badass Out of Hell|The Collectors killed you once and all they did was piss you off.]]}}
* [[Badass]]: No matter which path you choose, Shepard will tread over the bodies of ''thousands'' of the galaxy's worst criminals and monsters before the end. The tooltips even describe Renegade!Shepard as the ultimate badass (Paragon!Shepard is the ultimate hero [[Good Is Not Soft|though no less badass]]). Capable of immense asskicking, attractive to practically everyone s/he meets, [[First Law of Resurrection|not even death can stop him/her]], [[Magnetic Hero|inspires loyalty among all in the general vicinity]], [[Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?|flips off Cthulhu]] before [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|delivering a KO-ing]] '''SHEPARD PAWNCH''' and flipping off his corpse... and could very easily change his/her name to Commander Awesome. Even the Reapers, ancient [[Nigh Invulnerability|nigh invulnerable]] machines that have committed systematic galactic genocide for millions of years (possibly longer) [[Worthy Opponent|have acknowledged him/her as a true threat.]] Each class also results in a new form of badass for Shepard;
** [[Ambadassador]]: By ''Mass Effect 3'' where s/he's tasked with making peace and creating alliances through species with centuries or millennia old conflicts. S/he never stops kicking ass along the way.
** [[Badass Arm-Fold]]: Shepard is fond of doing this; when s/he does, you know things are going to go badly, somehow, for someone.
** [[Badass Boast]]: Whether s/he's Paragon or Renegade, s/he will make many of these and all of them justified.
{{quote|'''Paragon Shepard:''' We'll fight and win without it. I won't let fear compromise who I am.}}
** [[Badass Bookworm]]: The Engineer Class.
** [[Badass Creed]]
** [[Badass Gay]]: Likewise an option, given some of the romantic paths of the game. Available from ''Mass Effect 1'' on with female Shepard and Liara, opens up to both genders in ''Mass Effect 3''.
** [[Badass in a Nice Suit]]: Kasumi procures a tuxedo for a male Shepard for use in his loyalty mission. It can become a default casual outfit for Shepard after the mission's complete.
** [[Colonel Badass|Commander Badass]]: What they were before being promoted to [[The Captain]].
** [[Cultured Badass]]: Notable when romancing Ashley. Also implied to be familiar with Thomas Hobbes when talking to Thane in the sequel. Renegade Shepard also references [[The Prince|Machiavelli]], saying "[[Beam Me Up, Scotty|It's better to be feared than loved.]]"
** ''"You can fight like a krogan, you can run like a leopard, but [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeY-2ovpF9c you'll never be better than Commander Shepard]!"''
* [[Bad Dreams]]: In the first game, Shepard has unsettling dreams about the visions from the Prothean beacon. Understandable, considering that it A) was information delivered in a format not meant to be understood by human minds, and B) concerned the extermination of entire species. In the third game, Shepard starts having flat-out nightmares [[Survivor Guilt|about the people s/he couldn't save.]]
* [[Bald of Awesome]]/[[Bald of Evil]]: The default male options, depending on how you play. Okay, well, maybe not ''completely'' bald, but it sounds better than Closely Shaved Stubble Of Awesome/Closely Shaved Stubble Of Evil.
* [[Bald Woman]]: If the player chooses so when customizing female Shepard's looks.
* [[Bash Brothers]]: Shepard and Garrus in the second game, highlighted in the third when Shepard admits that when times get tough, no matter what, s/he know that [[Undying Loyalty|Garrus will]] ''[[Undying Loyalty|always]]'' [[Undying Loyalty|have his/her back]].
{{quote|'''Shepard''': There's no Shepard without Vakarian.}}
* [[Bavarian Fire Drill]]: Uses this to convince a worker to go away when caught in a restricted area in the second game. One has him/her posing as a health inspector; the other involves telling the guy there's a bomb in the area. Either way, it works.
** Before laughing and [[Lampshade Hanging|hanging a lampshade]] that it actually worked.
* [[Beard of Sorrow]]: Default Male Shepard's [[Perma-Stubble]] has evolved into this by ''[[Mass Effect 3]]''.
* [[Beauty Equals Goodness]]: Played straight in the second game. If you go Paragon, the glowing scars fade away. If you play Renegade, [http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/File:Shepard_renegade.jpg they go into overdrive].
* [[Berserk Button]]: Do ''not'' threaten Shepard's crew, you ''will'' end up dead.
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** Paragon Shepard even invokes this in the fight preceeding it, noting that they've constantly been [[Don't Make Me Destroy You|trying to give him a way out]] and that ''everytime'' they fought each other, [[Dirty Coward|Kai-Leng]] has ended up having to ''[[Villain Exit Stage Left|run]]''. This time, Shepard has had ''[[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown|enough]]''.
** Even playing as a Paragon, an Infiltrator Shepard can routinely perform headshots on various mooks while using the Widow Sniper Rifle. Which, it should be mentioned, was originally designed to ''pierce tanks''.
*** In ''Mass Effect 3'',
* [[Big Brother Mentor|Big Brother/Big Sister Mentor]]: To Garrus; with the potential to launch a [[Mentor Ship]] in ''Mass Effect 2'' if Shepard is female.
** Not quite as much as with Garrus but it also seems to apply to Tali.
** Not as much as either of the above, but s/he comes to be this for James Vega.
** Also with Grunt. Shepard is ''their'' battlemaster, their honour is ''without'' question. In the third game, even if you tell him not to, Grunt will not even hesitate to {{spoiler|single-handedly hold off Rachni husks in order to give time for the Rachni Queen to escape}}, simply because {{spoiler|Shepard wants peace with the Rachni, and}} it is what ''Shepard'' would do. {{spoiler|Grunt surviving if loyal becomes even more awesome}}.
* [[Big Good]]: Paragon Shepard. In the first game, you mostly fufill the role among your crew. In the second, you took this [[Up to Eleven]] while dealing with problems of [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|your squad]] and are the only one who is willing to deal with the Collector Threat. Taken [[Beyond the Impossible]] in three, where you literally can ''unite the entire Galaxy'' to stop the Reapers.
** ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'' is an interesting variation. The rest of the galaxy generally seems to view Shepard as the [[Big Good]] whereas Shepard views Hackett as the [[Big Good]].
* [[Bio Augmentation]]: No matter what class you choose for Shepard, s/he is an Alliance Marine with special forces training, so s/he is heavily modded. Even more so in the sequel, when more upgrades are added during the [[Back from the Dead|Lazarus Project]].
* [[Bi the Way]]: You can make Shepard this.
* [[Black Bra and Panties]]: Female Shepard wears them during and after the romance scenes in ''Mass Effect 3''.
* [[Blackmail]]: If you have the Earthborn origin, an old gang mate of yours will attempt to use your sordid past as leverage for getting a buddy out of jail. You can go along, but you can also just shoot him.
* [[Blatant Lies]]: If you choose to {{spoiler|sabotage the Genophage cure}} and {{spoiler|Wrex}} confronts you about it, the intimidate option lets Shepard do this in what is probably one of the most chilling and heartless bits of dialogue s/he has in the whole series.
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' Why would I betray you, {{spoiler|Wrex}}? I've known you a long time. It's you and me, taking on the galaxy together.}}
* [[Blood Knight]]: A Renegade Shepard shows these tendencies from time to time, especially in the sequel.
* [[Boldly Coming]]: The alien love interests in
{{quote|'''Garrus:''' Are we crazy to even be thinking about this? I... Look, Shepard, I know you can find something closer to home.
'''Shepard:''' (smiling) I don't want something closer to home. I want ''you''. I want someone I can trust.
'''Liara:''' And after all this is over, what about us?
'''Shepard:''' Marriage, old age, [[Babies Ever After|lots of little blue children]]. <br />
'''Liara:''' You just say these things!
* [[Bond One-Liner]]: Several. Many of them are Renegade options.
{{quote|'''Mercenary:''' I've got nothing more to say to you.
''(Shepard [[Destination Defenestration|pushes the merc out the skyscraper window]])''<br />
'''Shepard:''' How about goodbye?<br />
'''Jack:''' Damn, I should take notes from you!
* [[Broken Bird]]: Female Shepard and hell, even Male Shepard can be played like this.
** Especially in ''Mass Effect 3''. In ''Mass Effect 1'', this persona comes out a lot more with Colonist and/or Sole Survivor background choices.
** After seeing the rebuilt Eden Prime in ''Mass Effect 3'', [[Parental Abandonment|Colonist Shepard's]] voice literally becomes distant and far away.
{{quote|'''Colonist Shepard''': They rebuilt [[Doomed Hometown|Mindoir]]. ''It wasn't the same''.}}
* [[Broken Pedestal]]: Is seen as this by quite a few people in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', particularly Ashley/Kaidan, since s/he's forced to work with Cerberus.
** Particularly in Ash's example, when you consider that just seconds earlier she had berated an ungrateful colonist that Shepard had rescued and told him that he was "standing in the presence of a ''GOD''", then immediately [[What the Hell, Hero?|chews you out for working with Cerberus.]]
{{quote|'''James Vega:''' You know the Commander?
'''Ashley/Kaidan:''' [[We Used to Be Friends|I used to.]]
** This is even noted in one of the background news reports as being one of the public's reactions to sightings of Shepard.
{{quote|'''Announcer:''' Emotions at Shepard's alleged survival are mixed. While some are overjoyed to see her/him return, [[Hero with Bad Publicity|others believe her/his false death was a betrayal.]]}}
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** Even Paragon Shepard can qualify for this trope. S/he will do as ordered...''[[Take Your Time|eventually]]''. Until then, they can and will gladly [[Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right|break every single rule in the book]] to ensure that [[Chronic Hero Syndrome|every single wrong in sight has been righted]] no matter how big a political storm will follow. Why are they tolerated by a strictly traditionalist society? Shepard gets results.
* [[But for Me It Was Tuesday]]: In ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', Shepard can meet with Fist, who gets real snippy at the fact that you ruined his life. The Renegade option basically has you say "I forgot about you five minutes after I told you to run".
* [[Came Back Strong]]: Due to the Lazarus Project, Shepard now posesses a reinforced skeletal structure, cybernetic implants, immunity to poisons and toxins that would kill a regular human and potentially gained biotic abilities.
* [[Came Back Wrong]]: A possibility in the sequel if the player chooses to alter his or her imported character during the [[Character Customization|Lazarus Project]].
** [http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/105/index/1398049 Case in point].
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx-W3WsQlFg&feature=related Female example here].
* [[Canada, Eh?]]: Listen to Male Shepard say "about". Unmistakable.
** Mind you both voice actors for Shepard are Canadian, Jennifer Hale just hides it better.
** Lampshaded in ''Mass Effect 3'' if FemShep romances Samantha Traynor. When talking about having a dinner date post-War, she balks at Shepard's suggestion it be in ''Vancouver'' instead of somewhere romantic like Paris or Tokyo.
{{quote|'''Shepard''': What's wrong with Vancouver?}}
* [[Canon Name]]: John for men, Jane for women. You can change that to whatever you want; [[Hello, Insert Name Here|Shepard stays
* [[The Cape (trope)]]
* [[The Captain]]: Even if Shepard admits they never ''officially'' reached that rank.
** Although as commander of a ship, Quarian law recognises them as "Captain Shepard vas Normandy".
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* [[The Casanova]]: Shep can be played this way, but it usually blows up in his/her face.
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' Who said anything about love? I'm just trying to get you into bed.
'''Miranda:''' ''[giggle]'' You arse.
** While the subtitles say ass, since Miranda's accent is Australian, she says arse.
** Ash (if romanced) also comments on this in the first game. She claims that Shepard's flirting is so terrible, it should be used for ''greeting cards''.
* [[The Cassandra]]: When it comes to the Council. '''Every single thing''' that Shepard tells them in the first game is proven to be true, and yet they ''still'' refuse to believe in the existence of the Reapers. And even if you play as a Renegade and
{{quote|'''Turian Councilor:''' [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}O92m-yy4gGk Ahh yes, "Reapers".]}}
** Don't worry, he'll [http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/435 get his
* [[Casual Danger Dialogue]]: Occasionally present in the first game. Taken into overdrive in the second and third.
** In ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', Shepard [[Drives Like Crazy|narrowly misses]] several overturning cars and an exploding truck, all the while sounding as calm as though s/he's drive down a quiet country lane.
{{quote|'''Shepard''': There we go!
'''Liara''': You're ''enjoying'' this?
** Then several moments later
{{quote|'''Liara''': TRUCK!
'''Shepard''': ''Again?!''
* [[Catch Phrase]]: Renegade Shepard really hates being "jerked around", and Shepard in general often opens dialogue with "What can you tell me about [thing]", then finishing with "I should go
** Renegade Shepard also doesn't like to be "kept in the dark".
** Jennifer Hale raises a valid point in one behind-the-scenes clip: "I should go."
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'''Garrus:''' Tell me again about your immune system!
'''Tali:''' I have a shotgun.
'''Garrus:''' Maybe we'll talk later.
* [[Celebrity Endorsement]]: "I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel." Repeat for ''every single store on the Citadel
** Lampshaded by Mark Meer, the male Shepard, in a launch event for ''Mass Effect 3'' after [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt6ipcFXMG0&t=0m41s saying GameStop was his favorite store on the Citadel]: "Although I have to admit, I've given that endorsement to anyone who's asked for it, so I'm not sure what it's worth. I have a lot of favorite things on the Citadel at this point."
* [[The Chains of Commanding]]: Shepard's job is not a very fun one (in-universe at least). This becomes one of the most dominant themes in ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', with Shepard slowly getting ground down by the stress of having an entire galaxy resting on his/her shoulders.
* [[Character Development]]: If you play the first game as mostly X (Paragon or Renegade) nothing stops you from being the opposite in the sequel. In fact, you could conceivably go from all of one in ''Mass Effect 1'', to 50/50 in ''Mass Effect 2'', to the other in ''Mass Effect 3'', or several variations thereof.
** Even without intentional action, Shepard quite clearly becomes a much more well defined character with a distinct personality over the course of the games. If Shepard is a 'blank slate' in the first game, he/she is certainly far less so by the time of three.
* [[Chick Magnet]]
{{quote|'''EDI''': We've gotten several breeding requests for Grunt. ''And one for Shepard
'''Grunt''': HAH!
* [[The Chosen One]]: Shepard in the third game, where Hackett notes that the sole reason Shepard was chosen to speak as a envoy on behalf of humanity was because, while you can teach a soldier to follow orders and pay people to point a gun, you can't teach a soldier to believe. Shepard has proved numerous times by willing to defy orders because they honestly ''believe'' in the mission that much, repeatedly earning the loyalty of people who would gladly follow Shepard into hell simply because they believe in him/her.
** Several characters lampshade this fact in the third game. Reunite the Krogan and Turians, as well as cure the genophage? ''Ridiculous''. Finding peace between the Geth and the Quarians? ''Impossible''. Shepard can do ''both'' simply because that's ''who'' they are and what they ''do''.
{{quote|'''Garrus:''' Go out there and give them hell, you were ''born'' to do this.}}
* [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]]: While Shepard ''can'' get an early start in ''Mass Effect 2'' by {{spoiler|betraying Samara and Tali}}, the third game offers the Commander the chance to embrace this trope wholeheartedly by {{spoiler|continuing to backstab squadmates and betraying ''[[Up to Eleven|entire species]]''}}.
* [[Chronic Hero Syndrome]]: Paragon Shepard (depending on playstyle) will not allow any problems they come across to remain unresolved.
** Renegade Shepard too, but that's mainly due to there inevitably being ''another'' idiot in the galaxy needing to be insulted/punched/shot in the face after having dealt with the last one.
** Lampshaded in the sequel by a couple you helped in the first game. While discussing what, if any, gene implants to get their baby (the issue you helped resolve in
** If he survives, Wrex notes this when you visit him while the player goes around solving his team's problems:
{{quote|'''Wrex:''' How many times have you stepped in a mess for your crew, hmm?}}
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** When Cerberus attacks the STG facility on Sur'kesh, Eve asks why Paragon Shepard continues to try to free her instead of escaping.
{{quote|'''Eve''': Go Commander! You don't know me!
'''Shepard''': No. [[You Are Not Alone|But I'd like to!]]
* [[Cipher Scything]]: DOES NOT appear in anyway in the novels or comics.
** But WILL appear in the movie and anime.
* [[Cloning Blues]]: An interesting variation. The "Lazarus" project was tasked with taking Shepard's body's biomass and recreating his/her memory as close as possible. Anything in original Shepard's physical brain was ''gone''. The body was reconstructed, but whether a personality template made from scratch based on all data available on Sheperd's personality is the original Shepard's ''soul'' is not an answerable question.
* [[Cold Sniper]]
* [[Colonel Badass]]: What s/he was before being promoted to [[The Captain]].
* [[Commanding Coolness]]
* [[Common Mary Sue Traits]]: Given the game design, it's almost unavoidable. [[Tropes Are Not Bad|But it's ever so satisfying]].
** Some of the options/consequences in ''Mass Effect 3'' seem to brutally deconstruct Shep's Sueishness though.
* [[Consummate Professional]]: Shepard can be played as one.
* [[Cool Big Sis]]: A Paragon female Shepard plays this kind of role for Tali.
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' Tali, about what your father said, about what he did, you deserve better.
'''Tali:''' [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|I've got better, Shepard. I've got you.]]
** A Female Paragon Shepard can become one to Grunt. After earning his loyalty, he doesn't see her as as a squishy female, only as their ''Battlemaster''.
* [[Cosmic Plaything]]: The Colonist/Sole Survivor combo. [[Trauma Conga Line|Shepard's life just sucks
** Hell, the entirety of ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' has Shepard acting as the [[Cosmic Plaything]]. From dying, to being treated like dirt by his/her closest friends and superiors because s/he was forced to work with an organization that s/he hates. S/he goes through a pretty tough time in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', yet keeps on going. Obviously enhanced by having one or both of those two background choices.
** ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'' starts with Shepard going to their trial. Then the Reapers invade. Then they fight husks to escape Earth. Then they get sent to Mars. Then fight Cerberus forces through an entire facility. Then watch as the Virmire survivor (and possible ex-lover) gets critically injured by a robot assassin. And this all happens [[Trauma Conga Line|consecutively]] after one another. Shepard never gets a chance to even ''sit down''. [[It Got Worse|And it only goes downhill from there
{{quote|'''Shepard''': *''Sigh''* What... what do you need me to do?}}
* [[Covert Pervert]]: Or not-so-covert, depending on how you play.
* [[Crazy Awesome]]: In-universe, Shepard is considered this.
* [[Cruel Mercy]]: Renegade Shepard merely wants you dead. Paragon Shepard prefers to let people ''suffer in penance''.
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{{quote|'''Shepard:''' It's not the severity of punishment that deters crime, it's the certainty.}}
** Also notes Machiavelli by name, referencing the idea "It's better to be feared than respected."
* [[Cyborg]]: Was kind of necessary to bring him/her [[Back
* [[Dangerous Sixteenth Birthday]]: If your Shepard has the Colonist background, s/he was sixteen when batarian slavers attacked and destroyed his/her home of Mindoir, signaling the end of his/her normal life.
* [[Dare to Be Badass]]: Shepard uses this to motivate an injured krogan in the second game:
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' I said a badass, not some scout whining like a quarian with a tummyache!
'''Tali:''' [[What the Hell, Hero?|I'm standing]] [[Crowning Moment of Funny|right here!]]
** Shepard can also pull another one of these on Ashley or Kaidan in ''Mass Effect 3''
{{quote|'''Shepard: You've always stood true to what you believed. I admire that most about you. Listen to your gut.}}
* [[Dark and Troubled Past]]: Depending on the origin that you choose, [[Street Urchin|Shepard could have grown up on Earth without any parents and been a member of a gang in order to survive
* [[Darkest Hour]]: {{spoiler|The fall of Thessia}} is probably the lowest point for him/her.
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]:
** A lot of options leads to these type of responses, particularly with male Shepard, helped by [[Dull Surprise|Mark Meer's delivery]].
{{quote|'''Turian Councillor:''' How many generations until the rachni overrun us again?
'''Shepard:''' Uh... three? No, wait! Four!
** Sometimes Shepard will be this on his/her own, or no matter what you pick.
{{quote|'''Joker:''' It'll be better than the old days.
'''Shepard:''' I hope so. I ''died''.
'''Joker:''' Gawd, you're such a downer.
** ALL of the in-game dialogue between [[Like an Old Married Couple|Liara and Shepard]] in
** Ashley is hungover on the floor of the Normandy.
{{quote|'''Ashley:''' "No one likes sarcasm, Commander."
'''Shepard:''' "I do!"
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'''Shepard:''' "I hate you...?"
'''Ashley:''' "Sir."
'''Shepard''' "As you were, Lieutenant."
** As well as this hilarious exchange with
{{quote|'''Shepard''': Conrad, I'm building an ancient Prothean dark energy device to stop the Reapers. [[Sarcasm Mode|Do you think you could help with that?]]<br />
'''Conrad''': Well, I ''did'' write my dissertation on xenotechnology and dark energy integration.<br />
'''Shepard''': *[[Beat]]* ''Really!?''
* [[The Dead Rise to Advertise]]: Potentially in the second game, if Shepard gets discounts by recording recommendations for all the stores on the Citadel.
* {{spoiler|[[Death Seeker]]: Begins to have subtle vibes of this during the third game, having recurring nightmares of the boy in the vent and fallen friends. While Shepard still continues to fight as they've always done and claims to be fine, the mask of veneer calm is beginning to crack and various characters start to notice how emotionally burnt out they are
** {{spoiler|On the whole, s/he gives the impression that while s/he's not actively ''looking'' for death, s/he would consider it a relief
**
* [[Defiant to the End]]: Picks up this attitude more and more with each game.
* [[Determinator]]: All three of Shepard's possible backgrounds ([[One-Man Army|War Hero]], [[Sole Survivor]], and [[We Have Reserves|Ruthless]]) have shades of this.
** And of course Shepard is this in both of the games to a ridiculous extreme, no matter how bad things get.
** In ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', s/he gets
** Lampshaded by Admiral Hackett in the third game, who notes that Shepard had no reason to think that going against Sovereign would even work, but they ignored orders and risked everything to do it anyway. Then against all odds, Shepard went on a suicide mission to destroy the Collectors and managed to make it out alive. Now Shepard is ''going'' to unite the galaxy to take on the Reapers, simply because its what Shepard ''does''.
* {{spoiler|[[Disney Death]]}}: Played with in the first game, subverted with the second.
* {{spoiler|[[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?]]: As of now, Shepard has personally killed ''three'' Reapers. Two on foot. Granted, one was half-dead already and the other was pretty much an embryo, but still impressive
** {{spoiler|There's still one game left, and an entire Reaper fleet for him/her to bring up that count
*** In the {{spoiler|'Destroy' ending, it turns into [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|Did You Just Punch Out]] ''[[Serial Escalation|Every]]'' [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|Cthulhu]]? Yes. Yes, you did
** {{spoiler|[[Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu]]: In the third game, in every ending; at the very ''least'', all the mass relays are destroyed}}.
** Shepard actually ''did'' break their arm in the first game when they defeated Sovereign.
*** And again in the third game,
* [[Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?]]:
** "Shepard, you have become an annoyance."
*** You can also take the piss out of
* [[Diving Save]]: [[Action Commands]] allow Shepard to pull a few of these in the second game, as well as during the regular cutscenes. One of the more notable occurences is {{spoiler|during the final assault on the Collector base, where you have to jump to save one of your party from sliding into an abyss. Depending on your party composition, it's possible for Grunt - a krogan easily two or three times Shepard's size - to be the one rescued in this fashion
** [[Tear Jerker|Cruely]] [[Subverted Trope|subverted]] if
* [[Don't Make Me Destroy You]]: ''Paragon'' Shepard frequently invokes this when dealing with adversaries, hoping to win them to their side or convince them to not fight, otherwise they will be forced to act.
* [[Don't You Dare Pity Me!]]: Depending on dialogue, s/he can take this attitude.
Line 295 ⟶ 282:
** And once Shepard wakes up from the sedatives, the scientist there gets terrified and soon security is just as terrified.
** Ruthless Shepard is actually called "the Butcher of Torfan" by the Batarians.
** The ''Reapers'' seemingly consider Shepard this, with their [http://twitter.com/#!/TheReaperLegion twitter feed] referring to him/her as [[Worthy Opponent|"Hostile target Shepard"]]. Keep in mind that the rest of that feed has them repeatedly appear unconcerned with [[Resistance Is Futile|any resistance whatsoever]], but the fact they ''don't'' know the location of Shepard has them nervous.
*** Their choice of the word "hostile" also implies that they consider Shepard to an active danger to themselves and their plans.
** And this exchange on Rannoch;
{{quote|'''Dying Reaper''': {{
'''Shepard''': You know who I am?
'''Dying Reaper''': {{
** On Mars, when you first encounter the Cerberus Troopers, they freak out. Keep in mind that Cerberus troopers are implanted with Reaper tech and indoctrinated to the point of being incapable of thinking for themselves.
{{quote|'''Assault Trooper:''' [[Oh Crap|HOLY SHIT!]] IT'S ''SHEPARD!''}}
* [[Drink Order]]: Shepard apparently can and will drink anything placed in front of him/her, even if s/he has no idea what it is, including beverages intended for batarians and [[Gargle Blaster|radioactive krogan specialties]], and have nothing worse than a headache after a few minutes of drunken stupor. Not to say s/he can't enjoy a more sophisticated drink with [[Team Mom|Chakwas]]. Still gets blazing drunk though.
** There's one bartender on Omega who serves Shepard a poisoned drink, intending to kill him/her. All that happens is that Shepard immediately passes out then wakes up in a nearby alley a little while later with no lasting effects, probably thanks to the Lazarus upgrades that also mean s/he needs a higher dose of drugs to keep him/her knocked out. S/he then has the opportunity to humiliate and possibly kill said bartender.
* [[Drives Like Crazy]]: Liara seems to think so during the car chase in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker
{{quote|'''Liara:''' Truck!
'''Shepard:''' I know.
'''Liara:''' ''Truck!''
'''Shepard:''' ''I know!''
'''Liara:''' ''Aah!''
* [[Dual-Wielding]]/[[Guns Akimbo]]: Depending on how you interpret omnitools. If you look closely, it turns out that Shepard is actually using ''two'' omnitools. The one on his/her left hand lights up when administering medigel, doing utility tasks, or using an offensive tech attack. When activating a defensive ability like Fortification or Geth Shield Boost, however, an omnitool on his/her right hand will activate.
** If a Sentinel, Shepard's melee attack in ''Mass Effect 3'' comprises of dual-wielding a pair of Omni-Blades.
* [[Dude, Where's My Respect?]]: Both used and subverted. Most people are aware of how impressive Shepard is, but that doesn't stop them from asking the Commander to do whatever legal or illegal errands they need run. Nor does it make the Council any more likely to listen to their claims.
* [[Dudley Do-Right Stops to Help]]: What happens when Shepard chooses the paragon choice during Zaeed's loyalty mission.
Line 319 ⟶ 306:
* [[Enemy Mine]]: Especially for a Paragon Shepard, working with the Illusive Man and Cerberus is definitely an example and s/he makes it clear that s/he's only working with them because no one else is willing to help him/her.
** A Paragon Shepard makes its perfectly clear that the ''only'' reason they are going to work with Balak, the Batarian terrorist from ''Bringing Down The Sky'', is because Shepard ''needs'' the Batarian fleet to aid in the War, something as the de-facto leader of the remnants of the Batarian Hegemony, Balak can provide. Afterwards, Shepard even admits to wanting nothing more than to put a bullet between all four of his eyes, but they don't get to have what they want... ''today''.
* [[Even the Girls Want Her]]: Female Shepard. Even Tali [[Les Yay|gets stuttery and embarrassed around her
** [[Even the Guys Want Him]]: [[Celibate Hero|Mordin]] states that if he was actually interested in Romance, Shepard would be his first choice. This includes the Male Shepard. Also, after killing the Tresher Maw in Grunt's loyalty mission, Shepard gets breeding requests from Krogan of ''both'' genders. Played straight with Kaidan and Cortez in the third.
* [[Everybody's Dead, Dave]]: Both the Colonist and Sole Survivor backgrounds.
* [[Everyone Can See It]]: Depending on Shepard's gender, there will be repeated commentary on his/her rapport with either [[Fan-Preferred Couple|Tali or Garrus]].
* [[Exactly What I Aimed At]]: Can be used in the second game to shut up an ''incredibly'' annoying krogan.
** Shepard can [[Pet the Dog|intentionally miss]] the shot in ''Mass Effect 3'' while shooting bottles with Garrus, who triumphantly declares themself the better shot and the bigger badass.
* [[Experienced Protagonist]]: Commander Shepard has already gone through [[The Spartan Way]] needed to become a N7 and experienced combat, including one of three incidents in which he or she played a prominent role, before the player takes control for the first time.
* [[The Extremist Was Right]]: After the events of ''Arrival'', where Shepard was forced to kill 300,000 people, s/he was branded as a terrorist and murderer, discharged and awaiting trial from the Alliance and condemned by the Council for his/her actions. Only when the Reapers finally show up, do people realize exactly what s/he was trying to stop and warn them about.
== F-J==
* [[Face Framed in Shadow]]: Shepard gets a few opportunities to do this in the second game. Can be really creepy if you have heavy Renegade scarring.
* [[Failed a Spot Check]]: In ''Mass Effect 3'', in a conversation with Liara, Shepard briefly wonders if the Asari have schools for biotics like Grissom Academy. Liara then points out that the Asari are ''all'' biotics, so ''every'' school has to have biotic education.
** Also when asking Liara in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' what kind of weapons a ''taxi'' has.
* [[Fainting Seer]]: After getting sucked into the Prothean beacon and having information uploaded into his/her mind, Shepard passes out for a good few hours and has a splitting headache upon awakening. Any subsequent visitation of the vision is hard on him/her, and s/he mentions having disturbing dreams continuously. Subverted when Shepard comes across a second beacon; s/he's able to handle it better that time.
** In the second game, Shepard also can encounter a Prothean Pyramid that gives them a longer version of the Eden Prime vision, showing that the screaming creatures shown being turned into machines were the Protheans being converted into the Collectors. This, however, causes Shepard simply a moments discomfort.
** By the third game, when Shepard comes across a third beacon
** In the
* [[Fallen Hero]]: How s/he's viewed by many in the galaxy during ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' due to his/her relationship with Cerberus and will almost definitely be viewed as this in ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'' due to the events of Arrival.
* [[Famed in Story]]: Oh God yes. No matter how you play Shepard, news of his/her exploits spreads quickly. Perhaps subverted
* [[Fantastic Racism]]: From ''Paragon'' Shepard of all people, after an insane Hanar tries to deliver their homeworld to the Reapers.
{{quote|'''Shepard''': You... big... stupid... ''jellyfish!''}}
* [[Fascinating Eyebrow]]: Another of Shepard's favorite gestures.
* [[A Father to His Men]]/[[A Father to His Men|A Mother To Her Men]]: If Shepard takes the time to get to know his/her crew and builds up their trust.
** [[Papa Wolf]]/[[Mama Bear]]: And screwing with Shepard's squadmates is a quick way to end up [[Berserk Button|with either a hole in the head, a punch to the face, or a public humiliation that will forever undermine your authority]].
** In ''Mass Effect 2'', when having to defend Tali for being falsely charged with treason, even a ''[[Beware the Nice Ones|Paragon]]'' Shepard will deliver such a massive verbal put-down to the Quarian Admiralty Board that they are literally rendered speechless afterwards, causing them to promptly vote to exonerate her.
{{quote|'''Tali''': It's fun watching you shout.}}
** In ''Mass Effect 3'', Shepard also gives Admiral Xen a massive verbal slap when she wants to take Legion apart to study him for Geth weaknesses.
{{quote|'''Shepard''': I don't think you want to continue this line of thought, Admiral. Legion is my friend, not to mention he's our best source of information about the Geth.
'''Xen''': But the scientific benefits-
'''Shepard''': ''Are off the table.''}}
** Same with Admiral Gerrel just a few minutes before, when he tried to blow up the enemy ship while Shepard and his/her squad were onboard.
{{quote|'''Gerrel''': Shepard, the perimeters of the mission changed. You're military, you understand.
'''Shepard''': I understand that you wasted your chance to withdraw safely.
'''Gerrel''': The dreadnought was a perfect targe-
*Shepard punches Gerrel*
'''Shepard''': *with intense hatred* Admiral, you jeopardized your mission and your people. Get the hell off my ship!}}
* [[Faustian Rebellion]]: If you decide to give TIM the finger in the second game, although it's unimportant to the third game, as TIM is gunning for you no matter what.
* [[Fetish]]: Shepard seems to be this, considering how Tali downloads a file on human courtship and repeatedly upgrades a "[[A Date with Rosie Palms|nerve stim program]]". She does this for ''both'' genders.
* [[The Fettered]]
* [[Fiery Redhead]]: Female Shepard, due to popular vote, is thus depicted this way on
* [[Filk Song]]:
* [[First Law of Resurrection]]: Employed by Cerberus in the Lazarus project.
* [[Fluffy Tamer]]: In ''Mass Effect 2'', Shepard can pet and feed [[Ugly Cute|Urz]] on Tuchanka, causing the Varren to follow you around [[Fluffy the Terrible|like a puppy
** If Shepard interacts with Mouses's Shepard VI in ''Mass Effect 3'', it claims you they like a Varren person.
* [[Foe-Tossing Charge]]: Only Shepard can use the Vanguard's biotic Charge, from ''[[Mass Effect 2]]''. The impact will knock the foe off their feet, making them an easy target for your shotgun. Unfortunately, if the enemy has armor or shields, they'll only stumble backwards instead of being thrown head over heels. The charge also lets you phase through objects, allowing you to get up next to enemies in cover, blast them down, then find cover yourself before their buddies retaliate.
** How the Charge attacks work may induce a moment of [[Fridge Logic]], especially the 'passing through obstacles' bit, but becomes [[Fridge Brilliance]] if you recall the {{spoiler|Conduit. The Conduit's destination terminus is certainly with an enclosed space, the Presidium, but the mass relay still successfully delivers the Prothean survivors, and later Saren and then the Mako, through successfully
* [[Futile Hand Reach]]: In the third game, during his/her recurring nightmare about the little boy, s/he watched the Reapers kill.
** S/he also does this {{spoiler|if Tali [[Driven to Suicide|steps off the edge of a cliff]]}}.
* [[Genius Bruiser]]: Its heavily implied that Shepard is extremely intelligent due to his/her [[Genre Savvy|genre savviness]], political tact (as much as s/he hates it), and ability to come up with [[Take a Third Option|creative solutions to many seemingly unsolvable problems
** In ''Mass Effect 2'', Shepard seemingly has no problem with figuring out the consoles of a ''37 million-year-old'' dead ''Reaper'', those of the Geth heretic station and how to rig the Collector base to explode, among other examples. While this is likely due to the technology all being based along lines the Reapers intended, meaning they aren't too dissimilar, it still shows Shepard is capable of encountering an entirely new alien operating systems, with different console configurations and yet can master them in a matter of seconds.
* [[Genre Savvy]]: "[[Make Sure He's Dead|Make sure he's dead.]]"
** At the end of the first Overlord mission, Shepard is surprised the satellite dish s\he's standing on is going to fall into a canyon, after blowing up the control panels. S\he gets better, just knowing messing with a geth ship is bad news, knows in advance an elevator on Atlas Station will be full of mooks, and before going down to David tells his\her squad not to be surprised even if a Reaper appears.
Line 365 ⟶ 362:
* [[Gone Horribly Right]]: For the Illusive Man. Bringing back Shepard to be exactly like s/he was before... Then he [[Villainous Breakdown|rages]] when Paragon Shepard doesn't help him get things like {{spoiler|Collector/Reaper technology}}.
** Even more so if Miranda is in the party at the final battle and is loyal, which causes her to tell the Illusive Man to shove it, resign and hang up on him when he begins to tirade. Keep in mind, before she met [[Magnetic Hero|Shepard]], Miranda was one of his most ''loyal agents''.
* [[Good Cop, Bad Cop]]: During Thane's loyalty mission, though the game not-so-subtly edges you towards being the "bad cop
* [[Evil Counterpart|Good Counterpart]]: This to no less than three characters: Saren Arterius, {{spoiler|Tela Vasir}}, and Kai Leng.
** Also noticable with
* [[Good Is Not Dumb]]: It's truly astonishing how many villains think that they can take on the soldier who's [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|killed mecha-gods]] and [[One-Man Army|wiped out entire armies]] [[Underestimating Badassery|just because s/he's trying to be reasonable
* [[Good Is Not Nice]]: Paragon interrupts in
* [[Good Is Not Soft]]: Paragon Shepard is one of the most notable examples of this trope imaginable. S/he is unquestionably selfless and compassionate, but if pushed, will not hesitate to gun down anyone stupid enough to get in his/her way.
** The ending to the download mission ''Overlord'' defines this. Even a pure renegade Shepard is sickened by what is done to David. The paragon option is to take David away; with a bonus interrupt to [[Pistol Whip]] his brother, and threaten him at gunpoint. As that's the Paragon option. [[Good Is Not Soft]] indeed.
* [[Good Morning, Crono]]: The beginning of the second game. Only instead of waking up to go to work, Shepard wakes up from being, you know, dead.
* [[Good Old Fisticuffs]]:
* [[Good Scars, Evil Scars]]: In the sequel, s/he gains some glowing scars after
** The first game's character creation screen features a variety of scars suitable for every alignment.
* [[Go Through Me]]: Invoked in ''Arrival'' that when the Reapers come, Shepard will be there.
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{{quote|'''Garrus''': Heavy Mech on the bridge!
*The mech turns around and starts blasting ''mercs'' instead*
'''Shepard''': Good thing I ''reprogrammed'' it then!
* [[Hangover Sensitivity]]: In the first game, Shepard described the aftereffects of being exposed to a Prothean beacon as being like "the morning after shore leave
* [[Hannibal Lecture]]:
**
* [[The Heart]]: Paragon Shepard.
* [[Hello, Insert Name Here]]: Averted. [[Last-Name Basis|Everyone refers to him/her purely as Shepard]], even love interests; the player-chosen first name is purely cosmetic.
** Unless you [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall|make your first name "Commander"]].
** Or '[[We Do the Impossible|Loco]]'/'[[Big Sister Mentor|Lola]]', depending on Shepard's gender.
* {{spoiler|[[The Hero Dies]]}}: {{spoiler|It looks that way at first glance, but [[Word of God]] has promised "This is not the last you’ll hear of Commander Shepard."}}
* [[Heroes Want Redheads]]: Of course you can customize Shepard's hair color and style, but going by the default flaming red hair for Fem!Shepard this trope applies for her love interests.
* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Not ''quite'', but in the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, Liara and Shepard can have a touching moment in his/her cabin. During the conversation, Shepard can express anger and sorrow about the people that have died alongside them, wondering "How many more before it's enough?".
** ''Mass Effect 3'' has [[Hurting Hero|Shepard in a borderline state for the whole game]]. And s/he just gets worse the longer you go. [[Knight in Sour Armor|S/he keeps going]] [[Determinator|through sheer force of will]].
{{quote|'''Shepard''': [''[[Heroic Resolve|takes a steadying breath]]''] Yes, sir? What do you need me to do?}}
* [[Heroic Fatigue]]: Gets hit hard with this in
* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: No matter if Shepard's Paragon or Renegade, s/he sacrifices his/her life to get Joker to safety. {{spoiler|In the bad ending, s/he does it again, for the same reason. Most of the endings to the third game also count
* [[Heroic Willpower]]: Particularly if playing with the Sole Survivor or War Hero background.
** Lampshaded in the third game. After
** Battered, bruised, and {{spoiler|likely dying from blood loss}}, Shepard's simple response near the end of the third game when Admiral Hackett calls them.
{{quote|'''Shepard''': [''[[Heroic Resolve|takes a steadying breath]]''] Yes, sir? What do you need me to do?}}
* [[Hero with Bad Publicity]]: Cerberus's funding of Shepard is the reason nobody in power trusts him/her in the second game, no matter what else s/he does in the course of defeating the Collectors.
** Completely dissipated by the time ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'' turns around. It was portrated before launch that Shepard would be [[Hauled Before a Senate Subcommittee]], but instead, he/she is dragged before a panel of panicking Alliance Navy admirals who are desperately asking him/her what to do when ominous signs point to Shepard being right all along about the Reapers.
** Of course, its heavily implied both Anderson and Hackett used every trick in the book to delay the proceedings long enough, by which time, the writing was very much on the wall that the Reapers were both ''real'' and they ''were'' coming.
* [[He Who Fights Monsters|S/He Who Fights Monsters]]: By ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', Renegade Shepard becomes so ruthlessly driven to defeat the Reapers, that even s/he seems shocked by the measures s/he takes.
* [[Holding Hands]]: Thane and FemShep will do this naturally while pursuing their romance; a male Shepard will do this with Tali to try to convince her of his feelings.
** If Liara was romanced in ''[[Mass Effect (video game)|Mass Effect]]'', she and Shepard will hold hands in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|while Liara tells Shepard to promise her that s/he will always come back
* [[Honey Trap]]: {{spoiler|How s/he maneuvers Morinth into being ambushed by Samara
* [[Hope Bringer]]: Paragon Shepard seems to instill the will to fight in everyone they meet. Even Renegade Shepard can pull people up.
** Shepard is specifically referred to as the last ray of hope in the galaxy in
** Paragon Shepard is apparently considered one by the Geth. Legion notes in the third game that most organics would not hold onto the hope of peace for so long and that they ''admire'' Shepard's inherent "faith" that the Geth are sentient beings worthy of the same respect as any organic. Shepard literally is the only organic to ''never'' give up on them.
* [[Hot-Blooded]]: Both Renegade ''AND'' Paragon Shepard, [[Berserk Button|particularly when you mess with his/her crew]]. Best shown in Tali's loyalty mission if you take either of the Charm or Intimidate option where s/he will verbally tear apart the Admiralty Board for even considering doing what they're trying to do to Tali, who lampshades it after thanking Shepard.
{{quote|'''Tali:''' It's fun watching you shout.}}
* [[Hot Amazon]]: Female Shepard's love interests each appreciate her badassitude.
** For the three of you who don't know that female Shepard is this, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140227000500/http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2011/08/Mass-Effect-3-the-real-female-shepard.jpg here's one version of the box art that will be available].
** Another great example [http://na.llnet.bioware.cdn.ea.com/u/f/eagames/bioware/masseffect3/resources/assets/media/wallpapers/wallpaper-005-femshep-1280x1024.jpg here].
* [[Hot for Student]]: One interpretation of the relationship between Garrus and Shepard is that of student (Garrus) and teacher (Shepard). This makes a female Shepard and Garrus getting into a relationship [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|this trope]].
* [[Hurting Hero]]: Definitely there with a Colonist background and mixed with a War Hero or Sole Survivor background. Also depends on dialogue choices.
** Can also be shown at the end of the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC as shown in the [[Knight in Sour Armor]] entry below.
** Very much so in
* [[Hypocrite]]: {{spoiler|Tela Vasir says that Paragon Shepard is one when s/he judges her for working with the Shadow Broker when s/he's essentially working with the terrorist organization
** The turian Councellor will criticize Shepard no matter what decisions s/he makes; playing multiple games will show you that he will accuse Shepard of possibly dooming the galaxy via
** Paragon Shepard often berates criminals, smugglers, looters, mercenaries or vigilantes for breaking the law, seemingly forgetting that most of their squad are comprised of these individuals and Shepard ''herself/himself'' frequently falls into one or more of these categories.
* [[I Am Your Opponent]]: Highlighted in ''Mass Effect 3'', where on more than one occasion Shepard literally charges at a Reaper, ''on foot'', while the Reaper is intentionally aiming at them. Then Shepard '''kills''' them.
* [[I Can't Dance]]: Shepard can kill, negotiate, bribe
** {{spoiler|This is lampshaded by Jack in the Purgatory club in ''Mass Effect 3'' should she survive to Act 2. Shepard pries her away from doing work on her supposed shore leave to go dance, and she calls Shepard out for his/her lack of dancing skills
*** Garrus will also mention it while challenging Shepard to a shooting competition.
* [[I Did What I Had to Do]]: Whether Paragon or Renegade s/he will defend many of his/her actions in this way. One of the biggest ones came at the end of
** EDI invokes this as the reason she doesn't blame Shepard for destroying the "Hannibal" Luna AI in the first game, when its revealed that EDI herself (or an early incarnation) was once that system. She states that she understands Shepard had no other choice and she kept it to herself so as not to upset them.
** In ''Mass Effect 3'', Shepard can admit that they do feel guilt over
{{quote|'''Shepard''': You think I didn't feel guilty?
* [[I Don't Want to Ruin Our Friendship]]: If a female Shepard starts to romance Garrus, this is what she'll say if she breaks it off.
* [[Immortal Hero]]: Both played straight and subverted. {{spoiler|The Illusive Man brings him/her back from the dead because he knows Shepard is indispensable to the defense of the galaxy, but that doesn't stop Shepard from dying if you were careless at the end of the second game
* [[Implacable Man|Implacable (Wo)Man]]: Especially so in the second game. No matter what Shepard's enemies do, up to and including {{spoiler|[[Back
{{quote|'''[[Mook]]:''' [[One-Man Army|Shepard]] ''[[Oh Crap|won't go down]]''!}}
** {{spoiler|1=Near the end of
* [[Insane Troll Logic]]: Renegade Shepard seems to take perverse pleasure in finding flimsy excuses for his/her rampages.
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdtRljrmQZs "Hey! Everyone! This store discriminates against the poor!"]
** Renegade Shepard is even repeatedly called out on it, particularly in the first game. There are no less than three examples on Noveria - Parasini, Lorik Qu'in and Opold will all invoke some variation of the trope if you screw them over.
{{quote|'''Lorik Qu'in:''' What insane breed of logic is that?'}}
* [[Ironic Echo]]: Potentially one in a conversation with EDI in ''Mass Effect 3''.
{{quote|'''Shepard''':
* [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique]]: Renegade Shepard is fond of these. Paragon Shepard might not actually use these, but [[Good Is Not Nice|s/he isn't shy about threatening someone with one]].
* [[Jerkass]]: If played as a Renegade.
** [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: Renegade Shepard can also be
*** Paragon Shepard can also fit this, with the right choices.
** [[Jerkass Has a Point]]: [[In-Universe]] example, as well as out-of-universe. This is pretty much the entire point of at least half of the 'intimidate'/lower-left red dialogue options.
* [[Judge, Jury, and Executioner]]: Has this authority as a Spectre.
== K-O ==
* [[Karma Houdini]]: A Renegade Shepard never faces any consequences for his/her actions. Everyone else ''around'' Shepard though...
** Averted due to the events of the ''Arrival'' DLC. {{spoiler|Shepard (Paragon and Renegade) ''will'' be going to trial for wiping out an entire solar system and killing 300,000+ people in the process}}.
*** Also averted in ''Mass Effect 3'', as numerous Renegade decisions you've made over the games, including {{spoiler|killing Wrex, killing the rachni queen, refusing to save the colonists at Zhu's Hope, killing Shiala, destroying the initial genophage cure data on Mordin's loyalty quest, refusing to save the Council, etc}}, can come back to bite you in the ass.
* [[Kavorka Man|Kavorka Man/Woman]]: Via face customization during character creation, you can make Commander Shepard look like s/he fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down, and everyone ''still'' wants to get in their pants. Guess the badassness/heroicness shines through no matter how Shep looks.
** And don't forget that on top of all of this, Shepard also has some pretty ugly scarring for much of the game (which gets worse if too many Renegade choices are made), {{spoiler|although there is a Normandy upgrade that will make scars disappear permanently}}.
* [[Keep the Reward]]: This is the 'nice' option for many sidequests, but a full Paragon Shepard actually subverts this and gets even larger rewards through selflessness.
* [[Kill It with Fire]]: Depending on his/her [[An Adventurer Is You|class]], Shepard can use incendiary ammo rounds, and/or the Incinerate power. Zaeed's loyalty mission gives you a flamethrower.
* [[The Kirk]]: Paragon and Renegade actions tend to slide in [[The McCoy]] and [[The Spock]] territory as well.
* [[Kleptomaniac Hero]]: Enough to make their stance on looters more than a bit hypocritical.
* [[Knight Errant]]: Paragon Shepard, who travels the Galaxy, righting wrongs and asking for no reward.
* [[Knight in Shining Armor]]: Paragon Shepard is an incorruptible idealist who always behaves chivalrously towards the people s/he loves and will always save the day. Shepard particularly becomes a [[Incredibly Lame Pun|shining]] example of this trope with the Spacer + War Hero background.
* [[Knight in Sour Armor]]: Yes, the play styles are infinite, but if you have the Colonist origin, the asari Consort pretty much describes you this way. Basically if Paragon Shepard isn't a [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]] or [[The Pollyanna]], s/he's likely a [[Knight in Sour Armor]].
{{quote|"[[Hurting Hero|I see the sadness behind your eyes, it tells a story that makes me want to weep. Pain and loss.]] But it drives you, makes you strong. It is that strength that people are drawn to. [[Magnetic Hero|It is why you lead and others follow without question]]. You will need that leadership in the battles to come."}}
** At the end of the ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC, Liara will ask Shepard how s/he's doing. If you choose the right dialogue option, Shepard will vent to Liara about how tired s/he is of dealing with Cerberus and the Council treating him/her like s/he's nuts. But in the end, s/he keeps going because it's the right thing to do. It really drives home how [[Hurting Hero|much crap Shepard is going through]]. See [[Patrick Stewart Speech]] below for part of the exchange.
** BIG TIME in ''Mass Effect 3''. Throughout the entire game, Shepard feels that nothing s/he does is really going to make a difference. [[Determinator|S/he just keeps on going anyway
* [[Knuckle-Cracking]]: Shepard's way of preparing for a [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique]]. Once, s/he only has to do this to make a volus give up a keycard.
* [[The Ladette]]: Fem!Shep doesn't seem all that feminine: career marine, rarely wears dresses, sits like a man, speaks with a deep voice, and downs shots just as readily as Dude!Shep (even [[Gargle Blaster|ryncol]]). You can even do a Renegade interrupt in one mission when a merc "mistakes" you for a stripper. (If you don't make the interrupt, the Merc is still impressed. "Wow, not even a smile. That hardass, huh?")
* [[Lampshade Hanging]]: On this typical RPG mechanic.
** "Just once I'd like to ask someone for help and hear them say 'Sure. Let's go. Right now. No strings attached.'"
** Only to be shocked when Seryna offers to help him find Thane with no strings attached.
* [[Last-Name Basis]]: Everyone, from superior officers to lovers to random people you just met on the street will call you Shepard.
** Lampshaded by Dr Chakwas in ''Mass Effect 3''.
{{quote|'''Chakwas''': You know, I just realised you never have called me by my first name.
'''Shepard''': Well neither have you?
'''Chakwas''': And I ''never'' will!
* [[Last of His Kind|Last Of Their Kind]]: Depending on background, Spacer is the only one to have a surviving family throught the series, with Earthborn and Colonist Shepard being orphans who are the last of their family.
** Played with in ''Mass Effect 3''. Spacer Shepard initially hears no word from their mother, leading them to believe that she perished in the intial attack on Earth. Turns out that Captain Hannah Shepard not only is still alive, but has been promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and is working directly under Admiral Hackett in leading the Fleet.
* [[Lightning Bruiser]]: The Soldier Class has the fastest storm speed of all the classes.
** Storm speed schmorm speed. [[Foe-Tossing Charge|Vanguard]] thinks Soldier is quaint for having to ''run'' to shotgun his/her foe in the face.
Line 482 ⟶ 479:
* [[Like an Old Married Couple]]: Shepard's interaction with Liara has this vibe in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', even if she wasn't romanced.
* [[Lipstick Lesbian]]: A feminine-looking female Shepard romancing Liara or Kelly comes off as this.
** Can be noticeably averted with a butch Fem Shep.
* [[Little Black Dress]]: Kasumi gets Shepard a nice black leather outfit, that squeaks. A few shots make it seem she doesn't have ''anything'' underneath. It's like a black hole down there.
** FemShep also gets one as a casual outfit in ''Mass Effect 3''.
* [[Living Emotional Crutch]]: [[Dysfunction Junction|With crews like these
* [[Living Legend]]: S/he's sort of this at the beginning of the first game. S/he's definitely this in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]''.
* [[Made of Iron]]: Due to Cerberus upgrades during the ressurection process, Shepard's skeletal structure has been reinforced to the point where they can literally ''headbutt a Krogan''.
** Upped in ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', where s/he
* [[Magic Skirt]]: The DLC add-on involving Kasumi (which is also the [[
** [[Fridge Brilliance|Perhaps an omni-tool hologram?]]
* [[Magnetic Hero]]: And how. So much so that if you
** There is an even more impressive example with {{spoiler|Morinth}}. By sheer charisma, Shepard can earn the loyalty of {{spoiler|a selfish [[Complete Monster|monster]] only focused on her [[The Hedonist|pleasure]]
** Legion. No-one questions the presence of a ''Geth'' walking around simply because it's with Shepard.
*** And in ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', Admiral Hackett will actually ''admit'' that this is the reason he has Shepard in charge of assembling forces to fight the Reapers.
{{quote|'''Hackett''': Shepard, let me tell you something that I've learned the hard way. You can pay a soldier to fire a gun. You can pay him to charge the enemy and take a hill. But you can't pay him to believe.
'''Shepard''': ...I don't follow, sir.
'''Hackett''': When you went up against Sovereign, there was no good reason to believe you'd win. But your crew didn't seem to care -- they went along anyway. Your trip through the Omega 4 relay? That was a suicide mission if there ever was one. Yet there your crew was, standing beside you, proud to serve. With all you're facing out there, one thing impresses me most: you inspire confidence. I know everything hasn't gone as well as you'd hoped. Every war has its disagreements, so to speak. But... Your crew has done things no one else would even try -- simply because you asked them to. Why? Because they believed in you. Their leader. That's what I need now.
* [[Married to the Job]]: When they discuss settling down in ''Mass Effect 3'', Jacob admits he feels the Normandy is Shepard's real love and can't picture him/her giving it up. Interestingly, he treats a Shepard who romanced him differently: he tells her that happiness is out there for her when she wants it.
* [[Martial Pacifist]]: Paragon Shepard often emphasises (particularly juxtaposed to Garrus' [[Cowboy Cop]] tendencies) that just because you ''can'' use force to solve a problem, doesn't mean ''should'' use force.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Shepard/[[wikipedia:Shepherd|Shepherd]]. [[Magnetic Hero|The Commander has the ability to gather people to his/her cause and guide to become better people]]... if you want to.
** Not to mention a Paragon Shepard fufills this role entirely, protecting both the innocent and their flock from encroaching wolves... or Reapers.
** Also, [[wikipedia:Alan Shepard|Shepard]]. Nerd Yay!
** {{spoiler|A post-credits scene has a kid ask for another story about "[[Spell My Name with a "The"|The Shepard]]
** Inverted in ''Mass Effect 3''. If Shepard cures the Genophage, Wrex declares their name will come to mean "Hero" in the Krogan language.
* [[Megaton Punch]]: Adept and Vanguard Shepards apparently prefer biotic palm strikes/punches to this newfangled omni-blade thing.
* [[The Messiah]]/[[Dark Messiah]]: Paragon and Renegade moldings respectively.
* [[Messiah Creep]]: The death and return of Shepard in the sequel [[Sarcasm Mode|doesn't refer to anything]]. ''[[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|Really]]''.
* [[Messianic Archetype]]: Character traits ''and'' story fulfillment.
* [[Mildly Military]]: While the Aliance and even Cerberus-trained crews are fairly spit-and-polish, the majority of Commander Shepard's squad is [[Bunny Ears Lawyer|anything]] [[Dysfunction Junction|but]] [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|traditional]].
** Although its mentioned a few times that the level of military discipline enforced onboard lies solely at the discretion of the Captain of the vessel. Paragon Shepard is repeatedly shown in both games to be perfectly fine with waving rank aside and letting the crew speak freely as friends and equals, even stating at one point that they always keep an open door policy.
**
* [[Military Maverick]]: So very, very much. Even if you don't play a [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Renegade]], you still end up
* [[Moment of Weakness]]: A potential (depending on dialogue) and very brief one at the end of ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''. Shepard, no matter how bad things have gotten, has always nearly always kept his/her suffering secret from the crew. Liara, showing the strength of the relationship between her and Shepard (romance or otherwise), can convince Shepard to lower his/her defenses where Shepard will, for the first time, express real worry about the task ahead or vent as to how [[The Chains of Commanding|s/he has to make the]] [[Sadistic Choice|tough decisions]] [[Hero with Bad Publicity|and be shunned for them
** Several
* [[Morality Chain]]: Paragon Shepard plays this role for Garrus, keeping from becoming the kind of people he fights against. Especially notable if FemShep romances Garrus.
** Paragon Shepard also is one for Liara, the Paragon interrupts in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' pointing out the sheer collateral damage of her actions and attempting to pull her back from her descent into [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] territory.
** Paragon Shepard also becomes one for Miranda and Jack (or at least as Jack starts getting better).
* [[Mr. Fanservice]]: Male Shepard's face was based on a [[wikipedia:Mark Vanderloo|model
* [[Multiple Choice Past]]: You choose an origin and a highlight in Shepard's service record at the beginning of your game. The different decisions you can make as you play expand on this.
** [[Military Brat]]: The basis for the Spacer origin. Both parents were Alliance Navy, and is the only origin story where at least one parent is still alive.
** [[Doomed Hometown]]: The basis for Colonist origin. [[Dangerous Sixteenth Birthday|At the age of Sixteen]], Batarian slave raiders paid Shepard's home colony of Mindoir a visit. S/
** [[Street Urchin]]: Basis for the Earthborn origin. Born an orphan, street urchin, later gang member. Enrolled in the Alliance Navy to get away from that life.
** [[Busman's Holiday]]: The War Hero service record. Try and get some R&R, and wouldn't you know it, you wind up killing space pirates...
** [[Sole Survivor]]: Explicit name for the second service record. Deployed to a planet called Akuze, and your entire unit, except apparently you, is slaughtered by a [[Sand Worm|Thresher Maw]].
** [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: The Ruthless service record. In the Alliance's retaliation for the attack that the War Hero background helped defend against, Shepard sends more than a few good men to die to make sure no slavers get out alive, earning Shepard notoriety as [[The Butcher]] [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|of Torfan]].
* [[Muscles Are Meaningless]]: Female Shepard, in particular, is a stick figure. Instead of Krogan crushing her, however, [[Badass|she crushes them]]. She does have robotic implants in the second game which could explain it for that entry in the series.
** Not only that she's able to hold her own against {{spoiler|the Shadow Broker who is ENORMOUS
** Hold her own? If he didn't have that impenetrable shield Shep would totally wipe the floor with him.
** Actually justified in ''[[Mass Effect 2
** A good example of this in play? If playing Female Shepard as a Vanguard, she can use the Claymore Shotgun, while as an Infiltrator, she can use the Widow Sniper Rifle, while Soldiers can use ''both''. The Claymore and the Widow were originally designed by the Krogan and the Geth respectively, with both weapons capable of generating enough recoil that if a normal human being were to fire one round, they would immediately shatter ''every single bone in their arm.''
* [[My Greatest Failure]]: The Fall of Earth is this to Shepard, {{spoiler|until the Fall of Thessia, where not only did Shepard watch as an entire world was sacked by the Reapers, but s/he also failed to get the intel needed to complete the Crucible and end the war for good
**
* [[My Life Flashed Before My Eyes]]: ''Mass Effect: Genesis'' has Shepard recalling the events of the first game as s/he's dying after the destruction of the Normandy SR-1.
** {{spoiler|Also happens at the end of ''Mass Effect 3
* [[Names to Run Away From Very Fast]]: Shepard with the Ruthless personality is known by the Batarians as "The Butcher of Torfan".
** 'Commander Shepard' itself<ref>By virtue of Shepard being a known name across ''the entire galaxy''.</ref> becomes this to her/his enemies in the second game and the third; on the very first mission in ''Mass Effect 3'', a [[Mook]] yells, "They've got ''[[The Dreaded|Shepard]]''!".
* [[Names to Trust Immediately]]: ''Shepard''. Played straight with a Paragon Shepard, who will [[Never Hurt an Innocent|never stab a good person in the back]]; if s/he turns on someone, it's usually up front and because [[Asshole Victim|they brought it on themselves]]. Subverted with Renegade Shepard, who is quite willing to stab ''anyone'' in the back.
* [[Never Heard That One Before]]: Shepard can get quite tired of being greeted with "But you're dead!" everywhere s/he goes in the second game.
{{quote|"I've been getting that everywhere. It's a pain in the ass."}}
* [[New Powers as the Plot Demands]]: Bonus powers in
** Possibly justified as perhaps being an unintentional side effect of the Lazarus Project causing Shepard to manifest as a latent biotic. This would concievably fit within the lore as Biotic!Shepard according to [[Word of God]] did not manifest until they were around 17, hence why they never entered the BAaT program (it had already shutdown) and why Shepard was outfitted with the L3 next generation implants unlike Kaidan who was given the L2.
* [[Nice Guy]]: Paragon Shepard. Of course, it goes without saying that you should [[Beware the Nice Ones]].
* [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot]]: Or more specifically [[Psychic Powers|Psychic]] [[Cyborg]]
* [[Noble Bigot with a Badge]]: A Renegade Shepard can make many racist assumptions about other species, and is quick to make remarks regarding his/her desire to avoid cooperation with them.
* [[Noble Demon]]: A possible playthrough of Renegade Shepard: a ruthless [[Anti-Hero]] who will do anything to complete his/her mission, and actively embraces the image of a [[One-Man Army]] bestowed upon him/her... but at the same time can help any person who may need it, and would gladly place him/herself in harm's way for or speak on the behalf of any member of his/her crew.
* [[Not Afraid to Die]]: Shepard in the second game and the third, likely cause they've already ''done'' that.
** Aided by the fact that in the third game, s/he becomes a mild version of a [[Death Seeker]]. S/he's not really looking to die and wants to finish the job, [[Hurting Hero|but at this point, s/he really doesn't care
* [[Not So Different]]: Renegade Shepard can be just as ruthless, racist and violent as Saren, and the similarity is made explicit during several conversations.
** One notable example occurs in Zaeed's loyalty mission in the second game where Zaeed causes a fire at an oil refinery and Shepard decides to simply let the innocent workers inside burn to the death. This is ''exactly'' what Saren once did and framed Anderson for, ironically, also taking place at an oil refinery.
** Shepard, Paragon or Renegade, to {{spoiler|Tela Vasir
*** Or so {{spoiler|she}} claims. Depending on the choices made during the game, as well as whether ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' is completed after {{spoiler|going through the Omega 4 Relay, if the Collector Base was destroyed}}, Shepard [[Subverted Trope|may be quite different]] after all.
** Legion lampshades this, musing on the fact that Paragon Shepard's decision to destroy the Collector Base and not use the technology it provided, even to protect themselves, was ''exactly'' the reason why the Geth refused Sovereign's offer.
{{quote|'''Legion:''' You are more like us than we thought.}}
** There is an undercurrent that Paragon Shepard took on Wrex's mantra from the second game about bringing their people back to glory, whether they like it or not. By the third game, Paragon Shepard effectively goes from saying to "you ''should'' help me" to firmly saying "you ''will'' help me!"
*** Particularly noticable in resolving the Geth-Quarian conflict and convincing ''Balak'' to give you the Batarian Fleet, wherein Shepard basically brow-beats them into complying, while the latter ''has a gun pointed at their back
**
** Taking this to its logical extreme, Shepard can {{spoiler|actually ''become a Reaper'' at the end of ''Mass Effect 3''}}.
* [[Not So Stoic]]: Even as the ultimate hero\badass, Shepard begins to crack under the pressure, to the point in the third game where s\he lashes out at comrades, breaks down around friends, and becomes a borderline [[Death Seeker]].
* [[Number Two]]: At the beginning of the first game, Shepard serves as the second of commander under Captain Anderson. After becoming a Spectre, Shepard becomes Admiral Hackett's go-to-guy/gal when it comes to under the table Alliance Affairs. Garrus eventually takes up this role for Shepard.
* [[Oblivious to Love]]: A male Shepard towards Tali in the first game. Given how quickly he jumps at the chance to be with a female Shepard, this might apply to Garrus as well. Dialogue in their romance scene also implies that a male Shepard was this toward Kaidan too.
* [[One-Man Army|One (Wo)Man Army]]: S/he can take a squad of three against three hundred and come out on top, as well as bring his/her entire squad through a guaranteed suicide mission alive.
** Literally a case of this with the War Hero Backstory.
** Accentuated during the ''[[Mass Effect 2]]: Arrival'' DLC, where Shepard can face down several dozen {{spoiler|indoctrinated Alliance}} soldiers, including combat techs, assault infantry, and a YMIR mech, totally alone, and slaughters them all. [[Memetic Mutation|DIRECT INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY]] from the {{spoiler|Reaper artifact}} to take him/her out of commission. [[Curb Stomp Battle|And when Shepard regains his/her feet, s/he rips through the entire base of elite assault troops in a total Curb Stomp Battle. Totally alone
*** [[Enemy Chatter]]: "Shepard won't go down!" and "Shepard is tearing us apart!"
** If Shepard did not do ''
* [[One of the Boys]]: Fem!Shep, usually.
* [[Only Mostly Dead]]: S/he even uses [[Exact Words]].
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' I was only mostly dead. Try finding that option on government paperwork.}}
* [[Only Sane Man]]: Paragon Shepard in ''Mass Effect 2'' and ''Mass Effect 3'' often has to keep their various allies from trying to kill each other.
==P-T==
* [[The Paragon]]: [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Paragon]] Shepard.
* [[Parental Abandonment]]: Both played straight and averted. Selecting Earthborn or Colonist backgrounds results in your character being an orphan. However, Spacers not only have still-living parents, but even get to call their mom during a sidequest.
** [[Disappeared Dad]]: Just the same, a Spacer/Shepard's father is never present and is only ever mentioned in past tense.
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'''Engineer Adams:''' [The Normandy] runs on an experimental Tantalus drive core.
'''Shepard:''' What's so special about the Tantalus drive core?
'''Udina:''' [Liara] was last seen in the Artemis Tau cluster.
'''Shepard:''' Guess we'll start in the Artemis Tau cluster.
* [[Patrick Stewart Speech]]: Shepard has the option of delivering a heroic subversion, saying that humans ''can't'' do everything on their own and that every race in the galaxy needs to stick together if they're going to survive. {{spoiler|Change 'human' to 'organic species' and it's played pretty straight whenever a Reaper comes onto the scene
** Also appears during some dialogue options in
{{quote|'''Liara:''' So tell me what you want. What are you fighting for?
'''Shepard:''' I guess I'm fighting for us: all of us.
'''Liara:''' That's a lot of responsibility.
'''Shepard:''' [[Knight in Sour Armor|People are messy, awkward, sometimes selfish and cruel]]. But they're trying, and I'm going to make sure they have a chance.
* [[Pay Evil Unto Evil]]: Many of the renegade options can have Shepard being a completely ruthless bastard towards other bastards.
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' You chose your side, Elnora, and you lost.}}
* [[Perma-Stubble]]: The default Male Shepard model has this and it can't be changed. Apparently, being able to defeat whatever the galaxy throws at you is incompatible with knowing your way around a razor blade.
* [[Pet the Dog]]: Playing as a Renegade does not automatically lock Shepard out of Paragon dialogue and actions, so there are numerous opportunities to do this.
* [[Phrase Catcher]]: Shepard is repeatedly told words along the lines of: "[[Not So Different|You may not agree with my methods, but our goals are the same]]."
** Shepard also tends to hear variations on the phrase '[[Magnetic Hero|It's your call, Shepard. We'll go with whatever you say]].'
** S/he also hears quite a lot of "WTF?! I thought you were dead!" in the second game.
* [[The Pollyanna]]: A full Paragon Shepard comes off as this, especially in the first game. (S)he never fully gives up hope that the Council will do the right thing in the end, (S)he will try to end a conflict by negotiating no matter how big of a bastard the bad guy is, and (S)he has almost infinite patience for the character flaws of others (Udina's attitude is dismissed as him "having a lot on his mind" or "just doing his job"
* [[Precision F-Strike]]: Occurs twice during the main game:
** Once, during Tali's loyalty mission (
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' Do whatever you want with your toy ships. But leave my crew out of your political BULLSHIT!}}
** And, when you choose the Renegade option while speaking with the Illusive Man after
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' I'm sorry, having trouble hearing you. Lotta ''bullshit'' on this line.}}
** Not even swearing, but Shepard's honest irritation, even as a ''Paragon'', at the Hanar who attempts to aid the Reapers in the third game because their [[Insane Troll Logic]] that since the Protheans became the Collectors, who serve the Reapers, their Gods clearly demand they do the same.
{{quote|'''Shepard''': You... big... stupid... ''jellyfish!''}}
* {{spoiler|[[Precursor Killers]]: Unless there's another brainwashed collective hiding somewhere, Shepard has officially offed what's left of the Protheans. S/he's also killed two [[Eldritch Abomination|Reapers]] personally, and fought a third to a standstill
** {{spoiler|As it turns out, there is [[Last of His Kind|one Prothean left]]. Shepard did a number on the other remnants
* [[Prophetic Dreams]]
* [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]]: How every one of Shepard's squads starts out. They're [[Bunny Ears Lawyer|abnormally skilled misfits]], but would still probably kill each other in a heartbeat without Shepard guiding them.
* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]/[[Benevolent Boss]]: Paragon Shepard to his/her crew.
* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: Renegade Shepard enjoys giving these, though Paragon can get in on the action as well, notably giving a memorable one to [[Paparazzi|Al-Jilani]] in the second game.
** Also [[Good Is Not Nice|Paragon Shepard's]] verbal smackdown to the Quarian Admirals in the second game, which literally involves yelling at them for falsely charging Tali with committing treason.
** Paragon Shepard's speech to end the Geth-Quarian war in ''Mass Effect 3''.
{{quote|'''Shepard''': Your entire history is you trying to kill the Geth. You forced them to rebel. You forced them to ally with the Reapers. The Geth ''don't'' want to fight you. If you can believe that for just one minute, this War will be over. You have a choice. Please. ''[[Ironic Echo|Keelah Se'lai]]''.}}
* [[Recurring Dreams]]: Of the unpleasant variety in the third game. They're just about a little boy who s/he watched the Reapers kill at first, but then expand to include every one of Shepard's companions who died in the fight against the Reapers. {{spoiler|The last one has Shepard watching him/herself dying as well}}.
* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: In ''Mass Effect 2'', Shepard's eyes will glow red the more Renegade s/he becomes, til they're ''glowing in the dark''.
* [[Redheaded Hero|Red Headed Heroine]]: The default fem!Shep.
** [[Green Eyed Red Head]]: [http://na.llnet.bioware.cdn.ea.com/u/f/eagames/bioware/masseffect3/resources/assets/media/wallpapers/wallpaper-004-femshep-p.jpg As voted by fans.]
* [[Relationship Upgrade]]: Potentially with Tali or Garrus in the second game, depending on Shepard's gender. Any of the love interests from the first game can be subject to this in the third if not romanced previously, though Ashley is only available for male Shepard.
* [[Religious Bruiser]]: If the player chooses.
* [[Reluctant Warrior]]: Paragon Shepard, who ''always'' tries to talk enemies down first, but nonetheless is prepared to knock seven bells out of them if they have to.
* [[Remember When You Blew Up a Sun?]]: The second game has everybody fully aware of just how many ridiculously impossible missions Shepard has completed and will mention them if they feel like it.
** Cruely subverted in ''
* [[Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated]]: Shepard drops this line a few times in the second game, [[Back
* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: Colonist Shepard with the Ruthless personality became known to the Batarians as "[[Names to Run Away From Very Fast|The Butcher of Torfan]]" in gaining retribution for the loss of their family and friends to a slaver raid on Mindoir.
** Not forgetting how Shepard deals with
{{quote|'''Shepard''': This is
* [[Sad Clown]]: Of course Shepard can be played any number of ways, but it seems canon that s/he uses snark to cover up his/her sadness.
** Particularly if you chose the Colonist background, being one of the few survivors of a Batarian slave-run in which your parents were killed. [[It Got Worse|Even more so]] if you're playing as a Sole Survivor, which meant your first mission ended with your entire squad either slaughtered right in front of you or picked off one by one by a nest of angry Thresher Maws.
* [[The Sadistic Choice]]: [[The Chains of Commanding|Is forced to make a few
* [[Save the Villain]]: Paragon Shepard attempts to do this to Saren in ''Mass Effect 1'' and The Illusive Man in ''Mass Effect 3''
* [[Schrödinger's Player Character]]: Not the character itself, but the stories behind them. No matter what origin and backstory you chose for Shepard, all of those events happened. S/he was just only present for one or two of them.
* [[Screw the Money, I Have Rules]]: Paragon Shepard in a nutshell, unless s/he's going for...
* [[Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right]]: ''
* [[Second Love]]: If {{spoiler|your first love interest dies on Virmire, and you romance someone else in the sequel}}.
* [[Semper Fi]]: Shepard starts out as a Marine. An extremely talented Marine who went through specialized training to become a Special Forces officer, but still a Marine.
* [[She Cleans Up Nicely]]: Female Commander Shepard during Hock's party in Kasumi's loyalty quest. It's the only time in the series to date that Female Shepard has worn anything feminine, a dress and heels. Sadly, the usual male jaw-drop that typically happens during one of these scenes is absent. Kasumi makes an offhand comment, but that's about it.
** Male Shepard gets a suit too, but his is just a re-skinned version of the same suit every male character wears. Female Shepard's is actually unique.
* [[Shell-Shocked Veteran]]: If played right
** Played straight in ''Mass Effect 3''. Shepard has recurring nightmares of the boy in the vent they failed to save and everyone they've lost. And by the end, it's quite clear that s/he pretty much emotionally burned out.
* [[Shipper on Deck]]: Shepard may hint a little in regards to EDI and Joker.
** Taken into overdrive in ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'',
* [[Ship Tease]]: With James Vega in the third game. For all the flirting they can do, it will never go anywhere.
* [[Shock and Awe]]: Shepard can use Disruptor Ammo and Overload, which deals more damage towards synthetics.
** And in the third game, an Infiltrator Shepard's omni-blade is enhanced with an electrical charge.
* [[Shoot the Dog]]: The
** By ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', Shepard can become so obsessed with defeating the Reapers [[Alternate Character Interpretation|or simply psychotic]] that s/he will deliberately gun down anyone in his\her way, even allies and squad members.
*
* [[Shut UP, Hannibal]]: Does this ''a lot
** Paragon gets his/her piece in too, though more with regular conversation.
* [[Sink or Swim Mentor]]: Shepard often invokes [[Dare to Be Badass]] in their friends and allies in ''Mass Effect 2'' and ''Mass Effect 3''.
** Could be seen as one to Ashley/Kaidan in the third game when they become a Spectre. If you hold off the renegade interrupt, Shepard's hesitation to shoot
* [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]]: Paragon/Renegade, natch.
* [[Sobriquet]]: "[[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|The Butcher of Torfan]]" if given the Ruthless background.
* [[Sorry, I'm Gay]]: If romancing Liara, a female Shepard can use this response to shun Kaidan's attempts at romance.
* [[The Southpaw]]: Shepard is occasionally depicted in promotional materials as being left-handed, even though s/he isn't in-game.
* [[Space Marine]]: Naturally, since Shepard is an officer in the Alliance Navy.
* [[Space Police]]: After becoming a Spectre.
* [[Spell My Name with an "S"]]: It's '''''"Shepard
** [[Lampshaded]] in
*
* [[Stupid Sexy Flanders]]: In-universe, [[Even the Girls Want Her|FemShep appears to incite this in Tali]], for maximum awkwardness.
* [[Super Soldier]]: Becomes one in ''Mass Effect 2''.
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* [[Take a Third Option]]: Almost as fond of it as [[Batman]].
* [[Take My Hand]]: Paragon Shepard is fond of this.
* [[Talking the Monster to Death]]: Shepard can {{spoiler|convince [[The Dragon|Saren]] to realize he's been brainwashed, leading Saren to summon to will to ''[[Redemption Equals Death|shoot himself in the head]]''
** {{spoiler|And again in ''Mass Effect 3'', with the Illusive Man
* [[Talking Your Way Out]]: Paragon Shepard will take this option at every opportunity. Renegade Shepard can do this too, although s/he is usually far more fond of...
* [[Talk to the Fist]]: ...interrupting enemies/[[Paparazzi|annoying reporters]] mid-flow with bullets or punches to the face.
* [[Team Dad]]: Shepard can play the part of disciplinarian and use blunt authority to keep his team in line. This sort of approach is generally a Renegade option, but Paragon Shep knows how to lay down the hammer, too. A good example is the argument between Tali and Legion in the second game, where Shepard can tell them both to stop being idiots or get the hell off his/her ship.
** [[Team Mom]]: ...At the same time, Shepard can be nurturing and act as the mediator and heart of the team. In the same debate above, Shepard can persuade both of them to cooperate and realize that they have more in common than they realize.
*
* [[This Is Unforgivable!]]: {{spoiler|A Paragon Shepard will get ''pissed'' after learning the truth behind Project Overlord
* [[Tired of Running]]: Shepard invokes this throughout the third game.
* [[Tomato in the Mirror]]: In the third game, during the Alliance raid on
* [[Took a Level in Jerkass]]: Videos of renegade action in the first game were titled ''Shepard is a jerk
* [[Touched by Vorlons|Touched By Protheans]]: As a result of exposure to the Prothean Beacon and the Cipher in the first game, Shepard is recognised by their technology as though they ''are'' a Prothean and gained an subconscious understanding of their language.
** The third game expands on this. Shepard also ''see'' Prothean data as they would, allowing them to intrepret things others would see as mere static and also are able to sense
** Its also possible this allows them to share
* [[Training
* [[Transhuman]]: All six of the base classes are at least a lesser version of this, since all Alliance soldiers have basic [[Bio Augmentation]] and [[Cyborg|implants]] to deal with space travel, interface with holograms, use psychic powers, etc.
** Taken much, much further in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', where Shepard is brought back from the dead through [[Artificial Limbs|synthetic body parts]] and experimental technology. The new upgrade system allows even further expansion of Shepard's transhumanism, by using illegal terminus-systems technology to increase muscle strength, invulnerability of skin, speed of medicine circulation and so on. Becomes especially uncomfortable in the ''Project Overlord'' [[Downloadable Content|DLC]], where Shepard {{spoiler|turns out to be non-organic enough to be hacked by an AI}}.
** Commented on in the third game where EDI comments that Shepard may be one and that the legal issues about transhumanism are rather complicated. When Shepard gets worried, she claims to have been joking and clarifies that Shepard ''isn't'' as their cybernetics don't control their mind, merely enhance their body. However, its worth remembering that EDI has by now learnt how to ''lie'' to spare others feelings, so Shepard really ''could'' be.
* [[Trauma Conga Line]]: Practically canon in games but can also extend further into his/her backstory. S/he goes through a lot of crap.
** Holy crap, pretty much all of ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'' for him/her.
* [[True Companions]]: What Shepard's crews eventually become.
** Unfortunately, as Joker pointed out, after Shepard's death, [[Breaking the Fellowship|most of the surviving crew of the original Normandy drifted off into different directions]] with very few coming back. [[We Were Your Team|Shepard is the core of his/her crews]], but without him/her, the large majority of them have very little reason to stay together
** Though the crew in ''Mass Effect 2'' definitely becomes this as well if you gain their loyalties.
** Shepard comments at various points in the third game that Joker has been with them the longest, Garrus and Tali have been with them through the most and Liara is the one who knows them the best.
* [[Turn in Your Badge]]: By the beginning of ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', Shepard has apparently been unceremoniously stripped of his/her Spectre status, and with the Alliance has been relieved of duty and stripped of his/her rank.
** Although the Spectre status actually appears to be complicated. If you chose to become reinstated in the second game, it appears that due to working with Cerberus, being restricted to the Teminus systems was a form of probation. In the third game, you are returned to ''full'' Spectre status.
==U-Z==
* [[The Unchosen One]]: Through a combination of ability and circumstance, s/he went from random (if notably badass) soldier to the protector of the galaxy in the span of a week at most.
* [[Undying Loyalty]]: Shepard's survival in the sequel depends on the Commander inspiring this in as many squad members as possible. It's up to the player whether or not the Commander returns this devotion to their troops.
** Shepard can reciprocate. Paragon Shepard ''will'' reciprocate. Taken [[Up to Eleven]] when s/he finds out the asari Matriarchs have considered ordering a hit on Liara:
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' ''Nobody'' messes with my girl.}}
* [[Unequal Pairing]]: Just about every romance in the game, even if by simple virtue of Shepard being captain of the ''Normandy'' and the squad being his/her crew.
** In the first game, notable examples include Ash and Kaidan, whom Shepard outranks. In fact, Ashley at one point even admits that romancing Liara would be the most logical thing, since she's a civilian.
** Averted in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', since Shepard is "no longer technically in the Alliance" and Cerberus is not a military organization. However, Tali is a quarian, a culture that emphasizes strict loyalty to their ship's captain, and Shepard plays with it, basically telling Tali to hurry and find a way to subvert [[Can't Have Sex Ever]] under "Captain's orders". It's safe to say she's pleased by the idea.
** The ''Mass Effect 1'' relationships mentioned above change significantly with Ashley or Kaiden being promoted to ranks equal to or even above Shepard's own, and given Spectre status to boot. However, they still treat Shepard as a direct superior and two of the three new [[Love Interests]] in said game are even ''lower'' pay-grade Alliance subordinates. Also, while Tali is given the rank of Admiral in the Quarian flotilla, making her proportionally higher-ranked than Shepard, it's still a rank which means bupkis on an Alliance vessel.
* [[Verbal Judo]]: Paragon and Renegade actions all the time!... [[Talk to the Fist|well, if the latter doesn't use violence instead]].
* [[Violently Protective Girlfriend]]: FemShep can show shades of this when she talks to Matriarch Aethyta about Liara.
* [[Walking Disaster Area]]: Shepard tends to cause massive destruction wherever s/he goes, regardless of intentions.
** In fact, it's so widespread at this point that [[Invoked Trope|The galaxy at large has started to notice]].
{{quote|'''Moklik:''' [[Lampshade Hanging|Things explode around you, Shepard]]. You can't blame Aria for being careful.
<br />
'''Rana Thanoptis:''' Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna run like hell before you blow the place or something. I know how you work.
<br />
'''Thane:''' The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone. Take you for instance. All this destruction... chaos.
<br />
'''Mordin:''' Excellent. Glad to see affinity for destruction still intact, Shepard.
** Taken to an enormous new level with
{{quote|'''Admiral Hackett:''' All I know is I sent you out there to break Amanda Kenson out of prison, and now {{spoiler|an entire system is destroyed}}. I hope you can fill in the leap of logic between those two events.}}
** On the Citadel, Captain Bailey says that one of the reasons he's helping you is so that he'll know where you're headed so he can clear the civilians out first.
* [[Wall Slump]]: Of the non-fatal variety, after Udina and the Council ground Shepard to prevent him/her from going after Saren after [[The Reveal]] concerning Sovereign.
* [[Warrior Therapist]]: Paragon Shepard, especially in ''Mass Effect 2''. Good thing
** [[Quit Your Whining]]: ...or you can be a complete ass.
* [[We Can Rebuild Him]]: And they did.
** [[Restart At Level One|At Level One]].
*** Or Level 3/5 if importing a Level 50/60 Shepard from
*** Actually subverted by the fact that EVERYTHING is now more expensive, and you have access to top-of-the-line weapons and armour through Cerberus. It is arguable that you are just as powerful at the beginning of
*** More so if you download the Aegis and Firepower DLC armor and weapon packs.
* [[We Do the Impossible]]: Shepard's effectiveness in completing suicidal missions has attracted the attention of more than one group.
** In ''Mass Effect 3'', Anderson notes that entire armies have fallen trying to kill a single Reaper. Shepard has managed to kill about ''four''. With the last two being done ''on foot''.
* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: Many of Renegade Shepard's dialogue options and actions veer into this direction.
** Sometimes even [[Good Is Not Nice|Paragon actions]] can arguably be considered this.
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* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: While Shepard can be called out on his/her actions depending on them, s/he is given the opportunity to call out other people himself several times, including Udina, the Council, and {{spoiler|Zaeed in the Paragon ending of his loyalty mission}}.
** {{spoiler|The Virmire Survivor}} calls Shepard out in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' for working with Cerberus. At the beginning of ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', s/he's also being called out in a ''major'' way for {{spoiler|blowing up a star system and killing over 300,000 batarians}}.
**
* [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]: Due to Shepard's cybernetic implants rendering them partially synthetic, as well as their continuously evolving [[Acquired Poison Immunity]], its concievable that Shepard's potential lifespan now far exceeds that the average human.
** It is a matter of [[Wild Mass Guessing|some debate]] amongst the fandom whether or not Shepard could even potentially be ''[[The Ageless|Biologically Immortal]]'' if their organic body parts are supplimented and maintained by their synthetic ones. Its worth noting that dialogue with Dr Chakwas and Miranda heavily imply that they ''do'' play some part in regulating, enhancing and maintaining Shepard's vital body functions.
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{{quote|'''Shepard:''' No. Humanity's future is out here. There is so much we haven't seen yet...}}
* [[With This Herring]]: Spectres are expected to self-sufficient. As such, the Council will not give Shepard any resources beyond occasional information. The Alliance and Cerberus are much more generous.
** In the third game, the Alliance does this to a degree, ordering Shepard to be the one tasked with rallying a force to retake Earth, however they can. This is somewhat
* [[Worthy Opponent]]: Becomes this in the eyes of Saren, which is quite impressive on his/her part given Saren's enormous racism towards humans. Also, Harbinger labeling Shepard as "an annoyance" could be seen as it acknowledging that s/he is this for the Reapers, also an impressive feat.
{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Dying Reaper''': Harbinger spoke of [[The Dreaded|you]]
** The Illusive Man constantly warns Kai Leng to treat Shepard as a worthy opponent and to respect his/her skills and how dangerous s/he is. {{spoiler|Kai Leng arrogantly refuses and gets killed for that mistake
* [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]: Normally, s/he's quite [[Genre Savvy]], but there's a rare lapse in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', when Shepard wonders what kind of weapons ''a taxi'' has.
** Of course given [[Cosmic Plaything|the chaotic nature]] of Shepard's life, expecting a taxi to have guns is something that honestly isn't considered too far-fetched.
* [[You Did the Right Thing]]: Paragon Shepard is often on the receiving end of this, after letting terrorists, mass-murderers, etc go in order to protect the innocent.
* [[You Shall Not Pass]]: War Hero Shepard pulled this off, single-handedly fending off an entire platoon of Batarians who breached the garrison's defences during the Skyllian Blitz. Becomes even more awesome if Shepard has the Colonist background, because they effectively took on a larger number of troops than those that attacked Mindoir and ''actually won''.
* [[Youthful Freckles]]: FemShep [http://i.imgur.com/fvRDq.png has them], to go with the [[Green Eyed Red Head|red hair and green eyes]].
* [[Zero-Approval Gambit]]: After s/he {{spoiler|causes a supernova that kills over 300,000 batarians}}, Admiral Hackett tells him/her that s/he'll have to fulfill this trope in order to avert a war between the humans and batarians.
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