Each game in the Mass Effect trilogy is defined by the Normandy crew Commander Shepard assembles and the odds they face together. There’s no doubt that each member is a hero in their own right for this fact alone, but some iterations of the Normandy crew are simply better than others, both in terms of prowess and charm they add to the game.
There is much overlap in the Normandy crew from game to game. Joker, for instance, is a mainstay as the ship’s pilot, so, despite how crucial he is across the Mass Effect trilogy, the variable members of each game and how they add value or don’t to the crew as the Normandy changes in each Mass Effect game is much more interesting to consider. This includes Commander Shepard’s squadmates and the Normandy’s fixed staff, like medical officers and engineers. All the Mass Effect crews are excellent, however, so to say any are bad or lacking would be a mistake.
#3 The Original Normandy Crew Mass Effect Was A Perfect Start
The Normandy crew in the first Mass Effect was a perfect start for the series. It was a small team with six squadmates and three notable ship-based crewmates (plus Joker). The crew is predominantly human, which makes sense, given that the SR-1 is a registered vessel in Mass Effect’s Earth Systems Alliance fleet. This demographic has the advantage of giving the player a sense of familiarity in a story world that quickly reveals its massive scope.
In that regard, the crew’s four alien squadmates provide a concise, personal view into how the overarching politics of the Milky Way galaxy function. Garrus offers perspective on the Turians and his background working as a C-Sec officer on the Citadel, Wrex exemplifies the Krogans and gives voice to their oppression by the galaxy’s other species, Tali gives a glimpse into the relatively isolated life of the Quarians, and Liara presents an overview of her experience as a young Asari, Mass Effect’s most advanced race. Each of them enables Shepard and the player to step into a galaxy that reaches far beyond humanity.
Unfortunately, though, some of the human crew are resistant to opening their perspective, none are more so than Navigator Pressly and Ashley Williams who are outspoken in their xenophobia. Their prejudiced beliefs and Shepard’s efforts to firmly stamp out their bigotry are a microcosm of one of the trilogy’s central conflicts: uniting people of disparate species and backgrounds against an evil that threatens them all.
While they may not have been the most powerful team, they aptly equipped the Normandy crew for the first Mass Effect to handle Saren’s threat to the galaxy. It’s particularly remarkable that Shepard’s conversations with the crew are character focused and have hints of emotion that cleverly mask what would otherwise be a pedantic unloading of Mass Effect’s truly bottomless lore. However, the limited interaction between members on board the SR-1 can make everyone feel isolated. Mass Effect had yet to develop the social depth it later does in the sequels.
#2 Mass Effect 2’s Normandy Crew Was Massive
Mass Effect 2 had the largest Normandy crew out of all the games, which befits the more spacious SR-2. The cast may seem a bit unruly with twelve squadmates and six new ship-based crewmates, but it is anything but. Each character stands out from the rest with distinct designs and rich, memorable backstories. The crew conversations in Mass Effect 2 are even more concerned with character development than in the first game, so hardly any interaction feels like a lore dump.
Mass Effect 2 strategically brings back crew members from the first game, namely Garrus, who did a lot between games, Tali, and Dr. Chakwas (plus Joker). This move is even cleverer than the primarily human crew from the first Mass Effect as it allows Shepard to strengthen bonds that already exist and offers familiar friends to cling to in a massive cast of new faces.
Each crew member has their own space on the SR-2, helping the Normandy reflect the personality of its inhabitants, and making it feel like the crew is contributing to the mission’s success in ways that go beyond merely standing around waiting for Shepard to take them along on the next assignment. Garrus has his calibrations, Mordin has his laboratory, Jacob presides over the armory, and Tali (who would likely be in exile if she never met Shepard in Mass Effect) helps in engineering. Every teammate suggests potential upgrades to Normandy’s systems or the team’s effectiveness, evoking the sense that these characters have helpful qualities that go beyond combat.
Mass Effect 2 was the first game in the franchise where you could have negative interactions between crew members and Shepherd. These had the potentially dire outcome of losing a teammate’s loyalty, which could cost their life in the final mission on the Collector base. This improves upon the feeling of isolation often felt in the first game, but these moments don’t happen often enough to suggest that the crew interact with each other outside of Shepard’s presence. Fortunately, Mass Effect 3 has key changes and differences that made great strides in this area.
#1 Mass Effect 3 Had The Best Normandy Crew
Mass Effect 3 showed the real testament to an outstanding crew is the sense of interconnectedness and family that it cultivates. The strong bonds for this Normandy crew rely a lot on the history that Shepard and most of the crew have, as most of the squadmates and ship-based crew return from previous games. There are seven squadmates, two of whom are new additions, and seven ship-based crewmates (plus Joker), three of whom are new additions.
These relationships forged through past struggles make it easy to feel close to the returning characters, while making the new characters stand out in a positive way. At this point, Shepard, who may be alive in Mass Effect 4, and the player feel incredibly at home on the Normandy, so it becomes their responsibility to try to make the new recruits feel welcome, which adds such a charming touch to Mass Effect 3’s otherwise doom and gloom story.
The interactions between the crew are stellar in Mass Effect 3. Unlike the previous two games, the Normandy crew in Mass Effect 3 feel like they have lives away from Shepard and that they don’t have to rely on the Commander to keep them all together. They have conversations when Shepard isn’t there to facilitate them, so the Commander often stumbles in on the crew talking about the last mission, old times, and their inner beliefs and fears, which makes the Normandy feel real, and that its crew is a family.
As the trilogy progressed, Mass Effect’s Normandy companions and crew grew richer and more connected. Each successive entry added new ways for Shepard to interact with the team and enhanced the feeling of found family, which is a profound science fiction motif. It is proof that Mass Effect has one of the best video game stories of all time and that all struggles are made more manageable with a reliable crew at your side.
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