

The stated goal of Mordin’s loyalty mission is to save a former student of his, Maelon, who worked with him on the genophage. It’s his legacy, and he’s rightfully proud of it.

His work on that biological weapon is his most significant contribution to the galaxy. It’s fitting that Mordin’s loyalty mission revolves around the genophage. She then respects you as a leader and is willing to follow you in the face of certain death. By helping her when she needs it most, you prove your worth to her. In her case, the loyalty mission is about gaining her trust. Once we finish the mission and Miranda sees that her life’s work is once again safe, she can relax and focus on Shepard’s mission. The safety of her sister is all that matters to her. Oriana’s safety is her life’s work, so when it’s threatened, she turns to Shepard for help. She’s been a guardian angel, keeping their father off Oriana’s track, a stressful, difficult, and entirely thankless job. For years, Miranda has watched over her sister, Oriana, in secret. She hid her sister with a foster family to protect her from a harsh life under their father’s rule. He also made a second “daughter,” who was an infant when Miranda finally ran away. We learn that her father was harsh and egomaniacal and that he “didn’t want a daughter as much as a dynasty,” which is why he created her from his own genome and why she doesn’t actually have a mother. We see her as a caring, selfless protector. Miranda’s loyalty mission shows us a very different side of her. She doesn’t trust him as a leader, and she doesn’t like him. So doesn’t know why the Illusive Man has taken such an interest in him. Despite having dedicated two years of her life to bringing Shepard back, she’s suspicious of him. Miranda is introduced to us as a cold woman. This week I look at the missions concerning Miranda, Mordin, Thane, Tali, and Zaeed. Since the game has such a large cast, and in the interest of keeping this post at a somewhat manageable length, I’m going to split it up. In others, we must help them fix a past mistake, but whatever the case, we’re given a detailed look at what each of them holds most dear in life. In some cases, we must earn a teammate’s trust. These loyalty missions show how each character comes to terms with their past and is able to face death without remorse. The Normandy is going on a suicide mission, and everyone onboard knows that. These “loyalty missions” are the primary means of character development for most of the cast. Mass Effect 2 takes a smart approach to this problem by giving players optional side quests tailored to each character. As with any story with such a large cast, it can be difficult to find the time to fully develop each character into someone interesting. Mass Effect 2 has a large cast to say the least: ten crew members in the normal game, one more in downloadable content, and a twelfth to be added in more DLC in the future.
