Mass Effect 4's trailer at The Game Awards 2020 revealed the return of Liara T'Soni, one of the original trilogy's most beloved characters. It also hinted that Shepard may return, with Liara uncovering a piece of Shepard's N7 armor from a snowy landscape.
Fans hoping that Mass Effect 4 might see the return of their other favorite companions like Garrus, Tali, Jack, Miranda and more may be disappointed, however. There's evidence and hints at the timeline that seemingly prove almost all of the original trilogy companions are not returning in the series' next chapter.
Mass Effect 4's Time Jump
Mass Effect 4's trailer is full of hints that the game will take place centuries after the original trilogy. At the start of the trailer is a shot of both the Milky Way and Andromeda, which BioWare's project director Michael Gamble said was "intentional." This implies that Mass Effect 4 will likely deal with hanging plotlines from both Andromeda and the original trilogy, but the Andromeda Initiative didn't reach the neighboring galaxy until 600 years after Mass Effect 3.
There's further evidence that Mass Effect 4 will contain story threads and perhaps even characters from Mass Effect: Andromeda. Although its out of focus in the trailer, the Mudskipper ship that was previously teased by BioWare in an image released before the trailer, is clearly visible behind Liara. In the original image, one of the silhouettes seen standing by the ship is very similar to Jaal the Angara's follow menu silhouette from Andromeda.
It may not be Jaal himself returning, but the image seems to imply that an Angara companion will be included in Mass Effect 4's crew. Unless time travel gets involved somehow, this would mean that Mass Effect 4 takes place at least 600 years after the end of the original trilogy, and perhaps even longer depending on how long it took for the Andromeda Initiative to reestablish a link — possibly via Mass Relay — back to the Milky Way.
Asari can live to be 1000 years old, which explains why Liara is still alive during this time. At the start of Mass Effect 1, she's still young for an Asari at just 106 years old. She could potentially live another nine centuries, making her the perfect returning character if the next game is set long after the first.
Shepard's survival hasn't been confirmed, but it's possible that the Crucible or the effects of the Lazarus Project helped preserve Shepard underneath the ice Liara is searching, Captain America-style. The only other race that lives as long as the Asari are the Krogan, which does make it possible that Grunt, the young Krogan seen in the original trilogy, could return. Their warlike lifestyle and the possibility of Grunt's death in Mass Effect 3, however, could make that less likely.
The Followers' Fates
Unfortunately for fans hoping to see the return of other classic companions, all of those characters are likely dead by the time Mass Effect 4 takes place. Salarians have a life expectancy of just 40 years, while Mass Effect's humans, Quarians, and Turians live to be around 150. Of course, Andromeda shows that it's possible to be preserved in cryogenic sleep for centuries, but there's no reason to think that any of the followers from the original trilogy would do so without knowledge of Shepard's survival.
Even if they did know Shepard was alive, which has yet to be confirmed, they'd have no reason to freeze themselves indefinitely and wait for the Commander's return. It's more likely they'd want to help their respective species rebuild after the fallout of the Destroy Ending anyway.
The deaths of most of the original trilogy companions could well be the cost of the fresh start the series needs, allowing Shepard and Liara to return, but leaving the events and player decisions of the original trilogy well in the past. Of course, this could make Mass Effect 4 a far more interesting and personal story for players who romanced Liara in the original trilogy. 600 years is a long time, however, and even players who romanced Liara may find she isn't interested in them in the same way anymore, similar to the handling of Mass Effect 1 romance options in Mass Effect 2's base game.
While it might be painful to let go of fan-favorite Mass Effect companions, leaving the original trilogy behind could be exactly what the new game needs to launch its own story. If the game is going to introduce new followers and new romances, preserving romances from the original trilogy could end up making the game less interesting, making it feel restrictive. A time jump gives BioWare an out while also adding a melancholy note to Shepard's survival which could inform the opening tone of the new story.
If the time jump and the natural deaths of most of the original characters is the path Mass Effect 4 goes down it could retroactively inform what players consider to be the best choices in the original Mass Effect trilogy and Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Not romancing Tali or Garrus, for example, ends up with them getting together, which might be a more palatable thought for many players than leaving either one alone after Shepard's disappearance or death. Liara might end up becoming considered the most obvious romance option, creating continuity and the chance for more personal drama in the next chapter in the series.
A broad reset on the Mass Effect universe and many of the characters in it may be necessary. When players began Mass Effect 1 they had the history of humanity's integration into the galactic community and a handful of interesting alien races to learn about. A huge time jump could allow the world to feel new again, with players learning about the events of the centuries since the defeat of the Reapers. Fans will be sad to see some characters go, but keeping them contained to the original trilogy may be for the best, allowing the new game to tell its own story and keeping their legacies' in tact if the game ends up failing to live up to expectations.
Mass Effect 4Â is in development.