The next chapter in the Mass Effect series—currently known as Mass Effect 4—will not be making an appearance at EA Play this month. Fans hoping to get answers to some of the huge questions raised when the game's trailer was revealed at The Game Awards 2020 have been left hanging, and despite the surprising implications of the trailer, BioWare now appears to be playing its cards close to its chest.
Mass Effect 4 has a huge question to answer. The answer to this question will set the stage for the franchise's future, but it will also retroactively establish the canonical events of the original trilogy in a way that could reshape the entire series.
Mass Effect 3's Canon
Excluding the different possible Mass Effect romances and the Reject Ending added in the Extended Cut where the Reapers win, Mass Effect 3 has three endings. Although the cutscenes for each ending were criticized for their similarities when the game first launched, each one had vastly different implications for the fate of the Milky Way.
The Control Ending saw Commander Shepard sacrifice their physical form to become an AI, taking control of the Reapers, repairing damaged Mass Relays, and sparing the galaxy's synthetic lifeforms. The Synthesis Ending saw the Milky Way's organic and synthetic lifeforms merge when Shepard sacrificed themself to the Crucible. This made the Reapers and their cycle of destruction obsolete, as well as preventing the further deaths of organic or synthetic lifeforms. Finally, the Destroy Ending destroyed the Reapers, the Mass Relays, and all synthetic life in the galaxy in order to stop the Reaper threat once and for all and ensure a future for the organic species of the Milky Way.
The evidence revealed so far points to Mass Effect 4 making the Destroy Ending canon. BioWare released an image on Twitter showing a Mass Relay rebuilt by the Systems Alliance, which would only have been necessary if the relays were destroyed at the end of the original trilogy. The Mass Effect 4 trailer saw Liara T'Soni walking over the corpse of a dead Reaper—in both other endings the Reapers were repurposed but not destroyed. Finally, the hint at Shepard's survival that comes with the N7 armor Liara recovers in the trailer is also only hinted at in a high EMS Destroy Ending. In the Control Ending, Shepard leaves their body behind, while in the Synthesis Ending they sacrifice themself in order to make the synthesis possible.
Handling A New Canon
If Mass Effect 4 is going with the Destroy Ending, it could be controversial. The majority of Mass Effect players picked Paragon options, and the Destroy Ending is clearly the Renegade choice down to the red light the Crucible sends across the galaxy. The Destroy Ending also has big implications for Mass Effect's universe.
Even if the player chose to save the Geth and make a tenuous peace between the synthetic species and the Quarians, its creators, the Destroy Ending implies that all the Geth are destroyed. It would also imply the death of AI companion EDI, a sacrifice some players may feel their version of Shepard may not have been willing to make.
If BioWare is willing to hint that the Destroy Ending is canon, however, it may also be willing to retcon some parts of Mass Effect 3's ending. It's clear that the Catalyst's belief that the Destroy Ending would kill all synthetic life wasn't quite accurate, if not intentionally misleading. The Catalyst mentions that Shepard's synthetic parts mean they would also be killed, but both a high EMS ending and Mass Effect 4's trailer seem to hint at Shepard's survival.
There are also some longstanding rumors about the exact nature of Mass Effect 3's ending. Many have speculated, for example, that the game's final decision may not be a literal event, but a representation of Shepard's final fight against indoctrination by the Reapers. Indoctrination Theory has been dismissed by some Mass Effect writers, but the ending of Mass Effect 3 does take place in a dream-like state only really witnessed by Shepard, which could leave some considerable room for reinterpretation.
The Future Of Mass Effect
Whatever canon Mass Effect 4 decides to establish, the fallout of Mass Effect 3's ending will have to be absolutely clear from the get-go. The next game's introduction will need to quickly establish what took place in the years between Mass Effect 3 and 4, and exactly how Shepard's choice affected the galaxy. If there are any changes or additions being made to the fallout of the Destroy Ending, those will also need to be spelled out from the game's first moments in order for players to get their grounding in a canon that risks becoming increasingly complicated.
If Shepard returns as Mass Effect 4's player character, the next game will need to ensure that Shepard's characterization is compatible with a Paragon interpretation of Shepard as it is a Renegade run of the original trilogy. This will be the first time the Mass Effect series has made a declarative statement about a player character decision from a previous game, with Mass Effect: Andromeda avoiding original trilogy decisions by taking place in another galaxy, 600 years in the future, following a group that departed the Milky Way before the events of Mass Effect 3.
Mass Effect 3's ending isn't just open to canonization, but total reinterpretation. BioWare once said Shepard's story was over, which now does not appear to be the case. The same could be true of Indoctrination Theory if it provides the studio's storytellers with some of the convenient outs BioWare might need to make the Destroy Ending work for as many Mass Effect players as possible. It's possible BioWare will find a way to make the Destroy Ending effectively canon without actually stating which choice Shepard made in the final moments of Mass Effect 3. If Mass Effect 4 is going to rewrite the story so far, the changes it's making and their outcomes need to be absolutely clear. The sooner BioWare reveals the premise for Mass Effect 4 and how it will handle the events of the original trilogy, the better.
Mass Effect 4 is in development.