Mass Effect Legendary Edition has arrived, giving players a chance to dive back into BioWare's classic RPG trilogy. The remaster overhauls graphics and quality-of-life features across the Mass Effect series, with a particular focus on the first game.
While Mass Effect 1 may not be the most beloved of the three titles, it delivers a great start to Commander Shepard's story. The epic tale of the Reapers, the Council, and the Alliance begins with a rogue turian Spectre, Saren Arterius. However, at the start of Mass Effect 1, no one in the galaxy is aware that Saren has turned on the Council, and intends to bring about the Reaper invasion. So why did he do it?
Saren's Motivations Before Mass Effect 1
Saren Arterius entered the turian military at the age of 15, and was deployed to active service after a year of training. As a member of a meritocratic, militaristic society, Saren climbed the ranks quickly through a combination of intelligence and ruthless efficiency. At the age of 20, he became the youngest ever turian Spectre and was proudly inducted into the elite group of Council agents.
It was around this time that Saren's anti-human bias started to become clear. Although his military records are sealed, many characters have theorized that Saren first developed his hatred for humanity during the First Contact War between the humans and turians. What is known for certain is that Saren lost a brother fighting on the human colony of Shanxi.
Throughout Saren's long and illustrious career as the top Council Spectre, his antipathy towards the human race became increasingly apparent. This reached a head when he purposefully sabotaged David Anderson's trial to become the first human Spectre. The two soldiers have hated each other ever since.
Saren Indoctrinated by Sovereign
Although Saren's hatred for humanity eventually began to interfere with his Spectre work, it didn't directly lead him to betray the Council. However, it did have an effect on his later actions against them. In addition, it was while investigating the rumors of a secret human research facility on Sidon that Saren first encountered the Reaper Sovereign.
As the harbinger of the Reaper forces, Sovereign had been silently orbiting an uncharted world for tens of thousands of years. Although it appeared dormant, Sovereign had actually been waiting for a puppet to help it summon the Reapers from dark space. It found one in Saren, who saw the vast ship as a weapon he could use to strike a blow against humanity.
While Saren believed he could persuade the Reapers that some organics were worth saving, the truth was that Sovereign had no intention of letting any organics live. Instead, the Reaper's powerful indoctrination had begun to affect Saren from the moment he approached Sovereign, slowly bending his mind until he was convinced that betraying the Council was the right thing. Despite this, it's possible for Commander Shepard to convince Saren that he's indoctrinated during their final confrontation at the end of Mass Effect 1. If so, Saren will take his own life rather than go on following Sovereign's commands.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
