The Mass Effect universe is an extremely well-constructed universe with incredible detail. It may be a bit of an ambitious introduction, but from a science fiction point of view, I don’t think there’s anything inferior to the Star Wars universe in terms of content quality. The relationships of races with each other, the problems in the galaxy, the current technological developments, various events with different philosophies behind them really offer us a pleasant background to follow and learn.
You can enjoy Shadow of Mordor without knowing the history of Middle-earth, you may have enjoyed Rogue One even if you were unaware of the story of Darth Vader’s emergence, and you can also enjoy Andromeda or future Mass Effect games without knowing the history of Mass Effect. But to know about these issues, I assure you, increases the enjoyment you will get from these names many times. That’s our main purpose in these‘history’articles; reminding you of the details you may have forgotten if you have played previous games, ensuring that you have played as much as you have played. And if you want to refresh your memory ahead of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, you’re in the right place.
In our article, we will first examine the big and important events that occurred before the reapers, rachni wars, krogan uprisings, and then we will take a look at the stories of the games together. Buckle up and get ready for plenty of spoilers 🙂
The cover art includes a fan-made poster by William Henry (billpyle).
What’s In the Mass Effect Complex
Mass Effect isn’t just three games we know of. There are also 10 different comics describing various parts of the story and 4 novels (3 of which are on the way) that have been published so far. Since these novels are also translated into our language, I strongly recommend that you read them if you are interested in this universe. If we exclude comics, the timeline of the novels and games is as follows:
We’re Going Back hundreds of thousands of years
The history, considered Milat in the Mass Effect universe, begins with the establishment of the Council and the granting of ambassadors to the Council of intelligent races. Therefore, the dates I will write here will be divided into BC and MS.
1,000,000 BC
During this period, the Leviathan race is completely dominated by the galaxy, they immediately capture any intelligent race they encounter and extort them in exchange for protection. Leviathans consider themselves the ultimate race in the galaxy.
Leviathans, who have witnessed intelligent races serving themselves create synthetic races and have problems over time, are creating an Artificial Intelligence called Catalyst to permanently protect organic life. Catalyst begins to collect genetic information from the galaxy by creating many pawns.
But then Catalyst betrays the Leviathans, uses his pawns to slaughter leviathans and creates Harbinger, the first Reaper of the genetic material he collects. This begins the cycle of reapers harvesting intelligent organic life in the galaxy, and the Reapers become the most terrifying race in the galaxy.
Catalyst is building a mass relay network in the universe to increase the efficiency of these harvests; In this way, galactic civilizations begin to develop faster, and as such, harvest time comes earlier.
68,000 – 48,000 BC
The Prothean race explores ruins belonging to one of the most intelligent races of the past, and with the knowledge they gain from these ruins, they learn the secrets of space travel and mass effect technology. So they build a galactic civilization whose capital is Citadel and is connected by a mass relay.
With the emergence of the Reapers on the Citadel, the Prothean Empire begins to collapse. Although they became aware of the existence of the Reapers through their research in the ruins of previous civilizations, they were caught unprepared for this attack. The war between the Protheans and the Reapers lasts for several centuries. Eventually, the Reapers travel from planet to planet, destroying the Protheans and other intelligent races they encounter, and leaving the galaxy to wait for the next harvest cycle.
13,000 BC
Turian breed He’s laying the foundations for his civilization on the planet Palaven.
1,900 BC
Tuchanka, the planet of the Krogan race, is entering the nuclear age. These weapons are used in wars across the planet, and as a result, a nuclear winter begins. This disintegration causes krogan society to be divided into many clans that are constantly at war with each other.
580 BC
Exploring the way to travel faster than light based on Prothean technology, the Asari race begins to study the mass relay network and explores the massive Citadel space station at the center of these relays.
520 BC
The Salarian race is also exploring the Citadel and initiating diplomatic relations with Asari.
500 BC – 1
Establishing the Citadel Council (yay!). The Asari and Salarians, who had established diplomacy between them, began to colonize the Citadel and became the center of the galactic society under the leadership of the Citadel Council.
The Volus race is contacted, with the help of this trade-oriented race, a currency(Credit)that is valid throughout the galaxy is decided and all galactic economies are connected. The Council invites Volus to set up an embassy in citadel, but this race is not given a seat on the Council.
The first contacts with the Batarian race are established, and a hundred years later they are allowed to establish an embassy in the Citadel. Later, hanar and quarian races are contacted and new embassies are established.
1 – 300 Rachni Wars
A group of expeditions from the Citadel encounters Rachni, an highly intelligent insect race, thanks to a mass relay from which they make a jump. Rachni is a warrior race, and all of a sudden they’re waging war against the rest of the galaxy. It’s impossible to communicate with the Queen of Rachni because no one can get into the underground hives in their poisonous world.
During the Rachni Wars, the Salarians made initial contact with the Krogan race and decided to use this powerful race as soldiers for the Citadel Council. The Krogan breed is strong enough to survive even in the rachni world, they manage to get into rachni hives and destroy both queens and eggs. It’s considered cleared of the Rachni race of the galaxy. Because of their contribution to the war, the Council is giving the Krogans a new planet to live on. The Krogan population, which survived the environment in Tuchanka, is booming.
300 – 700
The Krogan race is beginning to spread incredibly and colonizes many different planets. The rapid growth of this breed is causing unrest in the Citadel and a solution is beginning to be considered. Meanwhile, Beelo Gurji of Salarian is selected as the first Spectre by the Citadel Council.
700 – 800 Krogan Uprising
Krogan warlords are beginning to pluck territory from other races within the Citadel, one of which is the Asari colony in Lusia. The council is demanding an immediate withdrawal from the Krogans, but the Krogans deny it. The Spectres are launching a warning attack on Krogan infrastructure, and that’s when the Krogan Uprising begins.
Meanwhile, the Citadel Council makes first contact with the Turians and convinces them to take sides in the war for the good of the galaxy. The Krogans react violently to the turian’s first attack and destroy the Turian colonies with weapons of mass destruction. The surviving Turians are vowing to stop the Krogans at all costs.
It’s impossible to stop the Krogans because, even though their numbers are dwindly decreasing in battle, they breed so fast that new soldiers are constantly coming to their place. It is then decided to use a biological weapon created by the Salarians. This sila h, called Genophage, isused by the Turians and ensures that the entire Krogan breed is infertile. Subjected to the effects of a holocaust weapon, krogan’s population is rapidly starting to bleed. Thus, the Krogan Uprisings end and the Turians fill the military wing vacated by Krogan in the Citadel. In addition, the Turians are given a seat on the Council for their activities in these riots.
1600
There are reports of collectors being seen for the first time in the Terminus system. Citadel ignores these allegations, saying they are unfounded and narrative. The mysterious Collector race lives beyond the Omega 4 Relay, and has never been seen before, let alone citadel space, on Terminus. This race offers technological advances in response to “living examples” of the new breeds it encounters. For example, a dozen left-handed Salarians have strange requests, like eight pairs of Krogan twins.
1895-1921 Battle of Geth
Geth machines, created by quarians for cheap labor, are realizing their existence. Although the Quarians try to eliminate them, fearing that the Geths may attempt a rebellion, the Geths resist their masters and the war begins. The Quarians are expelled from their home planets as a result of these conflicts, which are called the Morning War by the Geths. Instead of going outside the Quarian systems and spreading to the Citadel, the Geths are isolating themselves from the rest of the galaxy. Citadel Council is punishing the Quarians for creating the Geths and closing their embassy.
The Geths are starting to build a giant structure that can run all existing Geth programs at the same time. That is the long-term goal of geth civilization, thanks to this mega-structure, they will be able to maximize their common processing capacity.
2125
On the planet Parnack, Yahg, an intelligent but unexplained race, is being discovered. The Citadel Council immediately sends envoys to the planet to initiate diplomatic relations, but they are slaughtered by the wild Yahg. The Council then cuts off all contact with Yahg and declares the planet Parnack a restricted area.
2148 – Mankind Discovers Mass Impact
Humans are buried deep south of Mars, encountering a very advanced Prothean technology. Based on the remains of this advanced race, which was extinct a long time ago, humans soon make progress in the field of mass impact, thus learning the way to travel faster than light. Now wandering the solar system is a piece of cake 🙂
Thanks to information from a stash of data found on Mars, it is discovered that Pluto’s moon Charon is actually Prothean technology, where there is a mass relay in the ice. The first group of explorers to use the relay find themselves on Arcturus, 36 light-years away, and when it is discovered that they are part of a large network, people’s journey to the galaxy becomes possible.
Eighteen major states around the world are signing the Systems Alliance agreement, and the Alliance is becoming the military and reconnaissance face of mankind.
2151
People are building a massive military fleet and space stations to expand their borders; however, hundreds of people are exposed to zero elements as a result of an accident at Singapore’s SpacePort. After this accident, 30% of children born in Singapore have cancer. Kaidan Alenko, who was born that year, has biotic potential.
It is later learned that children exposed to zero elements in the form of fetuses may experience differences in the nervous system, although it is very likely that their nervous system is affected, and their nervous systems react directly to electrical stimulation from the brain. This allows them to have biotic abilities, but unfortunately the remaining children cannot survive cancer.
2154 – Shepard is born
The birth of my man Shepard is celebrated enthusiastically in domestic and foreign embassies 🙂 Let’s add that there was a second zero-element accident that year. Some of the children exposed to the element zero are beginning to show telekinetic abilities.
2157 – First Contact War
For the first time, mankind encounters another intelligent race capable of traveling through space: the Turians. After the Battles of Rachni, the operation of inactive mass relays was prohibited by galactic law; Seeing human explorers trying to do just that, the Turians go on the offensive to prevent it. These so-called First Contact Wars last for three months.
Admiral Jon Grissom travels to Arcturus Station to congratulate the first graduates of the Systems Alliance’s N7 training program and announce an attack on the Alliance outpost in the Shanxi colony of an unknown alien race.
Shanxi is the first planet humans have lost to an alien race. A month later, the Second Fleet departs and manages to drive the Turians off the planet, catching them off guard.
The Turians are then preparing an all-out war against the people, which does not escape the attention of the Citadel Council. The Council comes in as a mediator, and that’s how mankind learns that there’s an incredibly large community in the galaxy. Peace is being signed between the people and the Turians.
An anonymous manifesto is being published after the First Contact War. This manifesto proposes the creation of an army called Cerberus to protect humanity from possible alien attacks. This manifesto, allegedly written by an imaginary man,“Illusive Man”,is quickly forgotten and the Cerberus organization, which is focused on the survival of mankind, remains confidential.
2159
People realize the potential of biotics, and studies focus on the discovery of zero elements. 10% of children exposed to this element have biotic powers.
Meanwhile, Saren Arteriusbecomes the youngest Turian to join the Spectres. Spectres are special agents who have been given incredible powers by the Citadel Council, including killing any living thing in the galaxy. These Spectres, which are above the law, can still be dismissed by the Council if they are found to have behaved inappropriately.
2162
A mysterious artefact is being discovered orbiting an unnamed planet near Perseus Veil. No one knows what an aftershock named Sovereign will lead to in the future.
A year later, Alec Ryder’s twin children are born.
2165
It’s a big year for mankind! People who continue to spread throughout the galaxy are establishing colonies and forming commercial alliances with other races they encounter. The Council then formally recognizes the power and influence of the human race and allocates them an embassy in Citadel, the political and economic heart of the galaxy.
2171
Protesting the Citadel Council, which did not speak out against the spread of humans in the Skyllian Verge, the Batarian race closed its embassies, returned to their own planets, and suddenly became a rogue state.
Meanwhile, Shepard, who was found to be biotic, is fitted with L3-level advanced implants.
Cerberus was pope-16th-century on Earth. He poisons and kills Clement, his successor, the Pope, in the 14th century. Leo, on the other hand, begins to spread his ideas to the public in accordance with Cerberus’ ideals.
Shepard, Kai Leng, Kaidan Alenko and Ashley Williams join the military wing of the Alliance.
2176
The Andromeda Initiative, a special initiative to explore and colonize the Andromeda Galaxy, is being established (mass effect: This is where we enter Andromeda).
2183
Together, humans and The Turians embark on an engineering project under the spondor of the Citadel Council, resulting in the SSV Normandy, a private spaceship with a prototype privacy system. David Anderson is in command of the ship, and Commander Shepard is the first officer. That’s where our first game, Mass Effect, begins.
Next Post: Mass Effect Date – Part 2
In the second part of our file, we will remember in detail the stories of all three games of the Mass Effect trilogy.
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