In fact, the early model for animation tests featured a female Shepard. ĭuring the development of the first game, the female Shepard was given equal importance as the male counterpart unique lines were written for her as well as a unique romance option. Alan Shepard was chosen due to fitting with the idea of 'their' Shepard, being tough and respected, and fitting in with the character being the first human Spectre – Alan Shepard being the first American in space. The developers wanted a name that was both 'all-American' and common, which led them to start looking at the original seven astronauts. The character was named after Alan Shepard, the second person and first American to travel to space.ĭevelopers wanted to at least give Shepard a last name so that other characters could address them. Shepard has made cameo appearances in other Electronic Arts games and is referenced in Mass Effect: Andromeda. Various merchandise has been made, including several figurines. Most promotional material for the series focused on the male Shepard, due to the studio's desire for a single identifiable hero, though both versions of the character were given equal priority during development. Shepard's armor developed over the series, and was originally intended to be red-and-white. The character is inspired by and named after American astronaut Alan Shepard. However, in some other Mass Effect media, Shepard is called 'he' regardless of player choice for the gender. Since the player can choose the gender of Shepard, much of the dialogue revolving around the character is gender-neutral with only a few exceptions. Mark Meer provides the voice for the male Shepard, while the default male Shepard's face and body were based on Mark Vanderloo. Shepard's gender, class, first name and facial appearance are chosen and customised by the player. Shepard is neither a hero, nor a villain depending upon players' choices and actions, Shepard is the abstaining factor that acts as both on occasion, and will take whatever action is deemed necessary when presented with impossible scenarios. Commander Shepard is the player character in the Mass Effect video game series by BioWare ( Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3).Ī veteran soldier of the Systems Alliance Navy, an N7 graduate of the Interplanetary Combatives Training (ICT) military program, and the first human Citadel Council Spectre, Shepard works to stop the Reapers, a sentient machine race dedicated to wiping out all advanced organic life.

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