The Mass Effect series took the world by storm 13 years ago, and has garnered both new and old fans each year. Its immense popularity even led to a sequel, Mass Effect: Andromeda, but it wasn’t as well-received as the original trilogy. While the sequel introduced two new races of alien, it also left out some fan favorites from the original games. Most notable of these omissions was that of the Quarians.
The Mass Effect franchise is full of lore that creates a well-rounded, in-depth understanding of the world that players dive into. This lore includes intense backstories to establish each alien race, its history, and its place in the Milky Way galaxy. Quarians in the Mass Effect universe are humanoid, nomadic aliens that live on the Migrant Fleet and are known for their ongoing battle against their own creations, the Geth. Most notable of all the Quarians is Tali’Zorah, a fan favorite crew member who joins the team in the first Mass Effect game.
Compared to humans in Mass Effect, Quarians are noticeably shorter and leaner but have extremely similar facial structure. They’re also one of the few alien species that have hair. Quarian physiology differs from humans, though, because they’ve only got three thick fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot. Interestingly, male Quarians lack a third toe. Similarly to humans, Quarian blood is also red.
Quarians and Turians are categorized as “dextro-protein” species, meaning that they have to eat a special kind of food that differs from the food humans and Asari eat. To Quarians, human food could be poisonous and trigger a deadly allergic reaction if not treated. When on Pilgrimage, Quarians are issued a refined paste that they can eat during their travels. If they want a change from that, they can eat specially fortified Turian foods. The Quarian diet on the Flotilla is largely vegan, as it was found livestock didn’t provide enough nutrients when compared to how much space they inhabited on the ships.
The most interesting and talked-about aspect of the Quarians is their weak immune system. Players never really get a chance to see what Quarians look like beneath their suit, save for one picture of Tali’Zorah during her romance storyline, and that’s because Quarians are extremely hesitant to take off their suits. Their immune systems have always been weak, even before they had to flee Rannoch to get away from the Geth. However, the viruses and microbes that existed on their homeworld at least had some benefit to them, leading to a symbiotic relationship between them and their environment.
To protect themselves from the disease that exists outside Rannoch, Quarians live in sophisticated enviro-suits. If a suit is ever damaged, it can compartmentalize and prevent the spread of contaminants like viruses or microbes that could make their way into the suit’s environment. Even with the suits, Quarians require many types of immunizations and vaccines to protect their bodies and continually fight off disease.
Because of their suits and risk of infection, it’s difficult for Quarians to have any kind of physical intimacy or affection. One of the most intimate things Quarians can do is link their suit environments together, which practically guarantees either one or both of them getting sick, but the risk is worth it for their connection. If a Quarian ever wishes to remove their suit fully, it’s possible but requires a lot of immune system boosting in the form of antibiotics, herbal supplements, and immuno-boosters to protect their health as much as possible.
One of the most notable events in Quarian history is their war against the Geth. The Quarians had made the Geth to be servants and laborers, constructed with typical VI (virtual intelligence) software. However, as time went on, the Quarians would make adjustments to improve the Geth, and somewhere along the line the Geth’s neural connections became so strong they became sentient. Understandably, many Quarians panicked and eventually were either forced to destroy or turn in their Geth helpers.
The threat of destruction made the Geth defensive, starting an all-out war between the Quarians and the Geth. The Quarians who survived had to flee the homeworld of Rannoch, and established the Migrant Fleet, also known as the Flotilla. Some Quarian groups were focused on taking back Rannoch, while others thought it would be better to find a different world to settle on permanently. Depending on the outcome of Commander Shepard’s intervention in the Quarian/Geth war in Mass Effect 3, the Quarians can either regain their homeworld or be doomed to extinction.
Because of their war with the Geth, Quarians were kicked out of the Citadel Council as punishment for their recklessness. However, there was also a treaty put in place that said the Council would not attack the Geth so they wouldn’t become provoked any further. The Council isn’t too fond of Quarians because they have a habit of “accidentally” leaving their convicted criminals on other planets as a way to preserve their society and supplies.
One rite of passage that all Quarians go through is their Pilgrimage. Players meet Tali’Zorah on the Citadel in Mass Effect when she’s on her own Pilgrimage, which is also partially why she joins Shepard’s crew on the Normandy. The Pilgrimage states that the Quarian who leaves cannot return to the Flotilla until they bring something valuable back—this doesn’t necessarily mean a material item, though, as Quarians do not value material things. When returning from Pilgrimage, a Quarian must bring new information, supplies, or money to the new ship they want to join.
The Quarian economy differs vastly from many other races in the galaxy, as currency essentially doesn’t exist for them. Quarians have founded their society on the principles of loyalty and honor, so whenever they find they no longer have use for something, they put it into a public market and leave it there. If someone else finds a use for the item, they can take it without fuss or an exchange of money.
Quarian language is also fascinating. Players will frequently hear Tali say “keelah se’lai,” which translates to “by the homeworld I hope to see one day.” When irritated with someone or something, Tali will exclaim “boshtet!” which is equivalent to a curse or insult. Quarian names are composed of four different parts—given name and clan name come first, separated by an apostrophe; then “nar” followed by the name of their home ship; finished with “vas” and the ship they serve as a crew member on. Tali’Zorah nar Rayya vas Neema is actually Tali’s full title when Shepard reconnects with her in Mass Effect 2.
Quarians are notably missing in the successor to the original trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda, but their absence is addressed in the tie-in book Mass Effect: Andromeda: Annihilation. They discuss the ark that was supposed to take the Quarians into the Andromeda galaxy in the game, but otherwise, players don’t see Quarians or even know when they’ll actually make it to the new galaxy.
The Quarians have some of the most interesting lore and related missions in the Mass Effect Trilogy, consistently being listed as a fan favorite alien race and romance storyline with Tali’Zorah.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition will be available in Spring 2021.
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