via EA / BioWare
Option 1: A long time in the future, in a galaxy far, far away…
Mass Effect: Andromeda was the game that could’ve been the TV adaptation. It takes place in a different galaxy, in the distant future, but still in the same universe. The game has failed hard enough for all DLCs to be cancelled, no Andromeda 2 to be mentioned, and internet speculations of the franchise's impending death have circled since its release.
But this approach might just work for a TV adaptation that isn’t a retelling of Commander Shepard’s epic story.
I have to admit, of all options I can think of, this one sustains the most hope in me. I would even be cautiously happy if 2026’s N7 Day announcement will go “We’re retconning Andromeda and bringing it to your big screen - revised, refreshed, and better.” Mass Effect: Andromeda is an untapped potential, a polish-lacking gem, filled with hearty humor and a sense of discovery (and great gameplay mechanics). I wouldn’t mind seeing this game getting another chance with a better writers crew.
But would they dare make another story with a similar setting? A “Mass Effect: Canis Major”, if you will. The Milky Way races go to another galaxy, get in trouble, save the world… I just cross my fingers so hard it might work. Because it had already been tried in Andromeda, with one major underlying problem - there was nothing of the original trilogy’s charm and sophistication.
via EA / BioWare
Option 2: “Mass Effect: Rogue One”
This is in no way a diss about Rogue One - I enjoyed the movie. With that being said, since the moment you hit play, you know the doomed end. You know these events and characters are meaningless. Sure, their actions are the needed precursor for the next movie in the timeline… which was made almost 40 years prior. No secrets, no mystery, no suspense.
I’m not saying that a new character and crew dealing with whatever plot the TV adaptation will give them, in the middle of things, such as (spoiler alert) the two years Shepard is gone right in the beginning of Mass Effect 2 (/end spoiler), won’t be interesting to watch. They might not even need to be all TPKed like in Rogue One. But they won’t matter in the grand scheme of things. The grand scheme belongs to Commander Shepard, and how they saved the galaxy. A story in the middle will pale in comparison.
The decision was already made by the execs; we won’t experience Shepard’s story again. But I pray for the Enkindlers they won’t use Shepard’s story as mere scenery and setting. I can’t see it working for a Mass Effect TV series if writers are confined to writing within the borders of a backdrop of another story.
Option 3: Another Freaking Prequel
Please… don’t.
That’s it, thanks for coming to my TED talk.
Okay, okay, let’s talk about it a little more: Please, for the love of every galactic interest, don’t make a prequel that’ll just animate already-known information while using younger versions of existing characters to pander to the game’s fans. I beg of you, whoever sits there in Amazon and BioWare, trying to figure this adaptation out. Don’t.
No, I don’t want a whole series about the First Contact War - because what else could I be talking about? Mark my words - if they make a First Contact War prequel series, it might start out epic, yet renewing for more seasons will be problematic and canon-breaking. Because the First Contact War is an already established event, with a beginning, middle, and end. And the end is kind of anti-climactic, as we already know humans join the rest of the galactic races. Diplomatic solutions don’t make for memorable TV series grand finales.
And I bet the main character will meet young versions of the war’s veterans, like David Anderson, Alec Ryder, Ashley’s grandfather, and probably a kid Kaidan Alenko. Because what’s a prequel with no groveling emotional hooks for nostalgic heartstrings tug to hang on to if the series will be terrible?
I’m sick of unnecessary prequels.
via EA / BioWare
Is This a Galaxy Worth Saving?
I don’t want to be the gloom predictor, but I have a hard time being happy about these recent N7 Day news. Mass Effect is a game dear to me, like many others, and I’d hate to see a TV adaptation fall short because of a lacking script and disrespect for established canon (as was already done with Andromeda).
I would absolutely accept a Mass Effect trilogy adaptation, given it was good. Even if it would “choose” differently than my canon choices, even if it would change things for the sake of a better-suited story for TV, even if they would (god forbid) cast a male Shepard. I would’ve loved that. Because that is a story known for its many qualities, for its space-opera level of epicness.
I don’t know if I can count on Amazon to turn this Mass Effect adaptation into a glorious sci-fi epic, mainly because I haven’t watched a lot of Amazon series to compare. But I do know that BioWare hasn’t had any major success since Dragon Age: Inquisition, and that was 2014. That makes me worry, at best, and scorn, at worst.
I don’t have words of wisdom to finish this with. I should go.
via EA / BioWare
