Mass Effect: Why Saren [SPOILER]

The world of Mass Effect is layered with many subplots and character arcs that mirror timeless story elements throughout literature. One of the most impressive elements of Mass Effect’s game story was creating well-crafted antagonists that have sound logic backing their motives. There are few things weaker in writing than villains that are simply evil for the sake of being evil, and in that respect Mass Effect delivers incredibly with the looming figure of the Reapers, which are first brought into focus by Saren in the original game.

[Warning: Spoilers for Mass Effect below]

Likewise, Saren’s character in Mass Effect is a nuanced creation with a well-written backstory that properly propels him towards his ill-fated demise. While he might not be anything more than a puppet for the massive threat of Mass Effect’s Reapers in the end, his journey to that point is still a powerful one. Even before joining the Spectres, Saren was prejudice against the human race and wanted to see the Turian rise to a place of supremacy. Those motives were then used by Sovereign to give players the first glimpse at the power of indoctrination.

Much of Saren’s backstory is fleshed out in the accompanying Mass Effect comics, but even within the game itself players are informed of Saren’s dislike for humanity after his service in the First Contact War, which carried over into his work as a Spectre. One of the most accomplished and effective of the elite group, Saren was always working on ulterior motives well before the events of the first Mass Effect. What began as a journey of speciesism leads Saren straight to the Reapers where players see their true power unfold.

What Was Saren’s Goal In Helping Sovereign In Mass Effect?

Before Mass Effect starts proper, Saren’s quest took a number of twists and turns as he learned more about the illusive relics from this ancient race, and with each new chapter he sought the power to ascend the Turian race to what he felt was their proper place. Initially his goal was to do so by evolving them into meta-Turians. This changed, though, after the events of Mass Effect: Revelation, when Saren learns the details of a mysterious “artifact” from Dr. Shu Qian on a Spectre mission. After killing Dr. Qian, Saren takes the research and covers up the details, knowing his status as a Spectre grants him immunity. With the research in hand Saren sets off to find this artifact he believes will allow him to control the hive-mind intelligent machines known as Mass Effect’s Geth.

In the events of the first Mass Effect Saren finally discovers the artifact, only to learn it is in fact Sovereign, an ancient Reaper vanguard that was left it instigate the Reapers’ return when the time came. This artifact shows Saren what happened to all the civilizations in the galaxy that came before, and his plans change entirely. At this point, he no longer seeks to use Sovereign to control the Geth but instead to convince the Reapers that Mass Effect’s galactic races are worth saving, thinking that if the races agree to servitude the Reapers will be appeased. Unbeknownst to Saren, at this point he has already lost.

The Reapers, an ancient race of hyper-advanced synthetic-organic lifeforms, are the most powerful being in the Mass Effect universe, an impressive title given the game’s mind-blowing technological feats. Their most powerful tool, however, is Indoctrination, a process by which the Reapers manipulate the minds of organic lifeforms to make them believe they are acting of free will when in fact they are doing the bidding of the Reapers. Saren’s belief that he can convince the Reapers to spare the galaxy is all just a guise by Sovereign to get Saren to carry out the Reapers’ bidding.

This is Mass Effect‘s first explained instance of indoctrination, which becomes a powerful element as the story unfolds. Saren’s quest is a timeless tale of a person seeking a tool with which to achieve the supremacy of their people over others, only for that tool to end up being an ancient alien race bent on galactic destruction. Saren’s fate is only one of the many stories that make Mass Effect a modern classic.