Amazon's Mass Effect TV adaption shouldn’t have anything to do with Commander Shepard. Despite being the star of the original video game trilogy and the face of the franchise, Commander Shepard doesn't have to be the focus of the rumored TV show. Using the character comes with a few too many unavoidable problems that would hurt the show and alienate longtime players of the games.
According to a new report from Deadline, Amazon Studios currently has its eye on BioWare’s Mass Effect as a property that could be brought to the small screen. Supposedly, Mass Effect fits in with Amazon’s plan to adapt high-profile franchises and fantasy worlds. Wheel of Time is said to be doing well on the streaming platform, and Amazon appears to have high hopes for Lord of the Rings as well. Deadline has reported that in the interest of continuing this approach, Amazon is in the process of working out a deal with Electronic Arts to make a Mass Effect show. The news has already led to a great degree of enthusiasm, especially since Shepard’s story is one of the most popular video game sagas ever made.
While Shepard feels like the most obvious pick to be the protagonist of the show, telling this character’s story for an Amazon Mass Effect series would be ill-advised for a number of reasons. While the possibility of the games getting a proper TV adaptation does sound exciting, many have expressed trepidation about how it would work. As former BioWare writer David Gaider recently pointed out on Twitter, how the games handled Shepard makes pleasing everyone impossible. That’s because Shepard is ultimately defined by player choice. Everything about them, including their gender, personality, and decision-making is determined by the player. Anything the show chooses to do with Shepard will therefore deeply contrast with how viewers perceive the character.
A big part of what made Mass Effect so popular in the first place was the heavy RPG elements and the level of freedom that players had with its main character. Through dialogue options, romance, and character customization, players could morph Shepard into who they wanted them to be and take them on their own journey. This aspect of the character is why so many people feel such a strong attachment to Shepard, and it’s for this very reason that Commander Shepard would be the wrong hero for Amazon’s Mass Effect show. Whatever story Amazon chooses to craft with its Shepard won’t match what other players have made with their respective playthroughs.
The inability to deliver an adaptation of Shepard’s story from the Mass Effect trilogy that isn’t divisive is fundamentally why Amazon should look elsewhere for its main plot. As others have argued, a far better strategy would be to come up with its own cast of characters and missions for them to embark on. What BioWare built with its first three games goes far beyond Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy. The trilogy created a massive and complex world filled with unique science fiction concepts and alien races. Amazon’s show doesn’t actually need any existing character from the Mass Effect franchise for it to find success.
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