As the conclusion of the Commander Shepard trilogy, Mass Effect 3 is BioWare’s chance to put all the cards on the table. It’s their chance to include any elements they have wanted since the franchise’s inception, and to tie up all loose ends. Among those elements that never made the cut, but has now made its way into Mass Effect 3 is a mission that would put Shepard back on the Citadel.

As fans of Mass Effect know, the Citadel was the central hub in Mass Effect 1, and featured prominently in the climax of that game. Unfortunately, with Mass Effect 2 being a series of recruitment missions, BioWare never got the chance to to give that locale its fair share of game time.

But now, with only one game left, BioWare is going back to the Citadel in proper style, and including that scrapped mission/sequence. Lead writer Marc Walters says that this mission, which is essentially a call back to Mass Effect 1, never made it into ME2, but will finally see the limelight in ME3.

"There was a Mass Effect 2 plot that was a kind of callback to the first Mass Effect that was going to be on the Citadel, and we cut it. But now it's made a resurrection in Mass Effect 3, so I'm happy, but I can't say what it is."

Unfortunately, beyond the fact that the sequence takes place on the Citadel, Walters didn’t reveal any more information. Most would figure that Shepard would rendezvous with Ambassador Udina on the Citadel, but, based on trailers, we know that reunion takes place on Earth.

With Mass Effect 3 releasing in March of next year, there’s still plenty of time for gamers to speculate on the nature of this Citadel mission, and for BioWare to potentially drop hints about it.

I’m sure that getting to re-experience missions on the Citadel isn’t going to be the only call back to Mass Effect’s past, especially considering the large cast of characters that will be rejoining Shepard’s mission. My only hope is that sequence, which was originally meant for a different game, doesn’t feel shoehorned in.

How would you like to see BioWare incorporate the Citadel into the story of Mass Effect 3? What other locations do you hope to revisit in this trilogy-ender?

Mass Effect 3 is slated for a March 6, 2012 release date on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Source: OXM