Mass Effect 4 may be the next chapter in BioWare's iconic series, but in many ways it seems to be calling back to the franchise's past. The trailer released at The Game Awards 2020 hinted at a return to the Milky Way, and led many fans to speculate that Shepard could even be returning as the player character.
Fans haven't been given an indication whether the original trilogy's iconic ship, the Normandy, will be returning in Mass Effect 4. Another ship named "Mudskipper" has been featured in a piece of promotional art and the next chapter's trailer. Smaller, less sleek, and generally looking lower tech, if the Mudskipper is the next game's main ship it could have a tough time living up to the Normandy's legacy. There are reasons, however, that the ship's design could fit very well into the Mass Effect universe after the Reaper invasion, and could even see it become the perfect player base for Mass Effect 4.
Mass Effect 4: Mudskipper
Back in November 2020, BioWare released a teaser image titled "Mudskipper," which showed a small ship and what fans of the franchise could only assume was its crew on a mysterious planet. Although the title of the image appeared to be named after the ship, it was the silhouette of the crew members which drew the most attention.
The two silhouettes on the right were quickly noticed as darkened versions of Thane and Mordin from Mass Effect 2's squad menu, suggesting a Drell and Salarian squadmate. The figure to the right of them was based on a silhouette of Jaal, the Angara follower from Mass Effect: Andromeda. This raised some huge questions about Mass Effect 4's universe, which have yet to be fully explained, with the Angara native to Andromeda and not discovered until 600 years after Mass Effect 3.
It isn't clear how BioWare plans to bring together its Andromeda and original trilogy storylines yet, but the focus on the crew members left the ship itself under-analyzed. It appears to be smaller than the Normandy, and some fans speculated that the "XT8" on the side may follow the naming convention of the Andromeda Initiative or Systems Alliance ships. That being said, there were few hints at how the image might tie into the next game's plot until Mass Effect 4's trailer released.
Mass Effect 4's Trailer
At the end of Mass Effect 4's trailer is a shot which almost exactly recreates the Mudskipper image, but this time against a different landscape. The XT8 visible on the side of the ship seems to confirm that the Mudskipper will be at least one of the main ships used in Mass Effect 4, and it could even be the game's home base. Although a new ship could have a tough time living up to the Normandy, there may be some reasons that a smaller, lower tech ship could be perfect for Mass Effect 4's story.
There's already a lot to suggest that Mass Effect 4 will take place in a timeline where Shepard chose the Destroy Ending at the end of Mass Effect 3. Liara walks past a dead Reaper in the trailer. In the Control and Synthesis endings, the Reapers were not destroyed. There's also a moment where Liara picks up a piece of N7 armor, which many fans have taken to suggest Shepard's survival. In the original trilogy, Shepard's survival was only implied in the Destroy Ending, only if the player had a high enough Effective Military Strength going into the final fight.
An image released by BioWare on Twitter showed the Systems Alliance building their own Mass Relay. The Destroy Ending destroyed the Mass Relays of the original trilogy, so again this makes sense. Mass Effect 4 could take place in a version of the Milky Way that has seen huge technological setbacks. A massive interdependent galactic community was likely fragmented with the destruction of the Mass Relays, and rebuilding the Mass Relay system to the extent seen in the first three games could take millennia.
The Mudskipper And Mass Effect 4's Story
If Mass Effect 4's main ship ends up being the Mudskipper instead of a state-of-the-art ship like the Normandy, that could perfectly fit the themes of decline and recovery that the Destroy Ending would lend itself towards. Actual mudskippers are fish which can survive on both land and water, often taken as icons of intermediary evolution. Players might take control of the "Mudskipper" as they explore a far smaller area of the Milky Way that seems to have technologically devolved, but is still pushing forward.
The introduction of elements from Andromeda complicates things, but if the Andromeda Initiative somehow found its way back to the Milky Way, it might have something to do with the Scourge; the modern science-defying and technology destroying dark energy cloud from Andromeda. BioWare will likely have to jump through some hoops to get it to all make sense, but if the Scourge ends up explaining the two galaxy shot in Mass Effect 4's trailer, the unpredictable nature of dark energy could allow the Andromeda Initiative to make it home without huge technological advancements taking place.
A smaller ship like the Mudskipper could be used for a more intimate, isolated story: A universe whose inhabitants have suddenly been yanked from a galactic-level civilization, and forced to live lives suddenly more down-to-earth. A smaller story in a corner of the galaxy could help explain the absence of many characters from the original trilogy, helping avoid some of Mass Effect 4's biggest challenges like romance options from the original trilogy returning.
If Shepard returns, this civilizational setback could put them in a very different position to the heroic Commander they once were, and help distinguish Mass Effect 4 from the original trilogy, while still continuing the story of part of its universe. The exact role the Mudskipper will play in the next game remains to be seen, but if BioWare gets back to its roots and tells a focused, intimate story, a smaller ship and a technologically limited Milky Way could be the perfect fit.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.