The Mass Effect series is one of the greatest and most iconic video game franchises of all time. The sheer amount of love and adoration this trilogy has received is hard to miss, which is exactly why people lashed out so hard at Mass Effect: Andromeda — the game was nowhere near the quality of its predecessors and missed the mark on a ton of fronts... especially when it comes to the characters.
The characters of Mass Effect are legendary for being some of the most well-written and likable teammates in a video game. Mordin Solus is a great example of such a character, with his quirky nature allowing him to be a character that's both unique and likable. Here are ten things about this fan-favorite character that most people might not be aware of.
10 Mordin Was Initially Meant To Have Biotic Powers
People who have heard the dummied-out dialogue of Mass Effect 2 discovered a rather unique fact about Mordin — he wasn't initially supposed to be a tech specialist at all!
Instead, Mordin was actually supposed to be a powerful biotic! His abilities were so powerful that he could've even been considered to be a prime candidate to create a powerful biotic shield during the Suicide Mission as well.
9 His Suggestion To Implant Ocular Nerve Flashbangs Was Apparently Taken Into Consideration
During Mass Effect 2, Mordin makes a wayward comment on how outdated it is for Cerberus commandos to keep a pill of cyanide in their molars when an ocular nerve flashbang is harder to disarm.
Apparently, this suggestion was actually taken seriously by Cerberus — in Mass Effect 3, Alliance logs on Liara T'Soni's computer will mention a Cerberus operative whose head imploded in the middle of questioning.
8 Clint Eastwood Was Chose As An Inspiration For Mordin's Face... In A Way
While it might be ludicrous to say that Mordin's design was faced on the likeness of Clint Eastwood — a statement that cannot be true due to Mordin being a completely different species — various features of the iconic actor's image were used to make Mordin look more experienced and intellectual.
Mainly, the wrinkles and squint of Clint Eastwood's face were used as a reference for Mordin's facial features.
7 He Was Supposed To Have A Confrontation With Grunt
During the events of Mass Effect 2, Shepard's companions will end up losing their cool at each other, leading to rather tense moments. In these moments, the Commander needs to step in and resolve the argument.
These tense encounters happen between Legion & Tali and Jack & Miranda. However, as per the dummied-out voice lines, there was another confrontation that was meant to happen between Grunt & Mordin, which is quite understandable given the latter's participation in creating the genophage.
6 There Could've Been A Way To Regain His Lost Loyalty With A High Paragon Rating
Mass Effect 2 features a loyalty system, which governs how effective squadmates will be during the final mission of the game. However, while players can certainly build loyalty in the game, this loyalty can be lost as well. This generally happens when two crewmates argue and Shepard doesn't have enough Paragon or Renegade points to avoid picking a side.
Given that the cut content of Mass Effect 2 features an argument between him and Grunt, it was possible that the player could've lost Mordin's loyalty as well. However, with a high enough Paragon rating, his loyalty could've been won back.
5 He Almost Killed Joker In An Attempt To Fix His Vrolik Syndrome
Joker — the cheerful pilot of the Normandy — suffers from a rare disease that makes his bones very brittle and forces him to not engage in any strenuous physical activity.
According to Mordin, he was on the cusp of giving Joker a cure for this Vrolik Syndrome... before realizing that humans only have two livers. If Mordin had failed to double-check this information, then Joker might've died as a result of his negligence.
4 For Someone Who Worked On The Genophage, Krogans Certainly Warm Up To Him
Mordin is extremely torn about his role in creating the genophage — on one hand, his species was getting annihilated by the bloodthirsty krogans and they had no choice. On the other hand... this powerful biological weapon has pretty much driven the krogans to the brink of extinction.
Given this fact, one would assume that most krogans would give Mordin a wide berth... if not try and kill him outright! Yet, as the game progresses, Mordin actually ends up forming an unlikely friendship with two of the more important krogans in the game — Wrex and Eve.
3 He's The Only Major Character To Have Different Voice Actors In The Series
A rather interesting fact about Mordin Solus is that he's the only major character in the Mass Effect trilogy to have different voice actors in the two games he's featured in.
Michael Beattie played the role of Mordin in Mass Effect 2 before the voice actor was replaced by William Salyers in Mass Effect 3.
2 He's A Liability During The Suicide Mission In Mass Effect 2
While Mordin might be a half-decent party member, one has to admit that his usefulness during the Suicide Mission is almost nonexistent. He is bound to die if chosen for any specific action, regardless of his loyalty. Telling him to hold the line in the mission also reduces the group's chance of survival as well!
Pretty much the only thing he would be useful for in this situation is to escort the captured crew back to the Normandy.
1 A Specific Series Of Actions Prevents His Death In Mass Effect 3
If Mordin survives and makes his way to Mass Effect 3, then another string of actions results in one of the most heartbreaking sacrifices in the series. In a bid to secure the cure to the genophage and undo everything he did wrong, Mordin secures this valuable cure... at the cost of his own life.
However, things don't necessarily have to end this way — players who really love this character and want him to survive (regardless of the consequences) need to kill Wrex on Virmire in Mass Effect, destroy Maelon's data during Mordin's loyalty mission in Mass Effect 2, and tell no one about the STG Sabotage on Shroud tower in Mass Effect 3.
Finally, when the player stops Mordin from going up this tower, they need to choose the Renegade option to secure Mordin's life once and for all.