Mass Effect is known for its companions, and with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition fans of the franchise have had a chance to reunite with some of BioWare's most beloved characters. Few of those characters, however, are as controversial as Ashley Williams.
Ashley Williams may be divisive, but she also although Ashley can die on Virmire in Mass Effect 1, players who save her are treated to one of the original trilogy's best-executed character arcs. Here's a breakdown of Ashley's best moments, and the ways the companion's controversial nature lends itself to some of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's most interesting scenes.
Ashley's Backstory Reveal
One of the most controversial parts of Ashley Williams' character - and a reason many players feel no guilt leaving her behind on Virmire - is her early distrust of the Normandy's alien crewmembers in Mass Effect 1. Shepard can either encourage or push against Ashley's pro-human sentiments, but either way, Ashley will later reveal the roots of her xenophobia.
Ashley's backstory puts a very interesting perspective on the Mass Effect universe's recent history. It is revealed that her grandfather was the first human military leader to surrender to the Turians during the brief First Contact War. This legacy has led to her being well below her deserved rank despite her spotless record. It's a reminder that, at the start of the first game, it has been just 26 years since humanity's violent initial encounter with an alien species, one which weaponized the Krogan only to sterilize them and which attacked humanity before even initiating diplomatic contact.
Although many players don't find her story sympathetic, it is one of few viewpoints players get that allows them to really understand the precariousness of humanity's position in galactic civilization. This nugget of lore helps complicate what could seem like a morally cut-and-dry universe, with Ashley's family blacklisting serving as a reminder of the potential cruelty of both Mass Effect's humans and the Citadel species. Combined with a scene where Ashley talks about her faith in God, and the player gets a sense of just how vulnerable humanity's sense of the universe and its place in it has suddenly become.
Ashley William's Survivor's Guilt
As any Mass Effect fan knows, Shepard has to leave one of their human squadmates behind on Virmire in the first game. Throughout the rest of the trilogy, Ashley and Kaidan Alenko fulfill roughly similar roles as the Virmire survivor, but there are some subtle differences that make some of Ashley's scenes particularly memorable. Both Kaidan and Ashley volunteer to stay behind. Ashley's backstory, however, makes her desire to self-sacrifice a more interesting part of her character arc.
Shepard has the option to approach either Virmire survivor after the mission. While both will feel survivor's guilt, Ashley's is multi-generational, and her wish that she had been left behind reflects both her hot-headedness and her guilt over her family history. When Kaidan Alenko volunteers to sacrifice himself it's framed as an unfortunate necessity. With Ashley, it's implied that she sees her sacrifice as a chance to redeem her family name. If Shepard chooses to save Ashley this makes for an interesting arc in the first game alone, where Ashley has to redeem herself and her family the hard way and truly let go of her family's past to overcome it.
The Showdown With Shepard
In Mass Effect 3, the Virmire survivor becomes a Spectre, regardless of whether Shepard saved Ashley or Kaidan. Once again, however, Ashley's role in Mass Effect 3 is particularly interesting in light of her role in the first game. Ashley's distrust of aliens in Mass Effect 1 contextualizes her actions in Mass Effect 3 in a very interesting way.
In one of Mass Effect 3's tensest moments, Cerberus storms the Citadel. The Virmire survivor is put in charge of protecting humanity's Councilor Udina without knowing that the politician is in fact collaborating with Cerberus. This ends in a showdown between Shepard and the Virmire survivor in which, if Shepard doesn't pick the right dialogue options, the Virmire survivor can end up dying to save Udina.
With Kaidan, this moment comes across as tragic to the point of nihilism. Unless influenced by a Renegade Shepard, Kaidan spends Mass Effect 1 believing that humanity can earn its place on the council, and shouldn't treat its new alien allies with distrust. With Ashley, however, the showdown has the potential to be truly tragic, with Ash's own major flaw leading her to the point of destruction. Ash's trust in humanity over the Citadel's aliens frames the showdown scene in a totally different way, one where her xenophobia has blinded her to the betrayal of humanity's own Councilor, and where she can end up being an unwitting pawn for Cerberus despite expressing her disdain for the organization in Mass Effect 1 and 2.
If Ashley dies, her story ends as a grim reminder of the blinders prejudice can put on a person, and how it can end with them serving far more sinister forces even if they don't truly believe themself to be an extremist. If Ashley survives, the moment also has a great payoff, with her seeing through Udina and choosing to save the Citadel Council she once deeply distrusted.
All of Mass Effect's romance options have some great scenes, and Ashley Williams is no exception, particularly the drinking game Shepard and she can play in Mass Effect 3's Citadel DLC. The times Ashley really stands out as a character, however, is when the flaws that make her unpopular with some players lead to particularly satisfying moments in her character arc, from her being denied the self-sacrifice she wrongly believes will redeem her family to nearly siding with a group she despises due to her own prejudices. None of these moments are likely to sway players who find Ashley Williams unlikable from the get-go, but they do give her a depth of character and an arc across the original trilogy to match Mass Effect's most beloved companions, whether her story ends in tragedy or not.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.