Samara

“	Find peace in the embrace of the Goddess.	„
	~ Samara's signature line before killing someone

“	By the code, I will serve you, Shepard. Your choices are my choices. Your morals are my morals. Your wishes are my code.	„
	~ Samara swearing loyalty to Shepard

Samara is a major protagonist in the Mass Effect trilogy, appearing as a main protagonist in Mass Effect 2 and a supporting protagonist in Mass Effect 3.

She is a Asari Justicar who is searching for her third daughter, Morinth, an asari known as an Ardat-Yakshi who is intent on killing many people.

She is voiced by Maggie Baird.

Background[]

Samara's maiden days was full of adventure and excitement. She once ran with a mercenary gang, of which she gained combat skills from. One day, when the gang were doing a transport mission, Samara discovered that they were not delivering a cargo of weapons or merchandise, but rather a full cargo of slaves, intended to be sold to mysterious dangerous aliens known as Collectors. Samara tried to turn the ship's travelling course, but was met with resistance from her mercenary group, and was forced to kill them. The Collector ship then arrived to acquire the slaves, but Samara escaped with the slaves. After the escape, Samara educated the slaves about self-defense, and gave them credits and other items belonging to her fallen mercenary gang, then left them in care at the Citadel.

After giving up her mercenary career, Samara eventually found stability and love with an asari mate and raising a family. They had three daughters, but Samara discovered, much to her horror, that her three kids were all Ardat-Yakshi, a rare genetic condition that could make an asari kill their mates during melding. Two of her daughters, Falere and Rila, chose to live in a life of peace and seclusion, while the third daughter, Morinth, refused to go into seclusion and fled, beginning a spree of murder and violence. Realising the threat her daughter was inflicting, Samara gave up her life and possessions, swore herself to the Code, and became a justicar.

As a justicar, Samara travelled the galaxy, righting wrongs, as defined by a justicar's unwavering code of justice. But her main goal was to hunt down her daughter Morinth, which lasted for centuries. At one point, Samara nearly caught Morinth, but was forced to kill an entire village of Morinth's followers, who came in to attack Samara, while Morinth escaped. In the end, only the small children remained, and Samara left them in the care of authorities, while she continued pursuit.

Samara also had a run-in with a turian Council Spectre, Nihlus Kryik, whom she witnessed killing an unarmed civilian. Samara engaged him and they both fought for two weeks, hunting each other in the wilderness. Eventually, Nihlus manipulated Samara by putting her in a situation where she had to let an innocent die or let him escape. With Nilhus' escape, Samara was impressed on how he was able to turn her Code against her.

Eventually, Samara tracked down Morinth to the asari planet Illium.

Mass Effect 2[]

On Illium, Samara was interrogating an Eclipse mercenary into the whereabouts of Morinth, since the mercenary group helped Morinth escape off world. When the merc refuses to answer, Samara kills her before meeting with Commander Shepard, who came to Illium to recruit her for the suicide mission. Samara expresses interest in Shepard's mission, but Detective Anaya requests her to be taken into custody. Samara requests Shepard to find the name of the ship the Eclipse mercenaries sneaked Morinth into, with the task itself being urgent as after a day in custody, the Justicar Code would oblige Samara to escape, possibly killing many police officers in the process. However, Shepard is successful in the task, giving Samara the name of the ship, the AML Demeter. Samara then swears her oath to bind herself to Shepard's morals, and vowing to fight the Collectors. Samara joins Shepard, and she can found meditating at the Observation Lounge aboard the Normandy SR-2.

Thanks to Shepard's help in discovering the name of the ship, Samara tracks Morinth to Omega, and asks Shepard to help her find and kill Morinth. On Omega, after learning and investigating on one of Morinth's victims, Samara deduces a plan for Shepard to lure out Morinth at the Afterlife Club's VIP area, while she waits out of sight. Commander Shepard then wanders in the club interacting with patrons until Morinth comes out, being interested in Shepard. If Shepard successfully flirts with her, Morinth will invite her to the apartment. If Shepard fails, Morinth will escape once again.

In Morinth's apartment, Shepard attempts to continue to sound interested with Morinth. When Morinth attempts to seduce Shepard, Samara rushes in and battles Morinth. Eventually, if Shepard succumbed to Morinth's seduction, Shepard sides with Samara. If Shepard was able to resist, their battle gets stuck in a deadlock and Shepard may choose to assist either Morinth or Samara. If Shepard assists Samara, she will kill Morinth, ending her centuries goal of hunting her daughter. If Shepard assists Morinth, she will kill Samara, and take her place, since no one apart from Shepard will know due to Morinth's appearance being similar to Samara's. A male or female Shepard can romance Samara, but she refuses to be romanced, choosing to serve her commitment to the Code, despite the Code not restricting romance. At the suicide mission, Samara can either survive or die, depending on Shepard's decisions.

Mass Effect 3[]

“	Only your actions will be remembered. May you choose them well.	„
	~ Samara in Mass Effect 3.

If Samara survives the suicide mission, she returns to fight the Reapers. Samara heads to the Ardat-Yakshi monastery to rescue her two remaining daughters, Falere and Rila, from the Reapers who are already attacking the monastery. Samara reunites with Shepard, who battle through Reaper forces. They discover the Reapers have converted sterile Ardat-Yakshi asari into banshees. Samara rescue her youngest daughter Falere, but is too late for her other daughter, Rila, who is already being converted. Rila chooses to stay behind, sacrificing herself to destroy the other banshees by detonating a bomb left by an asari commando unit.

With the monastery destroyed, Samara states that the Justicar code will compel her to kill Falere, as she, an Ardat-Yakshi, cannot live outside the monastery. Not willing to loose another daughter, Samara attempts to commit suicide by shooting herself.

If Shepard lets her kill herself, then Shepard will either leave Falere or kill her as well.

If Shepard intervenes and stops Samara, Falere states that she will stay in the monastery and rebuild it, to which Samara agrees. Samara and Falere then share a moment together before going their separate ways. Samara then joins the fight against the Reapers.

Shepard can later on meet Samara on the Citadel.

If Shepard has a renegade morality, she explains that the Commander's actions are "acceptable", within the dictates of the Code." She wasn't sure Shepard would seek her out, as she fully intends to kill the Commander if they have veritably done something to violate the Code. Whether Shepard shows remorse or not, Samara advises Shepard to consider their actions carefully.

If Shepard has a paragon morality, she says her final goodbyes before the final battle (either because Falere told her that Thessia has fallen, or simply due to the knowledge of her daughters' fates). She admires Shepard's ability to rally and inspire people for the war, although she cautions proper assessment of the combined forces' strengths and weaknesses before settling out.

When Shepard asks Samara about other justicars in the war, she mentions that most of her fellow justicar sisters have gone to Thessia to hold the line and aid the battle against the Reapers. However, she mentions that the prognosis of the justicar order is grim and she thinks it's possible they're headed for extinction even if they survive the war.

If Shepard tried to romance her before and nearly shared a kiss, at the end of their meeting Samara takes Shepard's hand with both her hands and adds, "Your time is precious. Spend it wisely. And with those who care for you."

During the final assault on Earth, Shepard can contact Samara via hologram. Samara either tells Shepard to use their gift of confidence in the war if renegade, or wishes Shepard farewell while thanking them for their help at the monastery if paragon. At the end, if Shepard uses the Crucible, in the aftermath, Samara can be seen spending time with Falere at an urban asari cityscape, finally at peace. If Samara did not catch Morinth in Mass Effect 2, she will continue her duties as a justicar, fighting injustice.

Personality[]

“	I answer to a Code that is clearly defined. If my actions are true to that Code, I am just. If they are not, I am unjust. I do not pretend that it is a simple matter or that it seems right to everyone, but I sleep well at night and that's more than most can say.	„
	~ Samara explaining the Justicar Code to Shepard

Samara's most notable personality traits are, without a doubt, her strong sense of honour and utmost loyalty to her Code. This is shown by the fact that she never commits any actions that go against it, even if it means killing people for trivial reasons such as not giving her information. Despite this, she does not pretend that her Code is a simple matter or that it seems right to everyone and even admits as much to Shepard when they first meet. When she first joins Shepard, she makes an oath so that his/her orders override the Code, hereby avoiding any situation where she would have to choose between the two, though she does threaten to kill Shepard when the oath ends if he/she steps too far out of line.

Far from delusional, Samara will often use loopholes within the Code to avoid needless bloodshed. She considers the closest human equivalent to her role as being a knight errant or a samurai. However, if ever there comes a point where she must choose between the Code and something else, she will always choose the Code, consequences be damned. This is proven when she tells Shepard her story about how she once fought a turian Spectre named Nihlus; she witnessed him kill an unarmed civilian and attacked him in retaliation. She continued pursuing him for two weeks until he created a situation where she had the choice of continuing to pursue him or letting an innocent die, with the Code compelling her to choose the latter. She also would have killed anyone who got in her way a day after she had been taken into custody by Detective Anaya had Shepard not found the information she was looking for, despite the fact that she very clearly didn't wish to.

Samara is a very honest person, brutally so at times, describing her own daughter Morinth as a "disease to be purged" and a "very dangerous woman who kills without mercy." However, she is also capable of respecting her opponents, admitting that she's proud of Morinth for not accepting the injustice thrust upon her, and saying that she admires Nihilus for how he used her Code against her. She is also one of the few crew members not to show any animosity towards Miranda, saying that she respects her strength and determination. Samara is also extremely calm, being able to keep a serene tone regardless of what she may be talking about. This is noted by Anaya; when Samara tells her that while she doesn't wish to kill her, she will if the Code compels her to, Anaya says she sounds like she's talking about what to eat for dinner.

Having been on her own for most of the past 400 years, Samara is quite accustomed to being alone, as the strictness of the Justicar Code necessitates that Samara largely operates alone. However, she admits that it's always nice to have a colleague to chat with, and states what a refreshing change of pace it is to be working with Shepard's team, even commenting later on how much she's enjoyed the company. However, she is rather rusty when it comes to small talk, as evident by the fact that she still maintains her formal attitude even when conversing with Shepard on the Normandy.

Samara has a raveling love and care for her daughters, Falere, Rila and even Morinth, as well as Commander Shepard. Despite devoting herself to kill Morinth, Samara's love for her is still present, such that she slightly regrets on killing Morinth, mentioning that she just killed the smartest and bravest daughter. She even further claims that she will remember the day Morinth was born. Samara's care for her remaining daughters is observed when she rescues them from the Reapers at the Ardakt-Yakshi monestary. After the unfortunate death of Rila, Samara goes much further into defying her own sworn Code into killing Falere, by attempting to commit suicide, not wanting to loose another daughter. After spending most of the time with Shepard, Samara shows her care for the commander, by proclaiming that she will be there in case Shepard needs saving.