| “ | The universe is a dark place. I'm trying to make it brighter before I die. | „ |
| ~ Thane Krios |
Thane Krios is a major character in the original trilogy of the video game series Mass Effect. Specifically, he is a main character in Mass Effect 2 and a supporting/posthumous character in Mass Effect 3. He is part of an endangered species called the drell who was trained by the hanar as an assassin and becomes one of Commander Shepard's squad for the suicide mission against the Collectors, which he considers fitting as he is dying from Kepler's Syndrome, a terminal disease exclusive to his people.
He was voiced by Keythe Farley.
Background[]
Born in 2146, Thane was given to the hanar by his parents at a young age to be trained as an assassin, as part of the "Compact" between the two species. He made his first assassination at the age of 12. During one of his assassination missions, a female drell named Irikah noticed his targetting laser aimed at his target, and stepped in to block his shot. Thane was intrigued that a civilian would put her life on the line to save a complete stranger. Thane's memory "possessed" him and he felt compelled to seek Irikah out. Eventually the two fell in love. Thane then chose to relieve his assassin services from the hanar, claiming that his exemplar services were enough to release him. Although his hanar handler warned him that not all have happy destinies, Thane retorted that he'll take his chances. With that, the hanar handler released him. In the following time, Thane and Irikah began a family and Irikah gave birth to a son named Koylat.
Due to less civillian experience, Thane took menial jobs. Once his son was born, Thane thought he didn't know how to be a father, and was distant throughout his son's formative years. Thane struggled with his normal life, and reverted back to being an assassin, but as freelance, with Irikah supporting his decision. Thane was loving and caring for his family, but his freelance job kept him away from home so much, that he didn't get enough time to completely father his son Koylat.
One of his jobs eventually had him cross paths with batarian slavers preying on hanar colonies. In revenge, the remaining slavers paid the Shadow Broker for his identity. When Thane returned home from a job, he was shocked and devastated to find his home trashed and his wife Irikah dead. Thane left his son under the care of his aunts, as he set off to kill his wife's murderers one by one, his mind slipping into darkness as he disregarded his clean-kill approach into brutal torture. Eventually, Thane tracked down the last culprit and prepared to snipe him. Visions of Irikah blocking his targetting laser suddenly appeared on him, distracting him for while, but he manages to pull the trigger.
Thane returned home, having realised that his hanar handler was right all along. Thane tossed the coin Irikah gave him into the sea, vowing to follow the path he's given to its conclusion.
Mass Effect 2[]
On the asari planet Illium, Thane is conducting an assasin job to assassinate the asari Nassana Dantius. As he sneaks in Dantius Towers, while eliminating Eclipse mercenaries guarding the area, he sneaks through a ceiling, with his target right below him. Nassana seems to be conversing with someone, and Thane takes this chance to drop through the ceiling, take out Nassana's bodyguards, and kill Nassan Dantius with a pistol at point-blank range. Afterwards, he prays for himself, while noticing Commander Shepard, who arrived in hopes to recruit him to take on the Collectors. Thane gladly accepts Shepard's offer, as he reveals that he is dying of a disease known as Kepral's Syndrome. He joins Shepard's mission, in the hopes that he die in the mission to redeem him from his evil parts. Thane can be found aboard the Normandy SR2 in the Life Support Control Room.
Thane later on asks for Shepard's help in locating his son Koylat at the Citadel. Thane has learned that in spite of his efforts to prevent his son from following in his footsteps, Kolyat is preparing to take part in the assassination of a turian politician. Shepard and Thane stop the assassination, with Thane reuniting with his son Koylat, who has a hatred on him for abandoning him when he was needed the most. Thane and Koylat are then escorted to C-Sec, where they have a moment together. After the conversation, Thane reveals that a few words won't help, but he'll keep trying to earn his forgiveness from Koylat. Thane is romanceable by a female Shepard. On the suicide mission, Thane can survive or die depending on Shepard's preparation and choices.
Mass Effect 3[]
Provided he survived the suicide mission, Thane returns in Mass Effect 3, where he is spending most of the time in Huerta Memorial Hospital at the Citadel. Shepard can meet with Thane. If Shepard asks Thane to join them for the Reaper war, he refuses, claiming that he needs daily medical care due to his Kepral's Syndrome taking a toll on his health. Thane reveals that Shepard doesn't have to worry, as his son Koylat visits him regurlary, revealing that they both mended their relationship.
After Shepard's mission on curing the Shepard, Thane is the first person to alert Shepard on the ongoing attack of the Citadel by Cerberus. Later, Thane manages to sneak behind Kai Leng, the assassin sent to kill the salarian councilor. The two battle for a moment, with Thane keeping up despite his illness and even managing to throw off the assassin with biotics. However, Thane is stabbed through the stomach during the final part of the duel. Leng escapes and Shepard is able to call medical aid for the drell as he falls unconscious.
After the Citadel attack, Thane is rushed to the hospital for surgery. Although the damage to him is repaired, Thane is in the last stages of Kepral's Syndrome, despite Koylat donating blood to him, and is on the verge of dying. Shepard visits Thane, who after conversing, recites a prayer of redemption. Thane wreaths in pain, unable to finish the prayer, prompting Koylat to finish the last line of the prayer. Thane remarks that Koylat speaks as the priests do. Koylat then brings a prayer book, and asks Shepard whether he can pray with him. After the prayer is finished, Thane passes on. If Shepard took part in the prayer, a male Shepard will ask why Thane would ask for forgiveness when his last actions were that of a hero, while a female Shepard will ask why the last verse of the prayer said "She". Koylat reveals that the prayer was not for his father, as he had already asked for forgiveness for the lives he had taken; Thane's wish was for Shepard. Shepard bids Thane goodbye, telling him that he "won't be alone long".
When Shepard kills Kai Leng at Cronos Station, they dedicate the kill to Thane, alongside Miranda Lawson is Thane also took her life during the game.
Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC[]
After Shepard takes part in several activities with friends and squadmates at the Silverstun Strip on the Citadel, Koylat emails Shepard with the message that the Council have requested to hold a memorial service, in honor of Thane. Shepard can invite Koylat to the apartment to start the memorial service, along with everyone else who knew Thane. With a picture of Thane and some flowers propped up on the ground floor's piano, Shepard gives the opening speech, with everyone present, including Koylat, sharing their memories and thoughts of Thane. After the service, Shepard converses with Koylat, who reveals that he'll speak to the salarian Councilor about arranging a group of scientist salarians on getting the cure for Kepral's Syndrome. He also reveals that he recovered Thane's three recorded messages that were not sent to Shepard during their incarceration.
Shepard can watch Thane's recorded messages, with Thane mentioning on how his relationship with his son has improved, even taking Koylat for a vacation in New Mexico on Earth. He mentions that he unfortunately fainted and struck his head, due to his illness, and that Koylat convinced him to stay at Huerta Memorial Hospital. His message concludes by saying goodbye to Shepard, in the case he doesn't get the chance to say so. If a female Shepard romanced Thane, a fourth recorded message will be available, of which Thane saying that he had no other reason to live, but suddenly had two: Shepard and Kolyat. This acknowledgement brings tears to Shepard's eyes. He wanted to tell his siha how he felt sooner, but because of Shepard's circumstance back on Earth and Kolyat taking much of his time, he must compose it as a message. Thane further narrated the time he and Shepard spend before the suicide mission, and mentions that Koylat, Shepard, and even the Suicide Mission, gave him purpose. Before Thane closes the message, he tells her that they are all alive and when they are not, he will wait for her across the sea.
The next morning after the party, while everyone else goes to the Normandy, Shepard is left alone looking across the docking bay. If a female Shepard romanced Thane and has no other romance partner, Thane will appear in spirit form, telling her that he will always be with her and he will never trade the time he had with her. Thane tells her to finish it and when she goes to the sea, he "will be waiting for her at the shore."
Personality[]
| “ | Sometimes I envy the imperfect memory of humans. | „ |
| ~ Thane Krios |
Despite the fact that he's dying from a terminal illness, Thane is generally a very calm and collected person who speaks in a gruff yet unaggressive voice; it is noted by Shepard that he doesn't act like a dying man. Thane is determined to make the universe a better place before he dies, as atonement for his life as an assassin, as he considers his assassinations of horrible people merely "removing the bad" from the universe rather than "making things better". Due to the fact that he's dying, he isn't at all bothered by the fact that the attempt to take down the Collectors was a suicide mission, even claiming that such a mission will do nicely as his last job.
Having been trained to be an assassin since he was 6 years old (and been killing since he was 12), Thane rarely feels any regret or remorse for killing, often saying that he brings death to those who deserve it. He claims that his employers were the ones who killed his targets and his body was merely the tool they used, even comparing it to a gun. He also says that, as an assassin, he is a weapon, and that he is not the one who chooses to kill. This is because drell see their body as a vessel and accept that it is not always under their control. In other words, he isn't conscious when he kills his contracts. He compares this to the human belief that there is a soul distinct from the body responsible for moral reasoning after the body's death and that their belief is just a bit more literal.
However, while this philosophy might seem to spiritually absolve Thane of his crimes, it is undermined by the eidetic memory native to his species; the ability to perfectly recall every single kill he committed over the years, as well as every mistake he's ever made, has weighed down on his conscience. Thus, Thane cannot help but feel regret over his actions at times. Of particular note is his wife's murderers, since he killed them of his own free will rather than because he was following the orders of a superior. He can lose himself in bad memories just as easily as he can in good ones, and while it's easy to escape memories where he's taken bullets, since he can look at himself and see that he's fine, it's much harder to escape memories of despair. It's because of this that he admits to sometimes envying the imperfect memory of humans (and other species in general). Despite this, Tali considers him to be very confident for being able to hold himself together in spite of being able to remember all this, saying that if she could remember every mistake she made, she'd be a nervous wreck.
Although he often says that the people he kills deserve death, Thane nonetheless shows a subtle but definite degree of self-loathing; when Shepard first meets him, he prays after killing Nassana Dantius and states that prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken. When Shepard questions him on why he's praying for her, he explains that the prayer is actually for him. It's because of this that he attempts to prevent his son Kolyat from becoming a hitman and making the same mistakes he did. He even tells Kolyat that, while he may have taken many bad things out of the universe, he is the only good thing he ever added to it. Thane is also very strict about his methods, shown in his absolute focus on protecting civilians and disapproval towards Renegade-Shepard's rough interrogation techniques, as well as questioning his/her execution of Joram Talid.
Thane is unusual among drell in that he follows the old polytheistic religion of his species rather than adopting those of the hanar or asari and spends much of his time in prayer and meditation, even within his work. To find a target, he prays to Amonkira, the lord of hunters; when defending another, he prays to Arashu, goddess of motherhood and protection; after taking a life, he prays to Kalahira, goddess of oceans and the afterlife.
Gallery[]
