Im a major history nerd and Liara meeting a prothean and realizing they were nothing like she had thought is by far my favorite part of the game because this could be the same exact case for just about any period of ancient history. For example, the greek city if Sparta left behind very few written records, so much of what we know about them came from Athenians, who absolutely hated them. How much of what we 'know' about the Spartans is actually real? How much of it was a product of Athenian bias or propoganda that we have no way of knowing was wrong? If an actual spartan somehow time traveled to our time period, how different would he be from what we imagine the spartans as? It truely feels like im seeing this play out in front of me and its really fucking cool.
I'm not a history professor, just an enthusiast (or amateur you could say). When reading any written logs in ancient era we have to keep in mind that at that point of the time, history was mostly written by political leaders (not directly, but by their writers), it will contain mainly propaganda statements and one sided reactions to events. Not that long ago I read quite accurate analogy - determining historical events in ancient era is somewhat similar to determining what has happened in the world F.e. in first half of 2020 by just tweets from Donald J. Trump.
I kinda wonder if names wind up getting translated or not. Like, Shepard says "I'm Commander Shepard", and Liara hears from her translator something in Asari that's closer to "I'm Commander Herder-of-an-Herbivore-Native-to-Earth".
Lore states that translation programs are fairly advanced, so long as it's a common language of the council races. Femshep and Thane (being a drell whose entire race is endangered) have lines of dialogue wherein she expresses confusion at her translator glitching after Thane calls her a "siha."
I just want to throw in an experience I had as I feel it's somewhat similar to Liara's with her mother. My Grandfather got Alzheimer's and slowly over a decade he became someone... different. He would get Violent, he would be obsessive. He was not the man I loved and had known up until that point. I had mourned the loss of my Grandfather long before he died, so when the inevitable came I had 1 cry session because I had already moved on. I still cry about missing the man he was, but I moved past his death instantly. Liara is probably doing the same, she knows the mother she loves is gone. She has already mourned.
that actually happened to my grandma too. although I was too young to get to know her before that so I didn't understand at the time. but my mom tells me story about how she didnt even recognize my dad and whenever he would take her to the hospital she would get extremely hostile and combative and scream that she was being kidnapped. my family would literally have to tell strangers standing there watching it's ok she has alzheimers. crazy.
It's not that Liana isn't upset, It's that She's trying to distance herself from her Mother and her actions. It's not too different from how Samara approaches her situation w/Mornith.
Maybe you're right - it might be some cultural thing that the Asari have adopted due to their massive lifespans. Alot can happen to someone in 1000 years so you have to give prepared for anything.
The asari are very monk like they try to control their emotions to a unhealthy point where they wont express grief or sadness,especally her ,shes so socially and emotionally stunted id say shes slowly becoming a sociopath.
@@DavidSantos-ix1hu i don't think so, Liara shows a great deal of emotion throughout the series. The only "Monk" like character we see is Samara, and while she's very very stoic and her emotions are subdued, they are definitely there.
@@XBadgerKnightX I readed up on the Asari is that they usually think in the long term of things instead of stort term. It could be this way of thinking with their emotions that mourning ones death is processed faster then say a humans mourning process.
If Kaidan survived, there's a convo he has with Engineer Adams after Priority: Thessia where they talked about how Liars shared stories about Benezia w them for weeks. Little detail that might suggest she wasn't as bad at dealing with loss and grief
I wish I knew that was a thing before I made this video, because I almost never leave Kaidan alive on my ME1 runs, especially if I'm romancing Liara (femshep)
I think Tali and Garrus also have a conversation about it after thessia, either over intercom or at the Normandy memorial about how Liara is handling this worse than Noveria or something like that. which again shows Liara DID mourn Benezia but she tried to hide it from Shepard
Yes! I remember hearing this dialogue. It gave me the fuzzies. It's a shame that BW didn't have enough time to just insert a grief scene to make it less jarring when Liara said that she doesn't need to mourn Benezia.
I love lira. She starts out an innocent. Then grows into her own I always found her lack of social skills in me1 funny & cute at the same time. She stumbles with her words, & she gets so flustered really makes her cute
I watched the dichotomy episode on Tali it was fantastic. The Liara one was amazing also. Keep up the good work. If I may I would like to request a dichotomy on Garrus Vakarian and Gunnery chief and Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams.
Working on the Garrus one as we speak, just gotta finish covering his content in Mass Effect 3, and then it should be done. Expect it maybe in two weeks' time - watch those sub boxes!
Always nice to see some love for the ME games. Probably one of the best and most developed sci-fi universes with so many amazing characters. Especially 90% was realized in 3 games. Loved your video mate! Always look forward to more from you.
Mass effect is an unusual and special game to me that it really sucks you in to its world, and its characters. I always end the game just wishing I could spend a little more time with Liara, Garrus, Tali, and the rest of the crew. I wish we could sit down and talk to them like real people. I think that is a testament to how well written the characters are, you come to think of them as living people more than fictional characters. after the end of the game I find myself feeling like I did after leaving college, or finishing bootcamp, knowing that those relationships have functionally ended since we are going our separate ways. I think it’s cool that someone else recognizes that depth.
15:32 Fun fact: In the first game this is actually subjective based on who you bring with you. See, each of the 6 squad members have their level of morality that the game doesn't show you. Initially they are in this order (from the most moral, to the least moral): Kaidan Liara Tali Garrus Ashley Wrex BUT, a male Shepard who is sufficiently close to Ashley can slowly influence her to be more moral and a female Shepard who is sufficiently close to Kaidan, can slowly influence him to be less moral. Garrus can also be influenced. In fact he can be influenced in either direction and as we can see his morality gets saved in the save file and carried over to the second game. And each of their opinions on major decisions, depend on who the other squad member is. The more moral squad member will give the 'paragon' advice to Shepard and the less moral squad member will give the 'renegade' advice. Since this video is about Liara, let's use her as an example. With most other squadmates she gives the 'paragon' advice, but if the other squadmate is Kaidan who hasn't been influenced by Shepard, then Liara will be the one giving the 'renegade' advice. This is true of all squadmates. Apparently BioWare wanted Shepard to have metaphorical angel and demon sitting on their shoulders.
If you do the side quest for Liara where you have to hack terminals and find the potential assassin, you can get the “coffee cup” line and subsequent conversation. At least in the legendary edition
I’ve played thousand of hours in this trilogy. Every playthrough I romanced Liara. Finally started new options and turning her down shook me. Her ARC is amazing but your Garrus video made me want to give that a try. Nice bud!
Renegade Femshep and Liara are the perfect Match IMO for the series Liara is basically like my Shepards Moral compass in a way. Keeps her grounded Like literally I was gona kill the Rachni queen in ME1 and Liaras ass TWICE interupts me before confirming if I want to go through with killing her and right at the end Im like godammit Liara FINE I wont kill the Queen. Fucking Perfection between the two
@@XBadgerKnightX very wise and very deadly i assume. She seamed at peace in the trailer. That said, the significance of her on the reaper finding an N7 helmet has to be a big nod to Shepard. If so, will she bring him back, again? Will that be her mission? Will the rachni or leviathan be the 'big bad' this time? I'm hoping the rachni or even baterians. But I don't doubt Liara will likely be the strongest on the squad in me4
@@SilverEyedRukia they was almost extinct. Balak leads the Hegemony at the end of ME3 if you let him live and you can also gain the Baterian fleet as a war asset. If ME4 is set in a couple of hundred years later, then that's more than enough time to repopulate and start a war on the galaxy if they feel justified.
I just wish that they had more romance moments in Mass Effect 3. You literally go half the game with her just going "well hello Shepard" or something. Her romance is just kinda boring during the mid section of ME3
@@MistahJay7 yeah, that irritates the f*ck out of me too. It also bothers me that the marriage proposal scene is so dull. We're telling her we want to spend our life with her and there should have been more. At least a side mission to get her a gift, something.
I read somewhere that 2 of the lead devs where huge Liara fans, so they pushed her pretty hard as a romance (even when romancing others, it's Liara who comes to your room after the Nightmare, and some of her dialogue and movements during it feel like typical romance dialogues...)
Well Liara is the only relationship option you can carry through all 3 games (with Shadow Broker DLC/Legendary Edition). Plus it allows Tali and Garrus to get together.
The 'canon' aspect is why I just hate Liara and every scene she's in after ME1. Every game ends up suffering some degree of Liara ex Machina, she deciphers the beacon visions, she retrieves your corpse and gives it to Cerberus, and she just so happens to find the one way to beat the Reapers. Not to mention the constant, creepy stalker tones her scenes take on. She's horny for you in 1, she's horny for you in 2 and she's giga horny for you in 3. Every time she's on screen, shepard is given love hearts in his eyes against my will, always treating her like a porcelain princess with automatic dialogue. Even worse with how he refers to her as "his girl" or something along those lines when confronting Liara's dad in the third game. It's incredibly uncomfortable when this creepy blue octopus takes up more time onscreen with shepard than my love interest, and probably spends more time alone with shepard than my love interest. Honestly? The only difference between romancing liara and romancing someone else is whether or not liara wakes up next to you in bed before the final mission. You get the rest of the GF experience either way. Such an obvious, forced character that would make me hate the asari outright if Samara and Shiala didn't exist.
In all my times playing mass effect. I really never felt much from Liara. But this again was another deep dive into who she is. It has really givin me a deep appreciation for her. And her Charecter throughout the series. I heard you mention you might do some of the other charecters in the tali video. So I'm sure you are already planning or working on one. Can't wait to hear the garrus one.
@@XBadgerKnightX ooo!! Hel yes! I can't wait for it to come out. As you can tell by my name. I loved garrus throughout the series. He was actually one of the main reasons why I got hooked so hard into this game, his death in the suicide mission messed up my young teen mind. And set me out to do better. From the loose cannon cop. To a Merc who wanted to make a change. I can not wait to see what new details I'll learn from your video.
Something you missed in part 1, which to me as a very important part of Liara, and why she is one of my favorite characters, is that she is coded as non-neurotypical, especially in ME1. The social awkwardness, the trouble showing, processing and sharing emotions (such as grief), monotone way of speaking, tendency to self-isolate, niche special interest, etc. all tendencies common in neurodiverse people, and in characters coded to be that. As someone on the Autism spectrum, Liara was one of the first characters in a video game i had ever been able to identify with on that level.
This was amazing. I’ve loved the mass effect trilogy since I was 12(2010). Liara is my fave character in the whole series. This explained everything so well. I even learned a few things I’ve overlooked which is surprising since I thought I knew everything about ME. Lol. Liara is such a beautiful and amazing character. I’ve tried to tell ppl how amazing she was and some ppl didn’t get it I guess. You earned a new subscriber. Keep up the good work. I can’t wait to see more from your channel.
Tbf, even if 50 years is just a drop in the bucket compared to your total lifetime, that's still 50 years. . . And I'd definitely be a little crazy if I spent 50 years under my parent's thumb.
Really excellent analysis here, well done 👍 I have to say that Liara is my favourite and there's a few reasons. In ME1 she starts out as humble yet there's a hint of resolve to her character as she's not easily intimidated by Ashley. As the relationship with Shepard deepens she starts to grow wanting to explore what that is. It's not a casual fling for her but something much deeper and intense. This is why she acts the way she does in ME2. She is heartbroken by the loss of her one and only and goes to such extremes to bring Shepard back to her. The writing of her character development and her story arc is just wonderful and it's earned. The fact that she just doesn't just pick up their relationship immediately [albeit the first initial brief embrace and kiss when they reunite in ME2] is a true reflection of someone who had deeply grieved and mourned the loss of their significant other and that's not a mental state that can be just shrugged off lightly. And you're right in the cinematic direction they give to her actions in the aftermath of the fight with the Shadowbroker. Although I think you have missed one very important detail here. When she offers her hand to Shepard to help them up, there's a moment she looks at Shepard who, after less than a second, turns and looks for the downed party member. Liara's shoulders sag and she bodily gestures slightly with her arms in a moment of sadness and resignation that Shepard didn't embrace her right away. It's a small detail but it shows that she still deeply wants that intimacy and connection between them. Yet the truly inspiring aspect of this romance is the depths it entails between them. The Asari mind melding is an incredibly intimate thing. Knowing that you can be truly one with the you love or care deeply for, knowing their own mind as they know yours is something we can only dream of. No wonder the Asari are so powerful. Who wouldn't want that level of love and trust with their bondmate or lover? That you can feel that in an instant would be such bliss on so many levels. It's something we try to achieve in reality but to actually have it offered freely as a gift to a lover by an Asari, well it's no wonder they can be with almost any species. And their name for a "marriage" - bondmate - really does truly describe this phenomena. Once that meld is established there's nothing held back. I think that is the essence of a perfect union, that the couple are now of one soul. We say this in marriage vows in reality and I think that is beautiful but actually being able to do it, albeit with an Asari, well I'll go blue every time too. That's what sells me on the Liara/Shepard relationship. It's an earned one, one that is built on trust initially, of respect and caring from the friendship they form which ultimately leads to them becoming bondmates. It's awesome writing and character development. It strays occasionally into tropes and cliches but those are rare moments that are overcome by the serious and deeper ones. Lines like "I wrote your name in the stars" or wanting lots of little blue babies, that's very intimate. I also like the end if you [as Shepard] have managed to build up enough galactic support at the end, then choosing the destruction [red] end feels right. I agree that Liara would also destroy the Reapers. It's a very sad choice, especially knowing that you're killing EDI and the Geth [and probably all AI] but the cycle must end that's the only way to do it once and for all. Synthesis and control are very questionable outcomes and are imposing your will over others. Plus its the only way to ensure that Shepard somehow survives in the teaser scene at the very end which I think is going to be the canon ending because we saw from the teaser trailer for ME4[5?], Liara finding a part of what appears to be a piece of Shepard's armor and we see as she briefly gently smiles. That isn't the action of a woman deeply grieving but rather one who knows that Shepard is out there, that there is hope that they will be reunited once more either as friends or bondmates. 2025 can't come soon enough.
You can still trigger the conversation about Liara handing you over to the Cerberus. Its quite easy tho if you click the wrong option when meeting her you will miss out on her quest that leads to that conversation.
24:30 its such a shame that that part of the conversation was overwritten. They should've kept it not just because of the narrative but because its one of her most badass lines.
IMHO Liara IS the canon romance. She's the most important character in the whole trilogy, next to Shepard. Without her he'd never have been able to stop Saren or the Collectors and he'd never have been able to finish the Crucible/Catalyst. She's also the ONLY squad mate guaranteed to appear in ALL three games (either Ash or Kaiden can die in ME1 and the entire squad can die in ME2, but not Liara). And I agree with everything you lay out: Shepard becomes her new family in ME1 and they come to trust and rely on each other, their bond growing with each chapter until they are, in every sense of the word, married/bonded to each other.
@Swamp Expert Extraordinaire Unfortunately the next Mass Effect will have to pick a "canon" ending in order to continue. I always viewed the "canon" as the default options each game starts with if you do not get to make choices.
As someone who played the games on release, without interference of DLCs, the section in question at 24:22 is how the scene was originally written for console.
I have a very weird memory of the first time I played ME2(I don’t think I had the dlc at the time) but I feel like I’ve heard that extra conversation with liara before. Great video!!
I have COVID. I haven't been able to do much. So I spent all day watching your videos. I've cried. When better, I'm replaying ME, 1, 2, 3 again. Thanks, man.
New Dichotomy Of A Character Video on ASHLEY WILLIAMS IS AVAILABLE NOW!: ua-cam.com/video/g-LQBB3v1Gg/v-deo.html - *TIMESTAMPS* - 00:00-2:29: Intro 2:30-5:03: Part 0: Context About Bioware Writing Female Leads 5:04 - 18:16: Part 1: Liara's World In Mass Effect 1 (Foundations For Liara's Motivations & Characterization) 18:17- 57:47: Parts 2, 3, and 4 (Interm between Mass Effect 2, LoTSB, then Intro to ME3) 57:48 - 1:24:25 - Part 5 Meeting God & A Crisis Of Faith 1:24:26 - 1:38:52 - Part 6 Ending Liara's BLues Ear & An End, Once And For All 1:38:53 - 1:47:35 - Part 7 An Ending Choice Once And For All 1:47:36 - 1:51:06 - What Have We Learned? 1:51:07 - 1:52:27 Outro and A Thanks For Watching!
Much like many other ME fans I’m sure, I LOVE Garrus and Tali. Truly. But I just can’t not romance Liara. Anyone who is strong enough to endure losing the love of their life not once, but twice, will hold a very special place in my heart. I just finished the ME trilogy for the first time blind as FemShep, and this is an awesome video and analysis. I’m gonna enjoy watching your other videos ❤ thank you
It's the logical ending to lead to another story. Despite what people think is the best ending, the other two endings are a dead end for future stories, especially synthesis which makes everything a perfect existence which does not lead to compelling future stories.
Fabulous job. I enjoyed this so much! Liara is my second fav squad mate in all of Mass Effect, right behind Tali. The depth you went to in your description of Liara’s character was astounding. I have now watched all the episodes of the mass effect characters and have enjoyed them all tremendously. I hope you will go back for Wrex, Kaiden, Traynor and Thane. Keep up the good work, sir. I for one, appreciate your efforts.
I miss Liaras voice from ME1, I love Ali Hillis but I didnt like the change in the voice they made her do, Liara had such a warm and high voice, indicating she was young and inexperienced, I know why it was changed but I still like it better.
I have played thru this game series multiple times and this video is the first time I've learned that you can have Liara in the opening scene of ME2 it's always been the virmier survivor for me
Thank you for this video essay! I couldn't help but bawl again in the final moments between Shepard and Liara. Their love story is so tragic and it never stops being tragic. It just gives me such a huge ache in my heart. I love Liara so damn much and she had such a great character arc. I am also a Destroy option chooser. I have the same reasons and rationale for that option too. And like you, I'm a "Hell no" to the Synthesize option too. I think Control would be bad over time - power corrupts and if a hero lives long enough, they would see themselves be the villain.
1:39:39 ~ My personal headcanon, has Shepard promising to find a way to survive & return to her… keeping his promise made in ME2. Forcing me to break my Shepard’s promise…?… yeah that is abundantly rejected by me. 😅 🌒🌕🌘
this is a really great, well organized, well thought out video. not to mention the time stamps with proper labels.. you are a GOOD youtuber bro. appreciate
i just finished my first ever playthrough of the mass effect trilogy, i was always torn between tali or liara. i chose tali for my first playthrough and i am planning on playing through it again and choosing liara before mass effect comes out which could be years from now
I been playing the entire trilogy for the first time cause I only had access to ME2. I always thought Liara was the best romance option and I think this video put my thoughts into words on why.
I never meant to offend you Sheperd, I only meant you would be an interesting specimen for in-depth study, No -- that even worse! It was funny the first time I play ME1, its funny when I played the LE, Liara is adorable.
I am not the best person to point it out since English is not my first language (and my grammar is atrocious), but you have misspelled the words "dichotomy" and "character" in your thumbnail. First impressions are important, so try to pay attention to the little details. (also, is it possible to have a dichotomy if there is only one subject of discussion? I dunno) Leliana is not the same archetype as Liara, that was a mistake on your part. Leliana *starts* as a worldly and ruthless young woman, her innocence is an act - she is almost deluding herself in order to maintain it. Guardian of the Sacred Ashes even mentions this directly. As far as I know, Liara's dialogue on Illium might not trigger correctly if you jump to the DLC right away by picking certain options. It's not a bug though. Just try not to plow through her entire dialogue in the same conversation, I guess? That's how I avoided this issue in every playthrough. I'd love to see more videos from you in the future. More substance is needed, however - you spend too much time simply describing things on the screen. Don't take it as an insult. I just want to hear more from you - opinions, critical analysis, things like that.
One of the reasons of ME:A's failure is the fact, that is cannot live up to the trilogy. Its lacking the characters like Liara and the others. Maybe its because of nostalgia?
I very much remember that conversation with Liara in her office in ME2 from my play throughs. But I didn't have the Shadow Broker DLC until later on. So I didn't even know that conversation was removed 😲 It definitely seems too important to remove though!
Regarding the low res footage you used, I was able to reach this dialog while having Lair of the Shadow Broker installed. When you meet Liara offer as much help as possible and offer to help with any task. Be sure to not choose the dialog wheel option that states something like "let take the Shadow Broker down" otherwise all tasks you may be able to do for Liara or haven't finished completing will progress to automatic completion. After the final task and prior to the DLC you get to ask Liara what will she do now. The resulting dialog is what you are looing for.
I managed to trigger the dialogue about shepard's body, and it turns out the reason it won't appear actually has nothing to do with the shadow broker dlc, but rather a bug that locks you out of it if you pick certain dialogue options.
Hi Badger. I'm a couple of years late to the party. But if you haven't figured out where that Liara line came from, I have an idea. I'm pretty sure I had the Shadow Broker DLC before I did this, but I do know that line of dialogue is after you tell Liara about how her assistant (Nexeris I think is her name) is a double agent for the Shadow Broker.
Man, you deserve some more subs, first off. I was mostly nodding along with the video until minute 56:12 made me double-take, because I will admit, I am partial to Jack as a romance option. It's tempting to act all defensive about Jack but I feel it's inapproriate to drag the character into a video about Liara. It seems you were going for a documentary. Making extensive use of footage of the games. While it does feel too long, I can respect you wanting to show everything. I got mixed feelings for Liara. I loved her best in the first game, though in hindsight, after seeing this video, it seems it was the feeling of being the center of her attention that I loved. I will agree on what you said regarding her mother's death. I found that strange. And your explanation for it is pretty sound. She's not as emotionally intelligent as she is in 2 and 3. I personally found her shift from archeologist to information broker within two years a bit hard to buy. It seems to me that the writer's have exhausted Liara story of being a researcher and wanted her to do something more cool than dusting bones. It was a hard turn for her character, to me. And it also bothered me that none of the old crew helped one another after Shepard's death. Liara was working mostly alone, it seemed. But regardless of the change in profession, I do like the emotional rollercoaster she goes through. That part of her taking the throne of the Shadow Broker is a great example. After seeing you point out examples of Shepard being Liara's "rock", it made me realise just how much emotional support she constantly needs because of the stress she's experiencing. It's a stark contrast from characters like say Jack, they have their moments of emotional vulnerability, they can handle themselves thenselves with little to no help from Shepard.
Thanks for the comment and I am sorry it took so long for me to respond - I'm juggling a few different UA-cam projects and midterms at the moment. As for the comments I made about Jack, I always thought her romance was poorly done. For me it comes down to Shepard going 'lemme heal yo tatted ass wit mah dick'. It's a slippery slope that I don't intend on using. Not really a good start for a relationship imho. It does make her character arc more believable in ME3, but I'd like to think that Jack can grow out of her issues given her own time. She shouldn't need Shepard to play therapist and press her out of it. I felt like bringing Jack into the video because I wanted to stay away overly-simplifying Liara's growth between ME1 and ME2 down to mental illness - this is not all what happens to her. Her neurotic tenancies (If any existed in the first place) were caused by her upbringing and from intergalactic keep-away with Shepard's body and then her two year long war with the SB trying to recover Theron. Thanks for watching and leaving such a huge response! Stay tuned, I got some more cool stuff on the way!
@@XBadgerKnightX You're welcome. And regarding your comment on Jack, I do feel that is a bit of an oversimplification of what happens to her. I do have my own problems with the way Shepard "dated" Jack but the way the pre-suicide mission love scene played out was much less sexual than the other squad members. I don't think they had intercourse. And there's just a lack of evidence that they did when there was no undressing involved, unlike Miranda's scene.
This is the second video I've finished. The first being Ashley Williams. They are well done and thorough. Do to the length I had to watch them in parts. Still they are worth the watch or listen if people multitask like that. Having done all the endings, the only reason I dislike the destroy ending is because of Edi. Watching these videos makes me want to play the trilogy again. Have all three games just not the Legendarily Edition.
Liara and Tali are neck in neck when it comes to who's the best. Both of them were there for Shepherd when he needed them through out the trilogy when other crew mates would abandon him. Loyalty, something almost non-existent now but so important.
Someone that Likes Both Tali and Liara? Wow im shocked I've noticed most people that are fans of Tali have to let everyone know that they hate Liara too. I don't get it but their weird Nice to see someone that isn't like that and can appreciate both without belittling the other.
About that scene at 24:10 In my last first playthrough ever i decided to complete liara's minigames before giving her the info about the broker (i knew it was a dlc trigger xD) and i triggered that scene. Maybe is due to the LE.. However i saved and tried those dialogues a few times and if you are mean to liara or refuse to help her she slam her fist on the table xD so cute when she is angry xD
Were mass effect an anime, she would be the book smart shy girl with big glasses, a massive rack (to make it more ironic), and be extremely introverted and having all the "cute anime blushing moments" with Shepard during the different slice of life episodes where they go on "dates".... you know the ones i'm talking about.....
Im about to dig into this video, but before I do I wanted to ask something that recently popped into my head again as I was replaying the trilogy. What did you think about her relationship with Feron? I always thought of the love Liara had with Shepard as the "ideal love" the "first love", the "destined love", something out of the ordinary and stronger than usual, or something along those lines, given how much they impact each others lives in such a relatively short span of time, the connection between them seems almost touchable. I read peoples toughts about her feelings towards Feron and im curious what you were thinking. Imo if Shepard pursued her romance she has no romantic feelings towars Feron at all, however she does consider him a close friend despite him intending to betray her in the begining he helped her save Shepard and she feels like she needs to repay that, but its nothing else beyond that. I do not like the implication that she could develop feelings for someone else so quickly after Shepard, especially given how she had hope of him being alive more than anyone else. Of course if Shepard is just a friend, the possibility is there after the lair of shadow broker, she does hint at a possible future relationship so there is some chemistry but that is like entirely different timeline where Liara develops differently. And honestly I always thought this was ridiculous to begin with. The comic redemption happens shortly after Shepard dies, she spends days at MOST few weeks around Feron and he betrays her during that time, right after she lost her lover or a friend and is actively trying to recover their body and save them is hardly a time for someone to be thinking about romance. After that Feron was cought and has been locked since then, there was absolutely no time or reason for them to develop anything other than friendship based on cooperation which. The tension between them, Feron saying he doesnt deserve Liara is caused by him being ashamed of the betrayal and Liara being sorry he was cought and tortured because of her, there is nothing romantic between them to begin with.
I enjoy how Liara's dad is just a jaded version of Liara that gave up but shepard and Liara got her to try again. She had good but radical ideas like building mass effect relays of their own and encouraging maidens to go to school like Liara did and not join merc companies and be strippers. But she gave up and became a bartender than the reaper invasion happened and people finally realized she was right after shepard convinced Liara to talk and help her and suddenly shes a very big help with the refugees and getting people's head out of their asses.
The dialogue you were asking about always triggered for me... You just need to help Liara with both her assignments on Illium before giving her the information about the Shadow Broker.
To Liara's credit, she's getting a sample size of 1 here with regard to Javik. His consciousness of even his own culture is colored by being born into a war. Had Liara awakened someone else 200 years before with a similar academic background as her, she probably would've gotten at least some confirmation of her work.
I don't see Liara going red ending, it's all interpretation though so it's not like there's a correct answer. As was the case at the Shadow Broker's lair, I think she would choose to control what was once used for bad ends and use it for good. She's a historian and reapers are repositories of innumerable species wisdom, she was also with Shepard when he found that Reapers destroy civilizations to keep the machines they always build from wiping out organic life. She would know that destroying machines buys them time but doesn't solve the problem. Duty and responsibility underlines many decisions she makes throughout the series, at least that's how I see it, so would she not feel duty bound to take control rather than destroy.
@@shiningdragon8737 If you do Priority: Earth with really low EMS you entire squad dies. The two you bring in the charge towards the beam gets burnt by Harby.
The one thing I would push back on is I think making a blanket statement that a non-romanced Liara is Shepard's best friend when both Garrus and Tali exist is a stretch.
This is my second video and the first one was about Tali but I'm having a hard time putting the concept together that the asari didn't help out Shepherd even in secret because they already knew all the issues they had to. There was no other way for them to receive the information that they had but they act like it was more of a myth even though the information was being brought to their attention. Now granted it is a government secret but wouldn't the counselor know? And let's say she didn't know a lot like how our FBI or Federal intelligence doesn't inform the president of every little detail. This is a pretty big thing but at the same time wouldn't some kind of commando or a sorry high rank individual contact Shepherd about his findings. They would have high enough rank to influence the counselor because they are in that position. So them knowing all of these secrets and details, why wouldn't they secretly influence liara and Shepherd through liara because of the threat that is to be seen in the near future? I feel like that's a pothole and probably because there was a director change after Mass effect. 1
Ok you know those scenes you said aren't in the game if you have the DLC? They ARE still there in the LE. Go through all of her dialogue and offer to help her out. There's a small side quest you can do for her and the dialogue shows up there
No you don't need to uninstall the DLC. you just need to make sure to ask "Anger at shadow broker" When you click the top one it will leave the conversation. It's weird how it does that lol
Im a major history nerd and Liara meeting a prothean and realizing they were nothing like she had thought is by far my favorite part of the game because this could be the same exact case for just about any period of ancient history.
For example, the greek city if Sparta left behind very few written records, so much of what we know about them came from Athenians, who absolutely hated them. How much of what we 'know' about the Spartans is actually real? How much of it was a product of Athenian bias or propoganda that we have no way of knowing was wrong?
If an actual spartan somehow time traveled to our time period, how different would he be from what we imagine the spartans as?
It truely feels like im seeing this play out in front of me and its really fucking cool.
I'm not a history professor, just an enthusiast (or amateur you could say). When reading any written logs in ancient era we have to keep in mind that at that point of the time, history was mostly written by political leaders (not directly, but by their writers), it will contain mainly propaganda statements and one sided reactions to events.
Not that long ago I read quite accurate analogy - determining historical events in ancient era is somewhat similar to determining what has happened in the world F.e. in first half of 2020 by just tweets from Donald J. Trump.
Took Javik and Liara to Thessia in ME3 because I knew the dialog would be awesome.
@@VilemOtte0901 i think Liara mentions this or a similar problem with researching Proteans, in her logs in Andromeda
I kinda wonder if names wind up getting translated or not. Like, Shepard says "I'm Commander Shepard", and Liara hears from her translator something in Asari that's closer to "I'm Commander Herder-of-an-Herbivore-Native-to-Earth".
Lore states that translation programs are fairly advanced, so long as it's a common language of the council races. Femshep and Thane (being a drell whose entire race is endangered) have lines of dialogue wherein she expresses confusion at her translator glitching after Thane calls her a "siha."
I just want to throw in an experience I had as I feel it's somewhat similar to Liara's with her mother. My Grandfather got Alzheimer's and slowly over a decade he became someone... different. He would get Violent, he would be obsessive. He was not the man I loved and had known up until that point. I had mourned the loss of my Grandfather long before he died, so when the inevitable came I had 1 cry session because I had already moved on. I still cry about missing the man he was, but I moved past his death instantly.
Liara is probably doing the same, she knows the mother she loves is gone. She has already mourned.
that actually happened to my grandma too. although I was too young to get to know her before that so I didn't understand at the time. but my mom tells me story about how she didnt even recognize my dad and whenever he would take her to the hospital she would get extremely hostile and combative and scream that she was being kidnapped. my family would literally have to tell strangers standing there watching it's ok she has alzheimers. crazy.
Good point, I know what you mean.
When I heard Javik describe his own people. I started thinking about the Roman Empire. The Protheans were the Roman Empire of their cycle.
It's not that Liana isn't upset, It's that She's trying to distance herself from her Mother and her actions. It's not too different from how Samara approaches her situation w/Mornith.
Maybe you're right - it might be some cultural thing that the Asari have adopted due to their massive lifespans. Alot can happen to someone in 1000 years so you have to give prepared for anything.
@@XBadgerKnightX 😁
The asari are very monk like they try to control their emotions to a unhealthy point where they wont express grief or sadness,especally her ,shes so socially and emotionally stunted id say shes slowly becoming a sociopath.
@@DavidSantos-ix1hu i don't think so, Liara shows a great deal of emotion throughout the series. The only "Monk" like character we see is Samara, and while she's very very stoic and her emotions are subdued, they are definitely there.
@@XBadgerKnightX I readed up on the Asari is that they usually think in the long term of things instead of stort term. It could be this way of thinking with their emotions that mourning ones death is processed faster then say a humans mourning process.
If Kaidan survived, there's a convo he has with Engineer Adams after Priority: Thessia where they talked about how Liars shared stories about Benezia w them for weeks. Little detail that might suggest she wasn't as bad at dealing with loss and grief
I wish I knew that was a thing before I made this video, because I almost never leave Kaidan alive on my ME1 runs, especially if I'm romancing Liara (femshep)
I think Tali and Garrus also have a conversation about it after thessia, either over intercom or at the Normandy memorial about how Liara is handling this worse than Noveria or something like that. which again shows Liara DID mourn Benezia but she tried to hide it from Shepard
Yes! I remember hearing this dialogue. It gave me the fuzzies. It's a shame that BW didn't have enough time to just insert a grief scene to make it less jarring when Liara said that she doesn't need to mourn Benezia.
I always assumed she was trying to keep from crying so as to avoid looking weak, and broke down crying the moment the doors closed behind Shepherd.
I love lira. She starts out an innocent. Then grows into her own
I always found her lack of social skills in me1 funny & cute at the same time.
She stumbles with her words, & she gets so flustered really makes her cute
I love how Vigil’s theme plays when you speak one-on-one with Liara. The perfect reminder of Mass Effect 1.
That scene works with dlc in legendary edition btw
I watched the dichotomy episode on Tali it was fantastic. The Liara one was amazing also. Keep up the good work. If I may I would like to request a dichotomy on Garrus Vakarian and Gunnery chief and Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams.
Working on the Garrus one as we speak, just gotta finish covering his content in Mass Effect 3, and then it should be done. Expect it maybe in two weeks' time - watch those sub boxes!
@@XBadgerKnightX is that right? Well, time to join the notification squad, i watched tali's video essay. These videos must take so much time to make.
@@mega9538 SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD
Always nice to see some love for the ME games. Probably one of the best and most developed sci-fi universes with so many amazing characters. Especially 90% was realized in 3 games.
Loved your video mate! Always look forward to more from you.
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it!
Mass effect is an unusual and special game to me that it really sucks you in to its world, and its characters. I always end the game just wishing I could spend a little more time with Liara, Garrus, Tali, and the rest of the crew. I wish we could sit down and talk to them like real people. I think that is a testament to how well written the characters are, you come to think of them as living people more than fictional characters. after the end of the game I find myself feeling like I did after leaving college, or finishing bootcamp, knowing that those relationships have functionally ended since we are going our separate ways. I think it’s cool that someone else recognizes that depth.
I agree. The mass effect universe is incredibly well crafted
15:32
Fun fact: In the first game this is actually subjective based on who you bring with you. See, each of the 6 squad members have their level of morality that the game doesn't show you. Initially they are in this order (from the most moral, to the least moral):
Kaidan
Liara
Tali
Garrus
Ashley
Wrex
BUT, a male Shepard who is sufficiently close to Ashley can slowly influence her to be more moral and a female Shepard who is sufficiently close to Kaidan, can slowly influence him to be less moral. Garrus can also be influenced. In fact he can be influenced in either direction and as we can see his morality gets saved in the save file and carried over to the second game.
And each of their opinions on major decisions, depend on who the other squad member is. The more moral squad member will give the 'paragon' advice to Shepard and the less moral squad member will give the 'renegade' advice.
Since this video is about Liara, let's use her as an example. With most other squadmates she gives the 'paragon' advice, but if the other squadmate is Kaidan who hasn't been influenced by Shepard, then Liara will be the one giving the 'renegade' advice. This is true of all squadmates. Apparently BioWare wanted Shepard to have metaphorical angel and demon sitting on their shoulders.
If you do the side quest for Liara where you have to hack terminals and find the potential assassin, you can get the “coffee cup” line and subsequent conversation. At least in the legendary edition
Yes, and the same in the original second game. I have heard this conversation every single time I've played myself.
I’ve played thousand of hours in this trilogy. Every playthrough I romanced Liara. Finally started new options and turning her down shook me. Her ARC is amazing but your Garrus video made me want to give that a try. Nice bud!
I have romance tali and garrus now i gonna romance Jack
Renegade Femshep and Liara are the perfect Match IMO for the series
Liara is basically like my Shepards Moral compass in a way. Keeps her grounded
Like literally I was gona kill the Rachni queen in ME1 and Liaras ass TWICE interupts me before confirming if I want to go through with killing her and right at the end Im like godammit Liara FINE I wont kill the Queen.
Fucking Perfection between the two
"my home was destroyed and all he can do is GLOAT!"
Damn, angry Liara is angry 😳
I wonder what Matriarch Liara will be capable of in Mass Effect 4...
@@XBadgerKnightX very wise and very deadly i assume. She seamed at peace in the trailer.
That said, the significance of her on the reaper finding an N7 helmet has to be a big nod to Shepard. If so, will she bring him back, again? Will that be her mission? Will the rachni or leviathan be the 'big bad' this time? I'm hoping the rachni or even baterians.
But I don't doubt Liara will likely be the strongest on the squad in me4
@@DarthPingu07 Surely she'd be the shepard of me4. Or is the customisable class too much of a retcon for her?
@@DarthPingu07 If you read the Codex for ME3 batarians are basically extinct.
@@SilverEyedRukia they was almost extinct. Balak leads the Hegemony at the end of ME3 if you let him live and you can also gain the Baterian fleet as a war asset.
If ME4 is set in a couple of hundred years later, then that's more than enough time to repopulate and start a war on the galaxy if they feel justified.
I just wish that they had more romance moments in Mass Effect 3. You literally go half the game with her just going "well hello Shepard" or something. Her romance is just kinda boring during the mid section of ME3
I also hate how you have to keep rekindling the romance like at the Citadel. Like wtf Liara yes for fuck sakes stop asking me lol
@@MistahJay7 yeah, that irritates the f*ck out of me too. It also bothers me that the marriage proposal scene is so dull. We're telling her we want to spend our life with her and there should have been more. At least a side mission to get her a gift, something.
I wish they'd showed her naked during her live scenes with Shepard, like they did in the first game. Why did they not, I wonder?
If it weren’t for Tali, Liara would be the one for sure. It’s always seemed like the relationship between her and Shepard was the canon relationship.
I read somewhere that 2 of the lead devs where huge Liara fans, so they pushed her pretty hard as a romance (even when romancing others, it's Liara who comes to your room after the Nightmare, and some of her dialogue and movements during it feel like typical romance dialogues...)
Well Liara is the only relationship option you can carry through all 3 games (with Shadow Broker DLC/Legendary Edition). Plus it allows Tali and Garrus to get together.
I like Liara more in mass effect 2 and 3 than in 1.just a girl.. not yet a matriarch lol 😆
@@Jedi_Spartan tali is only using him for his body 😆
The 'canon' aspect is why I just hate Liara and every scene she's in after ME1. Every game ends up suffering some degree of Liara ex Machina, she deciphers the beacon visions, she retrieves your corpse and gives it to Cerberus, and she just so happens to find the one way to beat the Reapers.
Not to mention the constant, creepy stalker tones her scenes take on. She's horny for you in 1, she's horny for you in 2 and she's giga horny for you in 3. Every time she's on screen, shepard is given love hearts in his eyes against my will, always treating her like a porcelain princess with automatic dialogue. Even worse with how he refers to her as "his girl" or something along those lines when confronting Liara's dad in the third game.
It's incredibly uncomfortable when this creepy blue octopus takes up more time onscreen with shepard than my love interest, and probably spends more time alone with shepard than my love interest.
Honestly? The only difference between romancing liara and romancing someone else is whether or not liara wakes up next to you in bed before the final mission. You get the rest of the GF experience either way.
Such an obvious, forced character that would make me hate the asari outright if Samara and Shiala didn't exist.
In all my times playing mass effect. I really never felt much from Liara. But this again was another deep dive into who she is. It has really givin me a deep appreciation for her. And her Charecter throughout the series.
I heard you mention you might do some of the other charecters in the tali video.
So I'm sure you are already planning or working on one. Can't wait to hear the garrus one.
As of right now, I am working on one about Garrus. Currently talking about the bottle-shooting scene as I'm typing this. Expect it soon!
@@XBadgerKnightX ooo!! Hel yes!
I can't wait for it to come out.
As you can tell by my name. I loved garrus throughout the series.
He was actually one of the main reasons why I got hooked so hard into this game, his death in the suicide mission messed up my young teen mind. And set me out to do better.
From the loose cannon cop.
To a Merc who wanted to make a change.
I can not wait to see what new details I'll learn from your video.
Something you missed in part 1, which to me as a very important part of Liara, and why she is one of my favorite characters, is that she is coded as non-neurotypical, especially in ME1. The social awkwardness, the trouble showing, processing and sharing emotions (such as grief), monotone way of speaking, tendency to self-isolate, niche special interest, etc. all tendencies common in neurodiverse people, and in characters coded to be that. As someone on the Autism spectrum, Liara was one of the first characters in a video game i had ever been able to identify with on that level.
I knew it ! I knew something felt familiar in her behavior. Thank you for commenting this, I'm so glad to know that
You know, you don't really notice it until you meet other asari and you realize her tone and temperament, aren't typical to her race.
This was amazing. I’ve loved the mass effect trilogy since I was 12(2010). Liara is my fave character in the whole series. This explained everything so well. I even learned a few things I’ve overlooked which is surprising since I thought I knew everything about ME. Lol. Liara is such a beautiful and amazing character. I’ve tried to tell ppl how amazing she was and some ppl didn’t get it I guess. You earned a new subscriber. Keep up the good work. I can’t wait to see more from your channel.
Thank you so much dude! I'm glad you liked it!
Tbf, even if 50 years is just a drop in the bucket compared to your total lifetime, that's still 50 years. . . And I'd definitely be a little crazy if I spent 50 years under my parent's thumb.
Hopefully the next game will bring a good chance for a part 2 to this video ;)
Really excellent analysis here, well done 👍
I have to say that Liara is my favourite and there's a few reasons. In ME1 she starts out as humble yet there's a hint of resolve to her character as she's not easily intimidated by Ashley. As the relationship with Shepard deepens she starts to grow wanting to explore what that is. It's not a casual fling for her but something much deeper and intense. This is why she acts the way she does in ME2. She is heartbroken by the loss of her one and only and goes to such extremes to bring Shepard back to her.
The writing of her character development and her story arc is just wonderful and it's earned. The fact that she just doesn't just pick up their relationship immediately [albeit the first initial brief embrace and kiss when they reunite in ME2] is a true reflection of someone who had deeply grieved and mourned the loss of their significant other and that's not a mental state that can be just shrugged off lightly. And you're right in the cinematic direction they give to her actions in the aftermath of the fight with the Shadowbroker. Although I think you have missed one very important detail here. When she offers her hand to Shepard to help them up, there's a moment she looks at Shepard who, after less than a second, turns and looks for the downed party member. Liara's shoulders sag and she bodily gestures slightly with her arms in a moment of sadness and resignation that Shepard didn't embrace her right away. It's a small detail but it shows that she still deeply wants that intimacy and connection between them.
Yet the truly inspiring aspect of this romance is the depths it entails between them. The Asari mind melding is an incredibly intimate thing. Knowing that you can be truly one with the you love or care deeply for, knowing their own mind as they know yours is something we can only dream of. No wonder the Asari are so powerful. Who wouldn't want that level of love and trust with their bondmate or lover? That you can feel that in an instant would be such bliss on so many levels. It's something we try to achieve in reality but to actually have it offered freely as a gift to a lover by an Asari, well it's no wonder they can be with almost any species. And their name for a "marriage" - bondmate - really does truly describe this phenomena. Once that meld is established there's nothing held back. I think that is the essence of a perfect union, that the couple are now of one soul. We say this in marriage vows in reality and I think that is beautiful but actually being able to do it, albeit with an Asari, well I'll go blue every time too. That's what sells me on the Liara/Shepard relationship. It's an earned one, one that is built on trust initially, of respect and caring from the friendship they form which ultimately leads to them becoming bondmates. It's awesome writing and character development. It strays occasionally into tropes and cliches but those are rare moments that are overcome by the serious and deeper ones. Lines like "I wrote your name in the stars" or wanting lots of little blue babies, that's very intimate.
I also like the end if you [as Shepard] have managed to build up enough galactic support at the end, then choosing the destruction [red] end feels right. I agree that Liara would also destroy the Reapers. It's a very sad choice, especially knowing that you're killing EDI and the Geth [and probably all AI] but the cycle must end that's the only way to do it once and for all. Synthesis and control are very questionable outcomes and are imposing your will over others. Plus its the only way to ensure that Shepard somehow survives in the teaser scene at the very end which I think is going to be the canon ending because we saw from the teaser trailer for ME4[5?], Liara finding a part of what appears to be a piece of Shepard's armor and we see as she briefly gently smiles. That isn't the action of a woman deeply grieving but rather one who knows that Shepard is out there, that there is hope that they will be reunited once more either as friends or bondmates.
2025 can't come soon enough.
You can still trigger the conversation about Liara handing you over to the Cerberus. Its quite easy tho if you click the wrong option when meeting her you will miss out on her quest that leads to that conversation.
Brother these mass effect character videos are amazing. Severly underated channel. Subbed.
24:30 its such a shame that that part of the conversation was overwritten. They should've kept it not just because of the narrative but because its one of her most badass lines.
From some other comments, it seems like you have to do Liara's sidequest involving Nyxeris to get this dialogue.
I loved liara my favorite romance so real and deep, great writing and development.
IMHO Liara IS the canon romance. She's the most important character in the whole trilogy, next to Shepard. Without her he'd never have been able to stop Saren or the Collectors and he'd never have been able to finish the Crucible/Catalyst. She's also the ONLY squad mate guaranteed to appear in ALL three games (either Ash or Kaiden can die in ME1 and the entire squad can die in ME2, but not Liara). And I agree with everything you lay out: Shepard becomes her new family in ME1 and they come to trust and rely on each other, their bond growing with each chapter until they are, in every sense of the word, married/bonded to each other.
@Swamp Expert Extraordinaire Unfortunately the next Mass Effect will have to pick a "canon" ending in order to continue. I always viewed the "canon" as the default options each game starts with if you do not get to make choices.
Well put. She's literally critical to the main plot in all 3 games. Sorry Talimancers but your girl can't compare.
A Doctor Who mention and a pro wrestling reference in a Mass Effect video?!?! Great work, your dichotomy videos are truly well done...
As someone who played the games on release, without interference of DLCs, the section in question at 24:22 is how the scene was originally written for console.
I have a very weird memory of the first time I played ME2(I don’t think I had the dlc at the time) but I feel like I’ve heard that extra conversation with liara before. Great video!!
I have COVID. I haven't been able to do much. So I spent all day watching your videos. I've cried. When better, I'm replaying ME, 1, 2, 3 again. Thanks, man.
New Dichotomy Of A Character Video on ASHLEY WILLIAMS IS AVAILABLE NOW!: ua-cam.com/video/g-LQBB3v1Gg/v-deo.html
- *TIMESTAMPS* -
00:00-2:29: Intro
2:30-5:03: Part 0: Context About Bioware Writing Female Leads
5:04 - 18:16: Part 1: Liara's World In Mass Effect 1 (Foundations For Liara's Motivations & Characterization)
18:17- 57:47: Parts 2, 3, and 4 (Interm between Mass Effect 2, LoTSB, then Intro to ME3)
57:48 - 1:24:25 - Part 5 Meeting God & A Crisis Of Faith
1:24:26 - 1:38:52 - Part 6 Ending Liara's BLues Ear & An End, Once And For All
1:38:53 - 1:47:35 - Part 7 An Ending Choice Once And For All
1:47:36 - 1:51:06 - What Have We Learned?
1:51:07 - 1:52:27 Outro and A Thanks For Watching!
Much like many other ME fans I’m sure, I LOVE Garrus and Tali. Truly.
But I just can’t not romance Liara. Anyone who is strong enough to endure losing the love of their life not once, but twice, will hold a very special place in my heart.
I just finished the ME trilogy for the first time blind as FemShep, and this is an awesome video and analysis. I’m gonna enjoy watching your other videos ❤ thank you
24:14 if I recall correctly this or at least parts of this dialog are included in the legendary edition even with the Shadow Broker DLC active.
With the announcement of the new Mass effect it looks like they are making the destroy ending cannon.
They should. Whether they're in the next game or not, Destroy was the only ending Shepard could survive... my personal canon ending also.
@@FantasticDimensions I think most people went that route.
It's the logical ending to lead to another story. Despite what people think is the best ending, the other two endings are a dead end for future stories, especially synthesis which makes everything a perfect existence which does not lead to compelling future stories.
To unlock that scene you have to do both of Liara’s sidequests before you do Lair of the Shadow Broker or ask her about it
Fabulous job. I enjoyed this so much! Liara is my second fav squad mate in all of Mass Effect, right behind Tali. The depth you went to in your description of Liara’s character was astounding. I have now watched all the episodes of the mass effect characters and have enjoyed them all tremendously. I hope you will go back for Wrex, Kaiden, Traynor and Thane. Keep up the good work, sir. I for one, appreciate your efforts.
I miss Liaras voice from ME1, I love Ali Hillis but I didnt like the change in the voice they made her do, Liara had such a warm and high voice, indicating she was young and inexperienced, I know why it was changed but I still like it better.
Same here, but mordin's change in voice us the most jarring for me
You can always go back to the original trilogy so much better.
The remaster sucks.
@@DidierWierdsma6335 wait.. They changed the voices in LE? I didn't play it yet..
I have played thru this game series multiple times and this video is the first time I've learned that you can have Liara in the opening scene of ME2 it's always been the virmier survivor for me
Thank you for this video essay! I couldn't help but bawl again in the final moments between Shepard and Liara. Their love story is so tragic and it never stops being tragic. It just gives me such a huge ache in my heart. I love Liara so damn much and she had such a great character arc.
I am also a Destroy option chooser. I have the same reasons and rationale for that option too. And like you, I'm a "Hell no" to the Synthesize option too. I think Control would be bad over time - power corrupts and if a hero lives long enough, they would see themselves be the villain.
now I have to go replay the whole trilogy and romance Liara again.
Thank you very much.
1:39:39 ~ My personal headcanon, has Shepard promising to find a way to survive & return to her… keeping his promise made in ME2. Forcing me to break my Shepard’s promise…?… yeah that is abundantly rejected by me. 😅
🌒🌕🌘
this is a really great, well organized, well thought out video. not to mention the time stamps with proper labels.. you are a GOOD youtuber bro. appreciate
I think GOOD stands low but I get your point .. very good video in deed.. a complete and objectively documentary about a character..
I actually got that scene, I have no idea how. I thought it was actually the normal/regular scene that everyone would get🤔
They managed to convey a powerful message silently right there
the music just gets me jheezz especially the ME3 sad one
i just finished my first ever playthrough of the mass effect trilogy, i was always torn between tali or liara. i chose tali for my first playthrough and i am planning on playing through it again and choosing liara before mass effect comes out which could be years from now
I been playing the entire trilogy for the first time cause I only had access to ME2. I always thought Liara was the best romance option and I think this video put my thoughts into words on why.
I never meant to offend you Sheperd, I only meant you would be an interesting specimen for in-depth study, No -- that even worse!
It was funny the first time I play ME1, its funny when I played the LE, Liara is adorable.
I am not the best person to point it out since English is not my first language (and my grammar is atrocious), but you have misspelled the words "dichotomy" and "character" in your thumbnail. First impressions are important, so try to pay attention to the little details.
(also, is it possible to have a dichotomy if there is only one subject of discussion? I dunno)
Leliana is not the same archetype as Liara, that was a mistake on your part. Leliana *starts* as a worldly and ruthless young woman, her innocence is an act - she is almost deluding herself in order to maintain it. Guardian of the Sacred Ashes even mentions this directly.
As far as I know, Liara's dialogue on Illium might not trigger correctly if you jump to the DLC right away by picking certain options. It's not a bug though. Just try not to plow through her entire dialogue in the same conversation, I guess? That's how I avoided this issue in every playthrough.
I'd love to see more videos from you in the future. More substance is needed, however - you spend too much time simply describing things on the screen. Don't take it as an insult. I just want to hear more from you - opinions, critical analysis, things like that.
Dick
Every time i play ME i get me some bluessy
word
At 31:36 I fully agree that's one of my favorite bits of dialogue in Mass Effect.
This was absolutely fantastic. I needed this, thank you.
If you romance or complete Jacob friendship in ME2 he asks Shepard how they're doing cuz he knows Shepard needs a shoulder to lean on.
And being resurrected his all to the love that Liara T'Soni had four Shepherd
For*
@@marloaleman9539 Seriously, learn how to edit comments.
Your videos are incredible! Great job!
I love your work my friend, keep it up
Javik escaping the beam is quite lore breaking.
One of the reasons of ME:A's failure is the fact, that is cannot live up to the trilogy. Its lacking the characters like Liara and the others. Maybe its because of nostalgia?
I very much remember that conversation with Liara in her office in ME2 from my play throughs. But I didn't have the Shadow Broker DLC until later on. So I didn't even know that conversation was removed 😲 It definitely seems too important to remove though!
Vertical was a beautiful movie when I watched it as a little kid during my childhood
42:11 Funny you mentioned the Jaws scene there since the music you hear on that scene is similar to the Jaws theme
God... I love this game, tooooo!
Regarding the low res footage you used, I was able to reach this dialog while having Lair of the Shadow Broker installed. When you meet Liara offer as much help as possible and offer to help with any task. Be sure to not choose the dialog wheel option that states something like "let take the Shadow Broker down" otherwise all tasks you may be able to do for Liara or haven't finished completing will progress to automatic completion. After the final task and prior to the DLC you get to ask Liara what will she do now. The resulting dialog is what you are looing for.
It was also used when Anderson punched Udina's face in ME1
Good work here
The Real Best Girl
I managed to trigger the dialogue about shepard's body, and it turns out the reason it won't appear actually has nothing to do with the shadow broker dlc, but rather a bug that locks you out of it if you pick certain dialogue options.
So first impression.. This guy is obviously a salarian.. SLOW DOWN
Liara T'soni is the perfect love intrest.
Garrus Vakarian is the perfect friend and brother.
Wrex and Tali are awesome as well.
You nailed it. 👍
Breath is canon Shepherd is to badass to die
Hi Badger. I'm a couple of years late to the party. But if you haven't figured out where that Liara line came from, I have an idea.
I'm pretty sure I had the Shadow Broker DLC before I did this, but I do know that line of dialogue is after you tell Liara about how her assistant (Nexeris I think is her name) is a double agent for the Shadow Broker.
Man, you deserve some more subs, first off.
I was mostly nodding along with the video until minute 56:12 made me double-take, because I will admit, I am partial to Jack as a romance option. It's tempting to act all defensive about Jack but I feel it's inapproriate to drag the character into a video about Liara.
It seems you were going for a documentary. Making extensive use of footage of the games. While it does feel too long, I can respect you wanting to show everything.
I got mixed feelings for Liara. I loved her best in the first game, though in hindsight, after seeing this video, it seems it was the feeling of being the center of her attention that I loved. I will agree on what you said regarding her mother's death. I found that strange. And your explanation for it is pretty sound. She's not as emotionally intelligent as she is in 2 and 3.
I personally found her shift from archeologist to information broker within two years a bit hard to buy. It seems to me that the writer's have exhausted Liara story of being a researcher and wanted her to do something more cool than dusting bones. It was a hard turn for her character, to me. And it also bothered me that none of the old crew helped one another after Shepard's death. Liara was working mostly alone, it seemed.
But regardless of the change in profession, I do like the emotional rollercoaster she goes through. That part of her taking the throne of the Shadow Broker is a great example.
After seeing you point out examples of Shepard being Liara's "rock", it made me realise just how much emotional support she constantly needs because of the stress she's experiencing. It's a stark contrast from characters like say Jack, they have their moments of emotional vulnerability, they can handle themselves thenselves with little to no help from Shepard.
Thanks for the comment and I am sorry it took so long for me to respond - I'm juggling a few different UA-cam projects and midterms at the moment. As for the comments I made about Jack, I always thought her romance was poorly done. For me it comes down to Shepard going 'lemme heal yo tatted ass wit mah dick'. It's a slippery slope that I don't intend on using. Not really a good start for a relationship imho. It does make her character arc more believable in ME3, but I'd like to think that Jack can grow out of her issues given her own time. She shouldn't need Shepard to play therapist and press her out of it.
I felt like bringing Jack into the video because I wanted to stay away overly-simplifying Liara's growth between ME1 and ME2 down to mental illness - this is not all what happens to her. Her neurotic tenancies (If any existed in the first place) were caused by her upbringing and from intergalactic keep-away with Shepard's body and then her two year long war with the SB trying to recover Theron.
Thanks for watching and leaving such a huge response! Stay tuned, I got some more cool stuff on the way!
@@XBadgerKnightX You're welcome. And regarding your comment on Jack, I do feel that is a bit of an oversimplification of what happens to her. I do have my own problems with the way Shepard "dated" Jack but the way the pre-suicide mission love scene played out was much less sexual than the other squad members. I don't think they had intercourse. And there's just a lack of evidence that they did when there was no undressing involved, unlike Miranda's scene.
This is the second video I've finished. The first being Ashley Williams. They are well done and thorough. Do to the length I had to watch them in parts. Still they are worth the watch or listen if people multitask like that. Having done all the endings, the only reason I dislike the destroy ending is because of Edi. Watching these videos makes me want to play the trilogy again. Have all three games just not the Legendarily Edition.
Thank you ❤️
Great content man!
She is entranced by the humans and it'll slow learning experience for her to be able to learn throughout the series
Enticed by humans
*
Liara and Tali are neck in neck when it comes to who's the best. Both of them were there for Shepherd when he needed them through out the trilogy when other crew mates would abandon him. Loyalty, something almost non-existent now but so important.
Someone that Likes Both Tali and Liara? Wow im shocked
I've noticed most people that are fans of Tali have to let everyone know that they hate Liara too. I don't get it but their weird
Nice to see someone that isn't like that and can appreciate both without belittling the other.
@@MistahJay7 It's impossible to belittle the blue sexy mama. She literally saved Shepherd's life. He wouldn't be here if not for her.
@@MistahJay7 Liara is the best romance imo, but I like Tali as well, she is just not on the same level. Tali is overrated.
About that scene at 24:10
In my last first playthrough ever i decided to complete liara's minigames before giving her the info about the broker (i knew it was a dlc trigger xD) and i triggered that scene. Maybe is due to the LE..
However i saved and tried those dialogues a few times and if you are mean to liara or refuse to help her she slam her fist on the table xD so cute when she is angry xD
Were mass effect an anime, she would be the book smart shy girl with big glasses, a massive rack (to make it more ironic), and be extremely introverted and having all the "cute anime blushing moments" with Shepard during the different slice of life episodes where they go on "dates".... you know the ones i'm talking about.....
Im about to dig into this video, but before I do I wanted to ask something that recently popped into my head again as I was replaying the trilogy. What did you think about her relationship with Feron?
I always thought of the love Liara had with Shepard as the "ideal love" the "first love", the "destined love", something out of the ordinary and stronger than usual, or something along those lines, given how much they impact each others lives in such a relatively short span of time, the connection between them seems almost touchable. I read peoples toughts about her feelings towards Feron and im curious what you were thinking. Imo if Shepard pursued her romance she has no romantic feelings towars Feron at all, however she does consider him a close friend despite him intending to betray her in the begining he helped her save Shepard and she feels like she needs to repay that, but its nothing else beyond that.
I do not like the implication that she could develop feelings for someone else so quickly after Shepard, especially given how she had hope of him being alive more than anyone else.
Of course if Shepard is just a friend, the possibility is there after the lair of shadow broker, she does hint at a possible future relationship so there is some chemistry but that is like entirely different timeline where Liara develops differently.
And honestly I always thought this was ridiculous to begin with. The comic redemption happens shortly after Shepard dies, she spends days at MOST few weeks around Feron and he betrays her during that time, right after she lost her lover or a friend and is actively trying to recover their body and save them is hardly a time for someone to be thinking about romance. After that Feron was cought and has been locked since then, there was absolutely no time or reason for them to develop anything other than friendship based on cooperation which. The tension between them, Feron saying he doesnt deserve Liara is caused by him being ashamed of the betrayal and Liara being sorry he was cought and tortured because of her, there is nothing romantic between them to begin with.
I enjoy how Liara's dad is just a jaded version of Liara that gave up but shepard and Liara got her to try again. She had good but radical ideas like building mass effect relays of their own and encouraging maidens to go to school like Liara did and not join merc companies and be strippers. But she gave up and became a bartender than the reaper invasion happened and people finally realized she was right after shepard convinced Liara to talk and help her and suddenly shes a very big help with the refugees and getting people's head out of their asses.
The dialogue you were asking about always triggered for me... You just need to help Liara with both her assignments on Illium before giving her the information about the Shadow Broker.
Killing off that assassin in thanes name and honor is the only time I will ever renegade in Mass effect.
To Liara's credit, she's getting a sample size of 1 here with regard to Javik. His consciousness of even his own culture is colored by being born into a war. Had Liara awakened someone else 200 years before with a similar academic background as her, she probably would've gotten at least some confirmation of her work.
I don't see Liara going red ending, it's all interpretation though so it's not like there's a correct answer. As was the case at the Shadow Broker's lair, I think she would choose to control what was once used for bad ends and use it for good. She's a historian and reapers are repositories of innumerable species wisdom, she was also with Shepard when he found that Reapers destroy civilizations to keep the machines they always build from wiping out organic life. She would know that destroying machines buys them time but doesn't solve the problem. Duty and responsibility underlines many decisions she makes throughout the series, at least that's how I see it, so would she not feel duty bound to take control rather than destroy.
Had to watch this to lift my spirits after watching a vid of Liara dying in ME3 last night. It was soul-crushing.
What??
@@shiningdragon8737
If you do Priority: Earth with really low EMS you entire squad dies. The two you bring in the charge towards the beam gets burnt by Harby.
@@StormBringare Yeah that would be soul crushing indeed.
Well whoever you watched must of sucked ass
The one thing I would push back on is I think making a blanket statement that a non-romanced Liara is Shepard's best friend when both Garrus and Tali exist is a stretch.
This is my second video and the first one was about Tali but I'm having a hard time putting the concept together that the asari didn't help out Shepherd even in secret because they already knew all the issues they had to. There was no other way for them to receive the information that they had but they act like it was more of a myth even though the information was being brought to their attention. Now granted it is a government secret but wouldn't the counselor know? And let's say she didn't know a lot like how our FBI or Federal intelligence doesn't inform the president of every little detail. This is a pretty big thing but at the same time wouldn't some kind of commando or a sorry high rank individual contact Shepherd about his findings. They would have high enough rank to influence the counselor because they are in that position. So them knowing all of these secrets and details, why wouldn't they secretly influence liara and Shepherd through liara because of the threat that is to be seen in the near future? I feel like that's a pothole and probably because there was a director change after Mass effect. 1
These videos are excellent, but I'm not the only one that slows the play back speed?
Ok you know those scenes you said aren't in the game if you have the DLC? They ARE still there in the LE. Go through all of her dialogue and offer to help her out. There's a small side quest you can do for her and the dialogue shows up there
Or she becomes a full-grown Asari now she's done growed up Jeje
Stay true to the blue!!Liara FTW!!
love the vid but i can’t stress this..
1:08:58 that’s an awfully hot coffee pot
No you don't need to uninstall the DLC. you just need to make sure to ask "Anger at shadow broker" When you click the top one it will leave the conversation. It's weird how it does that lol
Liara will return
Liara could've just blamed the broken connection on Verizon, but no... She had a big head and wanted to be Shadow Broker