19. Jacob
Jacob Taylor is a tragic example of a character being mishandled at nearly every turn. On the surface, a man who has been disenfranchised by the usual channels resorting to joining an extremist group because no one else will listen can be a compelling basis for a character. It sure sounds buck wild to look back on, but it’s pretty in line with the 24-esque, Bush-era politics of the franchise. But from then on, Jacob becomes an inconsistently written, often carelessly handled party member.
He goes back and forth between whether or not he trusts protagonist Commander Shepard, stops being so personable, and then his personal story with his father ends up falling into some weird Black stereotypes that are hard to swallow. It only gets worse in Mass Effect 3 as BioWare decided to use some untoward methods to make Jacob the only love interest who leaves Shepard in the final game, and it’s just a big ol’ bummer to look back on.
