16. Ashley

Speaking of underutilized characters, I have a soft spot for the original Mass Effect’s human squadmates, but I think only one gets their due (we’ll get to him later). Ashley Williams, meanwhile, starts off as a really strong concept for a party member that could truly grow across the span of a trilogy. She begins as a military brat turned proper soldier herself, though her family’s history is a bit spotty. Because of her family’s relationship with other alien races, she comes in with a skepticism that she’s only comfortable voicing to Shepard because they’re also human, and, in theory, seeing a human character reckon with their past prejudiced beliefs makes for a compelling trilogy-long arc.

The trouble is, Mass Effect 3 never truly gets there. You have a game with party members who are giving their lives as they subvert past prejudiced beliefs, but Ashley can’t so much as muster a sentence about how she used to be racist but has come to love and care for aliens she once judged. Sorry, girl. You’re another example of the Mass Effect trilogy not quite delivering on its promises.