In the Mass Effect game universe, the player takes control of Commander Shepard, the first-ever human Spectre, and embarks on a mission to save the galaxy from the terrifying Reapers, the insidious Collectors and even a fellow Spectre named Saren Arterius. Shepard recruits many talented soldiers and experts to join their team, and that includes Miranda Lawson.
Miranda is no ordinary human agent. She was genetically engineered by her father, the wealthy Henry Lawson, to be perfect in all regards. In that way, Miranda mirrors Grunt the tank-born Krogan. But while Miranda was designed to be perfect, she is not, and a few distinct issues hold her back. Ultimately, she is not the next Commander Shepard.
What Miranda Lawson Can Do
To her credit, Miranda is a highly capable operative and a powerful biotic, just as Henry Lawson intended. From her girlhood onward, Miranda was given the best teachers, combat trainers and protection she could ask for, all funded by Henry's deep pockets. Miranda did her best to meet her father's rather high expectations, and her sharp mind allowed her to concoct and carry out a daring escape plan when Henry's overbearing ways became intolerable.
Miranda went on the run in her late teens or so, and she used every ounce of her wits and abilities to fend off and elude Henry's bounty hunters and other agents. The galaxy is a dangerous place, even for a gifted woman like Miranda, but she survived, and even thrived. This is what drew the Illusive Man's attention, and he and Miranda soon became trusting partners and allies within the Cerberus organization.
It was Miranda who oversaw the expensive and unprecedented Lazarus project to bring Commander Shepard back to life, and Miranda was chosen to serve aboard the Normandy SR2 to keep the mission running smoothly and keep tabs on Commander Shepard. No one else could have pulled off that mission, and time and again, Miranda served well with Shepard both in terms of paperwork and fighting Shepard's enemies during ground missions. She also took the fight to the deadly Eclipse mercenary gang with Shepard on Ilium, and even defeated an Asari commando boss to keep her little sister, Oriana Lawson, safe.
Finally, Miranda cut ties with the Illusive Man over differences regarding how to handle the Collector base, and Miranda was on the run once again, assisting Shepard from the shadows during the Reaper invasion. She aided Shepard in person at the Sanctuary facility, facing her father one last time. She's even ready to give her life to protect Oriana from the tyrannical Henry Lawson.
How Miranda Fall Short as a Hero
Overall, it is clear that Miranda is a highly capable operative who can be trusted with missions of espionage, sabotage, fighting elite enemy troops, rescue and more. However, Shepard soon realizes that Miranda is certainly not perfect -- and she admits as much herself. Miranda lacks a few key traits that Shepard has. One of them is charisma, and the Illusive Man even counted on Shepard's natural charisma and leadership abilities to recruit a diverse team for the anti-Collector mission. Miranda even commented that Shepard has an "it" factor that draws people to them, and Miranda has no such natural charms.
Miranda is witty and insightful, but she cannot inspire courage or hope in other people, instead acting more like a stone-cold boss or project director. That's not a bad thing in itself, but it means Miranda cannot inspire tough and exotic aliens to fight and risk their lives with her during a mission the way Shepard does. When Miranda leaked intel about Jacob's father's survival in secret, Jacob was troubled by the news, and he did not thank Miranda for what she did. By contrast, Shepard would have found a gentler way to reunite Jacob with his estranged father, without antagonizing or upsetting Jacob in the process.
Plus, Miranda probably couldn't apply to become a Spectre to put her elite skills to use, mainly because she has some serious baggage. While Kasumi Goto could be an infiltration-oriented Spectre and Zaeed Massani could be a soldier-type Spectre, Miranda wouldn't even be considered. She was a key figure in Cerberus, and the Citadel Council's deep mistrust and dislike of that organization would take Miranda out of the running right away.
What is more, Miranda has the baggage of her paranoid father, Henry, pursuing her and Oriana, and that would greatly complicate Miranda's candidacy as a Spectre. Miranda will act on her own to protect Oriana, and if her Spectre duties and Oriana's needs clashed, Miranda would probably put Oriana first. This baggage with both Henry and Oriana would keep Miranda preoccupied as a Spectre, and that could spell trouble.
Overall, it's clear that Miranda is best off where she is: as an elite agent within Cerberus, and later, as one of Shepard's most rogueish but most dedicated allies in the fight against the Reapers. She is an unsung hero who must operate from the fringes, rather than take the spotlight.