In Mass Effect, Commander Shepard faces many powerful foes as the first-ever human Spectre, and some of these foes have vast resources at their command. In the year 2183, Shepard's first true test as a Spectre was to go after Saren Arterius, a fellow Spectre, and bring him to justice. However, that's easier said than done -- and Saren has a sharp tongue.

Shepard soon learns that Saren is really the thrall of Sovereign, a titanic Reaper battleship that is the true mastermind behind the plot to destroy the galaxy. But while it's true that Saren was being controlled with indoctrination signals, that doesn't mean Shepard should forgive him for his actions.

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The Methods & Story of Saren Arterius

saren shooting nihlus mass effect

Saren's backstory is more thoroughly explored in Drew Karpyshyn's Mass Effect novels, which all take place before Saren became Sovereign's thrall. Back then, Saren was the best Spectre in the business, and he had a noted ruthless streak about him. Turian soldiers are known for their practical ways and their discipline, but Saren went beyond that; he was downright cruel at times.

Saren would often intimidate or torture people for information, then kill them anyway just to tie up a loose end. He had two rules: you don't kill people without a reason, and you can always find a reason to kill someone. Saren would regularly dispatch anyone who might give him away or interfere with his mission, no matter who or what they were. Even though the Spectres have a lot of operational freedom, many observers would agree that Saren was a cold-blooded thug -- and all this was without Reaper influence.

Like many Turians, Saren had misgivings about humanity, but those feelings rapidly developed into outright hatred and xenophobia. Saren firmly wanted to put humanity in its place rather than welcome them to the galactic community and see what the Systems Alliance could offer for the Council races. Saren took distinct pleasure in torturing, hunting and killing humans during his missions, and, oddly enough, he ended up partnered with one: David Anderson.

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Anderson was already an Alliance hero, and the Council wanted to give him tryouts as a Spectre. Saren and Anderson ended up on the planet Camala, and they were after a Batarian who was pursuing dangerous and illegal research. Saren needed cover, so he set the entire factory to explode, not caring that hundreds of people were killed. Saren got what he wanted, and even managed to blame Anderson for the explosion, claiming that Anderson had blown his cover and thus forced his hand.

Anderson was unfairly taken out of the running as a Spectre, something he has been bitter about it ever since. In fact, Saren questioned a badly injured Batarian woman named Jella for intel, promising to give her a much-needed medical injection. Once he got the intel, Saren refused to help Jella and coldly watched her die. He didn't need her anymore, after all. Then, Saren came across Sovereign.

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Saren, the Reaper Envoy

Saren talking to Shepard on the Citadel in Mass Effect

By 2183, Saren was allied with Sovereign, the Reaper vanguard, and he was somewhat indoctrinated. However, it should be noted that Sovereign was careful to only use partial indoctrination, and Saren had a great deal of free will during this time. After all, strong indoctrination reduces the subject's reasoning skills and autonomy, and Saren was no ordinary tool for Sovereign. Saren was acting at least partially of his own will during his hunt to find the fabled Conduit, and he recruited Matriarch Benezia to his side during this time too.

Saren launched the assault on Eden Prime to get his hands on a working Prothean beacon, and he felt no remorse about the huge death toll among the colonists. Saren also ordered Benezia to roughly extract intel from the last Rachni queen on Noveria, and Saren created a genophage cure entirely to enslave and control the Krogan race as disposable soldiers, not to save them.

Overall, it is clear that Saren has no real redemption. It is true that he was Sovereign's victim (especially after Sovereign added more implants to Saren's mind to erase the last of Saren's conflicted feelings), but even before indoctrination, Saren was brutal, cold-blooded and antagonistic toward just about everyone. He regularly abused his position as a Spectre, and it's clear he does not care at all about innocent lives so long as he gets what he wants. There's no forgiving that.

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