| Commander Shepard | |
|---|---|
| Mass Effect character | |
 The default male (left) and default female (right) Shepards, as presented on cover art for Mass Effect 3 | |
| First appearance | Mass Effect (2007) |
| Last appearance | Mass Effect 3: Citadel (2013) |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | SPECTRE |
| Affiliation | Systems Alliance Navy |
| Family | Captain Hannah Shepard (mother)[note 1] |
Commander Shepard is the player character in the Mass Effect video game series by BioWare (Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3).
A veteran soldier of the Systems Alliance Navy, an N7 graduate of the Interplanetary Combatives Training (ICT) military program, and the first human Citadel Council Spectre, Shepard works to stop the Reapers, a sentient machine race dedicated to wiping out all advanced organic life. Shepard is neither a hero, nor a villain;[note 2] depending upon players' choices and actions, Shepard is the abstaining factor that acts as both on occasion and will take whatever action is deemed necessary when presented with impossible scenarios.
Shepard's gender, class, first name and facial appearance are chosen and customized by the player. The default male Shepard's face and body were modelled after Mark Vanderloo, while Mark Meer provided the voice for the male Shepard. Jennifer Hale voiced the default female Shepard. Since the player can choose the gender of Shepard, much of the dialogue revolving around the character is gender-neutral with only a few exceptions. However, in some other Mass Effect media, Shepard is called "he" regardless of player choice for the gender.
The character is inspired by and named after American astronaut Alan Shepard. Shepard's armor developed over the series and was originally intended to be red-and-white. Most promotional material for the series focused on the male Shepard, due to the studio's desire for a single identifiable hero, though both versions of the character were given equal priority during development. Various merchandise has been made, including several figurines. Shepard has made cameo appearances in other Electronic Arts games and is referenced in Mass Effect: Andromeda.
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