There has been a lot of speculation over whether Commander Shepard will be alive in Mass Effect 5, but either way, I hope Shepard isn’t the player character. It’s not that I dislike Shepard, and I have fond memories of my early experiences playing through the original Mass Effect trilogy. That said, having recently revisited the series, some things stuck out about Shepard that make me hope I can play as a new character when the next game comes out. This is especially true given the advancements made to the RPG genre in the years since Mass Effect came out.

RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3. I hope that Mass Effect 5 will try to be as innovative as the original games, and giving us a new player character is one thing that would help.

Playing As Shepard Didn't Allow For Much Character Customization

Shepard’s Characterization Didn’t Allow For Much Creativity

For a long time, I would have welcomed Shepard’s return as Mass Effect’s protagonist, but revisiting the original games reminded me that there wasn’t much wiggle room to make Shepard feel like a custom character. You can pick your background, which occasionally comes up in conversation, but for the most part, every Commander Shepard is going to start at the same place, have the same job, and have the same basic outlook on things as any other. Mass Effect’s character customization largely boiled down to how Shepard looked and what types of guns the commander used.

Mass Effect also has many interesting alien species with unique abilities and cultures. Mass Effect 5 would be the perfect time to let players choose to play as an alien instead of a human. This would allow the player to have some new special powers and approach different situations from a unique angle based on their character’s perspective. Experiencing the world of Mass Effect as one of its alien species could also show the player how life differs for them, as opposed to simply laying it out in sometimes clunky expository dialogue like in the original games.

Shepard Was Too Static For An RPG Hero

Shepard’s Goals And Overall Actions Remain Largely The Same

Although not every game needs a customizable hero — Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth recently sold me on this — I do think a choice-based RPG like Mass Effect greatly benefits from it. Making choices as Shepard felt somewhat limiting in the original trilogy because, if I wanted the story to advance, I basically just had to follow orders given to me by the Citadel Council, the Illusive Man, or other major entities and powers. In a more open RPG, I probably would have just blasted Martin Sheen out of his little space chair for being a human supremacist and using me for his own interests.

I didn’t feel like I got to learn or decide who Shepard was outside the context of the mission.

In general, both Shepard's personality and choices felt somewhat on rails in the original Mass Effect trilogy. I could be rude occasionally, or make a reckless maneuver to start combat early, but for the most part, the events of the game play out pretty similarly whether you choose Paragon or Renegade. There are some big decisions, like deciding whether to free the Rachni Queen or destroy the Collector base, but the motivation behind the choices never really changes.

Regardless of what choices you make, Shepard is always following through on them to stop the Reapers and save the galaxy. While I don’t think it’s bad for an RPG to have some overarching narrative elements, the Mass Effect trilogy built its story around a sense of urgency that didn’t allow for much downtime. I didn’t feel like I got to learn or decide who Shepard was outside the context of the mission. This single-minded focus made Shepard feel somewhat flat, and my choices feel like a coat of blue or red paint on the same overall story.

Shepard's History Would Bog Down Mass Effect 5

Mass Effect 5’s Story Should Look Forward, Not Back

My issues with Shepard as a character are only part of the reason why I would prefer a new protagonist in Mass Effect 5. It’s been over a decade since Mass Effect 3 came out, and at this point, I’d just prefer a new story. Bringing Shepard back would risk making the game feel like it was dwelling too much on the series’ past. It would also be alienating for players who are new to the series if they felt like they were jumping in partway through a story and didn’t have the full context of Shepard’s history.

Had we gotten a new Mass Effect game just a few years after Mass Effect 3, I probably would be singing a different tune. But at this point, regardless of the quality of its ending, Mass Effect 3 feels like a conclusion to Shepard’s story. I frankly don’t care much to play through an entire new game as the character, and it would take a 2018 God-of-War-sized shift in Shepard’s characterization to change my mind. While I am curious to see how the character would handle their mission being over, there is another way Mass Effect 5 could do that.

Shepard Should Play A Similar Role As Another Bioware Hero

Shepard Should Be More Of A Legendary Figure Like Revan In KOTOR 2

Just because I don’t want to play as Shepard in Mass Effect 5 doesn’t mean I think the character should be completely absent from the new game. Seeing what a character who lives for the mission is like once their mission is over could be an interesting angle for new character development. If Shepard is still alive in Mass Effect 5, I would like to see them handled similarly to how Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 handled its predecessor’s protagonist, Revan.

KOTOR 2 swapped out Revan for a new protagonist, the Jedi Exile, but Revan’s shadow still loomed large over the game. Characters who knew Revan discuss their legacy, and players could hint at their own choices in the previous game through certain dialogue options. If Shepard returns, I would love to see something similar. I don’t need Shepard to completely disappear as Revan did, and I would even welcome a chance to see or even talk to the character. I would just prefer Shepard’s role was that of yesterday’s legendary hero instead of being back in action.

If Mass Effect 5 does decide to bring Shepard back as the playable protagonist, I hope the game can at least prove me wrong about it being a bad choice. While I would much prefer a fresh story and a new hero that is a bit more customizable, what I want most from the game is for it to take chances. Rather than feeling like the game is just trying to make up for the disappointment of Mass Effect 3, I’d love to see the series be as bold and innovative now as it originally was in 2007.