GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Mass Effect 2's Jack Was Supposed To Be Pansexual, Until Fox News Got In The Way

Conservative backlash against the first Mass Effect game led BioWare to be more cautious about depicting queer relationships in the sequel.

425 Comments

Mass Effect 2's Jack was originally supposed to be pansexual, but her romance arc was changed after BioWare looked at the media reception to romances in the original game, as reported by The Gamer.

Since Mass Effect 2's release 11 years ago, fans have wondered why Jack was could only be romanced by a male Commander Shepard, since she makes references to being with partners of different genders in some of her voice lines. After the original game's launch in 2007, Fox News held a panel about the game's depictions of sex and sexuality. The panel criticized both Mass Effect 1's sex scenes and the ability to romance Liara T'Soni as either a male or female Shepard.

Talking about the development of Jack's romance in an interview with The Gamer, writer Brian Kindregan said: "She was essentially pansexual for most of the development of that romance." But the Fox News panel created a domino effect that changed things.

"Mass Effect had been pretty heavily and really unfairly criticized in the US by Fox News, which at the time... maybe more people in the world thought that there was a connection between reality and what gets discussed on Fox News," Kindregan said. "The development team of Mass Effect 2 was a pretty progressive, open-minded team, but I think there was a concern at pretty high levels that if [the first] Mass Effect, which only had one gay relationship, Liara - which on paper was technically not a gay relationship because she was from a mono-gendered species - I think there was a concern that if that had drawn fire, that Mass Effect 2 had to be a little bit careful."

Courtenay Taylor, the actress who voiced Jack, also was under the impression that Jack was supposed to be a pansexual character. In an interview with The Gamer, she said: "It’s funny to me because my understanding was always that she was pansexual. So I don’t know if that’s just something I inferred from the character or something that she said that maybe got cut. I was surprised there wasn’t a female romance possible because that was my understanding."

Despite this understanding from both her original writer and actor, Jack was made a heterosexual romance option, and with Liara only appearing in DLC, the only queer romances available were Kelly Chambers, Samara, and Morinth. No queer men were made available at all, and Samara and Morinth aren't actual romance options, as Samara will turn Shepard down and Morinth will literally kill them.

With the Mass Effect: Legendary Collection, some fans are hoping that some of the relationships and characters BioWare dropped the ball on the first time will get a second chance. Mass Effect 2 will be included in this collection, which may be releasing in March. We'll have to wait and see if those hopes come to fruition.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 425 comments about this story
425 Comments  RefreshSorted By 
GameSpot has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to toxic conduct in comments. Any abusive, racist, sexist, threatening, bullying, vulgar, and otherwise objectionable behavior will result in moderation and/or account termination. Please keep your discussion civil.

Avatar image for HalcyonScarlet
HalcyonScarlet

13847

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

I thought Fox News would be more mad at all those Aliens "taking our jobs".

2 • 
Avatar image for jsprunk
jsprunk

2378

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 5

@HalcyonScarlet: This news report took place sometime between 2007 - 2010, at the beginning of the massive US invasion of illegal aliens.

Three presidents later and US immigration is not only still 100% broken, it hasn’t even been touched.

Thanks Obama, Trump, Biden.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for oldnmoist
OLDNMOIST

10

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@HalcyonScarlet: yeah, unregulated illegal immigration will do wonders for the USA! YAY!!

2 • 
Avatar image for hal_jordan121
Hal_Jordan121

158

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 10

@HalcyonScarlet: well they figured they needed their own thing since Every other media outlet was MuH RuSsIa

2 • 
Avatar image for HalcyonScarlet
HalcyonScarlet

13847

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@hal_jordan121: They figured nothing of the sort. This isn't exactly new rhetoric from them.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for jsprunk
jsprunk

2378

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 5

@HalcyonScarlet: Fox News almost never covers anything dealing with videogames. They’re usually too busy trying to figure out how to outdo CNN and MSNBC on recruiting more idiots.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for millionsedge
Millionsedge

829

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@HalcyonScarlet: Dey took our jerbs!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for HalcyonScarlet
HalcyonScarlet

13847

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@millionsedge: Took-a-dooo!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for jasoncourt
jasoncourt

119

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I'm a pretty milk-toast-hetero-male, but Jack was my gal. To me, she was such an interesting character, flaws made her more interesting/appealing, I think. I didn't expect to feel that way given the character art, but hey, worked out.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for cetaepsilon
cetaepsilon

313

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

Woah I love Fox News now

7 • 
Avatar image for nilsdoen
NilsDoen

2304

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By NilsDoen

@cetaepsilon: is this something you say bc you think its somehow evil or unnatural to portray optional gay love in video games? or are you just enjoying flipping off gay people?

2 • 
Avatar image for esqueejy
esqueejy

4974

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@nilsdoen: One thing everyone should have learned by now after the past 12 years of the GOP/Trump KKKult's behavior: the cruelty is the whole point.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for nilsdoen
NilsDoen

2304

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@esqueejy: Honestly, I think we would all benefit if all able people stopped talking like that. Very few people want to be cruel. My question was serious and I was not out to make ridiculous accusations...

Upvote • 
Avatar image for esqueejy
esqueejy

4974

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@nilsdoen: Untrue. Very very many people want to be cruel and pointing it out based on the evidence that they've left all over the place for us to see is not controversial...nor is it me being the one who is "really being cruel" as they are all trained by far0right media to instantly try to play the "I'm rubber, you're glue" game. The evidence is all over the internets, FB, Twitter and particularly Paler.

Here is a GREAT example: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/8/18173678/trump-shutdown-voter-florida

"He's not hurting the people he needs to be hurting"

Straight from the KKKultists' mouths....

Upvote • 
Avatar image for nilsdoen
NilsDoen

2304

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@esqueejy: ok bro go have your civil war then

Upvote • 
Avatar image for esqueejy
esqueejy

4974

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@nilsdoen: Cute. I'm not the one looking for one...but they certainly are. Observing that fact doesn't make me as bad as they are. Ignoring it WILL get you railroaded by them for failure to prepare.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for nilsdoen
NilsDoen

2304

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@esqueejy:

1) I said all able people should refrain from attacking others. And to be blunt, what I meant was by "able" was that are above this pettiness. You are clearly not "... does not make me as bad as they are"? What about whataboutism?

2) calling someone cruel isnt to observe

3) I wasn't ignoring it. I was asking him a serious question in order to understand him better.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for jsprunk
jsprunk

2378

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 5

@cetaepsilon: That was Fox News from 10 years ago. Half of those people don't work there any more after filing sexual harassment lawsuits.

2 • 
Avatar image for Sepewrath
Sepewrath

30731

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

lol yeah its amazing that at one time, people associated Fox news with any semblance of reality. Its a shame they had to change anything based on the nonsense that spews from the mouths of those fools on a nightly basis. Anyone that whines about media that they don't have to absorb is ridiculous and game companies should ignore them and not live in fear of them. Despite the fact that its quiet, because there is not platform for it--they would garner far more support from the audience than these idiots like fox news can damage them.

6 • 
Avatar image for nintendoboy16
nintendoboy16

42270

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 44

User Lists: 14

Gamers (especially ITT):

Sexy content that doesn't release in the States/Europe: No! Damn SJW's! Ruining our fun with their censorship...

LGBT content (Mass Effect, TLOU II, Sims): Thank god! Stop promoting your politics.

Seriously, folks. If you dislike politics in media! Stop being entertained. Star Wars is political even before Disney (the Empire are Nazis and the Rebels are based on left-wing paramilitary factions). Star TREK is political (socialism being a recurring theme since the freaking sixties). Even comics are political, like Captain America (Need I say more?), The Punisher (an anti-police vigilante, ironic because police misuse his logo, to the point where people are calling on Marvel to cancel the character AND the series, you all gonna praise that?), and even X-Men (bigotry being a major theme).

5 • 
Avatar image for id0ntkn0w7
ID0ntKn0w7

2287

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@nintendoboy16: your read of a lot of the fiction you mentioned is not only inaccurate in the extreme but a projection of current trends in fringe politics and possibly your own. The punisher as an anti-police vigilante? Okay.

2 • 
Avatar image for esqueejy
esqueejy

4974

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

Edited By esqueejy

@id0ntkn0w7: Uh, no. He's 100% spot on and the fact that things like XMen comics literally deal with the passage of discriminatory legislation intended to purge a group of people from society and/or control them...or how the Avengers entire Civil War theme and the split between Cap and Iron Man as the avatars of freedom and authoritarianism, respectively, is so obviously politically themed and intended to explore the political issues of the day in a metaphorical/allegorical manner that if you can't see it, you probably need to repeat 4th grade.

Punisher is a vigilante doing what he believes the police fail to do. In that sense, he's anti-police. You can't be both pro-police and a vigilante. Operating outside the proper constitutional and legal systems is inherently "anti-police." There are more ways to be anti-police than just the Antifa bogeyman of the moment Faux News has chosen as a focus for its cultural resentment propaganda.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for id0ntkn0w7
ID0ntKn0w7

2287

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@esqueejy: literally every iconic superhero ever is a vigilante who is not anticop. Your assumptions are wrong here. But I'll take your advice and return to the 4th grade - I'm sure they'll have lots of lessons on politics and allegory in fiction. Jackass.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for esqueejy
esqueejy

4974

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@id0ntkn0w7:

Not true. "Jackass."

Vigilantes are self-appointed citizens who take law enforcement into their own hands. while this loosely fits characters like Spiderman and others, the entire story of the Punisher (and similarly, Batman) is wrapped up in the anti-hero morality question of where the line should be drawn, where and when lawlessness in defense of the law is ok or crosses the line or whether it's ever ok, etc. And you're just plain wrong about Xmen and other comics not exploring those other topics. IT's so obvious you'd have to be semi-retarded not to understand it...or actively trying to avoid thinking it because it makes you angry and uncomfortable in your Proud Boy underoos.

Also, eat some D:

Even writer Gerry Conway, who created the Punisher with artists John Romita St and Ross Andru for 1974's The Amazing Spider-Man #129, says he's "disturbed" by the character being embraced by law enforcement.

"When cops put Punisher skulls on their cars or members of the military wear Punisher skull patches, they're basically sides with an enemy of the system," Conway told SyFyWire in January. "Whether you think the Punisher is justified or not, whether you admire his code of ethics, he is an outlaw—he is a criminal. Police should not be embracing a criminal as their symbol."

Conway compared cop cars with the Punisher logo to "a Confederate flag on a government building."

Upvote • 
Avatar image for id0ntkn0w7
ID0ntKn0w7

2287

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@esqueejy: I skimmed enough to read where you argued with something I didn't say (re: xmen being a civil rights allegory. See just below, where I mentioned the MLK/Malcom X dynamic being one of my favorite aspects of the story), and mention proud boy underoos. In rifling through my underoo drawer, and bear in mind I didn't pass the third grade to see all of the politics and literary theory that the fourth had to offer, I can't seem to find any proud boy regalia, nor any accoutrement de maga. Seems you've missed the mark. So my ego has not been wounded. Your read on me as you fail to insult me doesn't bode well for your argument but, as I've already stated, you're arguing with things I haven't said. I feel like somebody should come up with a term for that.

Regarding vigilantes, I don't see the point in continuing a discussion with someone who continues to duck the larger questions and get bogged down bickering over petty minutia. A vigilante is not inherently anticop because you say it's so. You are making the same kimd of leaps in logic, with the same religious fervor, as proud boys or Alex Jones fans or whatever conservative analogue you wish to use as an example. Good day

Upvote • 
Avatar image for esqueejy
esqueejy

4974

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@id0ntkn0w7: Vigilante's take the law into their own hands. Nothing could be more "anti-cop". or "anti-law-enforcement" in a nation of "laws not men". That is not a "because I said so" argument. It is a substantive argument you have no answer to.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for id0ntkn0w7
ID0ntKn0w7

2287

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@esqueejy: as loathe as I am to quote a shitty character from a shitty sitcom, I did say good day.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for a0me
a0me

119

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@id0ntkn0w7 said:

@nintendoboy16: your read of a lot of the fiction you mentioned is not only inaccurate in the extreme but a projection of current trends in fringe politics and possibly your own. The punisher as an anti-police vigilante? Okay.

You should read these comics, watch this show and also read what their creators said about them because they would know what their intent was. The Punisher is not "anti-police" but he also is not a super-hero; some of the writers of the comics even describe him as a serial killer.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for id0ntkn0w7
ID0ntKn0w7

2287

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@a0me: I didn't disagree with everything he said. The allegory aspect of xmen was always one of my favorite things about it.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for t1o9n9y1
t1o9n9y1

38

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

I thought a lady Shepard could romance Jack? What is a pansexual? I'm gay and even I don't understand all of these identities and sexualities. God help straight people 😂

2 • 
Avatar image for white_wind
white_wind

229

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

@t1o9n9y1: doesn't take a genius to understand, Pan means "All" because Bi is just for male and female and leave out trans people for example.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for master_kiriya
Master_Kiriya

27

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@t1o9n9y1: It means you can be attracted to anything, robots and beasts included.

2 • 
Avatar image for esqueejy
esqueejy

4974

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

Edited By esqueejy

@master_kiriya: No. JFC people..why do't you jsut use a farking dictionary instead of making it up as you go along to fit your bigotry:

pan·sex·u·al/panˈsekSH(əw)əl/adjective

  1. not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pansexuality

Key word: "PEOPLE"

It says nothing whatsoever about robots and your neighbors horse farm. Grow the fark up.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for master_kiriya
Master_Kiriya

27

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@esqueejy: I think it is you who needs to grow up and do some reading before you attack people. First of all, wikipedia isn't exactly 5-star source material; it can be edited by anybody and changed to fit current social trends, and words and meanings change all the time, many for the worse. The original meaning of Pansexual however, comes from Pan, the Greek god of the wild, who was often associated with fertility, groves, and sexuality in all its forms, not just that which pertains strictly to human interaction. The true meaning of the word is quite literally, 'all'. So, by using this term to confine by definition what is exactly the opposite of its real meaning, you are in fact the ignorant one.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for esqueejy
esqueejy

4974

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@master_kiriya: Good effing grief. Meet alot of people out there who are talking about screwing animals, do you? Meet a lot of people out there whose use of the prefix "pan" to modify "sexuality" is intended to refer to screwing animals, do you? You're just hip deep in people you know or hear about through your cousin's father's sister-wife's nephew's babysitter's uncle that they've been doing a whole lo0t os sexing up the farmyard, huh?

You are PATENTLY ridiculous and the "beastiality" accusation as a way of demeaning the LGBTQ community is pure, raw, unadulterated bigotry and everyone knows it.

The prefix means "all" as pertains to a "certain group" or "all members of a group." Go ahead, look it up...I'll wait right here while you edumacate yourself. It is not relegated to solely meaning "all", like "the universe of things", like "I sex everything...rugs, cats, robots, coloring books, the neighbors' trash bins, this bag of chips, the box my iPhone came in, my friend's baby's car seat, " etc., and your attempt to use it so broadly is DELIBERATELY obtuse and ignores all context. You're just pretending to be that stupid to get the insults on the page.

That "certain group" being referred to is HUMANS when referencing HUMAN sexuality as "pansexual." It in no way is or has ever been intended in contemporary society to refer to a form of sexuality open to fucking animals or "everything", and ignoring the intended meaning in the context of TODAY is just another stupid, bigoted, absurdist attempt by you to denigrate that community.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for nabinator
Nabinator

1386

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By Nabinator

@master_kiriya: that's just fucking mental... robots and beasts. Sorry, people deserve shaming for that.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for esqueejy
esqueejy

4974

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@nabinator: What's fucking mental is that you believed him instead of going and educating yourself. Hint: He's fucking wrong.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for kobalobasileus
kobalobasileus

60

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@master_kiriya:That's an obsolete definition. "Pan" is now used to refer to the Gender Spectrum, since using "bi" would tacitly admit that there are only two genders.

2 • 
Avatar image for nilsdoen
NilsDoen

2304

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@kobalobasileus: wait there are more genders???

Upvote • 
Avatar image for screebo
Screebo

5

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@master_kiriya: Mmmmmmm robots.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for TJF588
TJF588

40

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@t1o9n9y1: Pansexuality is similar to bisexuality, except the prefix "pan-" explicitly refer to a wider swath of identity than what "bi-" may be interpreted as.

But, ah, anyone posting here has an internet search engine they could freely make use of.

3 • 
Avatar image for Zaor_Alexandros
Zaor_Alexandros

26

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

@t1o9n9y1: Pansexual = Bisexual or Genderfluid. Hard to keep up LOL!

3 • 
Avatar image for Sepewrath
Sepewrath

30731

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

@t1o9n9y1: Yeah I really don't have a clue what a lot of this stuff means lol.

2 • 
Avatar image for nintendoboy16
nintendoboy16

42270

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 44

User Lists: 14

@t1o9n9y1 said:

I thought a lady Shepard could romance Jack?

Not unless you mod the game.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for millionsedge
Millionsedge

829

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Identity politics are exhausting.

10 •