Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

Origin

Tali is a Quarian, who was born on the Migrant Fleet ship Rayya. Like the rest of her race she has a very weak immune system and is forced to wear an environment suit. Tali is the daughter of a Quarian admiral and a technical genius. Like all Quarian’s when she reached a certain age she left on a traditional Quarian pilgrimage, which serves as a rite of passage and a coming of age ritual in Quarian tradition. As part of the pilgrimage Tali must journey out into the galaxy and find something to bring back to the Migrant Fleet to help benefit them, and she cannot return until this is accomplished. During the early days of her Pilgrimage she intercepts a Geth transmission, synthetic begins created by the Quarians that turned on their masters, and decides to investigate. She manages to procure the memory core of one Geth Trooper, and finds a transmission that fast forwards her on the path of destiny.

Character Creation

Tali is a creation of the Canadian Video Game developer known as Bioware. Multiple hands went into the character creation, but different hands give different life to the character. The main writer that that introduced Tali’s character is Drew Karpyshyn who was the lead writer of the original Mass Effect. Originally she was meant to serve as a plot device for the original game to keep the story moving forward, and could be included as a member of the player’s party. Another who had a hand in Tali’s creation was her voice actress Liz Sroka, who’s voice provide much of the emotion and personality of the character.

Character Evolution

Many have contributed to Tali over the years since her initial creation. Tali started out as a rather energetic and quirky alien. She’s a mechanical genius, and has a knack for running into situations without fully thinking them through, and it tends to get her into trouble. She’s also very head strong and has the skills to back up her words up in a fight. Originally she was just a plot device meant to move the storyline of Mass Effect forward. During the events of Mass Effect 2 we see Tali change some. After the events that happened during the opening of Mass Effect 2 Tali has matured and mellowed some, but still packs her headstrong and determined ways. It was during this time that it is reveal that toward the ends of Mass Effect Tali began to develop a crush on Commander Shepard, the main character of the Mass Effect Franchise. At this point Tali became a possible love interest for Commander Shepard.

In Mass Effect 3, Tali is found later on leading her people as an Admiral after her father died during the events of Mass Effect 2. The Quarians tend to like her as an Admiral seeing her as fair and compassionate, at the same time though due to her young age at having become and Admiral many see her as inexperienced. Tali takes her leadership duties seriously, and strives to help her people reclaim their home world in whatever way she can.

Major Story Arcs

Tali has only ever appeared in one comic story arc, which serves as a retelling of her origin story, and a prequel to the first Mass Effect video game. It starts off with Tali staggering down a hallway on the Citadel toward a med clinic. She is bleeding profusely from her side from where a shot fired from one of Saren’s mercenaries grazed her. Due to the fact that a Quarian has to live inside of an environmental suit, and in the event of a suit breach faces the risk of infection her need for medical treatment is dire. She manages to make it to the med clinic where she collapses into the doctor’s arms.

The story the flashes back before the opening events, where Tali is on a Quarian ship: the Honorata taking the first steps of her pilgrimage, when she intercepts a Geth transmission. She manages to capture one of the Geth and hijacks its memory core which contains a message relayed by Saren Arterius; however she is spotted by a group of mercenaries who open fire on her, and her companions. She is forced to flee. The mercenaries chase her and her companions all the way to Illum and then to the Citadel. Tali manages to lose the majority of the mercenaries, but unfortunately her companions lose their lives. She manages to lead the one remaining mercenary that is tailing her into an incinerator where she burns him alive.

The story then switches back to present day where the doctor has finished treating her, and Tali has relayed her story to the doctor and a volus who is in the room with her. The Volus tells her that he can get the information about the recording into the right hands, but first he has to contact the Shadow Broker, and she must trust him until he can. The Volus then tells her to hold up in Chorra’s Den where she will be safe until then.

Powers and Abilities

Despite her age, Tali is a gifted mechanic and engineer. Due to coming across the Geth in her travels, she became an expert in researching them. She's also an expert with weaponry, such as shotguns and pistols.