Character Spotlight | Kaidan Alenko

Kaidansbioticapprentic (as known on Tumblr) is predominantly a PlayStation gamer, been gamer for nearly 15 years. Her genre of choice is action-adventure style games such as Uncharted and Assassin’s Creed. She started playing Mass Effect because a friend suggested to her. In her free time, when she’s not gaming, she writes stories and poetry, designs clothes and draws.

As a long-time gamer, I have developed the ability to see how a game will ride along by the first few minutes. The graphics, the music, the introduction into the action are vital elements into a game’s presentation which will delve the gamer in its world in order to enjoy it. However, there is another part, which most of the times is left behind for the sake of graphics and game play superiority: the story and the characters.

Mass Effect is one of those video game where everything has a harmonious balance. The elements of this definition include a vast universe, array of places and exploration sites, strategic components, moral choices and fast paced missions. But what won me over with this game, was the characters. And this is where I will stand, having in mind my favorite character in the series: Kaidan Alenko.

Kaidan is one of the first characters the player gets introduced to, alongside Joker. They share a dialogue, which is a small indicator showing their personalities. The pilot is a man with his own point of view in everything around him, filled with large portions of cynicism and good old sarcastic spirit. Kaidan, on the other hand, sees the events around him under a more logical prism. The differences between them are obvious, yet create a balanced result, causing the player to laugh when Kaidan wittily replies at Joker’s complaining.

The truth is that I did not expect to see Kaidan again. His introduction was rather discreet, having few bits of explaining his further role. My surprise was rather big and I felt an unusual pleasure when he becomes my first squad member. His looks and attitude deceive the player to an odd extend. While you could consider him as the good-guy-who-sits-next-to-the-pilot, Kaidan suddenly transforms into something more than that.

Then Kaidan becomes my first permanent squadmate. He is with my Shepard when Jenkins dies and gets replaced by Ashley Williams. The first mission on Eden Prime flows normally, until the beacon is revealed. This is when things get a strange toll. Kaidan gets caught up in the beacon’s influence and Shepard rushes off to take him away. The beacon gets control of her and then it explodes leaving her unconscious.

And that’s the point where Kaidan’s true self starts shining through, ray by ray. When Shepard wakes up, he is there, apologizing and asking about your character’s welfare. The worry on his face is obvious, exceeding the interest an officer has for his superior. The player sees a man who cares, a man who is compassionate to his fellow soldier. These little bits of dialogue, the happy smirk on his face and his warm words are things that immediately placed Kaidan in my heart.

The story progresses and more squad mates come into your crew: Tali, Wrex, Garrus and Liara. In order to construct the basis of relationships between crewmates, Shepard will have conversations between them all, after major missions. Kaidan is a very special case. Being a human biotic isn’t easy, as biotics according to the game are faced with hefty discrimination and prejudice. But being an L2 biotic is ever harder, the malfunctioning implant adding more burden to their already weighted situation. Kaidan’s backstory is being developed slowly but in a wise way, an oblique route as he doesn’t rush but leaves open doors and scenarios in order to approach Shepard to come and talk to him, in order to put the pieces together.

By talking to him, the player comes to realize his attitude better. Kaidan had a harsh childhood, having his innocence taken away abruptly. Being away from home, in a dark environment, Kaidan does his best to master his biotic capabilities. He made friends and fell in love with a fellow student. Then everything falls apart. He kills his violent turian teacher at the age of 17, and the girl he loved and tried to save, becomes terrified of him. She rejects him.

Throughout the conversations, Kaidan also advises Shepard in a good-mannered way. Taken his traumatic experience, he tells Shepard to leave open doors and make sure that no one gets hurt. He is concerned about the Council’s attitude toward their mission and the lack of trust, although the evidence the team gathers, is far too much to dismiss away. His thoughts are clear, open to doubt and mixed with a taste of good old sarcasm.

With his story complete, I found myself liking Kaidan even more, not out of pity but because of his honest self-consciousness and chivalrous integrity. He never allowed what happened mark him in a handicapping way. He got strength from that and went on. He joined the Alliance and utilized his powers for betterment. He never became prejudiced against the turians because of a certain individual. He knows that life isn’t a bright place but he faces things with determination and devotion.

The truth is that being drawn into Mass Effect blind, I didn’t knew of the romance system (I hadn’t played Dragon Age yet at that time – I was new to BioWare’s RPGs) and I triggered the flirting between my Shepard and Kaidan by mistake. If the mistakes of my life were all like that, I would be happy to repeat them all over again.

Kaidan’s flirting isn’t aggressive or full of typical male-ish brawl. It’s kind of clumsy and witty, two things that apply to my own tastes. Kaidan is the kind of guy who doesn’t seem bold, but he eventually turns out to be in the most unexpected and cute way. And because fortune favors the bold, I followed the righteous way and returned all the tension and flirting, with an open heart and bright smile.

Let’s not forget the fact that both Shepard and Kaidan are in military and there are regulations against fraternization. Still, it is decided by both that duty always comes first and the task they are set to finish must not be jeopardized by emotions.

Virmire became a tough mission. I came to like the bond between Shepard, Ashley and Kaidan and the fact that the bond had to be broken created a heavy weight. Kaidan obviously has survivor’s guilt and knows the unofficial reasons why Shepard chose him over Ashley. The romance however still goes on…in a more intimate way. They bond more without even realizing it. While Shepard is on edge, Kaidan is there to provide her with a bright smile…and an almost kiss.

The highlight of the whole romance before Ilos becomes an unexpected sanctuary as they both know what is at stake and what is worth fighting for. His smile when Shepard came out of the wreckage after the final battle were enough to satisfy me and my make my heart a puddle of emotions.

Emotions that Mass Effect 2 swept away…

The second game of the trilogy begins abruptly, with the Normandy in flames and the whole crew in danger. Kaidan rushes to Shepard, who in her turn indulges him to save himself. He obeys although the tremble on his voice hints hesitation.

Shepard saves both Kaidan and Joker, at the cost of her own life. Her death becomes the defining event that changes the route of the game. She is reborn by Cerberus in a two year gap, a pro-human organization, known for its extreme ways to promote humanity to the top of the galactic hierarchy. Shepard awakes in an unknown place faced with a lot of unknowns. With the new threat of the Collectors emerging at the boarders, the Illusive Man throws Shepard into action, in a manipulative way. She has no option, but to do as she is tasked. He gives her little intel and a couple of dossiers of crewmates she has to assemble, in order to launch the suicide mission to the Omega-4 relay successfully.

On Horizon, Shepard meets Kaidan. There is no space for emotional cliffhangers, but still Kaidan gives Shepard a hug of relief, a hug that could make him realize that she is still here. A small gesture that is a wonderful indication that Kaidan has feelings for her. An impulse of the moment, a toast to the great adventure of the first game.

It is obvious that Kaidan had a very hard time going through these two years. He suffered from survivor’s guilt once again, letting the woman he loves go away and get spaced, causing her death sentence. Seeing Shepard in front of his eyes, working with Cerberus makes things uncomfortable and complicated.

His heart crushes with his mind. He gets enraged and the romantic atmosphere collapses. But his anger is justified to an extent. First of all, he is not a puppy or a puppet. He is a human. Let’s face the truth: seeing the woman you love after two years in which you assumed she was dead and working for Cerberus is kind of hard to believe. His reaction, even though might be seen as overreacting, is completely normal and human, something completely understandable. Shepard tries to calm him down but without much success. It is apparent that Kaidan is confused; his mind and his heart are at an endless battle between each other.

There is also another scenario that can’t be unseen. Kaidan could be right. Having seen what Cerberus has done in the first game, he feels that Shepard is stuck in a condemning situation. The Illusive Man could use Shepard anyway he wants. He could turn her into an agent or anything else more terrifying. He might have changed her in the way it fits him and Cerberus’ plans better.

Kaidan leaves Horizon wishing Shepard good luck, asking her to take care. He stays loyal to what he believes in, love never blinded his vision. And this is why I stayed loyal to him. His beliefs were strong enough. He is not Shepard’s ex-crewmate but Kaidan Alenko, a man with his own voice, his own thoughts and beliefs. And this is the ideal partner for my Shepard.

The apology letter he sends later is another indication of Kaidan’s nature. The words he said on Horizon were enraged not because he hates Shepard, but, as I see it, because he loves her and doesn’t want her used in that monstrous way. He still has strong feelings for her, that cannot be forsaken. The picture Shepard stares at before the launch of the suicide mission, is the last reminder that she did well and stayed loyal to him. He is worth surviving the mission and fighting for.

The mission is successful. My Shepard lived so did all the crewmates. But the glory of victory won’t last long enough. The events of the “Arrival” DLC lead Shepard to house arrest by the Alliance, which lasted for six months.

Mass Effect 3 begins…

While Shepard is being led to the committee, she bumps into Kaidan. The change in him is obvious. Still, the shy LT tries to apologize for his behavior on Horizon. Shepard doesn’t have any bad feelings though, she is happy to see him and he is happy to see her too. The small, discreet smirks show that there is a ray of light, a glimpse of hope that things will be fixed again.

Then the Reapers came to wreck everything…

Shepard and Kaidan, along with James Vega flee with Joker and the Normandy outside the assaulted Earth’s orbit. They are sent to Mars, where they reconcile with Liara. This is the first time we see Kaidan and Shepard speak concretely in the game. Although Shepard has cut ties with Cerberus, accomplishing the mission she was “programmed” to do, Kaidan feels uncertain and doubtful about her. He wonders if the woman he still loves is in there. Shepard attempts to reassure him that she is still the same woman. Perhaps in time, he will discover it himself.

While on Mars, the android the crew encounters, critically injures Kaidan. When Shepard sees his body lying unconscious, she is apprehensive about his condition. But duty comes first. After going to the Citadel and leaving him there, Shepard is pushed back to action.

There is a rather big break intervening Kaidan’s recovery and final return to the Normandy. His injury was an unfortunate trick by BioWare and I felt some kind of mistreatment for both Ashley and Kaidan. While I was disappointed at first, because my LI was missing a lot of action, the rest of the content was satisfying.

Between missions, Kaidan mails Shepard asking her to come over the hospital to see him, and discuss an important matter. During his hospitalization, Udina offered Kaidan the position of a Spectre. This is a very big deal for a soldier, especially for a man like Kaidan who always lived in shadowy doubt of his abilities.

He asks Shepard’s opinion. He has to be sure about what he should do, if he must accept or not. The trust issues are still there, as they didn’t have contact for six months and Mars was a rather unfortunate incident which prevented further discussion upon that matter. In the hospital, it is set and done: they decide upon a fresh start, leaving Horizon behind. He still doesn’t trust Cerberus but he trusts Shepard. This in particular tells a lot about Kaidan; you can’t forget but you can forgive.

Kaidan accepts the offer and mysteriously disappears, after being dismissed. He reappears only at the Citadel coup. His role there is vital and this is the mission where all the chats you had together are rewarded. If you managed to convince Kaidan of your true identity and mend bridges, he can be talked down. This is probably the most defining moment in Mass Effect 3 for the romance arc: the reemergence of trust.

After the events of the Citadel coup, Kaidan still seems concerned about his role. Being used as a tool, an object to satisfy Udina’s purposes. You can reassure him that what happened was extreme, but had to be done. Sometimes integrity makes people act with extreme measures and Kaidan understands that this is the way the universe works.

Joining your crew, Kaidan feels nostalgic. Let’s not forget that he left his family behind. He thinks about them and worries about his father. A soldier with a soft heart, he tries to be optimistic and humorously hopes for a party after the war. His kindness is shown in these little phrases: even with the war, Kaidan hopes. He also promises Shepard to be by her side, no matter what.

The romance is officially reconciled at Apollo’s. The trust issues are long gone and Kaidan tries to win Shepard’s heart back. He jokes around, but is also straightforward to what he wants. He loves her and cares about her. His smile and happy “puppy” eyes made my heart shine when Shepard returned the feelings.

However, all the good things come to an end. The butterflies turn into bats…

The end is close and everything is at the edge of chaos. After Thessia’s fall, Shepard and Kaidan change. A drastic change of behavior, not on each other but on the world’s perspective and punishing mechanics. Shepard is tired of Cerberus’ dirty games and Kaidan feels disgust for all the things he has seen. Horizon makes this hate more apparent, a thing that connects them in the strangest way.

The final hit is about to be taken. Kaidan appears in front of her cabin for a “quick drink”. An honest lie, a bright smile, and a passionate kiss…elements that led Shepard to tell Kaidan that she loves him, probably the first throughout the games. It is a small but powerful phrase. He feels content and incredibly happy. Happiness that doesn’t last. Shepard wakes up after a nightmare and asks Kaidan if they will make it to the end. He reassures her that they will, because she gave everyone vision and hope. And in turn, they are each others’ hope.

The final goodbyes are painful for both. Time was running short, but no matter what happens they know that their hearts belong to each other. The feeling of never letting go, the last kiss of urgency of not losing what he loves most, the soft trail of Shepard’s hand on his blood-stained cheeks and the words of true love…

His bright smile when he lowers down the named plaque. He feels that she is still alive, a hint that true hope never dies. And that he has to return to her. Back to where he belongs.

Summing my thoughts, if Kaidan was a song, he could be a soft rock ballad, with soft music but powerful vocals. Easy in the ears, satisfying to hear. A song you can listen to over and over again. A character you can romance over and over again, each try a new one. A chance to see something new, something previously missed.  A chance to fall in love even more.

Thanks, Kaidansbioticapprentic!