Director Jarun Tann

Director Jarun Tann

Jarun Tann is a salarian bureaucrat. He is described as craving power but also well-meaning, in over his head but trying to hide it, self-important but with seeds of insecurity.

BACKGROUND: Tann was born on Sur'Kesh. He was fascinated with the idea of exploring space since he was young, but life put him in a different direction. When he heard about the Andromeda Initiative, he saw it as a chance to take the path not taken.

Tann's application to the Initiative listed his previous work experience as "Senior Consultant, Advanced Matrix-Based Accounting" with hobbies in model ship building and "travel...someday". His official answer to questions about preexisting prejudices was blank, though data forensics revealed a racist bias against the krogan.

Jarun was originally appointed Deputy Assistant for Revenue Management within the Andromeda Initiative, but after the seven leaders above him perished when the Nexus collided with the Scourge in 2818, including Initiative founder Jien Garson, he was thrust into the role of Director of the Initiative. During this dire stage, hydroponics was damaged, there were no habitable planets available, and supplies were stretched to a crisis point.

Lacking Garson's charisma, Jarun had an uneasy relationship with the other Initiative leaders and was frequently derided as a less than ideal placeholder. His dealings with Nakmor Kesh are especially tense due to Jarun's prejudice against the krogan. As the situation became more dire, Tann began entertaining the idea of putting people back into cryostasis and installing rationing policies. After the Nexus' scout teams failed to find habitable worlds, Tann decided to forcefully send people back into cryostasis to conserve their resources. Dissent turned to open rebellion against the Nexus leadership, causing the event known as the "Nexus uprising".

Relations between Head of Nexus security, Sloane Kelly, and Tann quickly deteriorated during the uprising. Sloane was vehemently against using the krogan against the mutineers and went to negotiate with the rebellion's leader, Calix Corvannis. While she was away, the Director went behind her back to make a deal with Clan Nakmor in order to decisively put down the mutiny. Calix Corvannis was killed in the ensuing violence with the krogan and upon learning of the Director's intervention and Sloane switched sides to the rebellion.

To deal with the rebels and their supply problems in one fell swoop Tann gave them an ultimatum: exile to the hostile planets or cryostasis. The rebels and Sloane chose exile. When Clan Nakmor approached Tann about their promised reward of political representation on the Nexus, the salarian revealed he was only just learning about their deal with William Spender and reneges on it, claiming Spender wasn't authorized to make such a deal and that the human will be "reprimanded" for the error.

Tann narrowly escaped the wrath of Nakmor Morda due to Kesh standing between him and her clan leader. Kesh convinced Clan Nakmor to follow the outlaws into exile and noted Kesh's presence on the Nexus would ensure the krogan would have an ally in the Nexus despite their departure from the station.

Director Tann has official oversight of Initiative operations and strategy, and effective supervision of Pathfinder teams. However, many still consider Tann inept at handling the chains of command and he lacks the charisma to enforce his authority. Thus, Tann and a council of prominent Nexus leaders have to reach a consensus to provide any form of effective leadership for the Andromeda Initiative; a practice not easily realized as the Nexus leadership is often hampered by squabbles and debates on political issues.

The Director first meets Pathfinder Ryder after the Hyperion's arrival at the Nexus. Although the young Ryder lacks their father Alec's experience, Tann recognizes Pathfinder Ryder as the Nexus' best chance at finding habitable worlds and overcoming the obstacles of the kett and the Scourge. Thus, Tann uses his authority to provide Ryder the Tempest. He hopes Ryder's success in making a world viable for an outpost would result in waking more colonists up from cryostasis and gathering more resources to support the Nexus. Should Ryder succeed, Tann's endorsement of them would enhance his political reputation, and should they fail, Tann rationalizes that he could aggrandize himself through the endorsement of another Pathfinder. He holds office in a wing of Operations that's presently under construction.

When Ryder succeeds in activating the Remnant vault to render Eos habitable, allowing the Initiative to establish Prodromos, Tann compliments the Pathfinder's achievements and introduces them to the Pathfinder Headquarters, touting it as a place where Ryder could hang their "trophies". Kandros and Kesh later join them and comment on Ryder's choice of outpost type, causing Tann to overrule and remind them that they can't take back the decision. He subsequently approves Ryder's request to investigate a lead on the vault network.

Having set up his office at the top of Pathfinder HQ, Tann vacates his previous office and puts an aide there to greet visitors. He can be overheard at times talking to other personnel over comms. He complains to Kesh that the air conditioning in his room seems to be colder than the rest of the station, accusing her of doing it on purpose. The Superintendent repeatedly tells him he's just imagining things before cutting him off. He pressures Doctor Camden to increase plant yields since lives depend on it, suggesting more water in an attempt to make them grow faster, before deferring to the botanist's expert opinion against it.

After the establishment of first contact with the angara, Tann congratulates Ryder on the peaceful event, claiming it's everything the Initiative stands for. If Ryder deems it the best part of the job, or proclaims fascination with angaran culture, Tann notes first contact is a rare event in the Milky Way. If Ryder praises Aya's geography, Tann jokingly deems it a potential venue for a future resort. If Ryder frames it in terms of not having more enemies aside from the kett, Tann concurs since the Initiative isn't equipped for war. If he's aware about exaltation, he deems the process alarming and consequently treats Aya as a welcome discovery.

The Director is eager to forge diplomatic ties as the Initiative needs all the allies it can get. If Moshae Sjefa has been rescued already, Tann hopes it would lead to stronger ties. However, he bungles his negotiations with the angara. On comms, he repeatedly offers the Initiative's "wisdom and knowledge" to the angaran attache despite them being able to attain it on their own, and he fails to project an aura of confidence.

Following the Moshae's return to Aya, Ryder reports to Tann that the angara have opened up an embassy for the Initiative. Pleased at this news, the Director sends emissaries there to further establish relations with them.

After the Pathfinder's raid on the Archon's flagship and subsequent rescue of the salarian ark, Tann goes to the Docking Bay and personally greets the new arrivals as they disembark from Paarchero. He advises patience while the process of settling people is still ongoing. He points to the salarians' survival as proof that the colonial dream is still alive, and asks the Pathfinder to spare a few words for the crowd. If Ryder tells people to pull together, Tann points out he just said the same thing. If Ryder touts their growing experience with their job, Tann appreciates their confidence and notes the leadership chose the Pathfinder well. If Ryder claims they're just doing the job, Tann praises them as a humble servant and champion of the people. If Ryder highlights the setbacks experienced, the Director spins it as an example of perseverance and claims to espouse the value himself. In any event he makes sure the crowd knows to direct their gratitude at Ryder.

Later at Pathfinder HQ when it's time to go to Meridian, Tann argues with Kesh over whether Ryder saved Pathfinder Zevin Raeka or Nakmor Drack's scouts. Furthermore, the Initiative leadership refuses to support Ryder's plan to take Meridian from the kett. When the salarian Pathfinder (and conditionally the asari and turian ones as well) declares their support for Ryder, Tann is forced to assert his authority as their superior to order them to cease and desist.

After learning that the Pathfinders had secretly defied his orders and had taken Khi Tasira from the kett, Tann apologizes to Ryder for his hesitation and affirms that the human is worthy of the title of Pathfinder.

Following the Archon's defeat, Tann and the rest of the Nexus leadership meet with Ryder to discuss who to nominate as interim Heleus ambassador to the Nexus. Tann recommends the salarian Pathfinder, either Lumont Hayjer or Zevin Raeka. If Ryder chooses Nakmor Morda, Tann would be literally speechless when the Pathfinder talks to him on the Nexus.

In response to prostesters at Hydroponics demanding their families brought out from cryostasis immediately, Tann agrees with the rest of the Nexus leadership that doing so would just strain Initiative resources. He recommends keeping people safely frozen and the protesters dispersed. Reminded by the Nexus Uprising due to legitimate grievances of the opposing side, he believes survival is more important than family reunions, and he doesn't want to risk another revolt.

PLOT: Mass Effect: Andromeda starts around 2185, as the Andromeda Initiative embarked on an ambitious goal to settle the Andromeda galaxy by traveling in large vessels known as arks. A coalition of Milky Way races - which includes humans, asari, turians, salarians, and the krogan - participate in this 600-year expedition and are placed in cryostasis to ensure that they do not age during the trip. Prior to the journey, the Initiative had identified 'golden worlds' in Andromeda's Heleus Cluster, locations that are deemed highly viable for habitation. Each ark consists of a team that is led by a Pathfinder who is tasked to explore and ensure these worlds and any other potential locations are hospitable before settlement can begin.

Depending on the initial choice, the game follows either one of the Ryder twins named Scott or Sara Ryder by default, as they assist their father Alec Ryder, the Human Pathfinder, in the Initiative's effort. Alec and his children travel aboard the Hyperion, one of the arks that contain mainly human passengers. Unlike Commander Shepard, the Ryder siblings do not begin with a past reputable status, but instead the protagonist's character and reputation grow as they progress through the narrative.

As the events of Mass Effect: Andromeda take place far in the future, characters from the original trilogy are not present, nor do any decisions that were made in the past entries have any impact during the events of this game. This is to ensure that the game is accessible to new players. However, references to some characters of the original trilogy may be found during exploration and interaction with various people.

SYNOPSIS: At the end of the centuries-long voyage, the Hyperion finally arrives in the Heleus Cluster and Ryder wakes up from cryostasis. Soon after, the ark strikes an unknown object in space, temporarily disabling the power and artificial gravity. Despite these complications, the Hyperion reaches Habitat 7, humanity's designated home. However, to the surprise of the crew, Habitat 7 appears vastly different from their initial scans from the Milky Way prior to departure. Unwilling to believe the journey was for naught, the Pathfinder team decides to survey the planet to determine its viability. The atmospheric conditions being more than they could anticipate, the team crash lands on the planet. There, they encounter a harsh environment, hostile aliens, and unknown mega-structures. In time, they successfully retreat from the planet but suffer a great misfortune in the process. With Habitat 7 deemed inhospitable and the team still reeling from the setback, it is up to Ryder to head into the unknown to find a new home for humanity.

As the Pathfinder slowly but steadily establishes outposts on "golden worlds", many secrets and perils begin to surface. The ancient structures located on each "golden world" hold secrets showing Heleus is nothing the Initiative could have ever imagined. This new hostile alien species fight them at every turn, with an enigmatic leader known only as the Archon. A first-contact situation becomes the only beacon of hope that may spell the Initiative's survival or annihilation.

As with the original trilogy, there is a Galaxy Map for space navigation but it is "different" from its predecessors. The map is located at the helm and is an overlay of the actual view of space. Fish for the player's cabin (and collecting/feeding thereof) are not returning. Mineral scanning returned, but with a different execution from previous iterations. This time scanning for resources is done using the ND1 Nomad on planet surfaces. The main starship, the Tempest, does not require periodic refueling unlike the Normandy SR-2.

For Ryder, the traditional class system has been scrapped. Ryder can learn any skill and isn't locked to a single progression tree.[13][14]. In a given playthrough, Ryder can have combat, tech, and biotic abilities whereas Commander Shepard was limited to no more than two categories of abilities. Squadmates, however, do not have as much flexibility and do follow more of the typical classes.[13] Ryder's abilities can be reset regularly as the situation dictates.[14]

Ryder can unlock profiles when by investing skill points in certain ways. For example, players focusing on combat and biotic powers can unlock the Vanguard profile. Each profile comes with bonuses tailored to the player's style. Six of the profiles correspond to existing Mass Effect classes. The seventh profile is called Explorer and comes from investing skill points across combat, biotic, and tech powers.[14]

Combat is more fast-paced than previous titles.[15] Power Wheel pausing and aiming has been removed: the game can still be paused, although it isn't part of strategies anymore. Sticky cover has also been removed, as characters automatically take cover when pressing up against an object and leave just as quickly. Replacing the standard combat roll is the jump-jet: aside from greater maneuverability prospects, jump-jets can hover and can aid in formulating new methods of attack.[14]

Two types of viability are earned by the player during gameplay. The first type is AVP AVP icon (Andromeda Viability Points). These points are earned by simply playing the game. Complete missions, interact with squad, explore, and pretty much everything Ryder does can potentially earn points. These points increase the Nexus rank and allows the ability to further awaken members of the Initiative still in Cryo sleep. The second type of points are known as viability and are earned directly on specific planets which unlock more activities on that planet.

Mass Effect: Andromeda introduces a crafting system[16] where Ryder can acquire blueprints for armor and weapons throughout the campaign. Weapons can be given custom names and there is now a slot dedicated for a new class of weapons known as Melee Weapons.[17]

Themes and Concepts The multiplayer and singleplayer were designed to be a "more cohesive experience."[15]

Conceptually, the game was intended to embody the themes of "stranger in a strange land", "I am the alien", and becoming a hero. These ideas were present in the earliest days of the project. The Mako's return was similarly planned early in development.[28]

Addressing the relative lack of female aliens in the trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda was slated to feature more of them.[29]

With the new romance mechanic, BioWare sought to create a more realistic and less formulaic approach to romance. Thus, they added more variability in characters' preferences and more variation in the story arc of each romance, including the introduction of casual elements and the possibility of friendships. BioWare also took strides in making sure a character's sexuality fits the character. They wanted to avoid having a character's sexual preference feeling "shoe horned" onto them or the male and female romance options feeling like a set quota, nor did they want to simply make every character a potential romance option.[24]

The lack of the Paragon/Renegade system is intended to represent the nature of the Andromeda galaxy. As there's no Council or standing military, Ryder does not have the same type of governing body to answer to in the manner that Shepard did. Hence, Ryder can operate with more latitude, which is represented in the more flexible approach to morality.[30]

The Andromeda team only had the budget for two new alien species aside from the Remnant. One consideration in selection was that the designs should be able to be cosplayed by regular people. When the angara and kett were decided on, the evolution of their designs gradually veered toward "cosplay-safe territory". Many proposed aliens in early development subsequently went unused. [31]

Early in development, Andromeda had a space exploration system that allowed manual piloting of the player ship from planet to planet. A playable prototype of this system existed in 2015. According to former development director Dorian Kierken, the decision to cut it was likely due to it costing more effort to refine at the expense of the game's other systems.[32]

Post-Release Unlike with the original Mass Effect trilogy, BioWare did not set out to create a new trilogy with Mass Effect: Andromeda. However, future installments in the franchise are a possibility.[33][14]. It is still "to be determined" if the save file for the game carries forward. Future games set in Andromeda may not focus on Ryder as the primary protagonist.[14]

In 2018, Casey Hudson confirmed that BioWare intended to return to the Mass Effect universe at some point,[34] but that discussions wouldn't begin until after the release of Anthem.[35] In August 2018, Hudson indicated that teams were already working on future Mass Effect and/or Dragon Age content.[36]

In February 2019, Hudson stated "in my mind, it's very much alive. I'm thinking all the time about things that I think will be great. It's just a matter of getting back to it as soon as we can."[37] In the same month, Mark Darrah reiterated this statement, further stating that future games could take plot threads from either Andromeda or Mass Effect 3.[38]

In October 2020, BioWare confirmed that they were working on the next installment of the series, and that it was in the early stages.[39] In December 2020, a trailer was released for the next Mass Effect game, indicating a return to the Milky Way. By this stage, the game was in very early development, but had entered the storyboard phase.

Director Tann works in his office in the Pathfinders HQ