Following the 2020 announcement that Mass Effect 4 is in development, many fans of the series have wondered how the upcoming sequel will address the events of Mass Effect: Andromeda. Although it's currently unknown how - or if - Andromeda will be implemented into the continuing timeline of the original Mass Effect trilogy, there are a few different ways BioWare could handle it. One of the most obvious solutions seems to be in the still-missing quarian ark included in the finale of Andromeda.
Following the highly critical reception of Mass Effect: Andromeda, many feared that potential sequels for the series would be put on hold indefinitely. Any upcoming DLC for Andromeda were seemingly scrapped, including a likely addition that would have addressed the status of the quarian ark, which was missing and unsafe to approach, as revealed in the ending of the game. However, following the successful release of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the series seems to have been given new focus.
It seems likely, given the fact that Liara T'soni is featured in the teaser trailer, that Mass Effect 4 will be returning to the original trilogy of the series and following the timeline of the Reaper invasion. There's been some speculation that because of this, Andromeda will be disregarded entirely, but others have theorized that ME4 could instead be aiming to connect both galaxies together moving forward. Andromeda's missing ark could serve as the perfect bridge to do so.
The Quarian Ark Could Tie Both Mass Effect Galaxies Together
In the finale of Mass Effect: Andromeda, it was confirmed that the quarian ark - which also carried most of the other species that were absent in the base game, such as the elcor and the volus - had made it to the Andromeda galaxy seemingly in one piece. However, it was somehow damaged or otherwise unsafe to approach according to its distress call. It seemed likely that rescuing the ark was meant to serve as the first piece of DLC for the game, fleshing out the world and story of Andromeda following its release. Seeing as this DLC never happened - and likely never will, at this point - the state of the missing ark instead serves as a cliffhanger.
It's improbable, however, that BioWare would leave such a large plot element unresolved in Mass Effect 4. In the time following the Reaper war, the galaxy should have established some form of contact with Andromeda - the ultimate goal was travel between Mass Effect's two established galaxies, as well as escaping the impending invasion - and it's possible that it could have been established that assistance was needed. Alternatively, the fourth game could involve attempting to figure out why contact wasn't established to begin with, uncovering the further mysteries and conflicts that may have happened in the galaxy following the ending of Andromeda. Either way, the quarian ark is something that should be properly addressed again, and Mass Effect 4 would be a great opportunity to do so.