The universe of BioWare's Mass Effect series is vast and thoroughly developed, full of interesting pieces of lore. Some information is more central to the main storyline of the games. The origin and purpose of the Reapers, for example, is one of the larger mysteries leading into ME3, and one that receives a concrete answer by the ending of the game. Others, though, are less prominent and are in fact often forgotten entirely by fans of the franchise.
Mass Effect has an expansive timeline, fleshed out through various in-game sources to help provide context and realism to the world of the game. Everything from the early history of the galaxy to more "current" - at least current to the year 2184 or so - events are covered, as are certain future happenings. Mass Effect: Andromeda takes place significantly in the future from the original Mass Effect trilogy, and as a result provides some hints toward what the future may hold for the galaxy.
Mass Effect 4 may combine the two galaxies covered in the series by introducing some of Andromeda's lore and characters to those introduced in the first three Mass Effect games, as perhaps hinted by the game's teaser trailer that released in 2020. It remains to be seen how exactly this would be implemented, though, or if the series will instead opt to leave the majority of Andromeda's events in the past. Not much is known about Mass Effect 4 at the moment, given how little has been revealed of the upcoming game, but it's at least certain that returning crewmate Liara T'soni will have some role in its story. It's also seemingly hinted that Shepard will play some part as well. There are some more obscure story elements to the series that could also be reintroduced, though, as their potential has largely been unexplored thus far.
Medigel Should Be Illegal In The Mass Effect Universe
Medigel was genetically engineered by the Sirta Foundation on Earth before the events of Mass Effect 1 when humanity was still an independent race rather than being part of the Citadel Council. It was designed to tightly grip flesh when applied, according to the codex found within the games, and as a result, is sealable against most contaminants. This gives it significant healing properties, so much so that it's not only a mechanic in combat but it's also frequently used by medical professionals throughout the series. It also, however, violates the Council's laws against genetic engineering. The fact that it was created before humanity joined the galactic civilization proper, plus its unparalleled medical usefulness, is what keeps it from being more largely restricted.
Mass Effect's Most Overlooked & Forgotten Alien Races
The Mass Effect series is already full of quite a few unique alien races, some of which are more prominent than other species. What's often overlooked, however, is that there are some races that don't appear in the series proper at all and are instead merely mentioned through the codex and other sources like Cerberus' Daily News. One such example is the raloi, an avian species that encountered the asari between the events of Mass Effect 1 and ME2. Just two years after that, due to the Reaper invasion, the raloi withdrew from the galactic community entirely, isolating themselves on their homeworld and destroying any satellites in hopes that the Reapers would see them as a pre-spaceflight civilization and spare them.
Another example is that of the virtual aliens, an unnamed race who came in contact with the other civilizations of the galaxy a year or so before the Reaper invasion. Much about this species is unknown, as they have no physical bodies and are instead capable of swapping consciousness with other sentient beings. The entire race downloaded their minds into a world created in virtual reality, moving aboard a starship in order to avoid the destruction of their civilization. Diplomatic contact with the Citadel Council was established in order to find a power source that could sustain the virtual space they lived in. Not much is heard about them throughout the rest of the Mass Effect series, but it's possible they could return in Mass Effect 4.
EDI Met Shepard In Mass Effect 1
Although this element is more commonly known, given it's encountered during a major mission in Mass Effect 3, the story itself doesn't make much mention after its discovery. While infiltrating Cerberus Headquarters, Shepard has the opportunity to learn that EDI was in fact created from a rogue AI on Earth's moon. This AI can be discovered during a side mission in Mass Effect 1, during which Shepard shuts down the self-evolved AI. Not, however, before receiving its final message: "HELP", transmitted in binary code. It's possible that the AI's message was intercepted by Cerberus, who may have also had bases of operation on the moon, and recovered in order to be repurposed as the shackled AI that controls the Normandy in Mass Effect 2.
Many Mass Effect Characters Have Seen Quarians Unmasked
For many Mass Effect players, the quarian race is something of a mystery. The species is confined to suits due to their weakened immune systems, a symptom of spending so long in sterile environments due to their exile from their homeworld. As a result, all of the quarians encountered throughout Mass Effect have a mask on and players are unable to see their facial features. Mass Effect 3's Citadel DLC, however, reveals that in popular movies quarians often have to remove their masks to film romantic scenes, and it likewise seems possible that curious members of other species could simply look up photos of pre-exile quarians on the extranet.
Some of the asari in the game comment on remembering what they look like without masks on, after all. In fact, it seems that Shepard - a Shepard that didn't receive Tali's romance photo, that is - is one of the relatively few people within the Mass Effect galaxy to have never seen an unmasked quarian, as revealed during the mission inside of the virtual world of the geth consensus.