Tali is one of Mass Effect's most beloved companion characters, and one of only two squadmates who sticks with Shepard throughout all three games in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. The character was very well received, though there were also some moments that were controversial when the original trilogy first released, particularly when a lightly edited stock photo was used as her final face reveal in Mass Effect 3.
Tali is behind some of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's most memorable moments. Although many of these moments are contingent on player choices like so much of Mass Effect, here are Tali's best moments in the series.
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Many of Mass Effect's squadmates have great introductory scenes, but few get to the heart of the character as quickly as Tali's. In Mass Effect 1, Tali is on her pilgrimage and comes across a piece of information that proves that Citadel Spectre Saren has in fact gone rogue. By the time Shepard has tracked her down, she is attempting to sell her information to the Shadow Broker for safe passage. It turns out that assassins have been sent after her instead.
The moment the Quarian realizes what's going on, she turns from a character who's in over her head into a deadly operator within a matter of seconds, throwing down a well-placed proximity mine and diving for cover within seconds of the player finally getting a good look at the character. It's a great reminder that, despite being so young, Tali is a highly capable fighter, and not nearly as naïve as she might first appear.
Tali, like most Quarians, can't handle her liquor. During Mass Effect 3's Citadel DLC, she gets drunk far quicker than Shepard's other squadmates when hanging out on the Citadel, leading to some great lines like "we can always... [hiccup].. get another Normandy. Call up... [hiccup]... Cerberus and ask them to please build us the SR-3."
It isn't the only time Tali's drinking makes her mask slip, metaphorically speaking. She teases Prothean companion Javik over the Normandy's intercom. "I heard about your talk with Liara. You act so angry, but you really care about us [...] You care about Liara. You like her. [...] And you like me, too!" Javik shuts down the conversation, but it's clear she's right. Later she even whips out an impression of Liara as she was first encountered in Mass Effect 1, stuck inside a forcefield: "I'll act it out. Can you hear me out there? I'm trapped. I need help. I'm in a bubble!"
Eventually, Shepard will return to find her near-collapsed in the bathroom. "You want to see my tattoo?" She says from the floor. When Shepard points out that she doesn't have a tattoo, Tali explains that it's an "Omni-tattoo. Omni-tat? Omni-too. Under the suit. You know, for me. You want to know what is it? You wanna know. It's a pretty bird made out of rainbows."
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The Romances with Tali and Garrus Vakarian are some of the most memorable in Mass Effect, but if Shepard doesn't romance either character, they're in for a treat in Mass Effect 3. The two can be heard flirting over the intercom at different points throughout the game until Shepard eventually walks in on them in a loving embrace.
They fumble for excuses. Tali claims she came to say goodbye, Garrus says his mandible got hooked on her helmet, Tali says it might have caused a rupture so she asked him to check for infection risks. When Shepard says they're happy for them, the Turian says that "it helps to have something to come back to." Tali responds "what do you mean 'to come back to?' This is just a fling, Vakarian. I'm using you for your body." It's a funny scene and a far cry from the Quarian Shepard first met in Mass Effect 1.
Tali and Shepard's romance also has some of the most memorable lines in Mass Effect. Tali will develop feelings for Shepard in the second game: "I mean, a young woman gets rescued by a dashing commander who lets her join his crew and then goes off to save the galaxy? How could she possibly develop any kind of interest in him?"
There are a few hints at Tali's interest beforehand. Yeoman Kelly Chambers will mention Tali's interest to Shepard, while DLC squadmate Kasumi Goto will tell Shepard that he's "all she talks about." Her romance is particularly sweet, if for no other reason that players never get to see Tali's face until the end of Mass Effect 3. Although the original photo found in Shepard's room was controversial, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition updated the image with a better design.
In the Citadel DLC, there's even a scene where a romanced Tali sings songs from a favorite childhood musical of hers to Commander Shepard while they watch "Fleet and Flotilla." She sings, "Let the moon's shining light hide two lovers with its rays / Though I know that dawn will set us on course for separate ways / I will hold this night in memory for all my living days / Now unmasked, I feel your skin on mine."
Tali can die at several points throughout the trilogy, and her death has the potential to be one of Mass Effect's most dramatic and heartbreaking moments. Like all squadmates she can die in Mass Effect 2, but there is a chance she will commit suicide on Rannoch when the Flotilla refused to back down and is destroyed by the synthetic species the Quarians created. Tali will simply say "I'm sorry," and let herself fall over the cliff edge.
For fans of melodrama who like their roleplaying games to explore just how much the hero sacrifices this moment can be one of the best—and most heart-wrenching—moments in the series. Few players, however, will ever let that happen to one of the most memorable companions of the original trilogy, whether they have to relaunch a save or make completely new choices in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.