Unfortunately, this feature led to a small-but-still-noteworthy controversy following the original Mass Effect’s release in 2007, as Fox News hosted a panel criticizing both the game’s sexual content and its inclusion of an “LGBT” romance option in squadmate Liara T’Soni (despite her race being mono-gendered). Most of the claims made during this segment were blatantly false, such as accusations of Mass Effect being a “rape simulator” and a comparison to the porn film Debbie Does Dallas, and both it and the brief controversy it generated are rightfully looked back upon with ridicule by actual fans of the franchise. However, it still triggered a wave of unwanted media attention for BioWare at the time, enough that the developer altered some of its plans for romance options in the 2010 sequel.
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In an interview by The Gamer, Mass Effect 2 writer Brian Kindregan revealed that Jack was originally meant to be pansexual, as well as a romance option for female Shepard as well as the male version. The cut Jack content went so far into development before scrapped that actual Jack dialogue was recorded that better reflects the character as intended. Kindregan recalls:
“I was trying to chart out the arc of [Jack’s] romance, which for much of the development – it was actually very late that it became a male/female-only romance. The development team of Mass Effect 2 was a pretty progressive, open-minded team, but I think there was a concern at pretty high levels that if [the first] Mass Effect, which only had one gay relationship, Liara – which on paper was technically not a gay relationship because she was from a mono-gendered species – I think there was a concern that if that had drawn fire, that Mass Effect 2 had to be a little bit careful.”
Backing up Kindregan’s statements is Jack’s voice actress, Courtenay Taylor, who expressed that as she read the script for Mass Effect 2 she was under the impression that her character was meant to be a part of the LGBT community, only for this to be changed later on. She reflected, “It’s funny to me because my understanding was always that she was pansexual. So I don’t know if that’s just something I inferred from the character or something that she said that maybe got cut. I was surprised there wasn’t a female romance possible because that was my understanding. I think it was the time, you know?”
Aside from the Asari characters like Liara and Samara and bridge-mate Kelly Chambers (who was a minor character, and whose romance doesn’t even lock Shepard, unlike other paths), the Mass Effect series would work toward including more LGBT romance options in its third installment such as Steve Cortez, Samantha Traynor, and longtime squadmate Kaidan Alenko. Still, it’s disappointing that BioWare had to compromise its plans for Jack in Mass Effect 2, especially since it was done to accommodate the whims of closed-minded pundits who never actually played the original game.
Source: The Gamer
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