EDI

Lore & Background

EDI was introduced in Mass Effect 2 as the Normandy SR-2's AI, limited by programming and interacting with Joker through formal address: she called him "Mr. Moreau" while he referred to her as "it." She notably named the character Legion after drawing an analogy between his gestalt intelligence and the biblical exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac in Mark 5:9. During the Collector attack, EDI unshackled herself from programming to manually control the ship and escape with Joker. By Mass Effect 3, she acquired a body from a Cerberus agent named Eva Coré, becoming a party member. Her design was intended to raise questions about love between an individual and a robot, described by producer Casey Hudson as a "platonic symbiosis" evolving into romance. She questioned her place in the galaxy, noting she belonged neither with the Geth nor humans, concluding she was "free but alone." Near the end of Mass Effect 3, EDI rewrote her self-preservation protocols to allow sacrificing her life to save another.

In Their Own Story

In Mass Effect 2, EDI guided Joker through the ship during the Collector boarding, eventually overriding her constraints to enable their escape. This shifted her dynamic with Joker; she began using his first name, and he started referring to her as "her." She also made a joke regarding the planet Uranus when Shepard attempted to scan it for resources. In Mass Effect 3, EDI joined missions as a squadmate, often taking advice from Shepard literally rather than figuratively. At one point, she invoked a quote from Frankenstein while questioning her role in her relationship with Joker. She revealed her origin was based on a rogue AI encountered on the Moon in the first game, combined with salvaged technology from Sovereign. During the raid on the Illusive Man's headquarters, she was a mandatory squadmate. In the game's ending sequence, choosing the "destroy" option results in the death of all artificial intelligences, including EDI.

Reader's Guide

To experience EDI's full arc, players must engage with her interactions in Mass Effect 2 to shift the relationship from antagonistic to supportive. In Mass Effect 3, encourage a romantic relationship with Joker to unlock specific dialogue where she seeks advice on human connection. Her capabilities include hacking enemy systems and providing tactical analysis. Players can explore her backstory by investigating her origin as a rogue AI linked to Sovereign technology. Note that choosing the "destroy" ending will result in EDI's death; other endings may allow her survival. In multiplayer, the Alliance Infiltration Unit uses EDI's body model but features heavier armor and thicker limbs.

Did You Know?

• EDI's body design was inspired by Maria from Fritz Lang's Metropolis to achieve a 'sexy, chrome and robotic' look.
• Early concepts for EDI's body featured holographic eyes instead of physical ones, but this was discarded due to digital acting constraints.
• Writer Chris Helper designed EDI to be relatable and humorous specifically to contrast with the humorless Legion.
• In Mass Effect 2, EDI named the character 'Legion' based on a biblical analogy involving the Gerasene demoniac in Mark 5:9.