SSV Normandy
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The ''Normandy''-class SR are two fictional
spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
in the ''
Mass Effect ''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn and Preston Watamaniuk. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the known univers ...
'' video game franchise. She first appears in ''
Mass Effect ''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn and Preston Watamaniuk. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the known univers ...
'' as the SSV ''Normandy'' SR-1, the product of a joint venture between the human Systems Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy, and described as the most advanced military stealth starship in the galaxy within the series. An improved version of the ship known as the ''Normandy'' SR-2, though no longer a commissioned spaceship of the Alliance Navy, is later constructed by the anthropocentric paramilitary organization
Cerberus In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; grc-gre, Κέρβερος ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the mo ...
and appears from ''
Mass Effect 2 ''Mass Effect 2'' is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in 2010 and PlayStation 3 in 2011. It is the second installment in the ''Mass Effect'' series and a ...
'' onwards. Both iterations of ''Normandy'' have Jeff "Joker" Moreau (voiced by Seth Green) as the
pilot in command The pilot in command (PIC) of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the captain in a typical two- or three-pilot aircrew, or "pilot" if there is only ...
, while the SR-2 is integrated with an artificial intelligence entity known as EDI (voiced by
Tricia Helfer Tricia Janine Helfer (born April 11, 1974) is a Canadian-American actress and former model. She played the enigmatic Cylon model Number Six in the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' series (2004–2009). She also voiced Sarah Kerrigan in ''S ...
). She functions as the primary means of transport and base of operations for the player, in the role of Spectre
Commander Shepard Lieutenant Commander Shepard, better known as Commander Shepard, is the player character in the ''Mass Effect'' video game series by BioWare (''Mass Effect'', ''Mass Effect 2'', and ''Mass Effect 3''). A veteran soldier of the Systems Alliance ...
, and their crew, as they travel throughout the
Milky Way The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye ...
and fight hostile
aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...
such as the Reapers. The ''Normandy'' has been praised by critics for her visual design, level design, and her appearance in the original ''Mass Effect'' trilogy, where she plays a pivotal role in the war against the Reapers and their servants.


Characteristics and service history


''Normandy'' SR-1

The ''Normandy'' derives her name from the
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
landings of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The initial ''Normandy'' was created in 2183 as an advanced
prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
"deep scout" stealth
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
with help from the
Turians The turians are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Mass Effect'' multimedia franchise developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. Turians are the first alien species to have come into contact with humanity with ...
, a race of aliens who were once hostile to humans. Most of her revolutionary technology is incorporated into her source of propulsion, the ''Tantalus'' drive core, which is also the source of her stealth capabilities. By temporarily "tucking in" and "storing" the heat energy produced within her hull to evade detection, ''Normandy'' can travel undetected or drift passively for a lengthy time of observation, though this technique is not without danger. The stored heat must eventually be released, otherwise the ship risks cooking her own crew alive. To aid in the stealth, the ''Tantalus'' drive allows ''Normandy'' to move without the use of heat-emitting thrusters. The ''Normandy'' is armed with GARDIAN (General ARea Defensive Integration Anti-spacecraft Network) point defense lasers, a spinal mass accelerator cannon, and advanced Javelin disruptor torpedoes, as well as kinetic barriers.


''Normandy'' SR-2

With great labor and elaborate secrecy, ''Normandy'' SR-2 was built by Cerberus to be a larger, more powerful vessel upon the original's destruction. Envisioned with a more hospitable interior design based on the layout of the original (with five decks compared to SR-1's three), more crew-oriented comforts and civilian accommodations (like leather seats, a small kitchen area, and two observation decks, one of which contains a bar) are available. She features greater space in living quarters, research laboratory, observation deck, and cargo bay. She now possesses shuttles that can be used for more precise landings the spacecraft cannot attempt. The list of upgrades is numerous, which the player has the option of researching and applying in the second and third games. Combined with her speed and maneuverability, ''Normandy'' is now capable of significant offensive feats, equipped with Javelin disruptor torpedoes, point-defense lasers, and the Thanix cannon, a Reaper-based weapon. She's even defensively great, thanks to the addition of kinetic barriers, deflective armor, and stronger shielding. Finally, ''Normandy'' is also given an onboard AI in the form of the "Enhanced Defense Intelligence", colloquially referred to as "EDI", who later becomes a squad member in ''Mass Effect 3''. EDI coordinates many of the ship's combat functions, assisting, and even supplanting human piloting if needed. Cerberus's many alterations produced a craft nearly double the original's size and mass, now armed and armored with even more sophisticated tech. All this required an even larger ''Tantalus'' drive core to compensate. This new core is housed within a sphere which holds
element zero Neutronium (sometimes shortened to neutrium, also referred to as neutrite) is a hypothetical substance composed purely of neutrons. The word was coined by scientist Andreas von Antropoff in 1926 (before the 1932 discovery of the neutron) for the ...
and is technologically different from the original ''Tantalus'' core; the manner in which it generates an immense output of power for the ship is meant to evoke a
super-collider A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies, and to contain them in well-defined beams. Large accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle ...
. The ship still retains the SR-1's stealth characteristics, but is now more sustainable. However, unlike the SR-1, the SR-2 can no longer land on every planet due to her increased mass, requiring shore parties to use a shuttle to get to a planet's surface. The ''Normandy'' SR-2 first enters service in 2185, two years after the end of ''Mass Effect''. The Illusive Man had Cerberus build the SR-2 for the newly-revived Commander Shepard and his/her team to aid them in their mission to stop the
Collectors Collector(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Collector (character), a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe * ''Collector'' (2011 film), a 2011 Indian Malayalam film * ''Collector'' (2016 film), a 2016 Russian film * ''Collec ...
' galaxy-wide campaign of human abductions. The ship's communicator was modified to provide instantaneous contact with the Illusive Man. As part of the final mission of ''Mass Effect 2'', the severity of the damage ''Normandy'' receives while fighting the Collectors is heavily dependent on how many upgrades the player managed to research and purchase for the ship. In ''Mass Effect 3'', ''Normandy'', while not receiving any major modifications, undergoes a further
retrofit Retrofitting is the addition of new technology or features to older systems. Retrofits can happen for a number of reasons, for example with big capital expenditures like naval vessels, military equipment or manufacturing plants, businesses or go ...
in 2186; although the retrofits are not completed in time before the Reaper invasion, she is repainted in the Alliance Navy colors of blue and white after reentering the hands of the Systems Alliance on Earth following the events of '' Mass Effect 2: Arrival'', becoming more like a military vessel once again. In spite of her relatively small size compared to other starships in the series, ''Normandy'' continues to be touted as the fastest, most advanced, and most iconic vessel of the Alliance fleet. She led the charge of united Citadel alien races in the Battle for Earth at the game's finale.


M35 Mako

In ''Mass Effect'', the SR-1 carries the M35 ''Mako'', a six-wheeled
infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forc ...
equipped with thrusters, a 155mm mass accelerator cannon, and a
coaxial machine gun A weapon mount is an assembly or mechanism used to hold a weapon (typically a gun) onto a platform in order for it to function at maximum capacity. Weapon mounts can be broken down into two categories: static mounts and non-static mounts. Stat ...
. The ''Mako'' is designed to fit in the small cargo bays of Alliance scouting frigates such as ''Normandy''. Its small size and low weight allow it to be easily deployed to virtually any world. In ''Mass Effect 2'', the ''Mako'' can be found at the crash site of the destroyed SSV ''Normandy'' on Alchera, partially encased in ice and rock but otherwise almost completely intact.


M-44 Hammerhead

In ''Mass Effect 2'', the SR-2 carries the M-44 ''Hammerhead'', a hovering infantry fighting vehicle that functions as a replacement to the ''Mako''. It is only usable in the DLC missions ''Firewalker'' and ''Overlord'', and does not play a main story role, nor does it return in ''Mass Effect 3''.


UT-47 Kodiak Drop Shuttle

In ''Mass Effect 2'' and ''Mass Effect 3'', interplanetary flight personnel carriers stored in the SR-2's cargo bay are two UT-47 ''Kodiak'' that can be used to make landings the new ''Normandy'' could not attempt. The A-model shuttles are employed significantly more in ''Mass Effect 3'', where they (along with the ship) are retrofitted to Alliance specs, repainted in Alliance colors, and are now armed with mass accelerator cannons on both sides of each craft. The Kodiak is nicknamed "Combat Cockroach" by Alliance marines because of its durability and looks.


Development

The idea of the ''Normandy'' as a mobile hub which transported the party from planet to planet was inspired by the ''
Ebon Hawk The following is a list of starships, cruisers, battleships, and other spacecraft in the ''Star Wars'' films, books, and video games. Spacecraft appearing in the original trilogy Death Star The Death Star is the Empire's battle station which ...
'' starship in ''Star Wars:'' ''Knights of the Old Republic'', a previous
BioWare BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated Doctor of Medicine, medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zes ...
game. Early concepts of the ship explored the designs of a fighter jet, a cruiser, a smuggler's ship, and a stealth vessel, while a lot of drawing work was involved in visualizing the variety of machinery housed within the ship's interiors. ''Normandy's'' final design references
delta-wing A delta wing is a wing shaped in the form of a triangle. It is named for its similarity in shape to the Greek uppercase letter delta (Δ). Although long studied, it did not find significant applications until the Jet Age, when it proved suitab ...
fighters and the
Concorde The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
for an aggressive, futuristic look. The ship is depicted with sufficient cargo space to store the ''Mako'', and her sizable crew meant that the ship's interiors needed to be presented as a living space where crew members could live comfortably for months at a time. When docking on space stations, ''Normandy'' is received by extendable arms which attach to the ship; the designers purposely never included visible landing gear on the ''Normandy'' as the ship is meant to hover. Senior Art Director Derek Watts of BioWare stated in a mini-documentary that the "SSV" letters were originally written on the ship's hull, but the developers opted to remove them due to the fact that they would appear to say "ASS" if the ship ever flew upside down. The destruction of the ''Normandy'' SR-1 early in ''Mass Effect 2'' allowed the team freedom to review and amend her design. Ease of navigation of the ship's interior as well as a sense of familiarity for returning players were prioritized as the SR-2 is supposed to feel like a more technologically advanced version of the SR-1, albeit with increased space and rooms for up to one dozen squad mates that Shepard could recruit in ''Mass Effect 2''. A "muscle car" element to the ship's painted exterior was considered in order to give ''Normandy'' a more aggressive feel then a typical spaceship or fighter craft. Customization options for ''Normandy's'' exterior, which could have gone up to five levels, were ultimately cut as scenes in outer space would not benefit from graphical quality produced by pre-rendering. Other elements which have been adjusted include the tail fins, the placement of the engine core, and the size of the wings in proportion to the fuselage. The final look for the ''Normandy'' SR-2 is a sleeker exterior, a larger interior with multiple floors, and her cockpit layout had been overhauled to improve recognition. For ''Mass Effect 3'', the design team wanted to convey the sense that ''Normandy'' had been captured and studied by the Alliance; red and blue color changes were originally thrown into concept to show that the ship is always in high alert as it is operating during wartime. A subplot involving an assassin or saboteur breaking into Shepard's quarters was considered during production, but was ultimately cut from the game's final release.


Merchandise

Dark Horse created a 6 1/4" scale model of the ''Normandy'' SR-2 in 2011. Dark Horse Direct created a 14" replica of the ''Mass Effect: Normandy SR-1 and Mass Effect: Cerberus Normandy SR-2''


Reception

The ''Normandy'' was praised from a design standpoint, with Andy Kelly of
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...
stating that her "hard 70's sci-fi edge" looks "cool", as well as "cold and functional". However, he also noted that her interior ambiance changed in subsequent games, becoming more warm and inviting after she was rebuilt by Cerberus, and again becoming colder and less comfortable in its final incarnation.
Edge Magazine ''Edge'' is a multi-format video game magazine published by Future plc. It is a UK-based magazine and publishes 13 issues annually. The magazine was launched by Steve Jarratt. It has also released foreign editions in Australia, Brazil, France, ...
stated that both ''Normandy'' vessels were "remarkable", and that the ship's main power lies in character interactions. The ability to optionally explore the ship and speak to crew members was a "crucial" point due to the game's emphasis on choice. Alex Donaldson of RPG Site stated that he found few hub areas "as memorable and special" as the ''Normandy'' SR-1, calling it "integral to the player's view of the ''Mass Effect'' universe". EDI has been discussed within the context of her role as the AI personification of the ''Normandy'' SR-2. ''PC Gamer'' lauded EDI's characterization as an AI character and discussed her gameplay utility of being an actual spaceship as part of her role as a squadmate.


Legacy

Kat Bailey of
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claimed the ''Sanctuary 3'' ship of '' Borderlands 3 ''to be inspired by the ''Normandy'', although she also noted that comparing it to the "iconic" ''Normandy'' "feels a little sacrilegious". ''SSV Normandy'' SR-1, the first iteration of the ship, is featured as an
easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...
in the science fiction
survival game Survival games are a sub-genre of action video games, which are usually set in hostile, intense, open-world environments. Players generally start with minimal equipment and are required to survive as long as possible by crafting tools, weapons, ...
''
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'' as part of a
crossover event A crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, unofficial efforts by ...
in May 2021.


Further reading

*


References

Footnotes Citations {{Mass Effect Mass Effect Fictional elements introduced in 2007 Fictional military vehicles Fictional spacecraft Video game levels Video game locations