Mass Effect Fans May Have Uncovered Andromeda’s Protagonist’s Name

The name of Mass Effect: Andromeda’s protagonist may be named after Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, if fans on the Mass Effect subreddit are right about their theories.

It all started when Reddit user Benelioto posted their theory that the protagonist might have the surname ‘Ryder’ or ‘Rider’ based on a screen capture (seen below) of the N7 Day 2015 trailer that shows a dogtag with the same name engraved on it. This surname might be a reference to the aforementioned Sally Ride. It is worth noting that the original Mass Effect trilogy’s protagonist Commander Shepherd was named after the first American man in space, Alan Shephard.

Also worth noting is the choice of song used in the announcement trailer of Andromeda: “Ghost Riders in the Sky” by Johnny Cash. Reddit user The_Iceman2288 has pointed out that “ghost” is another word for “spectre,” the titled bestowed upon players of the original trilogy as space-faring agents tasked with maintaining order in the universe.

Building on the plausibility offered by the use of Cash’s song in the announcement trailer is a response to a question on Twitter. When asked if BioWare could re-upload the Andromeda announcement trailer “with proper music that fits the Mass Effect universe,” BioWare Montreal studio director Yanick Roy said, “No, sorry, because there are very good reasons for that choice of song for the trailer that should become clear later on.”

What do you think of this theory? Could Andromeda’s protagonist be named Ryder/Rider? Let us know in the comments below!

Via Eurogamer