Ashley Williams is a reoccurring Mass Effect character and romance option for Commander Shepard. Her military family history, "humans first" attitude, and fondness for poetry made her a beloved companion for many and a hated one for others.
However, her return in Mass Effect 3 as a sexualized "Miranda-fied" version of herself changed some gamer's minds. But, as recent outrage over changes regarding Miranda herself show, the debate continues.
These days, as fans ponder who might return for Mass Effect 5, it's a perfect opportunity to revisit the old teammates. Fans await Mass Effect Legendary Edition's release, still wondering if Bioware is planning to completely abandon the Andromeda project. In the meantime, test your knowledge about companion and Systems Alliance soldier Ashley Williams.
10 She Was One Of The First Characters To Have An Action Figure
Mass Effect has long inspired tons of merchandise from pop figures to tote bags and plenty of hoodies. Ashley, a male Shepard, and Garrus were the first three characters to have action figures made of them. These three were considered the poster characters for the game with the figures debuting in September 2012.
Proper, moveable action figures had never joined the ranks until the release of Mass Effect 3. The hype campaign for that game was successful, but the ending was not well-received with even the writers and developers admitting its flaws. Some fans, however, now argue that it has aged much better than others give it credit for.
9 You Can Listen To Ashley's Apology Email
Ashley's "Apology Email" is the note she sends to the player after seeing them again on Horizon during Mass Effect 2. These complicated NPC interactions with neither good nor bad endings were the kind of risks that made Mass Effect 2 such a success.
Kimberly Brooks, Ashley's voice actress, recorded the lines for the email but it wasn't included in the game. This same thing occurred with one of Kaiden's emails. When fans found the audio file, they released it on youtube.
8 Her Alter Ego From Dragon Age
Ashley Williams is voiced by the actress Kimberly Brooks. Brooks had worked with the Mass Effect voice director, Ginny McSwain, prior to its development. The familiarity and Brooks' natural talent made her an excellent choice. So, when Bioware needed voice actors for Dragon Age: Origins, they clearly knew where to turn!
Brooks went on to voice a character in the other Bioware hit series: Dragon Age. The character, Lanya, was an elven mage living a nomadic existence in the woods with her clan. Players who happened to replay Dragon Age: Origins after Mass Effect may have caught this detail, but most weren't so lucky.
7 The Technical Designer Hidden In Her Emails
If Shepard snoops in the first Mass Effect, they can find emails between Ashley and one of her sisters, Sarah. In it, Ashley tells the story of how a crewmate, James, was reassigned to the Kepler Verge. She implies that Sarah has been encouraging her to hook up with James, but that she'd never dare do "The Deed" (Ashley's words) with other troops.
These jokes about Sarah pushing Ashley to flirt with James are even funnier when you know that the "James" they're talking about is a reference to a Bioware technical designer who transferred to the Austin studio on the same day a writer wrote that email.
6 She Was Supposed To Read "Green Hills Of Earth"
Ashley is one of the romance options for Mass Effect 1 and 3. Over the course of Shepard's relationship(s) with her, Ashley discusses her love for poetry. Several times, the couple will quote poems to one another to express their feelings.
She quotes British poet Alfred Tennyson more than once -- a tradition started in Mass Effect 1 when she says that she can still quote his poem "Ulysses" by heart. However, at that moment, she was meant to recite a poem by Robert A. Heinlein called "The Green Hills of Earth." The writer's intentions were thwarted because of the complicated rights needed to use it and time ran out before they could resolve the issue.
5 Her Namesake From Evil Dead
Ash Williams from the Evil Dead is a man with little to fear; after all, he's got a chainsaw arm. The Evil Dead content spans movies, comics, television, and video games with much acclaim and many. Ashley Williams' character can't be cited directly to Ash since Ash's personality changes drastically from appearance to appearance.
However, a dialogue line from the first Mass Effect confirms the link! Ash William's weapon of choice is a shotgun he calls a "boomstick." If Ashley is taken on the Virmire mission, her dialogue references shooting things with her own "boomstick."
4 Her Middle Name
Ashley Williams gets her love of poetry from her father and she comes from a military family. Her father was a serviceman third class and her grandfather was the legendary General Williams -- the first human to surrender to an alien force. That didn't stop them all from having a sensitive side.
Not many fans even know that Ashley has a middle name! Her full name is Ashley Madeline Williams. This is a fun fact in-and-of-itself, but it's also a reference to her family history. Madeline was the name of a poem by Alfred Tennyson (one of her dad's favourites).
3 The Original Actress
Ashley Williams' iconic voice actor - Kimberly Brooks - wasn't originally meant to play the role. E.G. Daily had that honour in Mass Effect's early development. However, the romance between Ashley and Shepard was an important part of the character. The developers didn't feel as though Daily had the right approach for it.
Kimberly Brooks was cast because she'd previously worked with the game's voice director. She recalled in an interview from 2012 that it involved a lot of time recording on her own in the studio. Brooks spoke highly of the director for helping her tap into Ashley's background as a service member.
2 An Unused Confrontation
Mass Effect 3's ending was criticized by fans for being a glorified choice between blue, red, and green lights. Since its release, the community has learned a lot about the development and what led to that ending. In fact, the devs were even considering an entirely different ending.
In Mass Effect 3's early development, Ashley was meant to confront Shepard after they had been forced to use Reaper technology to accomplish the player's goals. As fans of the series know, this would have corrupted them in the process. If this sounds familiar, it's because it echoes Saren's character arc from the first Mass Effect.
1 The Role That Inspired A Career
Mass Effect inspired science fiction in and out of the games industry, but it also inspired Ashley Williams' actress, Kimberly Brooks. At the GeekGirlCon in 2020, Brooks discussed how working on Ashley inspired her to pursue more voice acting roles in video games.
Following Mass Effect, Brooks had roles in Batman: Arkham Asylum, Halo 4, Bioshock Infinite, Final Fantasy XV, and Guild Wars 2 - among many others. As Mass Effect strives to fix past mistakes and help incorporate women, LGBTQ community members, and BIPOC into the gaming community, it's the perfect time to reflect on the women whose work has made it possible over the years.