Mass Effect made its mark on the gaming world due to its solid role-playing mechanics and science fiction space opera feel, but it really won over a community by having some of the richest and most interesting lore in the medium.
The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is allowing many new players to find this out for themselves while discovering the many in-world historical events and conflicts. The First Contact War was a critical time in human history and put the race in direct conflict with the military powerhouse that was the Turian race.
10 What Caused The War?
The entire reason as to why the First Contact War occurred was due to the natural curiosity of humans. After finding the Charon Relay, humans became obsessed with discovering more and expanding at a rapid rate.
In 2157, humans managed to come across a mass relay that was closed following the Rachni Wars. This relay was ordered to never be reactivated, an order the Turians tried to reinforce, which resulted in conflict between the two parties. This led to the Occupation of Shanxi.
9 Humans Vs. Turians
Turians aren't naturally anti-human, conversely, humanity didn't even know other sentient races existed in the galaxy prior to the First Contact Wars. If it was any other race the animosity would have been the same as the humans were doing something that was forbidden, unbeknownst to them.
The Turians were simply trying to follow through on what the Council demanded, and they weren't some war-seeking people like the Krogans were labeled to be. Humans and Turians aren't natural enemies, it was just a matter of circumstance.
8 The 314 Incident
Human conflict with alien races will always be fascinating to read about in science fiction, and Mass Effect labeling this incident as the First Contact War made it immediately interesting.
The Turian name for this conflict is the Relay 314 Incident, a reference to the device that humanity reactivated. That name isn't as exciting as the First Contact War and doesn't do as good of a job at immediately providing context to such a defining moment for the human race.
7 The Occupation Of Shanxi
The Occupation of Shanxi was the only major event that took place during the First Contact War and was the center of most human and Turian deaths. The reason Shanxi was occupied by Turians was that it was the closest human colony to the mass relay humans were forbidden from reactivating.
During the Turian occupation that saw their forces scrambling for food, Admiral Kastanie Drescher led a fleet of human soldiers that ultimately removed the Turians from the colony. This would have led to an all-out war if it wasn't for the Citadel Council interfering in the conflict and resolving it.
6 How Long Did It Last?
Wars can last days, months, or even years. Despite the First Contact Wars being an event that introduced humans to the greater galaxy around them, it only lasted around three months. This is also why the death tolls for both humans and Turians were kept rather low.
The only significant event was the Occupation of Shanxi by the Turians; other than that, the war came and went in what felt like the blink of an eye.
5 Consequences Of War
All wars have consequences and, most of the time, the loss of lives is just the beginning. In addition to the death count, both the Turians and humans were met with political and cultural ramifications.
For humans, this first contact gave them a bad reputation among other Council alien races and made humanity's representative body, the Systems Alliance, quite xenophobic. The Turians were forced by the Council to pay hefty reparations to the Alliance. If you save the Council at the end of Mass Effect 1, Turians can be heard considering additional reparations to humans.
4 Human And Turian Death Count
The First Contact War, like any war before it, had its fair share of casualties on both sides of it. For such an important conflict, it's surprising that only 623 humans fell in the line of combat.
In terms of Turian casualties, their losses were stated to be slightly more than that of humans. The Occupation of Shanxi and the colony's liberation by human forces are likely when most of the deaths occurred for both humans and Turians alike.
3 Known Veterans
It may seem like this event occurred ages ago, but there are more than a handful of veterans that you as Commander Shepard come in contact with. Of these individuals, the most notable are all a part of Mass Effect 1.
Normandy's lead doctor, Karin Chakwas, was a medic on the front lines. Admiral Hackett of the Alliance Navy also happened to serve in the First Contact War. The most surprising veteran happens to be the lead villain of Mass Effect 1, Saren. At the time of the war, Saren was still a capable Spectre agent and hadn't been indoctrinated by the Reapers yet.
2 What Humanity Gained
With everything that happened, it may seem as though humans might have been better off never discovering mass relays, to begin with. Despite there being far too many casualties, The First Contact War led to humans gaining a ton of invaluable knowledge.
In addition to learning about the Citadel and its Council, they were also taught about the various other intelligent alien races outside of the Turians. This went a long way in advancing human understanding of the galaxy around them and allowed their technology to stride leaps and bounds ahead of its natural progression.
1 Its Anniversary
Humans love their anniversaries, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the day in which the conflict ended is celebrated. The event itself is called Armistice Day, which is a reference to the signing of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918.
Those who fell in the line of battle, as well as the veterans who managed to make it out alive, are celebrated for the sacrifices they made to ensure the survival of the human race. It's unclear if Turians celebrate this day in the same way or with the same reverence that humans do.