Andrea Taylor

"The human mind can comprehend a great deal, as a matter of fact. It's like science; it has such a limited and narrow realm in which to focus its efforts. Namely, the physical universe we know today. But like all boundaries, once a certain limitation is surpassed, many more opportunities present itself. And I must say it's a fascinating reward to satiate our own curiosity."

- A young Andrea to her father

Dr. Andrea Taylor is the daughter of Jacob Taylor and Dr. Brynn Cole. She is a childhood friend, and eventual love interest, of Kaidan Shepard.

Born in a post-Reaper War era, Andrea knew a life of peace and prosperity. In 2198, however, the galaxy once against stood on the brink of war between the Interstellar Republic and the Yahg Empire, where Andrea was often sheltered away with her friends until a yahg attack on the Citadel exposed her to a life of violence. During the aftermath, she aided in restoring power to facilities across the space station and would soon be discovered as a natural-born talent in the field of science and engineering.

Upon graduating from high school, Andrea accepted a scholarship from the Systems Alliance and became a scientist stationed at an Alliance Research and Development laboratory. Sometime after the targarium incursion ended, Andrea and Kaidan fell in love and started a new life together.

Early life
Andrea is the only child of Jacob Taylor and Dr. Brynn Cole, born in the city of London on Earth only several months after the Reaper invasion. Both she and Kaidan Shepard have been best friends since childhood due to the friendship of their fathers and share a strong bond.

The Scarlet Festival
Schools are dismissed due to the holidays. Andrea returns home and asks her mother, Brynn, for help in preparing for the upcoming entrance exams for junior high. Momentarily afterwards, she receives an invitation from Kaidan inquiring about whether or not she would be interested in attending a celebratory event―an offer she accepted.

Great Galactic War
As the Taylors and Shepards begin enjoying themselves, a sudden announcement from Citadel NewsNet reveals the yahg's incursion in the Attican Traverse, marking the beginning of the Great Galactic War; at which point her father Jacob and Kaidan's mother Ashley were recalled back to service. This unexpected turn events greatly upsets Kaidan along with his younger brothers and sister, although Andrea was less upset than them.

Personality and traits
"Some people tend to be either slow of wit or lack the attention span to even contemplate on how to break down the gathered material components to the basic structure. It's a bit unnerving, honestly."

- Andrea Taylor

Andrea is kind-hearted, sociable, polite to others and considerate of her friends and family, wishing well for them and standing up for them when they need her. Liker her father Jacob Taylor, she doesn't mind saying what she's thinking, whether it's a question she wants the answer to, an opinion she holds firmly, or a frustration she can't let go of; like her mother Brynn Cole, she thinks carefully of her actions before acting on them out of impulse and has a vast knowledge of both science (including physics) and mathematics.

Like her mother, Andrea speaks with an refined English accent, particularly with a Estuary dialect. She also seems to be aware of English folk-tales such as Robin Hood.

She is also perceptibly clever and witty, and will do whatever it took to stay ahead; additionally, she has good survival instinct and can be resourceful. Andrea does at times respect her father's wishes, but all the while makes it clear she does not "need any babysitting at all".

Andrea is kind towards her family and friends, including Kaidan, whom she is quite close to. She feels sympathy towards him whenever he feels upset and can relate to him wanting to be recognized as an individual due to the fact both having famous fathers. Despite that, Andrea isn't shy about needling Kaidan for putting unnecessary pressure on himself. However, because she has known him her whole life, she genuinely cares for him.

Appearance
"You're a good looking kid, Andie." "That's because I take after Mom."

- Jacob Taylor and his daughter

Andrea has a dark skin complexion like her parents, including black hair and brown eyes, and is known to have a slender physique. She originally had straight waist-length hair which she keeps tied in a ponytail, but has since cut it short to shoulder-length. Overall, her facial features closely resemble those of her mother. She was noted to be quite beautiful for her age, becoming more popular among her male classmates, as mentioned by Kaidan.

As a teenager, Andrea attains a rather slim, curvaceous figure and was shown to have an intelligent and sophisticated sense of fashion with a touch of sensuality. Upon becoming a scientist, Andrea wears a blue body suit and keeps her hair tied in a bun, only letting it loose whenever on off-duty hours.

Skills and abilities

 * -|Abilities=
 * Expert markswoman: While not in favor of fighting, Andrea is nonetheless a skilled markswoman and carries both a pistol and shotgun with her into battle.
 * Expert physician: Andrea was able to analyze the blood sample of infected Republic soldiers and determined that targarium bodily fluid contact was used as a method of poison and was able to quickly create an antidote.
 * Genius-level intellect: Inheriting her mother's scientific mind, Andrea is an exceptionally intelligent science enthusiast, with aptitudes in physics, forensics, and engineering. Being very smart, she grew up to be an excellent academic achiever in high school which in turn earned her a full scholarship to the prestigious University of Oxford. She would later go on to write a very successful graduate thesis and become one of Alliance R&D's most talented young scientists.
 * Gymnastic: Andrea is a natural gymnast, shown to be highly skilled in various acrobatics and other agile maneuvers, often incorporating agile moves while fighting opponents.
 * Master engineer: Andrea possesses an intimate understanding of quantum mechanics, mechanical engineering, and electronics.
 * Master scientist: Andrea is highly skilled in various unspecified fields of science.
 * -|Weaknesses=
 * Human vulnerabilities: One of Andrea's greatest weakness is that she is quite vulnerable to the physical attacks of stronger and more powerful opponents.

Kaidan Shepard
Kaidan Shepard is Andrea's childhood friend. Because their fathers fought side-by-side against both the Collectors and the Reapers, Kaidan has known Andrea for as long as he can remember. He has always been interested in Andrea's scientific curiosity and was always seen either playing games with her or helping with each other's homework. Andrea, in turn, found Kaidan to be a relaxing and warming presence to be around. Andrea and Kaidan actually care deeply for each other and are always looking out for one another. It is suggested that Andrea may have a crush on Kaidan due to her always watching him and showing deep concern for him. She later reacts with embarrassment as she blushed when Kaidan told her he would always be there to protect her.

When they were teenagers, both their respective friends recall Kaidan and Andrea being named prom king and prom queen in 2204. It was during prom that the two shared their first kiss, completing the development of their friendship into something more.

As young adults, both went their separate ways and their relationship began to drift apart; Andrea became a top scientist in the Alliance Department of Research and Development, whereas Kaidan was one of Alliance Intelligence's best agents. Both were eventually reassigned to the Normandy SR-2 as their department's liaisons – much to their great surprise. Despite this, they both agreed to be professional. When Kaidan briefly left the Normandy to investigate an anonymous signal on the Attican Traverse-Terminus Systems border and was captured, Andrea realized that she missed him. When she learned of his capture, Andrea (without the knowledge of her superior officers) contacted the Shadow Broker and sent a request for Kaidan to be rescued.

When the extra-galactic targarium species invaded the Milky Way Galaxy, Andrea was reunited with Kaidan and they embraced after being separated for over a year. When Kaidan again takes a leave of absence from the Normandy to participate in the war effort, Andrea gives him a kiss on the cheek and tells him to "not get caught again", much to Kaidan's chagrin. Before the final battle, Andrea approached Kaidan in his quarters, confessing that despite having grown distant from one another for the sake of the mission and opting to be professional colleagues, Andrea admits that she always loved him. When Kaidan reciprocates, the two rekindle their romance and spent the night together, making the most of what short time of rest during the chaos and uncertainty of war. After Kaidan defeated and killed the targarium emperor Rudali Mashan, both Andrea and Kaidan discuss plans for the future; although Kaidan is scheduled to undergo N7 training in Rio de Janeiro, Andrea teases him and rules nothing out.

Kaidan and Andrea eventually got married at some point before 2213, and had twins.

Appearances in other media

 * Mass Effect: A Hero's Legacy (First appearance)

Quotes

 * -|Spoken by Andrea=

Mass Effect: A Hero's Legacy
Child: Adult:
 * "Following basic instructions are often most vital, but depending on a few scenarios, sometimes what matters more is what your heart tells you."
 * (to Kaidan) "Take care of yourself out there, Kay. For my sake."
 * "I'm a lab scientist, not a soldier!"
 * -|Spoken about Andrea=
 * "I trust her with my life."

- Kaidan Shepard


 * -|Conversations=

Trivia

 * Given Brynn's dialogue with Ashley Williams, it is hinted in a light way that she has a crush on Kaidan Shepard. This was later confirmed as they both entered into a romantic relationship with one another when they grew older.